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Asa Whitney presented to congress a plan for the federal government to subsidize the building of the railroad from the Mississippi river to the Pacific
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the settlement Oregon boundary
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The acquistion of western territores from mexico
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the discovery of gold in California
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Congress appropriated funds to survey various proposed routes
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Senator Stephen Douglas introduced his Kansas-Nebraska act intended to win approval for a line from Chicago
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Congress enacted legislation providing for constuction of a transcontinental line
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the two linesmet at Promontroy Summit, uath, a golden spike joined the two railroads thus completing the frist constuction raildroad