The transcontinental railroad was first proposed by Asa Whitney in 1846 and was quickly called ""too gigantic"" and ""entirely i
mpracticable"" by Congress. Yet the railroad was built by 1869 and transformed the United States. Which of the following statements concerning the transcontinental railroad are true?
The transcontinental railroad shortened travel across the continent from an average five to six months to five or six days
Congress gave 100 million acres of land to the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads
The construction of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads eventually employed 20,000 workers.
Explanation:
The expansion of the American settlement and economic activities demanded the growth of railroads in many regions of the United States of America. The gold rush to California and the communication problem through acquired a more convenient method to reach across the stretch of the nation. Asa Whitney proposed a transcontinental railroad that would connect the nation from east to west but due to factionalism in Congress, it was ignored. Finally, in 1862 by the Pacific Railroad Act, the idea is finalized.
