POLS 4555: RAILROADS AND AMERICAN POLITICS

Fall Semester AY2011-2012
Department of Political Science
University of Georgia
Athens, GA, 30602-1615

Classroom: Baldwin 305
Time: 12:30 - 1:45PM Tuesday, Thursday

Instructor: Keith T. Poole

Office: Room 304D Baldwin Hall
E-Mail: ktpoole@uga.edu
WebSite: Voteview Home Page

Office Hours: 2:00 - 4:00PM 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

Requirements

Grades will be determined by three examinations -- two mid-semester exams and a final exam. The exams will consist of short answer essay questions. The midterms will be worth ¼ each and the final 1/2 of the course grade.

The first Mid-Semester exam will be on Thursday, 22 September 2011, one hour, in class.
The second Mid-Semester exam will be on Thursday, 27 October 2011, one hour, in class.
The final is scheduled for Tuesday, 13 December 2011 from 12:00 to 2:00PM

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Course Outline

1. Introduction: Why are Railroads Important?
   
   Assignment:
   
   
• Chapters 1, 2 and 3, An Empire of Wealth
  
  Agenda For Topic 1
  
  Handout For Topic 1 (Part 1)
  
  Energy Consumption in the USA
  Total US Freight by July 2011
  Caboose in Colbert, Georgia
  Railroads are the best way to move heavy freight
  
  Handout For Topic 1 (Part 2)
  Handout For Topic 1 (Part 3)
  
  The Railroad in American Life
  The Unanticipated Effects of Economic Change
  The Unanticipated Effects of Economic Change -- Wired Magazine 2010
  Do Real Output and Real Wage Measures Capture Reality? The History of Lighting Suggests Not, by William D. Nordhaus (Yale University, September 1994)
  Happy Birthday Charles Kettering
  
  
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
  Handout For Topic 2 (PowerPoint)
  The Railroad in American Life (PowerPoint)
  The Alameda Corridor in Los Angeles/Long Beach (PowerPoint)
  
  
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)
  Early Railroad Corporate Charters
  Why Railroads Became the Dominant Form of Transportation
  The Trunk Lines as Big Business (PowerPoint)
  
  
Study Questions for First Exam (22 September 2011)


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
  
  The Political Problems of the Railroads (part 1)
  The Latest Freight Statistics and The Political Problems of the Railroads (PowerPoint)
  The Importance of the Pennsylvania Railroad
  Management Innovations of the Pennsylvania Railroad
  Handout For Topic 4
  Handout For Topic 4 (PowerPoint)
  
  
5. The Nature of Railroad Competition
   
   Assignment:
   
   
• Chapter 5, American Railroads
  
  Agenda For Topic 5
  
  Handout For Topic 5
  Handout For Topic 5 (PowerPoint)
  
  
6. Railroads and the Development of Agriculture
   
   Assignment:
   
   
• Chapter 4, American Railroads
  
• Chapter 14, An Empire of Wealth
  
  Agenda For Topic 6
  
  What is Truth?
  Handout For Topic 6
  Handout For Topic 6 (PowerPoint)
  November 2011 Freight Statistics
  
  
Study Questions for Second Exam (27 October 2011)


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)
  Handout For Topic 7 (PowerPoint, 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 2)
  
  
Study Questions for Final Exam (13 December 2011)


8. Railroads Triumphant: 1980 - 2001
   
   Assignment:
   
   
• Chapters 9 and 10, American Railroads
  
• Chapters 18 to 20, An Empire of Wealth
  
  
9. Railroads and the Future of the American Transportation System
   
   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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