Chapter 3 - 6

06 History

Listen to a lecture in a history class. Fill in the diagram with the information that you hear.

M: The railroad was one of the most important developments in the entire 19th century. Before the railroads were completed, it was very difficult to make the long journey across the continental United States.

Its completion signaled the beginning of a new era for the young country. It was a time of many different changes, and it even altered the way of life in the West.

The Union Pacific and Central Pacific Railroads were given, um, they were given, permission to build the first transcontinental railroad.

The plan was for them to meet up in the middle, which they did at Promontory Point, Utah. Lawmakers approved the plan because of the changes it would affect. Um… one was faster travel.

Another was quicker and more efficient mail service. They also hoped that the railroad would encourage settlement of the huge chunk of land that had been bought in the Louisiana Purchase.

One of the most important effects of the railroads was that towns began to spring up all along the rail lines. Farming, mining, and tourist communities were thriving. The new railways allowed people to get−have access to−things that made life a lot easier.

Things like, uh, like food and supplies. People didn’t have to go back east anymore to get the supplies they needed. The new availability of commercial goods encouraged people to move farther west. Got it?

They wanted to try to build new lives for themselves there. Needless to say, the economy was thriving, in large part because of the good old railroad.

It also gave people more security in some ways. In the case of an emergency, help wasn’t nearly as far away.

However, along with these came a number of results that lawmakers and the railroad companies themselves never could have predicted.

What I mean is, long-term effects included a lot of things that people don’t exactly smile on these days. Things like the death and eventual near-extinction of bison−bison being the really big, hairy animals, uh, some call buffalo, that used to be so common in the US−they became nearly extinct in most areas across the plains of the United States.

As all the towns were built, oh, and people began to cultivate the land for farming… well, bison became a nuisance. The large herds trampled the crops.

Nobody wants their wheat crops stopped into the ground. So they put up fences. Gradually, the bison began to die off. People also killed them to keep them out of their crops, or to eat for food which decreased their numbers.

Um… let’s see. Oh, yes.

The railroads also meant a change in lifestyle for the Native Americans. Their land was overtaken by new communities, and their primary food source−the bison−was being killed off.

This eventually caused a number of tragic deaths through wars between the new settlers and Native Americans, as well as through wars between different groups of Native Americans vying for land…

OK. Then, another effect of the railroad was that livestock were introduced to the American West. Ranchers brought the cattle in on the trains.

Now, this had all kinds of implications, to people, land, and the ecological stability of the region, as well.

So listen up. First, not all people liked the livestock. The farmers didn’t want them roaming free because they would ruin their crops−just like the bison, but the ranchers wanted their cattle to be able to wander and graze on the prairie grasses.

Eventually the disputes between the farmers and cattlemen culminated into… I mean, they turned into several big fights. These were called range wars.

The livestock also grazed on the food the bison ate, contributing to their decline. Plus, as if that wasn’t enough, they ate so much of the prairie grass that they stripped the ground of the roots keeping it in place.

With the introduction of cattle, massive amounts of the topsoil became vulnerable to erosion. It just washed away. This−in part, along with a lawn drought−eventually caused the famous “dust bowl” in the Great Plains of the 1930s.

So, the West couldn’t stay the same−it progressed and changed. Uh, but not all the changes were good ones. A lot of people suffered, and a lot of conflicts resulted from the building of the railroad.

The entire character of the West was forever altered. You might want to think about that. It was a really important time in the history of the United States.

1) Listen again to part of the lecture. Then answer the question.

The new availability of commercial goods encouraged people to move farther west. Got it? They wanted to try to build new lives for themselves there. Needless to say, the economy was thriving, in large part because of the good old railroad.

What does the professor mean when he says this: Needless to see

2) Listen again to part of the lecture. Then answer the question.

Um… let’s see. Oh, yes. The railroads also meant a change in lifestyle for the Native Americans. Their land was overtaken by new communities, and their primary food source−the bison−was being killed off.

why does the professor say this: Um, let’s see. Oh, yes.

3) Listen again to part of the lecture. Then answer the question.

The livestock also grazed on the food the bison ate, contributing to their decline. Plus, as if that wasn’t enough, they ate so much of the prairie grass that they stripped the ground of the roots keeping it in place.

What does the professor mean when he says this: Plus, as if that wasn’t enough.