Railroaded By Richard White Analysis

Not knowing anything about the history of railroads, can give one mixed feelings about diving into a reading like this. How is one going to feel, is one going to enjoy it, are some of the many questions that float around in the mind of the reader. The answers to these questions solely depend on the author and what they do to utilize their skills to try and convince or create feelings between the reading and reader. “Railroaded” by Richard White, was a book that was found to be very interesting and really opens eyes to see different views and perspectives on railroads. One can see the advancement of the nation, as only a positive in allowing us to move in a forward direction to better one’s life and future. They “tied together” the nation, in

517). The past has had a big part in shaping the world we live in; it has created today. White does a good job with this quote, allowing the reader to understand the direction he’s trying to go in. This can open one’s eyes to see the world from a different view, and question with wonder what the world would have been like if the past was different. This is where greed comes into play. Money has always been a big issue, even in today’s society. When a problem emerges we turn to money to try and help us dig our way out. This was the same case for railroads. Due to their expensiveness, investments through the connectedness of the banks and government needed to be issued. “In late 1890 the Interstate-Commerce Railway Association died at the hands of the corporations that formed it… Among the hands around its throat were Charles Francis Adams…” (White, pg. 372). Characters such as Charles Francis Adams and bankers came into play with the destruction of the railroads, and White holds back no criticism and feelings about his attitude towards these characters. One can just begin to feel right off the bat the anger and frustration he feels, and it shows in his writing. White’s anger begins to rub off, creating a bond of emotion between him and the reader leaving them intrigued and wanting to know more.

Through his detailed beliefs and passion for this topic, he has a way of persuading the audience to consider another route in the thought of railroads. Even though all of this is true, one can see his logic throughout the book begin to seem disorganized and tangled within itself. Confusion and questions begin to take over, but White is able to put himself back on track through more reasoning and arguments. How do you feel about the topic of railroads, is the main question I asked myself after reading this book. After first, one can see the side White argued, but otherwise cannot get passed the effectiveness and the advancement it has created. Railroads became a “stepping stone” for other advances and developments that have had a crucial impact on us, even till this day. The promotion of growth not only individually but as a whole, would have never had been possible without the construction of the railroads. White may see the railroads as a “creative destruction,” but one can see them as a “beautiful