An Accurate Account of the “Men Who Built America” Part 19

This is the nineteenth in my series of posts about the five businessmen the History Channel profiled in a terribly inaccurate and un-historical TV miniseries titled The Men Who Built America. I’m writing these posts in response to several comments and e-mails from TV viewers who have expressed interest in a more accurate version of the story. (Click here to see all Al’s columns on the program and its subjects.)

Post #19: The Financial Panic of 1873

 The 1870’s were a  turbulent time for American businesses and workers. A financial panic that started late in 1873 precipitated a depression that sent dozens of banks and railroads into bankruptcy, and started an economic depression.
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An Accurate Account of the “Men Who Built America” Part 9

This is the nineth in my series of posts about the five businessmen the History Channel profiled in a terribly inaccurate and un-historical TV miniseries titled The Men Who Built America. I’m writing these posts in response to several comments and e-mails from TV viewers who have expressed interest in a more accurate version of the story. (Click here to see all Al’s columns on the program and its subjects.)

Post #9: Carnegie is Hired by Thomas Scott

Young Andrew Carnegie continued to distinguish himself among the other telegram boys with his work habbits and his ever-increasing skills. The office manager gave him a raise and put him in charge of distributing the messages between the other boys. More promotions and raises would follow.
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The Men Who Built America Episode III – Less than Accurate

The History Channel aired the third installment of its The Men Who Built America series Tuesday, and, like the first two, this episode was less than accurate. In my review of the first episode I describe the many creative liberties the producers took in their efforts to jazz up the stories for a television audience. The second part of this four part series was even more inaccurate, just “fiction in a period setting.”

The third part is not as completely un-historical as the second, but there are several places where accuracy is sacrificed for the sake of drama.
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The Men Who Built America: Great Stories, Too Much Poetic License

The History Channel aired the first episode of its “The Men Who Built America” series last week, and I tuned in eagerly to watch it.

The series will profile the careers of railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, oil man John D. Rockefeller, steel maker Andrew Carnegie, investment banker JP Morgan, and car maker Henry Ford. The opening episode focuses on Vanderbilt and Rockefeller.

As my regular readers know, I’m a huge fan of entrepreneurs who have gone from rags to riches in this country.  I’ve read dozens of books about this era in American history, including biographies of most of the primary and secondary characters in this series. If rock stars have their groupies, Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller have me.
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