railroads
- Created by: lucywedge16
- Created on: 14-12-20 11:37
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- Railroads important for rapid industrialisation
- the growth of railroads
- influx unskilled workers.
- 1864, labour shortage, Congress passed 'Act to Encourage Immigration', legalised and bureaucratised practice similar indentured servitude.
- companies like AEC took advantage, sent European immigrants to North for labour jobs- railroads
- Despite act repealed in 1868, practice importing labour already under contact only made illegal until 1885, passage Foran Act, both mainly symbolic gestures rather than enforceable legislation
- railroads themselves took advantage of such legislation, sending agents overseas to encourage both settlers in West and therefore workers to build railroads.
- on West Coast up to 20,000 Chinese workers helped Trans-Con railroad.
- Could be payed wages substandard to those in the United States 30-50% normal wage), working long hours because of gov act, save money.
- 1864, labour shortage, Congress passed 'Act to Encourage Immigration', legalised and bureaucratised practice similar indentured servitude.
- Demand for industry
- lubricant gears of industry
- railroads helped create and prosper from the rise of factory production and diversified large-scale agriculture
- positive feedback loop
- the North's industrial superiority- epitomised by superb railroad system, allowed it to pummel confederacy into submission
- showed would be a railroad boom, shown as powerful military weapon and agent civilisation
- government
- Pacific railway act(1862), provided federal subsidies in land and loans for construction Trans-Con
- showed cunning investors would be railroad boom
- 'Act to Encourage Immigration'
- no gov intervention on freight rates, land prices e.t.c
- Pacific railway act(1862), provided federal subsidies in land and loans for construction Trans-Con
- influx unskilled workers.
- Railroad problems
- wasteful construction and overbuilding left many railroads crashing burdens of debt
- cutthroat comp accompanied by ruinous rate-wars, granting of huge rebates, secure business large shippers
- pay less transport, charge less for produce versus competitors
- industrial espionage
- Vanderbilt bribed legislators and manipulated stock for his own benefit
- freight rate rebates favoured large customers, expense smaller. Charges different places on single line
- Railroad regulation
- starting Massachusetts(1869) several states established supervisory railroad commission
- five Western states 'Granger' laws. Illinois passed regulator measure 1871, others followed suit
- fixed maximum rates for passengers, established railroad commissions to enforce.
- munn versus Illinois (1877) Supreme Court affirmed right of states to regulate public utilities.
- ineffective
- seperate state action confusing
- some regulators corrupt
- St Louis and Pacific Railroad comp versus Illinois (1886)
- ineffective
- munn versus Illinois (1877) Supreme Court affirmed right of states to regulate public utilities.
- fixed maximum rates for passengers, established railroad commissions to enforce.
- Interstate Commerce Act(1887). Supreme Court reversed many of Commission'sdecisions, railroads frustrated act's provisions.
- the growth of railroads
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