People enslaved Africans for their enforced labor from before America's founding until the end of the Civil War. Learn about the history of slavery, its effects on a budding nation, and the fight to abolish it. This collection includes...

Short description of the Pacific Railroad Act of 1862 from the National Park Service.

This site describes how as railroads became more important to the industrial success of the U.S., more and more rail lines figured out ways to make the best profit. Oftentimes, unfair business practices were established which eventually...

This site describes the settlement of the West happened quickly with the passage of the Homestead Act of 1862 and the push for the Transcontinental Railroad. With the explosion of the mining and ranching industries, the West was all but...

Click through four pages on this larger website about the Pullman Rail Car Company. Read about George Pullman's ideas about establishing a company town for his workers that would address their housing, recreation, and even moral needs.

A timeline of African-American history from when the first African slaves arrived in Virginia in 1619 up to the present.

The United States was greatly affected by the Industrial Revolution taking place in Europe during the 18th and 19th centuries. New inventions and capital investment led to the creation of new industries and the spread of economic growth....

This resource provides extensive information about the Gilded Age, the impact of Henry Flagler on the history of Florida, and more.

The Canadian National Railway is the largest and longest railway in Canada. An in-depth profile of the company and its history are included on this website, as well as the CNR today. Also looks at the different kinds of trains, cars, and...

This is from an American history course designed for teachers to enrich their knowledge and their teaching practice. This interactive is a set of nine exercises where teachers evaluate primary resources related to a specific event in...

A 10-lesson, 83-page unit targeting Grades 4 and 7. Lessons cover various eras in the history of Texas, including boom and bust towns; the eras dominated by cattle, fences along the frontier, cotton, and oil; the Dust Bowl and the Great...

The railroad industry began in the frontier days, magnetic levitation has moved it squarely into the space age.

A chapter, "Linking the Oceans" from "The Railroad Builders" by John Moody, published in 1919. Included is information about the building of the Central Pacific Railroad and the Union Pacific Railroad as well as other transcontinental...

This site's section, which is part of a larger article on the Gilded Age, focuses on the railroad which began to grow in the latter half of the nineteenth century.

Read about the conditions in the late 19th century that necessitated the passage of the Interstate Commerce Act, primarily to regulate railroad rates at the time.

Scroll down this study guide to find the lyrics to the Ballad of John Henry, which was collected from individuals in the West Virginia mountains in the 1920's. Discusses the different versions of the song and the history behind it.

The Ohio Historical Society offers a beautiful portrait of Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of the famous "Uncle Tom's Cabin."

Meet Julia Tuttle, recognized as the only female founder of a major USA city - Miami! She recognized the potential of the area and was able to persuade H.Flagler to extend his railway to what is now Miami. The rest is history.

The history of Northwest Arizona in words and photographs. Check out this site!

Read about the Great Northern Railway, a rail line conceived of and built by James J. Hill. Find out how Hill built his rail business by encouraging settlement along the rail line.

This resource provides information about the first transcontinental railroad, which was built by nearly 30,000 Irish, German, Italian, and Chinese laborers.

Here is a great list of ideas for teachers to utilize in the classroom for lessons about the Underground Railroad. This site provides historical information, facts, reproductibles and more.

An informative article which links the importance of railroads to the mining industry in Utah. Find out about mining and the dangers of mining in the late 19th century.

A chapter from John J. Stewart's "The Iron Trail to the Golden Spike" about Utah and the transcontinental railroad.