Take a trip into the desert just north of Salt Lake City, Utah. There, in a place called Promontory, you'll find a small park dedicated to the memory of a big event. On May 10, 1869, this was the place where officials celebrated the completion of a railroad across America. People blew whistles , rang bells, and gave speeches. A special golden spike was hammered into the last railroad tie, fastening the rails in place . That golden spike became a symbol for one of the period's most remarkable and life-changing achievements .
Before this event, smaller railways had already existed in the eastern and western parts of the country. However, there was no railroad running across America to connect the east and west coasts. So those who wished to travel or transport goods across the country had to select from one of several long and dangerous routes. Some chose to sail around the southern tip of South America and all the way back north to California . This trip was eighteen thousand miles long and took four to eight months to complete . Cutting across the Isthmus of Panama could shorten this journey a little , but it came with an increased risk of disease . It was also possible to travel directly across the U.S. by horse or wagon . But this too was a slow and dangerous journey . It took about three to six months to travel from St. Louis , Missouri , to California or Oregon .
The U.S. Congress felt that the nation needed a transcontinental railroad. In 1862, they passed the Pacific Railroad Act, which allowed two companies to start construction . The Union Pacific company began laying track from the east, while the Central Pacific company started building from the west. They raced to meet in the middle . However , many challenges slowed progress . To complete the railroad , the companies had to build bridges across waterways , cut paths through forests, and blast tunnels through mountains . This feat took six long years and required thousands of workers .
In fact, without those workers, there might never have been anything to celebrate that day in Promontory, Utah. The people who built the transcontinental railroad came from different backgrounds . They were often immigrants, many from China and some from Ireland and Germany. Other workers were ex -soldiers and formerly enslaved men who had recently gained their freedom . The workers spent long days laying one railroad tie at a time across more than two thousand miles . They suffered through extreme weather, dangerous dynamite blasts, scarce food supplies, and rockslides . However , in the spring of 1869 , they finally linked the coasts .
The transcontinental railway united America physically. It also changed how people thought about the country. In contrast to the months-long journeys of the past, a trip across America now took as little as five days. This easier and quicker movement meant that more people began to view the country as a single connected place .
Based on the text, why did Americans want to build the transcontinental railroad? Select all that apply It was difficult and dangerous to travel long distances by boat or by horse. Americans felt embarrassed that their country did not have any railroads. Trips from one coast to the other took too much time to complete Companies had no way to transport goods from one coast to the other.