HIUS 360_History of American Entrepreneurs
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DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY
Entrepreneurs and American Railroads
HIUS 360-B01 LUO
History of American Entrepreneurs
by
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Entrepreneurs and American Railroads
Before the expansion of railroads, the West remained largely unexplored. Being able to travel west to find land was an important step in achieving the American dream. Since the eastern railroads were successful, it would seem plausible that building transcontinental railroads would be the reasonable
thing to do. Not surprisingly, the expansion westward was riddled with setbacks, mistreatment of laborers, and failures, but certain entrepreneurs knew what needed to be done and how to do it. Lives were affected and even ruined, but success of the Western railroads is an achievement of American ingenuity. The transportation industry, especially railroads, changed the course of American history. Although there is a dark side to the railroad industry, the entrepreneur’s role in the success of railroads directly impacted American expansion and growth. As American expansion and innovation progressed, so did the need for both entrepreneurs and laborers. “While large-scale immigration created many social tensions, it also produced a new vitality in the cities and states in which the immigrants settled. The newcomers helped transform American society
and culture, demonstrating that diversity, as well as unity, is a source of national strength.”
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In 1857, federal intervention in railroad construction expanded dramatically especially in the form of providing land grants to businessmen. “The Railroad Act of 1862 put government support behind the transcontinental railroad and helped create the Union Pacific Railroad, which subsequently joined with the Central Pacific at Promontory, Utah, on May 10, 1869, and signaled the linking of the continent
.”
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“Immigration to the United States, 1851-1900: Rise of Industrial America, 1876-1900: U.S. History Primary Source Timeline.” The Library of Congress. United States Copyright Office. https://www.loc.gov/classroom-
materials/united-states-history-primary-source-timeline/rise-of-industrial-america-1876-1900/immigration-to-
united-states-1851-1900/
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“The Transcontinental Railroad, 1851-1900: Rise of Industrial America, 1876-1900: U.S. History Primary Source
Timeline.” The Library of Congress. United States Copyright Office. https://www.loc.gov/collections/railroad-
maps-1828-to-1900/articles-and-essays/history-of-railroads-and-maps/the-transcontinental-railroad/
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While the government was providing land grants to businesses, “it is entirely possible that without the land grants there would have been fewer, but better, railroad systems at roughly the same time. Because of one entrepreneur’s accomplishments, James J. Hill, he considered America’s greatest railroader… In 1878, he and a group of Canadian investors bought a bankrupt road in St. Paul, Minnesota. That railroad had received federal subsidies and had experienced stock manipulation and deplorable management, and its record was so pitiful that critics dubbed it “Hill’s Folly” when Hill announced his intention to complete the route. It not only ran profitably upon completion, but the road’s success inspired Hill to keep building, turning the enterprise into the Great Northern Railroad.”
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Hill is just one entrepreneur whose hard work paid off.
These railroads were able to transport goods across the country. The expansion allowed Americans to safely move west or to many other parts of the country that would have been more difficult otherwise. The opportunities for entrepreneurs became vast. As railroads grew, so did highways, leading to more ways to distribute product or take the chance to move across the country to farm are start their own business. “
As tracks expanded across geographic areas, the sheer size of operations—from surveying and engineering to scheduling and accounting—required organization on a massive scale. The systems to support the new industry—in management, finance, business analysis, and distribution—shaped the infrastructure from which the modern business enterprise would emerge. “The railroad organizations . . . were the biggest and richest organizations in the 3
Schweikart, Larry, and Lynne Pierson Doti.
American Entrepreneur: The Fascinating Stories of the People Who Defined Business in the United States
. New York: American Management Association, 2010
.
ISBN: 9780814438596.
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country, and then the world,” sociologist Charles Perrow argues. “They set organizational forms that
would dominate all of industry for the next century.”
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Railroads were followed by a growth in big business as we continued to industrialize. This led to growth in many other sectors. “
As the chief system of transportation of goods and people, railroads were essential to American industry. Where railroads went, towns and cities with bustling new commerce arose, all dependent on the railways for shipments of food and goods. The construction of the
railroads spawned huge new industries in steel, iron, and coal. No other business so dramatically stimulated and embodied the industrialization process.”
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Leland Stanford, Collis P. Huntington, Charles Crocker, and Mark Hopkins, four most powerful individuals in California history, controlled the Central Pacific, which imported most of its labor. Chinese workers were prominent among labor force and were given the most difficult and dangerous work, but this was not acknowledged.
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The railroad industry was not without its corruption, greed, and evil, however. It was the morning of September 2, 1885, at Rock Springs coal mine along the Union Pacific Railroad in the Wyoming Territory when disaster strikes. A fight began among the white and Chinese workers over who
would mine a rich vein of coal. By that afternoon, a mob of white men killed 28 and expelled 500 4
“The Railroads: The First Big Business.” The railroads: The first big business. Presidents and Fellows of Harvard College, 2012. https://www.library.hbs.edu/hc/railroads/first-big-business.html
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"Railroads: The First Big Business."
Development of the Industrial U.S. Reference Library
..
Encyclopedia.com.
(September 2021).
https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-
transcripts-and-maps/railroads-first-big-business
6
Schweikart, Larry, and Lynne Pierson Doti.
American Entrepreneur: The Fascinating Stories of the People Who Defined Business in the United States
. New York: American Management Association, 2010
.
ISBN: 9780814438596.
4
Chinese people, wounded several, and burn down their houses.
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It is well known that Chinese railroad workers faced discrimination and many, rightly feared for their life. It is important to understand the dark side in order to appreciate the success. The expansion and growth of railroad industry was unprecedented at the time, but with the help of entrepreneurs and the government, the reward was vast. With all of its flaws, the railroad industry is still successful today. Its dark history is something we should never forget. The loss of life, mistreatment, and rampant corruption must be remembered and never allowed to happen again. Railroads and their entrepreneurs changed to course of American history during the transportation boom.
Bibliography
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“Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month: The Rock Springs Massacre, 1851-1900: Rise of Industrial America, 1876-1900: U.S. History Primary Source Timeline.” The Library of Congress. United States Copyright Office. https://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2021/05/asian-pacific-american-heritage-month-the-rock-springs-massacre/
5
“Building the Transcontinental Railroad.” PBS Learning Media
. PBS & WGBH Educational Foundation, February 8, 2021. Last modified February 8, 2021. Accessed September 15, 2021. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/tcrr-gallery/
“Railroad Maps, 1828 to 1900.” The Library of Congress
. United States Copyright Office, n.d. Accessed September 15, 2021. https://www.loc.gov/collections/railroad-maps-1828-to-1900/
“Immigration to the United States, 1851-1900: Rise of Industrial America, 1876-1900 : U.S. History Primary Source Timeline .” The Library of Congress. United States Copyright Office. https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/united-states-history-primary-source-timeline/rise-of-industrial-america-
1876-1900/immigration-to-united-states-1851-1900/
“The Transcontinental Railroad, 1851-1900: Rise of Industrial America, 1876-1900 : U.S. History Primary Source Timeline .” The Library of Congress. United States Copyright Office. https://www.loc.gov/collections/railroad-
maps-1828-to-1900/articles-and-essays/history-of-railroads-and-maps/the-transcontinental-railroad/
“Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month: The Rock Springs Massacre, 1851-1900: Rise of Industrial America, 1876-1900:
U.S. History Primary Source Timeline.” The Library of Congress. United States Copyright Office. https://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2021/05/asian-pacific-american-heritage-month-the-rock-springs-massacre/
"Railroads: The First Big Business."
Development of the Industrial U.S. Reference Library
..
Encyclopedia.com.
(September 22, 2021).
https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/railroads-first-big-
business
Congress.gov
. "H.Res.94 - 114th Congress (2015-2016): Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that a commemorative postage stamp should be issued in honor of the Chinese railroad workers from 1865 to 1869, and that the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee should recommend to the Postmaster General that such a stamp be issued." February 5, 2015. https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-resolution/94
.
Schweikart, Larry, and Lynne Pierson Doti.
American Entrepreneur: The Fascinating Stories of the People Who Defined Business in the United States
. New York: American Management Association, 2010
.
ISBN: 9780814438596.
“The Railroads: The First Big Business.” The railroads: The first big business. Presidents and Fellows of Harvard College, 2012. https://www.library.hbs.edu/hc/railroads/first-big-business.html
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