Transcontinental Railroad

Which president signed the Pacific Railroad Act into law?

• Abraham Lincoln

• James Polk

• Andrew Johnson

• Ulysses Grant

• Rutherford B. Hayes

Why did the government want the Transcontinental Railroad built?

• To move prisoners west

• To encourage westward expansion

• To defeat Mexico

• To make peace with the Native Americans

The belief that the US had a right and duty to expand across the North American contitent was known as

• The Great Expansion
• Manifest Destiny
• Oregon Fever
• The Monroe Doctrine

What invention allowed people and goods to travel across the country in just a week?

• The Transcontinental Railroad
• The pony express
• The telegraph

In what town did the Central Pacific Railroad start?

• Promontory, Utah

• Sacramento, California

In what town did the Union Pacific Railroad begin?

• Omaha, Nebraska

• Promontory, Utah

Who paid for the costs of building the Transcontinental Railroad?

• The Union Pacific Railway company

• The Central Pacific Railway company

• Congress

Which of the following TWO groups of people made up the majority of workers on the Transcontinental Railroad?

• Native Americans

• Poor American farmers

• Irish Immigrants

• Chinese Immigrants

• Spanish immigrants

Which of the following represents the way the transcontinental railroad impacted travel across the continent?

• It went from taking 6 months to travel to just 6 days after the Transcontinental Railroad

• It reduced travel time from 6 months down to just 1 month after the Transcontinental Railroad

• Travel time increased by about 2 weeks because the Transcontinental Railroad was still new

How else did the Transcontinental Railroad impact America?

• It increased trade between the east and west

• It led to a decline in immigration to the west

• It led to overpopulation in the east

• It led to increased costs of trade and transportation