Building the Transcontinental Railroad

School Library Journal

Gr 6-8-Linking the people, geography, politics, and economics of a huge endeavor, this book is a window into the opening and settling of the American West and the efforts of the U.S. government to fulfill its Manifest Destiny. Famous names are interspersed throughout the text-Daniel Webster's opposition to Western development; Abraham Lincoln's support of the building of the transcontinental railroad; and the roles of Theodore Judah, Leland Stanford, and George Pullman, to name a few. The book presents the positive and negative results of the railroad, and corruption is not overlooked. The connection to immigration is explored, from the use of Chinese labor and its consequences to the enticement of immigrants by false advertising once the railroads were built. The competition between the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific companies is clearly and impartially explained, with each side's difficulties described. Some topics, such as scalping, the Donner Party, and the Chinese Exclusion Act, are covered in sidebars. Captioned black-and-white photographs and reproductions complement the text. This is an excellent title not just for reports, but also for understanding how the West was settled and the influence of the railroad in promoting America's growth as an industrialized nation.-Edith Ching, St. Albans School, Mt. St. Alban, Washington, DC Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.