The transcontinentals and the making of modern america. The book is based on a deep reading of the sources and is a must read for anyone interested in transportation and the development of the american economy. The transcontinental railroads created modernity as much by their. White thinks are the most important 3 or 4 key facts or understandings that high school students should learn about the railroads in order to be informed citizens. This book breathes life into the robber barons, with swarms of facts, statistics, anecdotes and personal observations. The historian richard white sees the 19thcentury american railways as a gilded age extravagance that worked social, political and. How trains railroaded the american economy in his new book, railroaded, historian richard white examines the impact transcontinental train corporations had on business and politics at the end of.
Transcontinental railroads, he asserts in railroaded, were a gilded age extravagance that rent holes in the political, social and environmental fabric of the nation, creating railroads as mismanaged and corrupt as they were long. When corruption and venality were the lifeblood of america. White has also been a finalist for the pulitzer prize twice for his work. Railroad study guide railroaded introductionrichard. In the case of the railroads, the creative destruction involved the replacement of one form of corporation with anotherand if, as white argues, the 19thcentury railroad corporations almost always went bust in the manner of the dotcoms in our own time, the individuals who controlled those corporations mostly did well for themselves. Washington state historical society and the john w. Whites book does a better job in explaining how the federal and state governments teamed with the railroads to crush the workers rights movement.
Richard whites railroaded is my first book on postcivilwar railroad. Richard white questions the building of the transcontinentals and the men who headed. Richard white is not the first person to take on the railroads. But the triumphal myths of the golden spike, robber barons larger than life, and an. He is the author of many acclaimed books in american western and environmental history, including railroaded. Far from being the harbingers of order and modernity, they were largely vehicles for financial manipulation, political corruption, and personal gain.
His work has occasionally spilled over into mexico, canada, france, australia and ireland. Progressive radio talk show host thom hartmann interviews richard white, margaret byrne professor of american history author of numerous books including his latest railroaded. What effect did the california gold rush have on the railroads. Railroads and the american people is a sparkling paean to american railroading by one of its finest historians. His deeply researched, brilliantly rendered, and irreverent new book raises serious questions about virtually every aspect of this representation, and sets its. Richard white challenges these popular myths and scholarly interpretations. Railroad hyperbole echoes all the way down to the dotcom frenzy. The united states during reconstruction and the gilded age, 18651896 oxford history of the united states kindle edition by white, richard. A new, incisive history of the transcontinental railroads and how they transformed america in the. Richard white is a professor for the history department in the stanford university with eight videos in the c. Transcontinental railroads, he asserts in railroaded, were a gilded age extravagance that rent holes in the political, social and environmental.
How the transcontinental railroad impacted utah with. Richard white on frank norris, the octopus, and the southern pacific railroad. The transcontinentals and the making of modern america, the railroads rent holes in the political, social and environmental fabric of the nation, creating railroads as mismanaged and corrupt as they were long. Richard white introduces us to both the myths and the realities of the process by which east shook hands with west. The transcontinentals and the making of modern america, richard white, 9780393342376.
Richard whites book demolishes this largely benign view of the transcontinentals. What effect did the california gold rush have on the. Official photograph from the golden spike ceremony, 1869. The men who built the transcontinental railroad 1863. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the republic for which it stands. Nov 27, 2019 quite a bit as the gold rush created enormous amounts of gold so paying with universally accepted and comparatively easily transported gold coins and gold dust meant californians could finance the economic development of washington, oregon, nevada. The northern pacific railroad, the sioux, and the panic of 1873 by m. The transcontinentals and the making of modeern america. Transcontinental railroads in the gilded age richard white the corrupt, like the poor, are supposedly always with us. His history of the how the transcontinental railroads came into being is a different and refreshing look at the men who financed and constructed these roads. The transcontinentals and the making of modern america, 12 years ago. Their dependence on public largess drew them into the corridors of power, initiating new forms of corruption. The transcontinentals and the making of modern america by richard white. Richard white is an historian of the united states specializing in the american west, the history of capitalism, environmental history, history and memory, and native american history.
But railroaded, as its title suggests, is also a onesided account. White stayed after the show to answer a few more questions. In his book the author recounts the social and economic impact the transcontinental railroads had on the way. In this respect, railroaded is a good commentary on labor relations, particularly on how the pullman strike of 1894 was crushed and how the strikers found regional or local strengths based on local situations. The transcontinentals and the making of modern america, richard white charts the rise and expansion of americas rail system and the greed and corruption that fed it. Richard white is the margaret byrne professor emeritus of american history at stanford.
Jan 01, 2011 richard whites railroaded is my first book on postcivilwar railroad construction in the us, and it impressed me favorably. The republic for which it stands the united states during reconstruction and the gilded age, 18651896 richard white oxford history of the united states. Confident of his evidence and storytelling ability, richard white challenges these popular myths and scholarly interpretations. The republic for which it stands hardcover richard white. If you are the publisher or author of this book and. Stanford historian richard white said he began his book, railroaded. The republic for which it stands hardcover richard. In 1901, frank norris published the octopus, which portrayed the railroad as greedy, allpowerful, and in opposition to the individual. Richard white is a professor for the history department in the stanford university with eight videos in the cspan video library. The timeframe covered is the last third of the nineteenth century. The transcontinental railroads of the late nineteenth century were the first.
Richard white is a professor of american history at stanford university an institution founded by one of the railroad tycoons he writes about in the book. The book is based on a deep reading of the sources and is a must read for anyone interested in transportation and the. The transcontinentals and the making of modern america, historian richard whites account of the development of americas transcontinental railroads, is a story rife with messiness. Quite a bit as the gold rush created enormous amounts of gold so paying with universally accepted and comparatively easily transported gold coins and gold dust meant californians could finance the economic development of washington, oregon, nevada. The republic for which it stands, richard whites new history of that age, as well as the reconstruction decade that preceded it, is a capacious and forceful book. White never misses a chance to point out these mens failings. A new narrative volume in the acclaimed oxford history of the united states series that reinterprets reconstruction and the gilded age. The west the railroads made by carlos arnaldo schwantes and james p.
Richard white charts the rise and expansion of americas rail system. Far from being the harbingers of order and modernity, they were largely vehicles for financial manipulation, political corruption, and personal gain harbingers of a different kind of modernity. Richard white argues that the transcontinental railroads of the late 19th century were political, business, and social failures that should not have been constructed when and where they were. Sep 21, 2019 white has also been a finalist for the pulitzer prize twice for his work. Highspeed rail subsidies could repeat a 19thcentury folly.
Railroads and the making of modern america also links into the following railroad history sites for users to get more information and documentation on railroads and their histories this list is by no means complete but seeks to provide access to the very best sites important sites. The union pacific site includes history on the line and links to current steam. With characteristic originality, range, and authority, richard white shows the. Get an answer for according to richard whites article, transcontinental railroads. He is a macarthur fellow and a recipient of the mellon distinguished professor award. The transcontinentals and the making of modern america richard white. Popular railroad history books goodreads share book. Their attempts to generate profits from proliferating debt sparked devastating panics in the u. A covenant of some sort, either implied or explicit, is violated. The transcontinentals and the making of modern america by.
Video the emergence of the frontier, the expansion of railroads, and mining, by. Richard koenig offers a photo essay on the disappearing semaphores of bnsfs raton subdivsion. A powerful book, crowded with telling details and shrewd observations. Jul 11, 2011 how trains railroaded the american economy in his new book, railroaded, historian richard white examines the impact transcontinental train corporations had on business and politics at the end of. In whites narrative, the 19thcentury railroad entrepreneurs have more in. According to richard whites article, transcontinental. The transcontinental railroads created modernity as. Online shopping for history railroads from a great selection at books store. Richard white covers railroads history and failures december 9, 2011 kuow transcontinental railroads were a gilded age extravagance that rent holes in the political, social and environmental fabric of the nation, creating railroads as mismanaged and corrupt as they were long. His deeply researched, brilliantly rendered, and irreverent new book raises serious questions about virtually every. The west the railroads made university of washington press. The main virtue of this work is the focus on all the different classes of people who stood behind the magnificent system. Sep 19, 2017 the republic for which it stands, richard whites new history of that age, as well as the reconstruction decade that preceded it, is a capacious and forceful book with a dull title the.
Compressing time and space, what was the real economic significance of the railroad. Veblen 18571929 was an academic economist too radical for his own day. Stolen tells the story of five boys caught in the reverse underground railroad richard bells true tale details how even as the underground railroad ferried enslaved people north. This book convinces me that the railroads helped create. Corruption in americas gilded age hbs working knowledge. Richard white presented a history of the operation of the transcontinental railroads. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Jun 06, 2011 richard white is a thorstein veblen for our times. Richard white born may 28, 1947 is an american historian, a past president of the organization of american historians, and the author of influential books on the american west, native american history, railroads, and environmental history. In railroaded, richard white gives a comprehensive account of the economic, social, and political aspects of transcontinental railroads.
This book provides an overview of the development of railroads in united states west of the missouri river. He is the margaret byrne professor of american history at stanford university, having previously taught at the university of. The transcontinental railroads of the late nineteenth century were the first corporate behemoths. Richard whites railroaded is my first book on postcivilwar railroad construction in the us, and it. Richard white is the margaret byrne professor emeritus of american history at stanford university. With characteristic originality, range, and authority, richard white shows the transcontinentals to be pivotal actors in the making of modern america. He reminds us that the two rail lines did not actually unite the two great oceans, but stresses the enormous undertaking of laying 1800. Transcontinental railroads, white informs us, were one of the great boondoggles of history, a gilded age extravagance that rent holes in the political, social, and environmental fabric of the nation, creating. Norris work is part of the robber baron view of the railroads, a view that has been discounted by more recent revisionist works. Corruption is a species of fraud that involves violation of public or private trust.
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