When looking at American history, you cannot forget to look at the industries that have built it.  The history of American business is as interesting as the history of America.

Small Beginnings

When looking at the history of business organizations, you find that they all started out small in a land of opportunity.  Founders of these companies are often referred to as Robber Barons; a lot of the companies are still around, due to their solid foundations.  As business grew in America, so did these companies, allowing for a new history of international business.


Business Established

When looking up the history of business, you will find out that they still have a strong hold in the NYSE (New York Stock Exchange).

One of these is Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Steel Company, now known as U.S. Steel, and on the stock market page, you can find it listed as simply X.  This company was founded by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Steel Company in the 1870’s.  In the 1890’s, this company became the most profitable and largest in the world and was sold to J.P. Morgan’s U.S. Steel in 1901.  U.S. Steel has had a name change along the way; renamed USX Corporation in 1991, it did go back to United States Steel Corporation in 2001.  There are three operating segments of U.S. Steel; the European market (USSE), Flat-rolled Products (Flat-rolled), and Tubular Products (Tubular).  U.S. Steel is still running strong and has its hand, not only in the American industry, but also just completed the acquisition of Lone Star Technologies Inc., on June 2007.

Where would the history of American business be without the benefit of the railway? How would anything have gotten anywhere without it?  Northern Pacific Railway was financed by the firm of Jay Cooke in 1870.  After he was forced into bankruptcy, George Stephen and Douglas Smith bought the railroad for pennies on the dollar, where they finished building the Canadian Pacific Railway.  It is listed as BNSF on the NYSE, and is still a railway; only the name was changed to Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation. Another tycoon, Collis Potter Huntington, founded not only one of the railroads, in 1861 Central Pacific Railroad which ran the transcontinental railroad, but he also led and developed the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1868.  Both railroads were taken over by Union Pacific Railroad in 1996 and are listed as UPC on the NYSE.

As much as you may not like smoking, the American Tobacco Company has been around since 1890, founded by J.B. Duke, and merged with many tobacco manufacturers.  It is listed as FO (Fortune Brands) on the NYSE and is now a common stock.

Standard Oil is next on the list, with co-founders John D. and William Rockefeller, Henry Morrison Flagler, Samuel Andrews, and a silent partner Stephen V. Harkness.  With the making of the history of business, it is notable to say that in less than 2 months, Standard Oil absorbed or destroyed most of its competition in 1872.  Now named BP Prudhoe Bay Royalty Trust, it is listed as BPT on the NYSE.
You see them on the road every day now; one of the strongest, most notable, recognizable changes in the history of American business cannot be ignored, Henry Ford.  In 1903, he kicked off the Ford Motor Company recognized as F on the NYSE.

Not too many would think that barbed wire would take a part in the history of American business, but in 1876, John Warne Gates started the Southern Wire Company, which eventually was sold to J.P. Morgan in 1901 and became part of the U.S. Steel Conglomerate.  He also was the founder of the Texaco oil company in 1899 which merged into the Chevron Corporation in 2001, NYSE:  CVX
The last one on the list would be the infamous J.P. Morgan, who founded one of the oldest financial services firms in the world.  J.P. Morgan Chase is listed on the NYSE as JPM.  A leader in the industry, not only in the history of business organizations, but also in the international business, this financial institution was founded in 1799.


Useful Tools

In building not only the history of international business, all these businesses have intricate parts in the American foundations that our current businesses are built on.  Without the railroads, goods could not have traveled coast to coast.  Steel is one of the largest industries in the world to help with buildings, laying the tracks for the railroad, and so much more.  Cars are used all over the world, thanks to Mr. Ford opening up the world on four wheels.  Barbed wire was for the cattlemen of our nation.  Without financing, none of this would have happened.  Though we may not like smoking after learning of the damages that smoking does, it was and still is a thriving industry.  Each of these businesses has created a situation to make not only histories of American businesses and organizations, but also international business.  Without them, we would not be who we are today in the world.