Railroaded: The Transcontinentals and the Making of Modern America
About this ebook
"A powerful book, crowded with telling details and shrewd observations." —Michael Kazin, New York Times Book Review
The transcontinental railroads were the first corporate behemoths. Their attempts to generate profits from proliferating debt sparked devastating economic panics. Their dependence on public largesse drew them into the corridors of power, initiating new forms of corruption. Their operations rearranged space and time, remade the landscape of the West, and opened new ways of life and work. Their discriminatory rates sparked a new antimonopoly politics.
The transcontinentals were pivotal actors in the making of modern America, but the triumphal myths of the golden spike, Robber Barons larger than life, and an innovative capitalism all die here. Instead we have a new vision of the Gilded Age, often darkly funny, that shows history to be rooted in failure as well as success.
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About the author
Richard White’s distinguished career is marked by pioneering works in environmental history and landmark histories of the Gilded Age. His history of the transcontinentals, Railroaded, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and winner of the Parkman Prize and Los Angeles Times Book Award. He taught for many years at Stanford University, and lives now in Los Angeles, California.
