Sources for America’s History: Printed Page 387

16-2  |Railroad Transforms the Nation
CURRIER & IVES, Across the Continent (1868)

For better or worse, the railroad altered the geography of America and ushered in economic, social, and political changes that touched the lives of nearly all Americans. Like the canal era before it, the period of rapid railroad development promised market revolutions as goods and resources crossed the continent and local economies integrated with national and global trade networks. Once-isolated communities found themselves connected to consumer and communication webs hardly imagined in the horse and wagon days. The Currier & Ives print “Across the Continent, Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way” captures the revolution at its beginning, with the anticipation and foreboding it inspired.

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Source: Across the Continent, Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way, 1868 (litho), Currier, N. (1813–1888), and Ives, J. M. (1824–1895) / Private Collection / The Bridgeman Art Library.

READING AND DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

  1. Question

    Analyze and evaluate the elements of this print for evidence of the artist’s point of view with respect to the railroad and western development. What does the artist suggest about the effect the railroad had on Americans and their communities?

  2. Question

    How might you explain the popularity of this Currier & Ives print? Why do you think this image resonated with those who purchased it to decorate their homes?