Homesteaders & Transcontinental Railroad

In the 1840s, Congress’s main argument over the transcontinental railroad concerned

• the geographic direction of the railroad.

• the money needed to fund the railroad.

• the lack of workers to build the railroad.

• the places the railroad should run through.

Abraham Lincoln’s primary impact on the construction of the transcontinental railroad was to

• sign the Pacific Railroad Act into law.

• appoint Theodore Judah as a surveyor.

• stop the passage of the railroad bill.

• break up a big railroad monopoly.

Which statement best explains why the transcontinental railroad took several years to build?

• Digging through mountains was difficult, and harsh weather slowed progress.

• Several Civil War battles took place nearby and kept work from progressing.

• Congress fought over funding for the railroad, leading to work stoppages.

• Immigrants were not interested in railroad work, which made it hard to fill jobs.

The main factor that slowed construction of the Central Pacific railroad was

• a shortage of supplies, which had to be shipped around South America.

• intense summer heat that melted the railroad ties and tracks.

• scarcity of wood used for building railroad ties and trestles.

• conflicts with American Indians who closed down the tracks.

Because of dangerous work conditions in railroad construction in the 1800s,

• about 100-150 workers died while building the Union Pacific railroad.

• about 1,000-1,500 workers died while building the Central Pacific railroad.

• about 100-150 workers died while building the Central Pacific railroad.

• about 1,000-1,500 workers died while building the Union Pacific railroad.

How did the end of the Civil War help railroad construction?

• It supplied the railroad with labor in the form of freed African Americans.

• It freed the government to give more money to the Union Pacific line.

• It ended the labor shortage, as war veterans went to work on the railroad.

• It encouraged more people to travel the railroad to settle in the West.

How did the transcontinental railroad affect US trade?

• The railroad did not affect trade in the United States.

• The railroad increased trade by making shipping cheaper.

• The railroad hurt trade by causing corruption in business.

• The railroad fostered trade relations with American Indians.

How did railroad expansion affect the cattle ranching industry?

• The industry boomed as cattle ranchers shipped their meat to market.

• The industry boomed as cattle ranchers relocated to the West.

• The industry failed as cattle ranches had to make way for railroads.

• The industry failed as railroads shipped food products from the East.

How did the federal government use land grants in the West in the 1860s?

• The government gave them to railroad companies for development.

• The government relocated American Indians onto reservations.

• The government withheld land grants until the Civil War was over.

• The government gave land to African Americans after the Civil War.

One modern town that was built in the late 1800s to serve the railroads was

• Cheyenne.

• San Francisco.

• New York.

• Omaha.