1862, Pacific Railway Act: Grants charter incorporation to Union Pacific Railroad.

Beginning in Council Bluff Iowa to Nevada (1086

miles of track built by ex-soldiers/ Irish immigrants). Central Pacific Railroad, from Sacramento to Nevada boarder, later told to build
until they met the Union Pacific. (689 miles of track built by Chinese immigrants).

Homestead Act of 1862

Provided 160 acres per homestead (320 per married couple), continued the liberalization of the federal governments land policy.

Department of Agriculture in 1862

Its head, who was designated the Com- missioner of Agriculture, did not have Cabinet ranking until 1889.
It lacked the ability to convince farmers of the value of scientific farming.

Morrill Act of 1862

Gave impetus to agricultural training at the university level. land-grant colleges that gradually assumed statewide leadership in
agricultural research.

1863 National Bank Act These bank acts created a whole new set of banking institution, the national banks. The act also
created its own new form of money which were national bank notes. All of this was done to attempt to float federal war loans and
establish a national banking system. Congress passed the act to help resolve the financial crisis that emerged during the early days of
the Civil War.

1864 - North took control of Mississippi River; the south was unable to transport food and supplies to the troops

-1864 - Union government used greenbacks. One gold dollar was worth two and one-half greenbacks

It would be an error, however, to conclude that the entire southern economy remained stagnant. The commodity output per capita
figures for 1870 and 1880 show that the Souths growth rate was initially rapid and close to the Norths growth rate of almost 2.6
percent year

1864-1868
Contract labor Law- In 1864, when labor was in short supply because of the war, congress passed the contract
labor law at the behest of the manufacturing interests. This law authorized contracts made abroad to import foreign workers and
permitted the establishment of the American emigrant Company to act as an agent for American businesses. The law had the practical
effect of bringing in laborers whose status could scarcely be distinguished from that of indentured servants, their cost of passage being
repaid out of their earnings in the United States. The law failed, and was repealed in 1868.

1865- Average level of duties was 48%

1866- First successful transatlantic cable

1865 Contraction Act Due to monetary disputes amongst the people, the nations leaders had to chose what they wanted to do. On
one hand they could maintain the highly inflated Civil War Greenbacks or go back to a bimetal or gold system. The reasons Hugh
McCulloch, secretary of the treasury at that time, could simply go to a gold standard and trade out people was because could had
become too valuable and there was no way to pay the people. So, Hugh decided to contract the market by burning out the greenbacks
in a rapid amount of time. This proved disastrous and the act was ended by 1868. Thankfully the democrats came in shortly after
winning the elections and saved the day.

-1865 - Laws passed after the Civil War: 13th Amendment to the Constitutions freed all slaves

(1865-1900)Refrigerated cars invented(meat packing). Steel cars invented(petroleum industry). Electrical Streetcar invented.