American Business History

American Business History --- In this course, the origins, the development, and the growth of businesses are studied. The course traces the beginnings of American business enterprise from Europe and describes business activities during the American colonial, revolutionary, and pre-Civil War periods. It then discusses economic aspects of the Civil War, post-civil War industrial growth, business consolidation and the antitrust movement, economic aspects of World War I, business conditions during the 1920s, effects of the 1929 depression and the New Deal upon business, economic aspects of World War II, post-war business developments, the crash of 2007-2008 and some current business trends. The topics are enlivened by discussions of business personalities.