Project Gutenberg 2004-09-01 Public domain in the USA. 144 Myers, Gustavus 1872 1942 Great Fortunes from Railroads Produced by Charles Franks and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team "Great Fortunes from Railroads" by Gustavus Myers is a historical account written during the late 19th century. The book delves into the monumental fortunes amassed through the manipulation and control of railroad systems, examining the intertwining of wealth, government, and legal systems that facilitated this economic power. It particularly highlights the Vanderbilt and Gould fortunes, detailing how their wealth was acquired through a combination of industrial development, legislative corruption, and social inequalities. At the start of the work, Myers sets the stage by discussing the broader context of the American economy during the development of the rail industry. He contrasts the slow and individualistic growth of factory owners with the rapid accumulation of wealth by railroad magnates, illustrating the corrupt practices employed to seize public lands and secure legal advantages over the poorer classes. Myers argues that the laws established were often manipulated for the benefit of a select few, allowing them to monopolize resources while effectively disenfranchising the working population. This initial portion serves not only as an introduction to the rich historical narrative of railroad fortunes but also poses a critique of societal structures that enable capitalism to exploit labor and resources at the expense of common citizens. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 56.7 (10th to 12th grade). Somewhat difficult to read. en Wealth -- United States -- History -- 19th century United States -- Economic conditions -- 19th century Businessmen -- United States -- History -- 19th century Railroads -- United States -- History -- 19th century HC Text Category: History - American Category: History - Modern (1750+) Category: Economics 697494 2025-07-03T07:53:28.835537 text/html 697315 2025-01-09T23:23:01.707529 text/html 343747 2025-07-03T07:53:37.503481 application/epub+zip 350824 2025-07-03T07:53:31.715496 application/epub+zip 339124 2025-07-03T07:53:30.592590 application/epub+zip 612114 2025-07-03T07:53:42.292465 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 581467 2025-07-03T07:53:36.763442 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 539027 2022-09-03T12:11:44.494366 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 663441 2025-07-03T07:53:28.290536 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 658476 2020-12-29T17:44:52 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 18705 2025-07-03T07:53:42.412477 application/rdf+xml 14896 2025-07-03T07:53:31.070495 image/jpeg 3708 2025-07-03T07:53:30.829477 image/jpeg 250641 2020-12-29T17:44:52 application/octet-stream application/zip 331671 2025-07-03T07:53:28.887516 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia