After America conquered the West, the need for efficient transportation increased. Ideas circulated about a railroad that would spread across the continent from east to west. The Republican Congresses voted in favor of federal financing of railway construction, but for a few years all activity was interrupted due to a war. After the American Civil War of 1861-1865, the race to build the transcontinental railroad began in 1866. Lincoln passed the Pacific Railway Act of 1862, granting two railroad companies the right to build America's first transcontinental railroad, (Clark 432). it would eventually become a symbol of much-needed unity, mending the sectionalism that had once divided the nation during the Civil War. The construction of the transcontinental railroad was also an extension of the transportation revolution. Once raw materials such as gold were found in the western half of America, many people decided to move their families to the West in search of opportunity. The railroad not only helped transport people, but also allowed the delivery of goods from companies in the East. Ultimately, America's transcontinental railroad created a national market, enabling mass production and stimulating industry, while making a major impact on American society through stimulated immigration and urbanization. During America's reconstruction after the Civil War, the government provided grants and land awards to encourage railroad work, which proved successful. However, such incentives have led to questionable quality of work. The land donations and loans offered to both companies would eventually become profitable with the addition of railroad tracks and the last... half of the paper ......ortation: The emergence of mechanized systems. Hofstra University, 2013. Web. September 29, 2013. Meyer, David R. The Roots of American Industrialization. Np: JHU, 2003. N. pag. Google Books. JHU Press. Network. September 29, 2013 Seavoy, Ronald E. "Railways." An economic history of the United States: 1607 to the present. New York: Routledge, 2006. 188-200. Print.Spearman, Frank H. “The First Transcontinental Railroad.” Harper's Monthly Magazine, Volume 109 2011: 711-20. Network. September 29, 2013. Stanley, George E. “The Rise of Manufacturing.” The Age of Reconstruction and Expansion (1865-1900. Np: World Almanac Library, 2005. 20-21. Google Books. World Almanac Library. Web. September 29. 2013.