The Guide to the Gilded Age
Authors: Emmah, Dakota, Ben and Sean
Transcontinental Railroad
Andrew Carnegie
Born in Scotland to a poor family and moved to America in 1848. After learning his new surroundings he gained a new job as a private secretary for the Pennsylvania Railroad. Which he invented steel by doing the Bessemer process which is taking iron and taking the carbon out and injecting air into it.Which then made him enter into the Steel Business in 1873 and by 1899 he started his own steel company called Carnegie Steel Company and manufactured three million pounds, which was more steel factories than all of the steel factories in Great Britain. Which he took iron and took the carbon out of the iron and injected air which is called the Bessemer Process. Which made a more sturdy metal.
Transconti-nental Railroad
Also known as the Pacific Railroad, the Transcontinental Railroad connected the East and the west coast. But it was a challenge for them to get anyone to build it. But later got Chinese to worked for the central pacific and Irish labors for the Union. The railroad was built by two different company's which was the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific. Completed on May 10, 1869. This 1,776 mile railroad went through indian reservations and mountains. Which made the indians angry. To build this railroad they needed land grants and 48,000 dollars for each mile of the railroad from government bonds to go through with the constructon. This Railroad ended the centuries older way of life of the Native Americans and also the food for them because the european American who shoot buffalo for sporting from the train. The Tracks went through Nevada, Wyoming, Utah, Iowa and California. It connected Omaha and Sacramento. Where the railroad meet between the two companys they put a gold spike which is known as The Golden Spike. Which then replaced slow and dangerous wagon trails, pony express, and stage coach lines. Also difficult sea journey. It also became faster for the cities of New York and Sacramento.
Industrialization
Andrew Carnegie was the man most responsible for industrialization because steel was the main product used at this time. Steel was used for buildings, bridges, and much more. Industrialization gave us new ways of transportation and new construction style. Along with the Transcontinental Railroad, Industrialization transformed the way people worked in the Gilded Age. People had a new way to get to work and had new buildings and tools to use at work.