By the 1840s, daring Americans were trickling westward to begin a new life in the great wide open. When gold was discovered in 1848, the promise of riches drew people by the thousands out to California. But the journey was slow and dangerous, since the best ways of travelling were by wagon and on foot.During the "railroad fever" of the 1830s, thousands of miles of track were laid, mostly throughout the Northeast and the South. Few had dreamt of extending this new travel westward-but all it takes is a few. Abraham Lincoln signed the Pacific Railroad Act in 1862, allowing for the start of the first transcontinental railroad.Though construction problems and hard times confronted them, American workers, Chinese immigrants, and former slaves pounded away through the rough geography of the western U.S., paving a path for the new train.A day in the life of a railroad worker was not an easy one. The work was backbreaking; the conditions were terrible; and workers were often faced with attack from Native Americans. The building of the railroad turned into a great race between two companies, the Central Pacific and the Union Pacific, to see who could finish their part of the railroad faster. The company that got farthest stood to make the most money. The "great race" turned into a national pastime-with reports of progress dominating the news.Railroad Fever illuminates the struggles of the railroad worker, the anger of the Plains Indians, and the many changes in both American life and geography that were prompted by the railroad. The completion of the transcontinental railroad left empty boomtowns across the country, changed the ethnic face of America, and, of course, created a new exciting and fast way of travel.Like the other titles in the Crossroads America series, Railroad Fever is illustrated with period paintings, drawings, and photographs. Also included are a glossary and an index.
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From School Library Journal
Grade 4-6–Arranged in six chapters with one-page subtopics, this book presents a brief but thorough discussion of the railroad as it relates to the history, environment, and social conditions in the United States. Halpern covers the need for improved transportation, the planning and funding of the railroad, the opposition to its construction, the workers and working conditions, the "great race," and the advent of train robbers. The pleasing format features wide margins, neatly arranged text, sidebars, and numerous illustrations (vintage black-and-white photos, sepia photos, two maps, and several attractive softly tinted, pen-and-ink drawings). Informative captions and quotations from famous Americans of the time enhance the narrative. Rhoda Blumberg's Full Steam Ahead (National Geographic, 1996) has several similarities (including five photos) to this title, but offers more in-depth coverage on a higher reading level, making the two books good companions. This is a first-choice purchase for its visually appealing presentation and its succinct yet thorough treatment of the topic.–Eldon Younce, Harper Elementary School, KS
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Reviewed with Daniel Rosen's Independence Now.
Gr. 3-5. Designed to shed light on themes in U.S. history, these volumes in the new Crossroads America series pair colorful, dramatic illustrations--most, but not all, period--with easily digested narratives divided into one- or two-page topical segments. Halpern traces the construction and influence of the transcontinental railroad, providing glimpses of everything from train robbers and travel aboard first-class Pullman and last-class "Zulu" cars to the railroads' effects on emigration. Focusing on just a few major battles, Rosen views the American Revolution as a kind of civil war, lucidly showing how a combination of military mismanagement and persistent misjudgment of their opponents caused the British to lose the war. Both authors consider the contributions of women and minority groups, tuck numerous pithy quotes into side boxes, and close with short glossaries. Aside from a pair of URLs on the back flaps, there are no further resources, and Rosen misleadingly labels two famous paintings of Washington "primary sources," but these titles effectively give young readers overviews of pivotal events, as well as food for thought. John Peters
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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