American Development Due to the Railroad
A look into the growth of population density due to the railroad in the U.S. from 1600 to 1900
Brief History, The beginning of the railroad:
The first railroad was introduced in the United States in 1927. The railroads played a major role in the development of the United States during the industrial revolution as well as the movement and settlement to the west. It is important to look at population and industrial patterns pre and post railroad to understand how and why the current cities we have are located where they are. The First railroad was laid in 1827, the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad became intended for commercial transportation of passengers and freight. A relatively small railway only spanning around 13 miles was a new phenomena in the U.S. once opened in 1930 that helped encourage the growth and the immigration into the Ohio River Valley and other North Eastern States. Because of large amounts of strong steel industry in the North East the railroad boomed in the early 1800s and because the new and local buzz of transportation that everyone wanted to experience. People wanted to substitute the horse and carriage with pot holes on the ground with faster and comfortable modes of transportation. In effect, by 1850 almost only 25 years after first introduced, close to 9,000 miles of railroad lines were built! Railroads soon began to replace many canals and steamboat and these new railway patterns began to change how and where people lived, forever transforming the both industrial and population centers. The railroads were superior to these other modes of transportation because of cost of transportation and how much quicker it was and the National Government began to back private companies who were willing to build track. The railways allowed people to reach places they were never able to go before and transpiration of goods to major cities were made easier and more efficient.
Limited Geography to New Found Expanse Land
Prior to the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 the US population was limited in geography to the East Coast of the United States roughly comprising of the original 13 colonies of the United States. That same year President Thomas Jefferson asked for funding from congress to conduct an exploratory expedition of the new American territory which reached as far North as present day North Dakota, as far South as the Gulf of Mexico, and as far West as present day Oregon, all the way to the Pacific Ocean. This expedition, led by Lewis and Clark was conducted by both river navigation along the Missouri River and by foot into lands that were populated at the time only by native tribes and populations. This expedition and ones that followed mapped our new territory and exhibited the potential of land and resources now available to the United States. The expansion into this territory was limited until the introduction of the railroad 30 years later.
Railroad and the Movement West
With the Introduction of the first railroad in 1830, the ability for westward expansion became possible for most Americans. By 1850 almost only 25 years after first introduced, close to 9,000 miles of railroad lines were built! Railroads soon began to replace many canals and steamboat and these new railway patterns began to change how and where people lived, forever transforming the both industrial and population centers. Events like the California Gold Rush helped influence more railways to be laid in western territories and well as settlers in the new land west. As the maps below demonstrate, by 1870 new populations were centered along and at the terminus of railroads including cities such as Chicago, Salt Lake City, San Fransisco.
How The Railroad Supported Industry
We can see in the last two maps that the growth of the railroad grew substantially in 40 years. From 1830 to 1870 almost the entire East Coast and North East of the United States was covered in public and industrial railways. We can see that the railroads were influential and played a major factor in the industrial revolution of the North East. Major industrial states like Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana began to rely on the railroad for business to transport materials and goods. The development and use of the railroads was thought of as the single most important factor of the Industrial Revolution. With the formation, construction and operation, it began to bring significant social, economic and political change to a new developing country. Due to the Industrial Revolution the railroad began to expand, new materials began to be introduced, as well as quicker development helped with supplying resources in need to lay railways. Most importantly the cost of these products were low do to railroads. The Industrial Revolution was altered because of flourishing factories demands for the railroad and railroad parts for tracks were high.
Environmental Impact
Because of the railroad everything began to grow more and more rapidly. We saw a shift in how cities were built, new materials, more people, and growth to areas that were thought of as inaccessible before. These all create future impacts on our environment. While today planes and cars produce higher emissions than trains do, both steam and coal engines release nitrogen and carbon dioxide into the air creating air pollution and negative health effects. The railroad also degraded natural environments ripping into the once undeveloped land and introducing the ability for new inhabitance and development where once thought impossible. The railroads also helped spur the industrial revolution and influenced continued growth of development, industry, and mining. All three saw and created a rapid increase in demand of natural materials. Miners stripped away parts of the Earth because of the demand from industrial and developmental patterns and created environmental havoc to the point where there was no more resources. Perhaps most dramatically, the railroad caused irreversible havoc on native peoples. Many "treaties" gave up Native American land to the railroad and misplaced communities to new locations.
Sources:
Alfred D. Chandler, The railroads, the nation's first big business (1981) ch 1
