How Wall Street Reshaped America's Destiny

Wall Street receives far more criticism than other institutions and not enough credit for its contributions to our well-being. Without Wall Street, the United States of America might not have led the Industrial Revolution or won two world wars. Robert Zuccaro, the founder of Target QR Strategies, traces the history of the stock market, beginning in lower Manhattan in 1792 when a group of brokers crafted the Buttonwood Agreement. The pact led to the forerunner of the New York Stock Exchange. The journey continues into the heyday of the railroad, telegraph, telephone, automobile, radio and movie industries, and concludes with the computer and internet era. This saga moves along quickly and is peppered with fascinating historic facts. Wall Street even played a decisive role in the outcome of the Civil War by raising huge sums of money for the Union. The South, not having Wall Street in tow, was limited to printing paper currency, which led its economy to collapse. Wall Street s long history of bull markets, bear markets, financial crises missteps and even terrorist attacks are all covered in this exciting journey.