Richard White presented a history of the operation of the transcontinental railroads. In his book the author recounts the social and economic impact the transcontinental railroads had on the way Americans lived as they opened the country to westward expansion and the sizable impact the railroads had on the economic and political landscape of the Gilded Age. Professor White was interviewed by Professor Kennedy and also responded to questions submitted by members of the audience. "Myths about the Transcontinental Railroad and the Building of the American West" was a June 8, 2011, program at the Commonwealth Club of California, in association with the California Historical Society.