etymology - In what country did the term "railroaded" originate?


The term "railroaded" in the sense of having something forced through, either unjustly or without proper regard for those affected, clearly has it's origins in analogy to the way early railroads were build, often running straight through private lands and geographic features.


But the sources I've found seem to all refer to this meaning as having a North American origin, which seems odd, since it is Britain that first experienced this practice, with dead-straight lines cutting ancient estates in two, or dramatically cleaving geographic features (a practice that was rare — and rarely directly experienced in populated areas — in the Americas).


Did "railroaded" originate first in North America or in Britain?




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