An Entrepreneurial History of the United States

by Gerald Gunderson

Overview

Examines the emergence and role of the entrepreneur in the growth of America from the colonial era to modern times. It is a reprint of "The Wealth Creators."

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781587981562
Publisher:	Beard Books, Incorporated
Publication date:	01/01/2005
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.65(d)

Editorial Reviews

While natural resources, an abundant labor supply, available capital and the Protestant ethic of hard work and thrift all contributed to America's phenomenal economic development, Trinity College economics professor Gunderson, in his remarkably lucid, nontechnical, popular history, accords even greater credit to the motivation and initiative of individual and group entrepreneurs who possessed an ability to change and develop new technologies without which, he contends, an economy or society stagnates. Moreover, he persuasively challenges the view that modern growth did not begin until the Industrial Revolution, citing the entrepreneurial activities of the colonists (including those in shipping, which, he maintains, enabled the fledgling nation to defeat the British). He follows the evolution of entrepreneurs from such early 19th century inventors as Fulton, Morse and Cyrus McCormick to the great late 19th and 20th century tycoon-innovators who contributed to the unparalled growth of the country. But many of these entrepreneur-founders, he notes, failed to fill the new leadership demands of complex, publicly held mega-corporations, especially in the new service and electronic industries. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

According to Gunderson (business and economics, Trinity Coll.), the growth of the U.S. economy since colonial times is due more to entrepreneurial initiative than to the more widely recognized theory of the Protestant work ethic. He retells the economic history of the United States by noting the contributions of many individual entrepreneurs who have, in his opinion, made a difference. This point of view invites comparison with George Gilder's The Spirit of Enterprise (LJ 2/1/85), which ultimately is the more important work. However, Gunderson does contribute an adequate survey of American business history to add to collections on the subject of enterpreneurship.-- Joseph Barth, U.S. Military Acad. Lib., West Point, N.Y.

Library Journal

A history of business for general readers. Includes a short annotated bibliography. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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