ch.14 sct.2 C.T.#4

The government was eager to promote the growth of railroads in order to encourage settlement of the west and economic growth. Governments always want the country to advance and develop, and moving more people west would lead the country to development (p.442). There was good land in the west that the government wanted the people to farm so they could make money. If the people have more money, that means the country does too, which means the government then has more money too. If people had easier transportation to take them west and transport their goods to market, they would be more likely to go. And if more people were selling more goods, the markets would enlarge, and that combined with taking advantage of the available natural resources (not only land but oil, ect.), would lead to industrial growth. Railroads would also lead to the growth of new towns and markets along its paths, furthering the development of the west, and thus the country. To encourage the settlement and growth of the nation, the government was eager to give land and loans to the railroad companies to promote their growth.