Railroads

After the civil war ended, railroads in America were constructed rapidly. The construction of these railroads required a ton of capital investment and government land grants. Huge profits were made but unfortunately this lead to massive corruption in the business. The railroad boom began when President Lincoln agreed to sign the Pacific Railway Act which allowed the Transcontinental Railroad by the two major corporations.   
These two corporations were The Union Pacific and The Central Pacific. Working conditions were dirty and rough; men dealt with scorching heat through deserts, blizzards in the mountains, and angry Native Americans. Also men were hired from China to work horrible hours for about 1.00$ a day. The Transcontinental Railroad was done in 4 years despite the physical challenges the men faced daily.