American History Chapter 14-1

Industry and Railroads

New Developments in the 1800s• Bessemer process: Using a blast of hot air to purify

molten iron, converting it into steel.– Patented by Englishman Henry Bessemer.– Steel was stronger & more pliable than iron.

• Effects of producing more steel:– Steel became cheaper to use as a building material.– Turned the U.S. into a modern industrialized economy.– Railroads expanded more quickly.– Could build taller buildings.– Could build bigger bridges.

Bessemer Process

The Birth of the Oil Industry• 1859 – In Pa., Edwin Drake drilled the first

commercial oil well.• Wildcatters: Oil prospectors that began the search

for more “black gold.”• 1901 – Spindletop Hill in Texas became the site of an

oil boom in the U.S.– Some leading oil companies began in Texas:

• Texaco, Exxon Mobil, Gulf Oil.

U.S. Oil Boom

Growth of Railroads

• Pacific Railway Act of 1862 gave land to RR companies to build more RR & telegraph lines.

• Cheap steel aided the expansion of RRs.• 1862 – The U.S. Congress authorized the building of

the 1st transcontinental railroad:– The Union Pacific started in Omaha & built to the West.– The Central Pacific started in Sacramento, Ca. & built to

the East.– May 10, 1869 they met at Promontory Summit, Utah Terr.

• Effects: Promoted trade, provided jobs, & connected the East to the West.

Transcontinental Railroad

Railroad Expansion by 1910

I love a great

train ride!