The Transcontinental Railroad

After the United States acquired so much more territory, the push for expansion accelerated and spurred development of an American transcontinental railroad line. The California Gold Rush of 1848 fanned the flames of westward exploration and settlement. One of the biggest challenges was finding the most suitable route.

The two most significant environmental or physical geographic factors that contributed to the development or expansion of the United States is the California Gold Rush and the Irish Potato Famine. The first most significant factor was the California Gold Rush. Before gold was officially discovered in Northern California on January 24, 1848, Kelly (n.d.) states that the entire population of the California territory was around 25,000. A few years after California was admitted as the 31st state in The Union in 1850, a special census was taken and the population had grown to 223,856. Kelly (n.d.) also states that in San Francisco alone, the population was approximately 800 in 1848 to well over 50,000 at the close of 1849.

The gold rush played a major part in the westward expansion. The gold rush is where millions of people came from all over the world. The gold rush started in 1848 and ended in 1852.

The great numbers of settlers moving west due to gold helped create hundreds of new villages, with many becoming large metropolitan and economic centers such as San Francisco, Sacramento, San Jose, and Fresno. The gold quickly turned many of these villages into cities that became extremely important to the American economy. The discovery of the gold came only nine days before the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, also making this treaty one of the most economically significant treaties in American history. In addition, the United States Transcontinental Railroad was built largely on gold money to connect the barren west to the rest of the country, and it ran through Sacramento and San Francisco as soon as 1863. Now, travel that used to take months to complete could be done in days, only further stimulating the growing American economy during the industrial revolution. American production and manufacturing in many different aspects skyrocketed and helped meet the rising necessary national supply and demand. The quick settlement of the west also reinforced the idea of Manifest Destiny and made beneficial use of the territory that the United States acquired in the Mexican-American war. In addition to domestic improvements, the gold rush also benefited the economy on a global stage, as fast-growing cities in the west created new markets for food, goods, and other materials. The west would receive imports from South America, Britain, China, and many more nations in exchange for their precious gold. The California Gold Rush quickly became one of the most influential economic movements in American history as it further advanced the nation’s standing on both a domestic and international

Inventions like the iPhone have paved the road for social, economical, and political improvements. It allowed many opportunities for people to capitalize on whether it be economically like amazon, or socially like youtube as did the railroad that connected the states together. The transcontinental railroad most impacted America economically through encouraging imports and exports amongst the states, making transportation cheaper, and opening up cities along the railroad itself.

The American West boom started during the Civil War. While there was exploration and early settlers in the West, the biggest impact came from the Civil War. Furthermore, the government giving land for railroad development had its own set of consequences. Not to mention the Homestead Act of 1862.

The Gold Rush had an enormous impact on immigration globally, as it brought people from all over the people. People from countries such as China, Mexico, France and other parts of Europe came to California in hopes of finding gold and living a happy life. Not only did the presence of immigrants help the cities grow physically, the immigrants who came from across the globe helped the cities grow culturally and economically. These immigrants brought with them their own language, culture, and beliefs. They helped make California very rich and diverse in culture.

The gold rush altered the course of America not only socially but also physically, the land was drastically changed once the placers gave out and hydraulic mining came into play. Hydraulic mining washed mountains into

The California Gold Rush and people who came for gold created a powerful impact to the people of California. To begin

The United States has always believed in manifest destiny, A term coined by John O’Sullivan. the belief that the expansion westward was both inevitable and justified the purchase of the Louisiana territory by Thomas Jefferson from the French in 1803 was a major deal that could not be ignored. Imperialism is enlarging a nation's authority over weaker countries using economic, or military promise. While not being exactly the same it is evident that westward expansion and imperialism are very similar with the United States expanding vastly in a range of imperial ways such as supplementing help from the U.S. military, and legal organizations into the gained territories and colonize them with nonnatives.

Briseida, I agree with your statement; immigration and transportation were one of the most important factors that took place in the Western Expansion. For instance, the Transcontinental Railroad did have the greatest impact at the time. The first transcontinental railroad, which took place at the Promontory Point, in Utah, let travelers go from coast to coast in a week's time, making it much easier to travel west in search of land for settlement.

The Gold Rush in California resulted in Chinese coming to America in search of wealth, a buildup of resentment by Americans, the passing of the Chinese Exclusion Act.

To start, I will explain the purpose of the Transcontinental railroad. In Source #1”Full Steam Ahead The Transcontinental Railroad”, it says “People had been asking for coast-to-coast rail travel for decades. Since the invention of the locomotive in 1825, companies had built many rail lines. These railroads connected eastern cities and seaports,splashing travel times and helping these areas grow. Crossing the country, however was much more difficult. People and trade goods traveled by horse, stagecoach, or wagon train. The trip took months. Not many made the journey.” So the government during the time thought that building a railroad, would help businesses “ sprout up like corn.” According to Source #1 it also says “ Two companies immediately got to work. Railroads already existed that stretched from the East of Omaha, Nebraska. Now, the Union Pacific Railroad began extending the tracks from Omaha out to the West. The Central Pacific Railroad began in Sacramento,California and laid tracks out East. Eventually, the two companies would meet in Promontory, Utah. So, basically the purpose of the railroad was to get people and goods from coast-to-coast.

“Before the building of the Transcontinental Railroad, it cost nearly $1,000 dollars to travel across the country. After the railroad was completed, the price dropped to $150 dollars.”(History.com Staff). Prior to the railroad the average citizen of America could not afford to travel across the country cheaply. America waited for a means of transportation which would connect them from the Western to Eastern states. The responsibility of creating the railroads were left up to construction companies. Once this invention was created, traveling became quick, easy and affordable. The Transcontinental Railroad could be defined as the most significant change in America, during the 19th Century.

The discovery of the California Gold Rush took place by chance. Mainly the amount of the world’s gold is deep underground and embedded in hard rock. Unlike anywhere else in the world at that time the gold in California was simple to dig up, free for the taking and required little tools to acquire any gold. Only things required: a pick or shovel and a pan to shift out the gold from the rock, sand and debris. The Gold Rush affected not only California, but the outcome of the nation. Creating the expansion of our nation into Western America and California. Hundreds of thousand Americans and foreigners moved toward the Sierra Nevada’s, with the hopes of sticking it rich. Which impacted the social life and the economy, while effected the rest of the country. Producing a number of diverse people seeking to make a fortune, influenced California and the American life.