Choose ONE of the essay questions below to answer.

Prompt 1:

John D. Rockefeller said, “If you want to succeed you should strike out on new paths, rather than travel the worn paths of accepted success.” Entrepreneurs in the late 1800s took Rockefeller’s advice to heart and broke new ground, especially in steel, banking, and Rockefeller’s own oil industry.

Write a well-constructed 200-word essay that describes the business techniques and innovations the industrialists of the late 1800s used to achieve success.

OR

Prompt 2:

The nineteenth century could be called the railroad era. Crews made up largely of immigrants completed the first transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869, opening a nationwide transportation network that had a tremendous impact on business, agriculture, and labor.

Write well-constructed 200-word essay describing the impact of the railroads on other businesses and why the government attempted to regulate the railroads.