POLS 4555: RAILROADS AND AMERICAN POLITICS

Fall Semester AY2015-2016
Department of Political Science
University of Georgia
Athens, GA, 30602-1615

Classroom: Baldwin 311
Time: 3:35 - 4:25PM Monday, Wednesday, Friday

Instructor: Keith T. Poole

Office: Room 304D Baldwin Hall
E-Mail: [email protected]
WebSite: Voteview Home Page

Office Hours: 3:00 - 5:00PM Thursdays or By Appointment

The following texts will be used in this course:

• Craig Miner, A Most Magnificent Machine
• John F. Stover, American Railroads
• Harold C. Livesay, Andrew Carnegie and the Rise of Big Business
• John Steele Gordon, An Empire of Wealth

Course Outline

1. Introduction: Why are Railroads Important?
   
   Assignment:
   
   
   • Chapters 1, 2 and 3, An Empire of Wealth
     
     Agenda For Topic 1
     
     
     Why are Railroads Important? (PowerPoint)
     Handout for Topic 1 (Part 1, PowerPoint)
     Railroads are the best way to move heavy freight
     The Alameda Corridor
     The Railroad in American Life
2. American Politics, Economics, and Business prior to the Railroads: 1800 - 1830
   
   Assignment:
   
   
   • Chapters 4 - 8, An Empire of Wealth
     
   • Chapters 1 and 2, American Railroads
     
   • Chapters 1 - 3, A Most Magnificent Machine
     
     Agenda For Topic 2
     
     
     Handout for Topic 2
     
3. Railroads as Big Business
   
   Assignment:
   
   
   • Chapters 9 - 12, An Empire of Wealth
     
   • Chapter 3, American Railroads
     
   • Chapters 4 - 10, A Most Magnificent Machine
     
     Agenda For Topic 3
     
     Handout For Topic 3 (PowerPoint)
     The Trunk Lines as Big Business (PowerPoint)
     Early Railroad Corporate Charters (PowerPoint)
     
   Study Questions for First Exam (18 September 2015)
   
   
   
4. Andrew Carnegie, the Standard Railway of the World, and the Industrialization of the U.S.
   
   Assignment:
   
   
   • Chapter 13, An Empire of Wealth
     
   • Chapters 1 - 11, Andrew Carnegie
     
   • Chapters 11 - 14 and Conclusion, A Most Magnificent Machine
     
     Agenda For Topic 4
     
     Handout For Topic 4 (PowerPoint)
     Oil Refining and Coke Production (PowerPoint)
     1937 Newspaper Article about the Lucy Blast Furnace being Torn Down
     New Tunnels Being Bored in Manhattan and Queens, New York (PowerPoint)
     
   
   
5. The Nature of Railroad Competition
   
   Assignment:
   
   
   • Chapter 5, American Railroads
     
     Agenda For Topic 5
     
     The Political Problems of the Railroads (PDF)
     Handout For Topic 5 (PowerPoint)
   
   Study Questions for Second Exam
   
   
6. Railroads and the Development of Agriculture
   
   Assignment:
   
   
   • Chapter 4, American Railroads
     
   • Chapter 14, An Empire of Wealth
     
     Agenda For Topic 6
     
     The Political Problems of the Railroads (PDF)
     Handout For Topic 6 (PowerPoint)
     What is Truth?
   
   
7. Railroads and Government Regulation: 1887-1920
   
   Assignment:
   
   
   • Chapters 6 to 8, American Railroads
     
   • Chapters 15 to 17, An Empire of Wealth
     
     Agenda For Topic 7
     Corrupt Practices by Railroad Managers
     Handout For Topic 7 (Part 1)
     Supreme Court Rulings on State Regulation
     The Interstate Commerce Act of 1887
     Regulatory Acts 1903-1916
     Handout For Topic 7 (Part 2)
     Handout For Topic 7 (PowerPoint, Part 1)
     Handout For Topic 7 (PowerPoint, Part 2)
     Handout For Topic 7 (PowerPoint, Part 3)
   
   Study Questions for Final Exam
   
   
   
8. Railroads Triumphant: 1980 - 2012
9. 
   
   Assignment:
   
   
   • Chapters 9 and 10, American Railroads
     
   • Chapters 18 to 20, An Empire of Wealth
     
     Agenda For Topic 8
     
     
10. Railroads and the Future of the American Transportation System
11. 
    
    Assignment:
    
    
    • Stop This Train! Are Trains Slower Now than they were in the 1920s? Tom Vanderbilt, Slate, May 15, 2009
      
    • Beware of Low Flying Aircraft! Chris Camp, The Northwest's Own Railfan
      
    • Improve Existing Rail Lines for Passenger Trains
      

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