History: The Transcontinental Railroad
Advanced (C1)
Science
American Accent
85s
A history professor explains how the transcontinental railroad cut travel time across the United States, boosted trade and settlement, and came at a heavy cost for Native American nations.
Vocabulary Highlights
- knit /nɪt/
- To join things closely together, or to make clothing from yarn with long needles.
- "The tragedy knit the small community together." — join closely together
- "My aunt knit me a scarf for my birthday." — make clothes from yarn
- "The broken bone took six weeks to knit." — heal and grow back together
Dialogue Transcript
Speaker 1:
Today we're going to talk about the transcontinental railroad, completed in eighteen sixty-nine.
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Before it existed, crossing the United States from coast to coast could take up to six months by wagon, and the journey was often dangerous.
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The project was split between two companies.
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The Central Pacific built eastward from California, while the Union Pacific built westward from Nebraska.
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Much of the hardest work was done by thousands of Chinese immigrants, who blasted tunnels through the Sierra Nevada mountains.
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The two lines finally met in Utah, where a ceremonial golden spike was driven into the track.
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Almost overnight, that six-month journey shrank to about a week.
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The impact on trade was enormous.
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Farmers in the West could ship cattle and grain to eastern cities, and factories could send manufactured goods back the other way.
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The railroad also opened up the West to settlement, as towns sprang up along the tracks.
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However, this expansion came at a terrible price for Native American nations.
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Their lands were taken, and the buffalo herds they depended on were nearly wiped out.
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So, the railroad helped knit the country together, but not everyone shared in its benefits.
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