Assignment: Capitalism in US History - Blackford & Kerr
Blackford, Mansel D. and K. August Kerr, Business Enterprise in American History is the assigned reading.
You should try to integrate the historical discussion in Blackford & Kerr with the activities of at least two of the post Civill War industrial leaders. Try to show the individual contributions to industrial and administrative technology. Consider the conflict between the theory of pure competition developed by Adam Smith* and the arguments of the 19th century captains of industry who sought to control the markets, to eliminate needless duplication and wasteful competition. Discuss or appraise the extra-legal activity you read about, and show how this behavior either advanced or deterred industrial progress. Finally, to the extent that you are conversant with Wall Street activity from 1980 to the present, show how it relates or compares to the activities of the so-called robber barons.
Robert Heilbroner has a succinct and very clear chapter on Adam Smith's theory in The Worldly Philosophers. This book is a paperback. It should also be readily available in most libraries. Excellent summaries of his views are also to be found on Google.
Support your work with a minimum of one scholarly reference and cited with APA format.