NAME _______________________________________ DATE _______________ CLASS _________

Guided Reading Activity netw rks

Industrialization, 1865–1901

Lesson 2 The Railroads

Review Questions: Identifying Supporting Details

DIRECTIONS: Read each main idea. Use your textbook to supply the details that support
or explain each main idea.

A. Main Idea: The railroads played a major part in linking and uniting the nation.

1. Detail: The railroad boom began in the year __________________ with the
__________________ Act.

2. Detail: One railroad line, the __________________ pushed westward from Omaha,
Nebraska, in the year __________________ .

3. Detail: The Central Pacific Railroad employed about 10,000 workers from
__________________ .

4. Detail: Both railway lines met at __________________ , __________________ in the

year 1869.

5. Detail: In order to make rail service safer and more reliable, the country was divided
into __________________ .

Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission is granted to reproduce for classroom use.
B. Main Idea: The U.S. government gave land grants to railroad companies, and this led to
bribery and corruption.

1. Detail: Land grants helped railroad entrepreneurs such as __________________ and

__________________ become extremely wealthy.

2. Detail: This wealth led to accusations of swindling and bribery, resulting in many of
the railroad owners being called __________________ .

3. Detail: To get more land grants, investors began bribing __________________ .

4. Detail: The __________________ scandal involved several members of Congress who

had bought shares in a construction company.

5. Detail: The most successful transcontinental railroad was the __________________

Railroad, which did not accept any federal land grants. __________________ built and
operated this railroad.

6. Detail: This railroad was the only one not eventually forced into
__________________ .
NAME _______________________________________ DATE _______________ CLASS _________

Guided Reading Activity Cont. netw rks

Industrialization, 1865–1901

Summary and Reflection

DIRECTIONS: Summarize the main ideas of this lesson by answering the question below.
How did the creation of transcontinental railroads benefit the United States?

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Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission is granted to reproduce for classroom use.