In this activity, students watch a short clip from the ASHP documentary 1877: The Grand Army of Starvationto learn about the impact of railroad expansion on Americans and the nation as a whole. After watching the clip, students complete the “Technological Turning Points and their Impact” worksheet in order to examine the positive and negative effects of the railroad.

The Ad*Access Project presents images and database information advertisements printed in U.S. and Canadian newspapers and magazines between 1911 and 1955. This selection of ads is about trains.

Brief history of the building of the Transcontinental Railroad in the United States.

Starting with the Gold Rush, Chinese migrated to California and other regions of the United States in search of work. As several photographs show, many Chinese found work in the gold mines and on the railroads. They accepted $32.50 a month to work on the Union Pacific in Wyoming in 1870 for the same job that paid white workers $52 a month. This led to deep resentment by the whites, who felt the Chinese were competing unfairly for jobs. White labor unions blamed the Chinese for lower wages and lack of jobs, and anti-Chinese feelings grew. The cartoon "You Know How It Is Yourself" expresses this sentiment. Several political cartoons in this topic are graphic representations of racism and conflicts between whites and Chinese. "Won't They Remain Here in Spite of the New Constitution?" shows a demonized figure of political corruption protecting Chinese cheap labor, dirty politicians, capital, and financiers. "The Tables Turned" shows Denis Kearney (head of the Workingman's Party of California, a union that had criticized Chinese laborers) in jail, being taunted by Chinese men. In 1880, President Rutherford B. Hayes signed the Chinese Exclusion Treaty, which placed strict limitations on the number of Chinese allowed to enter the United States and the number allowed to become naturalized citizens. In 1882, Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, which prohibited immigration from China (The Act was not repealed until 1943). The two-part cartoon from the July-December 1882 issue of The Wasp reflects how some citizens saw the situation. After the Act was passed, anti-Chinese violence increased. One illustration depicts the Rock Springs Massacre of 1885, a Wyoming race riot in which 28 Chinese were killed by British and Swedish miners. The "Certificate of Residence" document illustrates that Chinese individuals were required to prove their residence in the United States prior to the passage of the Exclusion Act. The poster offering a reward for Wong Yuk, a Chinese man, makes it clear that the United States was actively deporting Chinese. Despite discrimination and prejudice, this first wave of immigrants established thriving communities. Photographs taken in San Francisco's Chinatown show prosperous businesses, such as the "Chinese Butcher and Grocery Shop." Wealthy merchants formed active business associations, represented by the image "Officers of the Chinese Six Companies." The Chinese celebrated their heritage by holding cultural festivals, as shown in the photograph from 1896. The photographs "Children of High Class," "Golden Gate Park," and "Chinese Passengers on Ferry" are evidence that some Chinese adopted Western-style clothing while others wore more traditional attire.

A comic boar game based on the Erie Railroad wars. Owner of the railroad James Fisk has slipped to the ground after trying unsuccessfully to scale the greased pole. Coins and a bill marked "Erie" fall from his pockets. Among the men who jeer at his predicament is Cornelius Vanderbilt, who, throughout 1868 and 1869, tried unsuccessfully to seize control of the Erie by buying into its stock. At right are directions for the game: "Use two Dice thrown together; if the sum of the throw is an even number, the player places his chip on the first number of the pole and is entitled to successive throws unti his throw is an odd number, in which case the chip is moved down one number, (or off, if on the first square), and the play is made by the next in turn. Doublets entitle the player to move his chip two squares. The game is completed when the successful chip has passed the highest square and is thrown off."|Crichton & Co., Publishers, New York.|Entered . . . 1869 by D.W. DeForest . . . New York.|Title appears as it is written on the item.|Forms part of: American cartoon print filing series (Library of Congress)|Published in: American political prints, 1766-1876 / Bernard F. Reilly. Boston : G.K. Hall, 1991, entry 1869-3.

A satire on the New Jersey gubernatorial campaign of 1844, centering on a major issue of the race--extension of the Camden and Amboy Railroad. The Whig candidate, New Jersey native Charles C. Stratton, campaigned on a platform opposing the powerful railroad interests of the state. The Democratic candidate, Pennsylvania-born John R. Thomson, was a stockholder in the railroad and a vigorous advocate of internal improvements. The artist portrays Thomson as a reckless pawn of "young Hyson" (possibly a railroad magnate?) and the railroad as a burden on the people of the state. Thomson (here "Thompson") rides a steam train along a stretch of track laid over the backs of the people. The track ahead is unfinished--a fact noted by a man on the locomotive's front platform. Heedless of this, Captain Thomson stands atop one of the cars waving a militia cap (a symbol of his Jacksonian alignment) and shouting, "Fire up Green! Fire! I say that devilish Whig brigand Stratton is almost there--Stir up!--Put on the Steam or our man is lost--O my Country! O!!! 'For thee I wave my Sword on high / For thee I live--For thee I die' Go ahead! Burst! I'd sooner smash than not be first." Whig ally and fellow railroad advocate James S. Green feeds the engine's boiler, complaining, "T'is decreed by my Master, the Captain, that there shall be more Fire--but I fear I never shall be Chancellor." Another man asks Thomson, "How long shall we go on this tack, Captain? It is almost time to have the Engine reversed." The train pulls "Young Hyson" who rides in an oriental rickshaw-like vehicle. Ahead is a tall staff flying an American flag and a "Clay and Frelinghuysen" streamer. Further on, Stratton's horse-drawn coach approaches a crowd gathered around a small house. On a hill nearby is a large house with a cupola, possibly the governor's residence. A man in the crowd calls out, "Here they are! Three cheers for Governor Stratton the "Jersey bred Jerseymen."" The coach's driver announces, "We've distanced the Rail Road machinery this time." In the foreground a farmer at the reins of a simple wooden wagon full of produce calls out to two gentlemen in a stylish coach nearby, "Hurrah for Clay--for Frelinghuysen for Stratton--and for all who go for men of my Condition: Hurrah I say you men with your men Servants there!" One of the gentlemen says to the other, "Egad my friend, Thompson will find the backs of the people a very unsafe Foundation for a Rail Road. I had rather trust to Stratton's Old Jersey Waggon off yonder." His driver comments ironically, "I have no faith in the common people--they have no respect for rank--Thompson degrades himself by condescending to be their Governor." The print may have been conceived as part of a series, given that it is marked "No. 4," although no related prints have been recorded.|Entered . . . 1844 by H.R. Robinson.|Lith. & publ. by H.R. Robinson, 142 Nassau St & 112 Broadway N. York|Title appears as it is written on the item.|Weitenkampf, p. 83.|Forms part of: American cartoon print filing series (Library of Congress)|Published in: American political prints, 1766-1876 / Bernard F. Reilly. Boston : G.K. Hall, 1991, entry 1844-48.

Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1886 (All rights reserved.)|Title appears as it is written on the item.|Forms part of: American cartoon print filing series (Library of Congress)

In this activity, students read a series of primary source documents, including the 1872 print "American Progress," that depict the social, political and cultural conflicts between settlers and Native Americans during the 19th century. Then, working in small groups, students will consider the events from the perspective of Native Americans, and create an illustration to counter George A. Crofutt's famous print of "American Progress" moving across the Great Plains.

Poster circulated in Philadelphia in 1839 to discourage the coming of the railroad, 1839

Examine a collection of primary source documents about railroads in the United States.

In this activity, students are guided through a close reading of The Journal of Sean Sullivan: A Transcontinental Railroad Worker, a fictional book for young readers based on historical sources. Students will read a short excerpt from the beginning of the book and determine the meaning of key words. Working in groups, students will then read excerpts related to one of the following themes: working conditions of railroad builders; tension between immigrant groups; corruption of the railroad companies; conflict with Great Plains Indian tribes; and boomtowns. They will also complete an individual writing task on their theme. Finally, students will consider the positive and negative effects of the railroad on the country as a whole, as well as on specific groups of Americans.

 U.S. History is designed to meet the scope and sequence requirements of most introductory courses. The text provides a balanced approach to U.S. history, considering the people, events, and ideas that have shaped the United States from both the top down (politics, economics, diplomacy) and bottom up (eyewitness accounts, lived experience). U.S. History covers key forces that form the American experience, with particular attention to issues of race, class, and gender.Senior Contributing AuthorsP. Scott Corbett, Ventura CollegeVolker Janssen, California State University, FullertonJohn M. Lund, Keene State CollegeTodd Pfannestiel, Clarion UniversityPaul Vickery, Oral Roberts UniversitySylvie Waskiewicz

U.S. History is designed for a two-semester American history sequence. It is traditional in coverage, following a roughly chronological outline, and using a balanced approach that includes political, economic, social, and cultural developments. At the same time, the book includes a number of innovative and interactive features designed to enhance student learning. Instructors can also customize the book, adapting it to the approach that works best in their classroom.

This is an online companion to the 8-part PBS documentary on the American West. The site is divided into sections dealing with an overall tour, events in the West, places, people, and archives.