The Richest Americans: Railroad Robber Barons

Jay Gould, James Fisk, Leland Stanford: The Railroad “Robber Barons” were some of the richest, most influential men in American history.

The term “robber baron” is usually applied to these men who revolutionized the business of railroads while carrying on the business of political manipulation. Each had a profound impact on his times and each was cloaked in controversy. 

On the one hand, they helped build the massive railroad lines that helped the American economy grow at unprecedented rates in the 1800s. The Transcontinental Railroad sped the settling of the West, allowed the vast mineral and natural resources of the West to help build the economy and opened new markets for beef, grain, corn fruit and the massive agricultural harvest of the Great Plains. It provided employment, led to innumerable secondary businesses across the country. Their massive fortunes have had a massive impact in American education and culture.

But the driving of the “Golden Spike” that joined the railroads was preceded by massive social and racial upheaval. The Native American Indian nations fought a losing 25 year war to protect their lands. Chinese workers were imported by the thousands, worked under the most daunting, arduous conditions. However, the presence of Chinese workers caused vast changes to American immigration laws along racial lines. 

The story of the men who built the railroads is fascinating and memorable! This fast moving multimedia presentation is filled with amazing stories of some of the wealthiest men in the history of the USA.

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