The Men Who Built America Answers Key 2024 [FREE ACCESS]

Today, we will be revealing The Men Who Built America Answers of Episodes 1 to 8 that are absolutely FREE to view.

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The Men Who Built America Answers – All Important Episodes Covered For Free

For your convenience, we are revealing answers for all the episodes of The Men Who Built America to make it easier for you.

Note: In case anything needs to be added or altered then please comment at the bottom of this post.

Episode 1 : A New War Begins

>> answers discussed here <<

 

Episode 2 : Oil Strike

>> answers discussed here <<

 

Episode 3 : A Rivalry is Born

>> answers discussed here <<

 

Episode 4 : Blood is Spilled

>> answers discussed here <<

 

Episode 5 : A New Rival Emerges

Q. Besides returning home, how does Carnegie respond?
Ans: Tells papers that he wouldn’t have handled the strike like Frick did

Q. What does Frick do behind Carnegie’s back?
Ans: Attempts to orchestrate a hostile takeover

Q. Who is the new threat to Carnegie Steel?
Ans: J.P. Morgan

Q. What industry does this man belong to?
Ans: banking

Q. Who taught this man the industry he rules?
Ans: His father Julius Morgan

Q. Who does Morgan turn to for help to build his own business empire?
Ans: Thomas Edison

Q. What invention does this man provide that Morgan will take advantage of?
Ans: Incandescent light bulb

Q. Where is the laboratory of this inventor? (You’ll have to watch the screen to answer this one!)
Ans: Menlo Park, NJ

Q. What does Mark Cuban (owner of the Dallas Mavericks) mean by “eating your own dog food”?
Ans: Believe in your own product

Q. What is the first private residence in the world to be powered by electricity?
Ans: J.P. Morgan’s house

Q. What industry is threatened by electricity and the electric light bulb?
Ans: Oil industry (John D. Rockefeller)

Q. How much money does Morgan give to Edison?
Ans: $83 million (in today’s dollars)

Q. What does Rockefeller do to try to save his empire?
Ans: Try to frighten the public by showing that electricity is not as safe as kerosene (oil)

Q. Where does Morgan/Edison’s biggest threat come from?
Ans: Nicola Tesla/alternating current (AC)

Q. What will Edison claim be the downfall of their competition?
Ans: Says alternating current is dangerous

 

Episode 6 : Owning it All

Q. What new invention does Edison create to prove that AC current is dangerous?
Ans: Electric chair (using AC)

Q. What event allows J.P. Morgan to continue investing in electricity despite his father’s objection?
Ans: Niagara Falls – world’s largest power plant is built, electricity goes national and his father dies in a carriage crash so JP is left in charge

Q. What does Morgan do to take advantage of Westinghouse’s debts?
Ans: Tells people subtly that Westinghouse is an unstable company so investors start to sell off and Westinghouse goes bankrupt

Q. What does Tesla do to allow Westinghouse to attract investors?
Ans: Tesla forgoes his claim to his patents and tears up his contract with Westinghouse

Q. Who wins the bid to light up Chicago’s World Fair?
Ans: Westinghouse and Tesla

Q. Why is the electric power plant at Niagara Falls so important?
Ans: Whoever wins the contract will own the pre-eminent electrical company in the world

Q. Who wins the bid for the Niagara Falls electric power plant?
Ans: Westinghouse

Q. Why does Morgan threaten to take Westinghouse to court over AC patent infringement knowing he would lose the court case?
Ans: Because he knew that Westinghouse didn’t have the money to fight and it would make him go under

Q. What company that becomes one of America’s biggest does JP Morgan control?
Ans: General Electric

Q. What does Morgan do to help the United States government?
Ans: Loaned the country money when the country was in trouble

Q. What substance and invention does Rockefeller use to save his company from electricity taking over the lighting of America?
Ans: Gasoline and the horseless carriage

Q. What does it mean to “Morganize” a company?
Ans: Take companies that are fighting, put them together, manage them together, and prioritize profits while eliminating inefficiencies

Q. How do Rockefeller and Carnegie “morganize” their own companies?
Ans: Slash their workforces, those still working had to work longer hours for less pay

Q. Who does the working class public put their trust in to take on powerful business leaders like Rockefeller, Carnegie, and Morgan?
Ans: William Jennings Bryan

 

Episode 7 : Taking the White House

Q. The gap between what two groups has grown greater than at any other time?
Ans: Rich and poor

Q. Who was the target of Williams Jennings Bryan?
Ans: Countries elite, Carnegie, Rockefeller

Q. Who did the “Titans” choose to support?
Ans: William McKinley (OH gov)

Q. How much money do Rockefeller, Carnegie, and Morgan give to the presidential election?
Ans: Over $200,000 each, equivalent to $20 million today (McKinley outspends Bryan 5:1)

Q. What does Bryan do to campaign that had not been done before?
Ans: Whistle-stop campaign

Q. What percentage of the voters went to the polls in the election of 1896?
Ans: 90% of eligible voters go to polls

Q. Who wins the election?
Ans: William McKinley

Q. How does Rockefeller plan to defeat Carnegie?
Ans: Buys a big iron ore mine (stops Carnegie from buying it) and starts supplying it to Carnegie’s competitors at rock-bottom prices

Q. What happens to Carnegie steel sales?
Ans: Plummet

Q. What deal do Carnegie and Rockefeller make? Who do you think gets the better deal and why?
Ans: Rockefeller will not build steel mill and Carnegie buys iron ore mine from Rockefeller (answers will vary as to who is got the better deal, show says Rockefeller)

Q. What becomes J.P. Morgan’s new ambition?
Ans: Complete takeover of Andrew Carnegie’s empire

Q. Who does Morgan meet with instead of dealing directly with Carnegie?
Ans: Charles Schwab

Q. What is Carnegie’s new ambition?
Ans: Retire to become the richest and biggest philanthropist

Q. How much money does Carnegie end up with in terms of today’s money?
Ans: $480 million sold for, total net-worth $310 billion

Q. What does J.P. Morgan call his new company?
Ans: US Steel

Q. What new politician’s attention is captured by Rockefeller, Morgan, and Carnegie?
Ans: Theodore Roosevelt

Q. How do Rockefeller and Morgan make Roosevelt irrelevant in the political world?
Ans: Make him vice president

Q. How does their plan backfire?
Ans: McKinley is assassinated, TR becomes Pres.

Q. Why did Roosevelt feel that he was more important than Rockefeller or Morgan?
Ans: Because he was chosen by the people

Q. What does Roosevelt do to Morgan’s railroad company?
Ans: Sues Morgan’s company in federal court (first anti-trust court case), Roosevelt wins and monopoly is broken up

Q. Which organization withstood the government the longest?
Ans: Rockefeller’s Standard Oil

 

Episode 8 : The New Machine

>> answers discussed here <<

 

The Men Who Built America Answers – Final Test Video Q&A

Below you can find answers for The Men Who Built America final test video Q&A:

Q. Who is the president that was assassinated shortly after the Civil War ended?
Ans: Abraham Lincoln

Q. Vanderbilt sold his existing holdings and invested his fortune into . . .
Ans: railroads

Q. When the leaders of other railroads were trying to sell off their shares, what did Vanderbilt do?
Ans: Buy as many of those shares as he can

Q. What did Vanderbilt build . . . a place where the tracks of several major railroads connected?
Ans: Grand Central Depot

Q. What did Vanderbilt decide to ship in order to keep his trains full?
Ans: Oil

Q. Kerosene was used at this time mostly for . . .
Ans: Lighting

Q. What did Rockefeller promise to do for Vanderbilt?
Ans: Fill up his trains with shipments of oil

Q. What problem did Rockefeller face after he made a deal with Vanderbilt?
Ans: He didn’t have enough oil to fill Vanderbilt’s trains

Q. According to Rockefeller, what did businessmen do with oil?
Ans: refine it

Q. What did Rockefeller name his company?
Ans: Standard Oil

Q. As Rockefeller’s company became more successful, what new problem did he face?
Ans: He was producing more oil than could fit in Vanderbilt’s trains

Q. By the time he was finished, Rockefeller controlled . . . of the North American oil supply.
Ans: 90%

Q. Most of the oil fields supplying Rockefeller’s refineries were located in . . .
Ans: Ohio and Pennsylvania

Q. Which phrase summarizes Rockefeller’s personal beliefs about business?
Ans: “Survival of the fittest”

Q. Whose business is attacked by angry workers reacting to the fact that Rockefeller’s actions have thrown them out of their jobs?
Ans: Tom Scott’s

Q. What river does Scott want to build a bridge across . . . a bridge that will connect the nation together like never before?
Ans: Mississippi

Q. What are the reasons to avoid using steel in the bridge?
Ans: It’s expensive and difficult to produce in large quantities.

Q. Henry Bessemer’s improved process for making steel decreases the time needed to produce a single rail from two weeks to . . .
Ans: 15 minutes

Q. Besides delays, what other serious problem-plagued Carnegie as he tried to complete the bridge project?
Ans: Paying the bills for all the steel he was buying

Q. What is the name of the bridge that Carnegie is building?
Ans: The St. Louis Bridge

Q. Who does Carnegie blame for the death of his mentor?
Ans: Rockefeller

Q. Where was the first skyscraper built?
Ans: Chicago

Q. In just two years after hiring a business partner, Carnegie’s profits have doubled. What did he and his partner do with much of the extra money?
Ans: Buy out their competitors.

Q. As 1890 approaches, Carnegie Steel is more profitable than ever. What did Carnegie do with his business partner as a result?
Ans: Make him chairman of the company.

Q. Who was responsible for the creation of the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club?
Ans: Carnegie and Frick

Q. Which of the following the only man-made disaster in American history that exceeded the Johnstown flood in its death toll?
Ans: 9/11

Q. Carnegie also funded the construction of Carnegie Hall. What is Carnegie hall mostly used for?
Ans: It’s a music hall that hosts performing arts events.

Q. During the era, what became the product of choice for the construction of large buildings?
Ans: Steel

Q. What is one of the greatest expenses involved in running a steel factory?
Ans: Labor costs

Q. The “only” way to make the steel plant run efficiently at this time, according to Henry Frick, was to . . .
Ans: Require workers to labor 12 hours per day, 6 days per week

Q. What other serious problem did Carnegie’s workers have to contend with at this time?
Ans: Dangerous work conditions

Q. What did the steelworkers do after Frick told them, that conditions would not improve?
Ans: They went on a strike.

Q. What word best describes the Pinkerton Detectives?
Ans: Mercenaries

Q. What did the Pinkerton’s do to the striking workers?
Ans: Shot at them

Q. After nine steelworkers were killed, the workers were still holding their ground. How was order finally restored?
Ans: The Governor of Pennsylvania sent in the state militia to support the management.

Q. What industry did J.P. Morgan learn about from his father?
Ans: The banking industry

Q. For Morgan, what was the true appeal of promoting electricity?
Ans: He anticipated that it would make him fantastically rich.

Q. Who invented the incandescent light bulb?
Ans: Edison

Q. What does Rockefeller do to try to keep kerosene in peoples’ homes?
Ans: Claims that electrical power is dangerous.

Q. Which list best summarizes the forces that have changed the world forever, as portrayed in The Man Who Built America?
Ans: Steel, railroads, oil, and electricity

Q. Who is credited with the invention of “AC electricity?”
Ans: Nikola Tesla

Q. How is AC electricity different from Edison’s DC electricity?
Ans: AC was high voltage

Q. What was Edison’s approach to try and get rid of competition?
Ans: Showing how the other electricity is dangerous.

Q. How did Edison’s experiment with the electric chair turn out?
Ans: People began to see electricity in general as dangerous

Q. What entire region would the Niagara Falls power plant light up?
Ans: Northeast

Q. Who ended up winning the bid to generate electricity at Niagara Falls?
Ans: George Westinghouse

Q. After J.P. Morgan purchased it, Edison’s company would become known as . . .
Ans: General Electric

Q. Who did the US government get a loan from when the country needed money?
Ans: Morgan

Q. Who is one of the first defense contractors in U.S. history?
Ans: Carnegie

Q. What is the main purpose of Morganization?
Ans: Maximize profits

Q. Who promised to end the power of the monopolies?
Ans: Williams Jennings Bryan

Q. What finally caused America’s richest men work WITH each other instead of against one another?
Ans: An emerging threat from the world of politics

Q. During the late 1800’s, what percentage of Americans lived off a monthly income of less than $100?
Ans: 90%

Q. Which title best matches William Jennings Bryan?
Ans: The Great Commoner

Q. Which political party made trusts and monopolies a target at this time?
Ans: Democrats

Q. Whose Businesses did Bryan specifically say he would “tear down”?
Ans: Carnegie’s and Rockefeller’s

Q. What did the titans decide they needed to do in order to keep Bryan from winning the election?
Ans: Buy the presidency

Q. What was Bryan’s main campaign tactic as he sought to fight back against the influence of the Titans?
Ans: Giving hundreds of speeches directly to the people.

Q. How do industrialists threaten their workers so that they’ll vote for McKinley instead of Bryan?
Ans: They tell their workers that Bryan wins the election, they will shut down and there won’t be any more jobs.

Q. After purchasing Carnegie Steel, what does Morgan change its name to?
Ans: US steel

Q. What kind of public image did Roosevelt want to have?
Ans: Rugged hunter

Q. During which conflict did Roosevelt become a hero?
Ans: Spanish-American War

Q. How did Theodore Roosevelt first become president?
Ans: He was vice-president when the president was killed.

Q. Once president, what did Roosevelt insist upon in his relationship with the big capitalists?
Ans: That they recognize they were just capitalists and not elected leaders.

Q. What was broken up as the result of the first U.S. government anti-trust case against a major corporation?
Ans: J.P. Morgan’s railroad monopoly

Q. How does Rockefeller get out of answering questions of the court?
Ans: Claiming he didn’t remember

Q. Why did ALAM control who could build cars?
Ans: They owned the patent.

Q. What two large bodies of water does the Panama Canal join together?
Ans: Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean

Q. Which one did Rockefeller NOT do routinely as he built his company into a vast success?
Ans: Kerosene coupons

Q. What statement did Rockefeller make in order to defend his business practices?
Ans: “You call it a monopoly, I call it enterprise.”

Q. How did Ford’s $5 per day wage compare to the average factory wage at this time?
Ans: It was about double the average wage.

Q. How is Ford able to make the time required to make a car shorter?
Ans: Using an assembly line for manufacturing cars

Q. The court determined that Standard Oil had engaged in unreasonable business practices, ones that were in violation of which federal law?
Ans: The Sherman Anti-Trust Act

Q. What was Ford’s dream?
Ans: To make the automobile affordable for everyone

Q. What new product became key for Standard Oil after the turn of the century?
Ans: Gasoline

Q. What did Carnegie and Rockefeller compete over during their old age?
Ans: Who would give away the most money

Q. Carnegie eventually gave away $67 billion in today’s money to worthy causes. What kinds of causes received the most money?
Ans: Education and libraries

Q. What happened in April 1917?
Ans: The United States entered World War 1.

 

Conclusion

The documentary series The Men Who Built America covers the lives and stories of some of the most influential businessmen in American history. It follows the triumphs and tragedies of these moguls, as they each pursue their own vision for a more prosperous nation. Their individual successes, failures, and lessons learned have been instrumental in shaping the country we live in today.

The documentary features interviews and conversations with some of the most prominent names in business—including John D. Rockefeller, J.P. Morgan, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Henry Ford, and Andrew Carnegie—allowing viewers to gain unique insight into what motivated these larger-than-life figures and how their decisions have shaped the United States.

The documentary also delves into the power struggles and bitter rivalries that plagued these men as they fought for control of the American economy. From the flaring tempers of Rockefeller and Carnegie during their epic steel battle to J.P. Morgan’s attempt to take over the entire railroad system, viewers are treated to a behind-the-scenes look at how these tycoons faced off against one another.

For those that are interested in business, history, and American culture, The Men Who Built America is a must-watch documentary. It provides an illuminating glimpse into the lives of some of the most influential figures in United States history and reveals just how powerful their decisions were.

 

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