Transcontinental Railroad
Current Events & Pop Culture
Available to teachers only as part of the Teaching Transcontinental Railroad Teacher Pass
Teaching Transcontinental Railroad Teacher Pass includes:
- Assignments & Activities
- Reading Quizzes
- Current Events & Pop Culture articles
- Discussion & Essay Questions
- Challenges & Opportunities
- Related Readings in Literature & History
Sample of Current Events & Pop Culture
Hope for Contemporary Energy Innovation?
An opinion piece by David Brooks in The New York Times in April 2010 compares contemporary energy innovation to 19th-century American railroad legislation.
Excerpt
"After the legislation was approved in 1862, there were continual setbacks. The Union Pacific Railroad languished. Scandals mounted. Yet despite it all, the final spike was hammered into place at Promontory Point, Utah, in 1869, linking the nation and heralding a new burst of prosperity. When you read that history, you're reminded that large efforts are generally plagued by stupidity, error and corruption. But by the sheer act of stumbling forward, it's possible, sometimes, to achieve important things."