The passage of the Homestead Act and the Pacific Railway Acts was enabled by the absence of Southern congressmen and senators who had opposed the measures in the 1850s.
ðə pˈæsɪdʒ ʌvðə hˈoʊmstɛd ˈækt ænd ðə pɐsˈɪfɪk ɹˈeɪlweɪ ˈækts wʌz ɛnˈeɪbəld baɪ ðɪ ˈæbsəns ʌv sˈʌðɚn kˈɑːŋɡɹəsmˌɛn ænd sˈɛnəɾɚz hˌuː hæd əpˈoʊzd ðə mˈɛʒɚz ɪnðə wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪthˈʌndɹɪd fˈɪfti z.