Tuesday, October 10, 2017

The Transcontinental Railroad

Today we will spend some time discussing The Transcontinental Railroad:

7 Wonders of the Industrial World Episode 6 The Line from Ramuel Tamayo on Vimeo.  "Seven Wonders of the Industrial World" is a highly rated TV series done by the BBC in 2003.  
(Here's an alternative video: Click Here)

You will be answering the following questions: (also available on this worksheet)
  1. Describe at least three obstacles/challenges faced by railway workers.
  2. Describe President Abraham Lincoln's involvement in the Transcontinental Railroad.
  3. Explain how the railroads were funded.
  4. What groups provided labor for the railroad construction?  Describe the role of Chinese and Irish workers in the railroad construction.
  5. Explain why Native Americans were angered by the Transcontinental Railroad.
  6. Identify the places where the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific Railroads began their construction.  Where did the two railroads meet?
  7. Why did the government play such a large role in the building of the Transcontinental Railroad.
  8. Using this map of the railroad, identify the body of water that is located near where the Union Pacific and Central Pacific met.
  9. The map (above) shows that the Union Pacific Railroad was able to lay more miles of track than the Central Pacific Railroad.  Why do you think that is?
  10. Assess the importance of the Transcontinental Railroad.  Why was it important?  How did it change the country?
If you need more information to answer the questions, you can download and read this PDF:
Click to Download PDF

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