The Men Who Built America - Please respond to the following questions. Each response needs to be at least 125 words.

A New War Begins

1. Some may have called the United States a "failed experiment" after the Civil War. Why? The Civil Ware created.

2. What role did Vanderbilt play in helping the country rebuild after the Civil War?

3. What is a hostile takeover? How did Vanderbilt deal with this kind of competition?

4. What major industry emerged in the decades after the Civil war?

Oil Strike

1. What does it mean to "beat the odds,' and how is John Rockefeller an example of this concept?

2. What is refined oil, and why was it so important when oil first became a popular commodity?

3. Standard Oil was one of the nation's first monopolies. What is a monopoly? Why do you think leaders like Rockefeller wanted to shut out competition?

4. What was the Panic of 1873?