The Men Who Built America Analysis

“The Men Who Built America DVD” begins immediately after the American Civil War. The United States was in a rebuilding stage and the future of the country seemed uncertain. During the next 35 years, there would be a group of men who would change the country and the world forever. These men would have power and wealth never before seen in the world and would direct the United States into the 20th century. The first man is Cornelius Vanderbilt who was a successful business man his entire life. At age 16, he bought a ferry boat with a loan and it quickly turned into a fleet of ships transporting goods and people across the country. He eventually built the largest shipping empire in the world and was nicknamed “the commodore”. Right before the civil war, he sold all of his ships and invested everything in the railroad because he believed the railways were the future. At the end of the civil war in 1865, Vanderbilt was the richest man in America with a net worth of $68 million. However, life was not perfect for Vanderbilt as his son who he wanted to take control of the country was killed in

Edison believed AC to be too dangerous to put in homes, and Tesla wanted to prove him wrong and left the company. Tesla finds George Westinghouse to invest and he tells people that it isn't dangerous and can light a house for a quarter of what Edison and Morgan can. Tesla and Edison found themselves in a battle when Niagara Falls was building the largest power station in the world but, was unable to decide whether it should be run on AC or DC. Eventually the company picks DC and Morgan immediately wanted to take revenge. Morgan threatens Westinghouse with a lawsuit knowing he cant afford it and begins buying shares of the company until he has complete control. Morgan renames the company general electric which runs on AC and Morgan consolidates the electric