The Transcontinental Railroad completion refers to the finalization of a railway system that connected the eastern and western coasts of the United States in 1869. It facilitated transportation, trade, and migration across the country.
Related terms
Homestead Act: A law passed in 1862 that provided free land to settlers willing to develop it for at least five years.
Manifest Destiny: The belief prevalent in the 19th century that it was America's destiny to expand its territory from coast to coast.
Indian Removal Act: A law passed in 1830 that authorized the forced removal of Native American tribes from their ancestral lands in order to make way for white settlement.
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