Why Did Frank H. Mayer and His Fellow Hunters Hunt Buffalo, Almost to Extinction?
In the nineteenth century, buffalo on the Great Plains were hunted nearly to extinction. Hunters such as Frank H. Mayer were seeking profit and adventure. Economic reasoning explains why buffalo populations were hit so hard and why they have made a striking comeback. Chapter 13 Did Railroads Cause the Economy to Grow? Railroads grew rapidly after the Civil War and the U.S. economy also thrived. Railroads captured the national imagination. As prominent as railroads were, however, economic analysis warns against overestimating their importance. Chapter 14 Hard Currency: Sound Money or Cross of Gold? Having the right quantity of money in circulation is vital to an economy’s success. In the late 1800s, some advocated big injections of money based on silver. The alternative was reliance on gold, considered so harsh that William Jennings Bryan called the policy a “cross of gold.” Chapter 15 Were the Robber Barons Robbers? Were They Barons? Leaders of industrialization such as Rockefeller and
