us history: impact of the transcontinental rail system on American economy and society in the 19th century?

Question

What was the impact of the transcontinental rail system on the American economy and society in the late nineteenth century?

Any sources or links would be great! ^_^

Answer 1

Before railroads were only meant to connect water routes so the tracks weren't connected with each other. Finally in the 1950's railroads began to connect to each other. The rail system provided for fast, long distance transportation. They diverted traffic from waterways and lessened the West's dependence on the Mississippi River which weakened the Northwest's connection with the South.

Answer 2

Alright,
First off, at that time the people thought that there would be only one railroad connecting the whole continent. Therefore if it ran through the north, the northern cities would receive as huge economic boast and vice versa for the south. To get the railroad to go through the North, Steven Douglas, a senator from Illinois, had the Kansas-Nebraska Act passed. This was to get organize the western territory and to make them states when the population gets high enough. This was to make it possible for the railroad to go through that area since it was sparsely populated at that time. A problem arose from the Kansas - Nebraska act which was how would they decide if they'd be free or slave states. This lead to the compromise of 1850 where the states would chose through popular sovereignly, in other words the state government would chose by voting. This lead to a mass immigration into Kansas. Which then caused Bleeding Kansas, which was like a mini-civil war between the pro-slavery and the anti-slavery governments in Kansas.