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The United States Grows
(1865-1900)
Rails across America - The Beginning

The United States Grows<BR>(1865-1900)
The United States Grows
(1865-1900)

Rails across America - The Beginning
Print Rails across America - The Beginning Reading Comprehension


Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 7 to 9
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   5.88

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    non-slave, roadbed, east-west, arduous, ill-fated, boon, investors, solidify, best, impassable, better, economic, tense, crossing, presentation, transcontinental
     content words:    United States, Cape Horn, South America, North America, Panama Canal, Civil War, New Orleans, New Mexico, San Diego, Abraham Lincoln

Rails across America - The Beginning
By Toni Lee Robinson 		  
1     How many times have we sighed "Are we there yet?" Long trips can make us long for the end of the road. These days, planes and automobiles make short work of long distances. Until 1869, going somewhere could be a long and daunting job.
 
2     Imagine it is 1840. You are traveling to California from the east coast of the United States. Most likely, you would board a ship. Whether you wanted to or not, you would travel by the "scenic route."
 
3     Ships had to go all the way around Cape Horn at the bottom tip of South America to get to the west coast of North America. This took months. Storms, pirates, or any number of hazards could bring the trip to a bad end. The Panama Canal shortened the journey by weeks, but it wasn't opened until 1920.
 
4     The only alternatives to the roundabout route by ship were arduous Lewis-and-Clark-style treks. Horse, wagon, canoe, or foot travel were the only choices. Crossing the nation by these methods took months. Besides that, horses, wagons, and the like couldn't handle much in the way of freight.
 
5     In the early 1800s, the development of the steam engine changed travel for the better. Steamboats worked well, but only where waterways were big enough for the big vessels. Then the steam locomotive was built. People began to see trains as a way of moving goods and passengers more efficiently.
 
6     Linking the nation by rail was a topic of discussion even before the Civil War. Southern officials pictured New Orleans as the beginning of the railroad. From there it would run through the lower parts of Texas and New Mexico, ending in San Diego. Northerners opposed this idea. A railroad of such national importance controlled by slave states? Unthinkable! In the tense political climate, a route could not be agreed upon.
 
7     Abraham Lincoln had long dreamed of a railroad that would cross the nation. As the Civil War began, the need for such a road became clear. The U.S. needed to unify its territory. A railroad across non-slave lands would solidify the power of the Union. It would be an avenue for economic growth. A rail link across America would make the North and the nation stronger.
 
8     Lincoln had already been working behind the scenes to further the railroad. Traveling through Council Bluffs, Iowa, in 1859, he met Grenville M. Dodge, a gifted railroad engineer. "What's the best route for a Pacific railroad to the West?" Lincoln asked Dodge.
 
9     "From [here] out [along] the Platte Valley," Dodge declared. Railroad lines were already running from east coast centers to nearby Chicago. Building west from the Council Bluffs-Omaha area would link the east coast to the Pacific. Besides that, the flat, sweeping Platte Valley was perfect for a railroad.

Paragraphs 10 to 16:
For the complete story with questions: click here for printable
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The United States Grows
(1865-1900)
             The United States Grows
(1865-1900)

More Lessons
             High School Reading Comprehensions and High School Reading Lessons

United States
             United States


    American Government  
 
    Black History and Blacks in U.S. History  
 
    Children in History  
 
    Government Careers  
 
    Hispanic Heritage  
 
    How Can I Help?  
 
 
    Immigration  
 
    National Parks and Monuments  
 
    Native Americans  
 
    Presidents of the United States  
 
    Women's History  
 

United States History
    A Nation Divided
(1840-1861) 		 
 
    A New Nation
(1776-1830) 		 
 
    After the Civil War
(1865-1870) 		 
 
    American Revolution  
 
    Cold War
(1947-1991) 		 
 
    Colonial America (1492-1776)  
 
    Lewis and Clark
(1804-1806) 		 
 
    Pearl Harbor  
 
    Spanish American War (1898)  
 
    The 1890's  
 
    The 1900's  
 
    The 1910's  
 
    The 1920's  
 
    The 1930's  
 
 
    The 1940's  
 
    The 1950's  
 
    The 1960's  
 
    The 1970's  
 
    The 1980's  
 
    The 1990's  
 
    The 2000's  
 
    The Civil War
(1861-1865) 		 
 
    The Great Depression
(1929-1945) 		 
 
    The United States Grows
(1865-1900) 		 
 
    The War of 1812  
 
    Wild, Wild West  
 
    World War I
(1914-1918) 		 
 
    World War II  
 

50 States

             Fifty States Theme Unit

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