Railroaded: The Transcontinentals and the Making of Modern America [Book Review

Abstract

In the broad sweep of American history, the transcontinental railroads have long been hailed for their positive effects, chiefly the ability to reduce what had been a journey of weeks or months across the continent by foot, wagon, or waterborne vessel — or more likely some combination thereof — down to a few days. Not only did the rails over the plains and mountains allow for the movement of people and goods, but they were also conduits for the exchange of ideas. Popular perceptions of the Transcontinental Era, spanning the second half of the 19th century, are still colored by stories of larger than life personalities and heroic engineering feats. Much of White’s book focuses on the transcontinentals’ financial and political back story. Regarding the former, it helps to have a vast understanding of finance and stocks since the author delves into the details of late 19th century banking and financial systems. Ultimately, he shows that although early railroad promoters committed little of their own funds, they were able to reap huge financial rewards by taking advantage of bonds and land grants backed by the federal government and made available under the Pacific Railway Acts of the early 1860s. Contemporary critics described the transcontinental railroads as monopolistic enterprises that easily pulled the strings of their puppets in local, state, and national legislatures to get laws passed in their favor. White dispels this notion, noting that while railroad barons such as Leland Stanford could, and did, buy their way into Congress, the broader record of political success is mixed. In part this was due to competition by new railroads with transcontinental ambitions. For example, in order to secure a sphere of influence in the west, the Texas & Pacific Railroad often lobbied against the dominant Central Pacific, which had built half of the first transcontinental rail. Attempts to control the press were similarly varied in outcome.