Many people attribute the decline of Los Angeles public transportation to the General Motors streetcar conspiracy. While this did play a role, there were also many other contributing factors. The 1988 film Who Framed Roger Rabbit references the scandal. Scriptwriters Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman explained “the Red Car plot, suburb expansion, urban and political corruption really did happen. In Los Angeles, during the 1940s, car and tire companies teamed up against the Pacific Electric Railway system and bought them out of business. Where the freeway runs in Los Angeles is where the Red Car used to be.” Railroad and real estate tycoon, Henry E. Huntington, purchased they Los Angeles Railway in 1898 and started operation in 1901 (Walker). …show more content…
He wrote:
“This is an urgent warning to each and every one of you that there is a careful, deliberately planned campaign to swindle you out of your most important and valuable public utilities – your Electric Railway System.” (Span)
According to Colin Divall and Winstan Bond, Quinby had a political agenda. Quinby founded the Electric Railroader’s Association in 1932 “not merely to preserve and publish information on electric railways, but also to lobby on their behalf wherever they were threatened.” Regardless, this spawned the 1947 court case United States v. National City Lines Inc.. Nine Corporations and seven individuals were indicted in the Federal District Court of Southern California, and later the Federal District Court of Northern Illinois, and charged with “conspiring to acquire control of a number of transit companies, forming a transportation monopoly” along with “conspiring to monopolize sale of buses and supplies to companies owned by National City Lines” (Lindley). The Sherman Anti Trust Act, passed by Congress in 1890 had prohibited such a monopoly. In 1949, Firestone Tire, Standard Oil of California, Phillips Petroleum, General Motors, and Mack Trucks were convicted of conspiring to monopolize the sale of buses and related products to transit companies controlled by National City Lines; however, they were acquitted of conspiring to monopolize ownership of these companies. The verdicts were upheld on appeal in 1951. General Motors was fined $5,000 and H.C. Grossman, the treasurer of General Motors, was fined $1.
The Red Convertible, written by Louise Erdrich, is a short story written in the first person perspective of a Chippewa Indian named Lyman. It portrays the story of his brother, Henry, who joins the Marines and fights in the Vietnam War. Before recruiters pick up Henry, Lyman describes him and his brother’s road trip in their brand new red Olds. Lyman explains Henry’s characteristic during their joy-ride as friendly, joking, and fun. Returning from their road trip, Henry leaves for Vietnam. When he returns, Henry is not the same joyful man that he once was before he had left. Louise Erdrich’s short story, The Red Convertible, follows the life of Henry who is as funny joking guy. Although war has changed him, and it was not for the best. Louise Erdrich’s theme for The Red Convertible is that war can devastate peoples’ lives.
The Act of 1862 called for construction of a railroad and telegraph line from the Missouri River to the Pacific Coast. So on January 8, 1863, with a ground breaking ceremony in Sacramento, Central Pacific Railroad started work on the western end of the Transcontinental Railroad.
In “The Red Convertible,” Louise Erdrich through her first- person narrator Lyman, creates an unspoken emotional bond between two brothers. This emotional bond between the brothers is not directly spoken to each other, but rather is communicated through and symbolized by “The Red Convertible.” In spite of what appears as a selfless act by one brother, in turn, causes pain in the other brother, as no feelings were communicated. In this case, Lyman explains his version as he takes us through the experiences that he and his brother Henry have with the car.
To what lengths would you go for a loved one? Would you destroy something in hopes that it would save them? That 's what Lyman Lamartine did in hopes to fix his PTSD afflicted brother. "The Red Convertible" was written by Louise Erdrich in 1974 and published in 2009 along with several other short stories. Lyman, and Henry, are brothers. The story starts by telling us about how the two brothers acquired a red convertible. Henry ends up being drafted into the Vietnam War, and comes back home suffering from PTSD. One day the pair decided to take a drive to the Red River because Henry wanted to see the high water. Ultimately, the story ends with a cliff-hanger, and we are left wondering what happens to the boys. The symbolic nature of the red convertible will play a key role in this literary analysis, along with underling themes of PTSD and war.
Crichton, Michael. The Great Train Robbery. First Ballantine Books ed. N.p.: Alfred A. Knopf, 1975. Print.
The Baltimore & Ohio railroad (B&O) was the first railroad to electrify part of its tracks, doing so in 1895 (Lecture Notes, 2/19/14). The electric locomotive was faster and cheaper than the steam locomotive, and produced no smoke (Lecture Notes, 2/19/14). This opened up the gates for electric locomotives to replace steam engines on their own tracks. Still, only a few American railroads electrified their lines between 1900 and 1950. Many American railroads failed to electrify their railroads due to the high initial cost and economic conditions, the lack of standardized electrical systems used for the railways, and corporate resistance (Bezilla, 42-47).
“The Red Convertible” by Louise Erdrich, is a story of two Native American brothers whom share a deep bond and very close relationship before circumstances start falling apart; throughout the story, the reader learns about Henry’s psychological state. As the narrator, Lyman, informs the reader, they owned a car for the first time “We owned it together until his boots filled with water on a windy night and he bought out my share.” (358) is when a magnificent brotherly can be seen connection. But the time passed by, and their link was breaking apart, because a war situation. Although Henry and Lyman are the main characters, Lyman invests most of the time describing how he feels of Henry’s life before and after he went to war and how the relationship was deteriorating.
Louise Erdrich and Tim O’Brien both use symbolism to foreshadow of what the future will come to be of the characters. Henry in “The Red Convertible,” his emotions and mental state is shown through the symbolism of the red convertible. The car symbolizes the strong bond between one another. Henry tells Lyman, “When I left the car was running like a watch. Now I don’t know if I can get it to star again, let alone get it anywhere near its old condition” (Erdrich 138). The relationship between Henry and Lyman applies to the condition of their vehicle. Bussey states in her critical essay, “After Lyman damaged the car, Henry had the opportunity to work toward a goal, instead of watching television all day. In this way, the car symbolizes Henry 's
In 1890 the Congress of the United States passed the Sherman Antitrust Act, this act was passed to promote Compton in the field where there may be a monopoly, by breaking up the company (Lowman 372). But it would not be until 1902 that this Act would be put to use, when Northern Securities Company was put on trial (Lowman 451). Theodore Roosevelt was the President at this time, and earned himself the nickname trustbuster, "because he used this tactic so frequent in his presidency. He put other policies in commission, which made it even easier to convict companies. One of these was the Expedition Act; the Act was put in place to speed up the antitrust cases in the courts" (Lowman 452).
A little friendly competition has fueled America long before this generation. On July 1, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln brought the Transcontinental Railroad to life. Two unions: the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific were to battle to find out who could reach the middle of the United States of America the fastest while building a railroad that would connect the East Coast and the West Coast. The Union Pacific and the Central Pacific were both granted financial aid from the government to build the Transcontinental Railroad. Both the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific would have to overcome obstacles to make this vision a reality. Everyone knew that this railroad would aid America in travel and commerce. The construction of this railroad was one of the United States’ greatest accomplishments technologically and also proved that with determination and money, anything could be accomplished.
“I've told her and I've told her: daughter, you have to teach that child the facts of life before it's too late” (Hopkinson 1). These are the first three lines of Nalo Hopkinson's short story “Riding the Red”, a modern adaptation of Charles Perrault's “Little Red Riding Hood”. In his fairy tale Perrault prevents girls from men's nature. In Hopkinson's adaptation, the goal remains the same: through the grandmother biographic narration, the author elaborates a slightly revisited plot without altering the moral: young girls should beware of men; especially when they seem innocent.
“I've told her and I've told her: daughter, you have to teach that child the facts of life before it's too late” (Hopkinson 1). These are the first three lines of Nalo Hopkinson's fairy tale “Riding the Red”, a modern adaptation of Charles Perrault's “Little Red Riding Hood”. Perrault provided a moral to his fairy tales, the one from this one is to prevent girls from men's nature. In Hopkinson's adaptation, the goal remains the same: through the grandmother biographic narration, the author advances a revisited but still effective moral: beware of wolfs even though they seem innocent.
Vanderbilt’s railroads had a networth of 75 billion dollars. He has shaped America by connecting locations in America, and has made easy transportation for all individuals. JP Morgan began in the banking industry, only to end up teaming up with Edison and his brilliant plans in order to create the lightbulb that used direct current (D/C) The lightbulb was the first form of electricity and without it today, lighting in rooms and outside lighting would not be possible. However, Morgan was not yet satisfied with the power he had… he needed more, Morgan secretly began to buy out Edison’s company, and changes the name from “Edison’s General Electric” to “General Electric.” Morgan began to gain control of the stocks of the railroad, he became one of the world’s most powerful railroad magnates, controlling about 5,000 miles of American railroads in the 1902. Morgan also successfully led American financial community’s attempt to avert a general financial collapse following the stock market panic of the 1907. They were the beginning of the industrial movement, and more industrialist were still to be
For nearly thirty years, I worked in an office in downtown Roseville, California. Right across the street, just beyond a cyclone fence, was the Southern Pacific rail yard, one of the major switching centers on the West Coast. All day long, the diesel engines would hum around the yard, banging freight cars together, assembling trains that would head out to the world. Nobody paid much attention.
...s Angeles County is 9.6 million people. Meaning many of them will take the bus at least once in the day, so instead of criticizing the bus, the dash or any other mode of public transportation try and do something to better it, for the people and most importantly for our planet. Because yes cars are improving and are heading towards a bright future of healthier engines and motors that will benefit the environment, but so is public transportation. Many things are being done and accomplished in order for this movement of go green to take effect in the public mode of transportation.