Today Mr. Bruns came back again and we continued our presentations. Because a couple of people were gone, we skipped a couple of sections, and moved on to chapter 6, section 2. Here are the questions that we need to be able to answer for our tests.What impact did railroads have on the US? The railroad's impact on the US was one of advancement and strife. Because different places in the United States seemed to have variations in the time of day, the railroads really encouraged the making of time zones within the U.S. This greatly helped travelers. The railroads passed information from coast to coast much faster than would have been possible without trains.-Why were many people upset with the railroads? People were upset with the railroads because the railroad companies were very demanding. They charged very high prices for travel fare, and farming families really struggled to make much money, because they were charged such high rates when they needed to ship off their crops. The railroad company would sell the land that they owned after they were done building their railroads. The company would sell the land at very hgih rates, even for poor quality land.The railroads also set up their own towns. These were called company towns, and everything in the town was completely run by the railroad company. People who worked in the stores or workshops or whatever, didn't even really get paid. The Company paid people in script which was a from of currency in the town. The script was only good for things in that town, and this prevented people from ever really being able to leave town and live somewhere else and do fine.The Interstate Commerce Act was an act that helped to secure past laws. This allowed states to establish maximum freight rates for railroads, thus regulating fares, and making railroads equal for everyone. This Act was eventually shot down, and finally, Theodore Rosevelt made it a finallity that railroads must be fair for everyone. This was a battle between the rich, and the poor. The Courts were on the side of the rich. Roosevelt sided with the common people, and was oble to overthrow the oppressing rule that the railroads ultimately imposed.-What did the Grangers or government do to regulate the railroads? The Grangers were a group of men that traveled around, trying to get the government to side in favor of farmers and the poor in that the railroads should not be able to legally charge such high rates for travel and shipping.Munn vs. Illinois: The supreme court stuck with the Granger laws, and ruled in favor of farmers. The Granger Laws prohibited the railroad companies from charging such ridiculus rates, and that the trains must have a larger capacity, and not discriminate against rich or poor, black or white. The states had the power to pass and regulate maximum rates for freight, and travel. This made travel by train fair for everyone.I was kind of suprised when I learned that the railroads were such sadistic tyrants. They wre ruthless, especially when it came to life in the company owned towns, and being jerks to the farmers. I can easily side with the little guy vs. the big mean company. It's a good thing that the Granger Laws, the Interstate Commerce Act, and Roosevelt were around to overthrow the railroad Tyrancy.
Comments