American Business History: History 363

Fall 2009

Daniel Pope: 331 McKenzie Hall, 346-4015, dapope@uoregon.edu
            Office hours: 10:00-12:00 Mon. and 1:00-2:30 Thurs., or by appointment.

    President Calvin Coolidge once said that the "chief business of the American people is business." That doesn't necessarily mean that the history of the American people is the history of American business, but it does suggest that we will be examining topics that are central to the American past. Also, since the modern business corporation is certainly a dominant institution in our lives, a historical perspective on it should be useful for those who want to understand contemporary American society.

    This is a one-term course, designed for undergraduate business and pre-business majors as well as for students in History and other programs who want to get some historical perspective on American business.  No prior classes in either history or business are assumed or required here, but such courses might prove relevant if you've taken them.

    This syllabus is online at http://www.uoregon.edu/~dapope/363syllabus.htm. I suggest you bookmark it in your computer’s browser. Before each class I’ll post an outline for that session on the web and link to it here. The syllabus will also contain links to announcements, assignment information and instructions, etc.:  outline for Sept. 29 Oct. 1 Oct. 6              (Oct. 8--Barnum video, no outline)          Oct. 13  (Options for paper assignment online here)        Oct. 15 Oct. 20 New: Midterm essays and instructions Oct. 22 Oct. 27 Nov. 3 Nov. 5 New: Study notes and questions on Scientific Management Nov. 10 Nov. 12 Nov. 17 Nov. 19
New: Some Notes and Questions on The Retail Revolution

Books: I’ve ordered the following books at the UO Bookstore. Used copies may be available there or elsewhere.
                Glenn Porter, The Rise of Big Business 1860-1920. (I’ve ordered the third edition, published 2006. If you can save a significant amount of money by getting the second edition, published 1992, that’s OK. The first edition, published back in 1973, is ancient history by now and should not be used.)

                Thomas K. McCraw, American Business since 1920: How It Worked. (I’ve ordered the second edition, published 2009, but the first edition, published 2000 is also acceptable.)

                Frederick W. Taylor, The Principles of Scientific Management. (This is also available online through Google Books, here.)

                Nelson Lichtenstein, The Retail Revolution.

                OPTIONAL: Sinclair Lewis, Babbitt. (This novel about an American businessman in the 1920s is for one of the short paper options. Look at the forthcoming description of the paper topic options before you decide whether to buy it.)

Requirements:

1. Participation in Blackboard discussion board: Instructions will be posted soon. About 15% of course grade.

2. Midterm exam: Thursday, Oct. 29. About 20% of course grade.

3. Short paper due at class time Tuesday, Nov. 24. New: Instructions for the paper. About 25% of course grade.

4. Final exam: Wed., Dec. 9, 1:00-3:00 [Note: Corrected exam time.] About 40% of course grade. (I plan to offer a take-home alternative to the in-class final exam. Details later.)

Class Sessions:
                Note:  This course will feature biographical lectures and videos--a “Tycoon of the Week” designed to introduce you to some of the most interesting figures in American business history and to raise the question of how much impact individuals have had on the course of historical change.

Sept. 29: Introduction and Tycoon #1: Robert Keayne

Oct. 1: Colonial Merchants and an (almost) Global Economy
                By this date, read Benjamin Franklin, “The Way to Wealth,” (1757); the first seven pages contain the document. The rest is a commentary which is not required. Also a recent newspaper feature on the Rhode Island slave trade.

Oct. 6: Independence and the Constitution and Tycoon #2: John Jacob Astor
                By this date, read James Madison, Federalist Paper 10. (1787)

Oct 8: I’ll be out of town but you’ll get a head start on Tycoon #3: a video on P.T. Barnum
                By this date, read Barnum, “The Road to Riches”, chapter 9, pp.133-155 of his memoirs, Struggles and Triumphs (1875). The link goes to the Google version of the book. Enter 133 in the box near the top of the screen to get to the first page of chapter 9.

Oct. 13: A Physical and Legal Infrastructure for Business Growth
                By this date, read two excerpts from Alexander Hamilton, “Report on Manufactures,” 1791. Excerpt One Excerpt Two

Oct. 15: The Legal “Release of Energy” and the Transportation Revolution

Oct. 20: The Railroads as America’s First Big Business       New: Midterm instructions and essay questions now online here.

Oct. 22: Mass Production and Mass Distribution and Tycoon #4: Andrew Carnegie
                By this date, read Porter, The Rise of Big Business, chapters 1 and 2. Also read Andrew Carnegie’s 1889 essay, “Wealth.”  Also, browse the online Sears, Roebuck catalogue of 1897

Oct. 27: Mergers, Trusts and the Economic Power of Big Business

Oct. 29: MIDTERM EXAM
By the midterm, read Porter, The Rise of Big Business, chapter 3 (Bibliographical essay is not required); McCraw, American Business since 1920, Introduction and chapter 1.

Nov. 3: Finance and Control of Big Business and Tycoon #5: J. Pierpont Morgan

Nov. 5: Frederick W. Taylor and Scientific Management (You can think of Taylor as a bonus tycoon.)
                By this date, read Taylor, The Principles of Scientific Management, and Thorstein Veblen, “On the Nature and Uses of Sabotage” (chapter one of Veblen, The Engineers and the Price System, 1921) Notes and Questions on Taylor and Scientific Management

Nov. 10: Taylor and Later Theories of Management

Nov. 12: Making a Consumer Society and Tycoon #6: Bruce Barton
                By this date, read McCraw, American Business since 1920, chapters 2, 3 and 5 (chapter 4 is optional)        

Nov. 17: Small Business in a Big Business Environment

Nov. 19: Women and People of Color in American Business and Tycoon #7: Madame C.J. Walker
                By this date, read McCraw, American Business since 1920, Prologue to Part II, chapters 6 and 7 and Epilogue (chapter 8 is optional)

Nov. 24: SHORT PAPER DUE The World of Wal*Mart , Part I

Nov. 26: THANKSGIVING

Dec. 1: The World of Wal*Mart, Part II and Tycoon #8: TBA
                By this date, read Lichtenstein, The Retail Revolution (chapters 5, 7 and 8 are optional but recommended).

Dec. 3: The Future of Capitalism--The Vision of Joseph Schumpeter, a Pessimistic Supporter

Final Exam: Wed., Dec. 9, 3:15-5:15