Chapter 14-2: Critical Thinking # 4

The federal government gave land and made lands to the railroad companies. Why was the government so eager to promote the growth of railroads? Think About:

• why the railroads had power
• the rights of the railroad customers and workers
• the scope of government regulations

The government was so eager to promote the growth of railroads because they made expansion of the western land possible and opened up a whole new world. The railroads had much power and gave customers and workers rights and privileges that were not as open to the public before railroads were created.

Railroads and railroad companies were promoted with such great eagerness, receiving land grants and loans from the government to improve the new land of the west. Not only were railroads promoted to develop settling in the West, but they also improved the country. The newly developed railroads linked each section of land to one another and united the nation.

While the nation was united and settlement in the west grew, businesses also had a positive change. By linking towns with railroads, communication within industries became much easier. Becoming a network, markets could sell large amounts of their products to the entire country. The income of businesses strongly grew and had the option to be exposed to new land.