USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Railroad tycoons were the early industrial pioneers amassing or overseeing construction of many large railroads through the early 20th century. These men, names like James Hill, Jay and George Gould, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Edward Harriman, and Collis P.

Detailed explanation-2: -Shipping and railroad tycoon Cornelius Vanderbilt (1794-1877) was a self-made multi-millionaire who became one of the wealthiest Americans of the 19th century. As a boy, he worked with his father, who operated a boat that ferried cargo between Staten Island, New York, where they lived, and Manhattan.

Detailed explanation-3: -Included in the list of so-called robber barons are Andrew Carnegie, Cornelius Vanderbilt, and John D. Rockefeller. Robber barons were accused of being monopolists who earned profits by intentionally restricting the production of goods and then raising prices.

Detailed explanation-4: -How does Vanderbilt acquire nearly half of all the railroads across America? By all the money he earns from selling his shipping company he invests in the railroads. What big project (the biggest urban project in America up to that time) does Vanderbilt create in New York City?