RAILROADS CORRECT 100%
Transcontinental Railroad - ANSWERA train route across the United States, finished
in 1869. It was the project of two railroad companies: the Union Pacific built from the
east, and the Central Pacific built from the west. The two lines met in Utah. The
Central Pacific laborers were predominantly Chinese, and the Union Pacific laborers
predominantly Irish. Both groups often worked under harsh conditions.
Jay Gould - ANSWERone of the most notoriously corrupt RR owners who was
known for manipulating stock. Known as a robber baron.
Credit Mobilier Scandal - ANSWERcompany created to win gov. contract to build
transcontinental railroad by giving stock to congressmen
then they inflated prices for the RR making congress look the fool
James J. Hill - ANSWEROwned the Great Northern Railroad and used no federal
land grants or subsidies to do so. Known as an honest businessman.
Pacific Railway Act - ANSWERThis act was signed by Abe Lincoln in 1862 to build a
railroad that would connect the east US to the west US by two different companies in
a race to get to the other and on the way make more money.
Union Pacific - ANSWERone of the two companies in charge of building the
Transcontinental RR; under the direction of former Union general Granville Dodge;
started in Omaha, NB in 1865; included many Civil war vets, criminals, and Irish
immigrants.
Central Pacific - ANSWERone of the two companies in charge of building the
Transcontinental RR; under the direction of Theodore Judah; had a harder task
because they had to cut through the Rocky Mountains; 10,000 Chinese immigrants.
Promontory Summit (Point), Utah - ANSWERthe place where the Transcontinental
RR was completed with the ceremonial golden spikes put into the ground.
Cornelius Vanderbilt - ANSWERone of the most successful RR consolidators;
connected RR's from New York to Chicago.
Time zones - ANSWERdeveloped by the federal government to keep the railways
safe and trains on time from town to town.
Robber Barons - ANSWERRefers to the industrialists or big business owners who
gained huge profits by paying their employees extremely low wages. They also
drove their competitors out of business by selling their products cheaper than it cost
to produce it. Then when they controlled the market, they hiked prices high above
original price.