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The Iron Horse: The Impact Of Railroads On 19th Century America - Online Term Paper

The Iron Horse: The Impact Of Railroads On 19th Century America

The development of railroads in the 19th century transformed almost every aspect of human life. They were the first big businesses and created our economy. These changes occurred in a relatively short period of time (about 1830-1875), yet managed to positively effect society's economy, transportation, labor and development of land and resources.
By the early 1830s, for the fist time in human history, a person could travel faster then galloping a horse on land. This was due to the development of railroads. Travel on land by stage coach or wagon train was strenuous for a person and not practical for carrying large quantities. Railroads made the previous mode of water transportation, ...

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No other mode of transportation could handle the bulk shipping necessary for an industrial economy with such speed and efficiency .By 1892 the U.S.'s economy was the largest in the world, and the railroads were critical in that development.
As well as the economical benefits of the railroad, it was a crucial element in the settlement of the West. Officers of the Louiseville, Cincinnati and Charleston Railroad Company adopted the metaphor in 1840 that the youthful Eastern cities could , "gather strength from the contributions of that mighty empire west, which like a giant, has sprung from it's cradle." Before the railroad it was a 13,000 mile sea journey around Cape Horn to get from the east to the far west , or an expensive voyage across the isthmus of Nicaragua. The rail could serve arid or mountainous regions and areas where streams were non - existent or unnavigable. The train was able to snake its ways across vast prairies, deserts, and cavernous canyons, over rivers ...

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The Iron Horse: The Impact Of Railroads On 19th Century America. (2007, December 5). Retrieved January 11, 2026, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Iron-Horse-Impact-Railroads-19th-Century/75351

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"The Iron Horse: The Impact Of Railroads On 19th Century America." Essayworld.com. December 5, 2007. Accessed January 11, 2026. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Iron-Horse-Impact-Railroads-19th-Century/75351.

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PAPER DETAILS

Added: 12/5/2007 03:15:18 AM
Category: American History
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 767
Pages: 3

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