American Entrepreneur, Chapter 4: The Entrepreneurial Explosion, 1820-1850

Transportation and communication revolution, canal boom, new technology: steam, railroads, big business, role of the financial system., role of central bank, changes in communications, reasons for the rapid growth in the period 1820-1850, how the Erie Canal changed the U.S. economy, changes in ocean and river transportation, how the 2nd BUS regulated other banks. People discussed include De Witt Clinton, Albert Gallatin, Robert Fulton, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Matthias Baldwin, Nicolas Biddle, Andrew Jackson, and Gail Borden.