Building the Transcontinental Railroad
On May 10, 1869, the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads met at Promontory Summit in what is now Utah. The event connected the two rail lines and is commonly associated with completion of the first transcontinental railroad in the United States. The railroad changed travel, but its construction and effects involved many people and communities and should not be reduced to a simple story of progress.
The Pacific Railway Act, passed in 1862, provided federal land and loans to help build a railroad across the country. It authorized the Union Pacific and Central Pacific companies to construct the lines. The Union Pacific built west from Omaha, while the Central Pacific built east from Sacramento. Their crews met at Promontory Summit on May 10, 1869.
Building the line meant working across very different landscapes. On the Central Pacific route, Chinese workers helped build through the Sierra Nevada, including dangerous tunnel work. The National Park Service records that the company paid Chinese workers less than white workers, even though they performed difficult construction jobs. Their skill and labor were central to completing the line.
- transcontinental:
- Crossing or extending across an entire continent.
- authorized:
- Gave official permission or power to do something.
- substantial:
- Large in size, amount, or importance.
- ancestral:
- Belonging to or inherited from family members or cultures from long ago.
- milestone:
- An important event or turning point in history or progress.
- perspectives:
- Different ways of viewing, understanding, or thinking about an event.
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Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1What two railroad companies met at Promontory Summit in 1869?
- 2From which cities did the two railroad lines start building?
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About this explanatory article passage for Upper Elementary
“Building the Transcontinental Railroad” is a explanatory article reading passage about Transcontinental Railroad, written for Upper Elementary. It takes about 2 minutes to read (359 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.