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Chapter 14 Section 2
The Age of Railroads
As railroads spread across the country…
They gained power and influence.
They were given huge land grants by the government.
Sold for PROFIT.1869 The transcontinental railroad was completed
In 1860 30,000 miles of railroads
By 1890 6x that. (180,000).
Rail WorkersEast= Irish and Black
West= Chinese
Treacherous work
In 1888 2000 were killed and 20,000 were injured.
Chinese Railroad workers in the West
Irish Railroad workers from the East
Railroad time
The Pullman Company
PullmanFactory and
Company town
Strict rules.No drinkingNo loitering
Credit Mobilier ScandalPaid 3x the cost of
Abusive rail policies.Fixed prices
The Grange Demanded government control over the railroad
industry.The Granger Laws
Munn v. Illinois and the Interstate Commerce ActGave federal gov’t and states the right to regulate RR’s
in order to protect the public interest.
By 1900- 7 companies owned 2/3 of the nations RR’s.
