Question

how did the government help the railroads connect the west coast with the rest of the country? a. they raised their taxes so they made more money. b. they allowed the railroads to pay their workers more money. c. they brought in slave labor from the american south. d. they gave them lots of land to build the tracks on.

Explanation:

To determine the correct answer, we analyze each option:

• Option A: Raising taxes on railroads would not help them build; it would burden them, so A is incorrect.
• Option B: The government didn't directly regulate railroad worker pay for this purpose, so B is incorrect.
• Option C: Slavery was not used in this context for railroad construction (and slavery was declining, with the transcontinental railroad using immigrant labor), so C is incorrect.
• Option D: The US government provided large land grants to railroad companies to encourage building the transcontinental railroad, which connected the West Coast. This matches historical practices.

Answer:

D. They gave them lots of land to build the tracks on.