Westward Expansion and Western Railroad Building

							    Sample PowerPoint Video
Storyboard: Westward Expansion
  and Western Railroad Building
               • Why were the
                 railroads built – who
                 would they serve?
               • How were the
                 railroads built – who
                 supplied the labor and
                 who supplied the
                 money?
               • What was the impact
                 of the railroad on
                 western expansion
                 and development of
                 the country?

                                          1
Why were the railroads built?
                • Farmers and cattle
                  ranchers could more easily
                  get their crops and meat to
                  the markets on the east
                  coast and in the south
                • Farmers cattle ranchers,
                  miners, and homesteaders
                  could more easily get
                  needed supplies
                • Country’s economy would
                  benefit


                                            2
How were the railroads built?

               • The railroads needed
                 money, engineering
                 knowledge, creative
                 technological solutions
                 to challenging
                 problems, and the
                 labor skills of many
                 men


                                       3
Labor Skills
      • Too few white or black
        native-born Americans
        were willing to work on
        building the railroad
      • The Union Pacific
        Railroad hired many
        European immigrants,
        especially the Irish
      • The Central Pacific
        Railroad hired Mexicans,
        Irish, Paiute Indians,
        and Chinese
      • Over 12,000 Chinese
        worked to get the
        railroad through the
        Sierra Mountains       4
How the Hired Railroad Labor
       Was Treated

               • Poor working
                 conditions
               • Long hours
               • Many injured and
                 lives lost




                                    5
Transcontinental Railroad

             • The Union Pacific
               Railroad built west
               from Nebraska
             • The Central Pacific
               Railroad built east
               from California
             • The two railroads met
               at Promontory Point,
               Utah – May 10, 1869
                                       6
                Credits
•   Director – Jose Gonzales
•   Writer – Thai Nguyen
•   Cinematographer – Melissa Smith
•   Narrator 1 – Jackson O’Neill
•   Narrator 2 – Thai Nguyen

• Filmed on location at:
• Special Thanks to our teacher
                                      7