Steam engines had a very large impact on Westward Expansion in America. It made shipping of goods and transportation faster, it helped the North win the Civil War, and it allowed people to travel farther.
Traveling across the country was now must faster. Before the railroads, it took several months and sometimes even years. On history.com it says, "By 1869, the first transcontinental line linking the coasts was completed. Suddenly, a journey that had previously taken months using horses could be made in less than a week"(Express, 3). Once the railroads came in, transportation was never the same.
Steam trains allowed transportation of a large group of people in a small amount of time. On history.com I found a source which said, "Throughout the war, railroads enabled the quick transport of large numbers of soldiers and heavy artillery over long distances"(Maranzani, 3). They were able to replace their troops to help them win the war.
Now with the railroads, they were now able to travel from coast-to-coast. On history.com, one source I found said, "A mere 83 hours after leaving New York City, the Transcontinental Express train arrives in San Francisco"(Express, 1). The train was able to travel across the entire country is about 2 and a half days.
By Kael McCleary