Propaganda Used to Move Westward
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http://www.permaculturemarin.org/transcontinental-railroad-map/
This map shows the progression of the Railroad tracks that were built.
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Propaganda is using selective stories covering wide and for vast amount of people to persuade them into believing or doing something. Often propaganda is interesting to the eye or demonizes the enemy. Throughout history propaganda has played a major role in recruiting people to other parts of the world, or believing in a certain person or belief. The transcontinental
railroad was used in many different ways, not only the given to transport people and belongings, the railroad was used to do a task that was almost unimaginable at the time, to make one United States come together. Propaganda was used to motivate people to move West by the Railroad with the intentions to, unify the nation, increase numbers of cities and people, and promote the idea of new opportunities.
After the civil war, the nation was divided,bitter and in ruins. The railroad helped to link all sorts of different people into a new life and come together. The railroad had tracks that crossed all around the nation, making it a fast and inexpensive way for people to travel.Thousands of miles of tracks went through cities, bringing new life into new places. With tracks all around the Nation, promoted the idea of being “one”, whether Northern or Southern, they interacted together, and had the same beliefs of a new life. The railroads not only transported people across the nation, it transported goods. Between 1869-1879, 50 million dollars of cargo had shipped. This allowed larger quantities of needed goods to travel quick. The idea of Manifest destiny, was used as an advertisement, to expand westward. Advertisements often made the idea of Manifest Destiny look, “grand”, people saw the United States changing into a Meca, a central ground, a place where everyone was united by moving and traveling. Expanding Westward would not only bring more opportunities, it would unify.
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This poster makes people think of the new life they could live by moving, Making people think that moving to the west would be a vacation, is an easy way to get them to move to a place with new things and new opportunities.
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Many signs and pamphlets advertised, “a new life” or a “new start”, at this point for the Nation being unified, people wanted to start a fresh new life, to get away from the ruins of the war. The Act of 1812, was the landmark to financial backing of the first transcontinental railroad. The government had struggled with the idea that putting in this new innovation of travel would be costly,even though it was successful, doubts were thought about it because the United States at the time, did not have the money to throw away if it were not successful. The workforce for laying the track, had to be inexpensive and quick. In California at the time, Chinese immigrants were not given the same legal rights as others, they were mistreated by racial discrimination, therefore they were a cheap and useful way to get the tracks laid. Among 80% of Chinese workers and some Irish workers, on a normal day, they could lay around ten miles of track within 12 hours, between 1865-1869, the Central Pacific laid 690 miles of track, and the Union Pacific laid 1087 miles of tracks. People started to catch onto the idea of a short and quick way to travel, more tracks were wanted throughout the country to get from one city to another. Mormons for example, supplied labor because they wanted the railroad to pass through Salt Lake City. With the long distances of travel came with a quick travel time, it brought many new families to settle in the West. Advertisements used by the federal government and railroad companies, helped to attract people wanting to settle in the land, the railroad promoted, a quick and inexpensive travel, with many trains daily. With the new population of western states increasing dramatically, the new settlement of immigrants and the westward migration, came with an influx of European , Russian, Mexican and African murderous conflicts, called the Bloody Kansas.
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http://www.elderweb.com/book/export/html/2816
This advertisement makes the west look as if there are endless opportunities to buy cheap land.
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Many posters and pamphlets, used phrases such as “ The land of Promise”, “Postwar Vacation”, and “Millions of Acres”, all of these catchy phrases gave people a glimpse of what new opportunities moving west could be. The new hopes of many were for business and land opportunities and to be able to support their families. The networks of railroads, replaced the previous decades of the long unpredictable travels of the Wagon Trains. People had nothing to hold them back, they could jump on multiple trains throughout the day, and have a safe and quick travel. Many of the advertisements were appealing to the eye, by the rich and beautiful uplifting colors used, and the beautiful drawings made it seem in a sense fairytale like. People grasped the promises many advertisements made of it being a promise land, or bountiful or fertile. People went to the west looking for the new opportunities promised, much different than where people had come from, new jobs were available. In the west the soil was rich and key for farming. Other jobs were offered, Railroad companies promoted plans for business. In California, the gold rush, brought people instantaneously because of the new found fortune.
Most advertisements sold the Railroad, to unify the Nation, bring new cities and people and to give people new opportunities. The first Transcontinental Railroad, without a doubt was successful. It gave a new outlook on what the Nation was, and could be. With a simple yet costly innovation, the railroad was used to move people and promote a new fresh start. Without propaganda, people would never of seen how great westward expansion was.
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