POLI 100K, Railroads and American Politics: Topic 1, Why are Railroads Important?

Topic 1, Why Are Railroads Important?
Topic 2, American Politics, Economics, and Business Prior to the Railroads: 1800 - 1830
Topic 3, Railroads as Big Business
Topic 4, Andrew Carnegie and the Standard Railway of the World
Topic 5, The Evolution of Railroad Technology
Topic 6, The Nature of Railroad Competition
Topic 7, Railroads and the Development of Agriculture
Topic 8, Railroads and Industrialization
Topic 9, Railroads and the Rise of the New York Stock Exchange
Topic 10, Railroads and Government Regulation: 1887 - 1920

1. Why are Railroads Important?
   
   Volume of Domestic Intercity Freight Traffic
   Railroad Freight Traffic as of February, 2006
   Railroads and Coal
   Railroads and Intermodal (Containers)
   Railroads and Chemicals
   Diesel-Electric Locomotives vs. Trucks
   
   
2. Historical Overview
   
   Railroads, 1860
   Railroads, 1890
   May, 1869 Union Pacific Passenger Schedule
   Samuel Finley Breese Morse (1791 - 1872)
   1803: First Steam Locomotive to run on Rails
   James Watt (1736 - 1819)
   1831: The DeWitt Clinton
   
   
3. Why Focus on American Railroads?
   
   Their Unprecedented Economic Effects
   Private Ownership in an almost pure Capitalist Environment
   The Benefits and Costs of Government Regulation
   The Railroad in American Life
   
   
4. The Modern Railroad Network
   
   The Current Railroad Network
   The Major Class I Railroads (Revenues above $255.9m)