When the need for human transportation and various forms of goods began to increase in the United States of America, a group of railroads with terminal connections along the route began to form across the country mass of this country, ending with the result of one of the most influential innovations in American history, which allowed commerce to flow easily from one place to another, and a form of fast transportation, called the Transcontinental Railroad. America at that time consisted of land travel and ocean travel. Travel across the continent by land was risky and extremely difficult. It consisted of overcoming mountains, plains, rivers and deserts. It was also a very timely process. On ocean voyages, each ship would sail around Cape Horn on the bottom of South America. This timely journey would last an average of six months. They could also cross the Isthmus of Panama and risk contracting yellow fever and other diseases. The idea came to life in 1845 when a woman named Asa Whitney presented a written plan to Congress that she hoped would be delivered to the federal government. His goal was for the federal government to consider a plan that included building a railroad starting near the Mississippi River and ending near the Pacific Ocean. On the face of it, the funding was too low and a plan to raise funds would need to be put in place. The federal government began receiving funds from the Oregon boundary dispute that ended in 1846, the discovery of gold in California in 1849, and a collection of western territories. In the year 1853, congress approved the idea with a fundraiser. They began to look at different possible paths. In terms of railroad construction, t...... middle of paper ......and American, resulting in great impoverishment of the land. As this benefited people who had immigrated throughout the United States, it really harmed the Native American population. Works Cited The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. (Columbia University Press, 2013), sv "Transcontinental Railroad", http://www.questiaschool.com/read/1E1-transcon.PBS. “Transcontinental Rail Impact.” PBS. PBS, 2013. Web. 12 February 2014. Personal, History. “Transcontinental Railroad.” History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2010. Web. 11 February 2014. University of California, Harvard. "Immigration, railways and the West". Open Collections Program: Immigration to the United States. Harvard University, n.d. Web. 10 February 2014. John Debo Galloway, The First Transcontinental Railroad: Central Pacific, Union Pacific (New York: Simmons-Boardman, 1950), 141, http://www.questiaschool.com/read/14065867.