...After the Civil War, an era known as the Gilded Age where US's economy was growing and cities was changing. Industrialist such as Carnegie and Rockefeller was crowned with the name of Captains of Industry and Robber Barons. The industrialist should be considered as Captains of Industry because they helped with the urbanization in the city, helped with US economy's growth, and donated large amount of money toward public organizations. One of the reasons why the industrialists are the Captains of Industry is because they helped with the urbanization. For example, "Workers in agriculture outnumber all other 52 to 48 percent in 1870, but by 1900 no farming labor constituted 60 percent of the workforce. In 1870 the nation had only twenty-five cities with...
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...Robber Barons Nikki Jakus – 5th In 1859, Frederick Douglass delivered a lecture in which h explained America's success as the effect of men's drive to conquer each new frontier they were faced with, whether it was the mysterious West, or the struggle for land and resources. They used theses invisible walls as motivation to fuel their drives in building a new nation from nothing. Thus the American Dream was born. These men, those who, born with none of the advantages/privileges of others yet managed to become great successes through their own hard work and determination, became known as Self Made Men. Rugged, independent, and driven: they became pioneers of their time. They lead the way in progress and innovation during the Gilded age. One of history's best know examples of a Self Made Man is Andrew Carnegie, the Steel king . Born in Scotland to hand loom weavers, his family immigrated to America when the mechanization of the cotton industry put them out of work. They settled down in Allegheny, PA where Carnegie worked as an errand boy in a textile mill to support his financially struggling family. He soon gained a job in a telegraph office where he proved himself dedicated when he memorized addresses and names. When his father died he was left the sole supporter of his family at age 20. With little education, Carnegie taught himself at the library and night school. While in the telegraph industry, he proposed new ideas that increased profit in Railways and communication...
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...America was built on industry. But, who were the entrepreneurs that actually brought up this industry? In the early years, there were two terms known widely: a robber baron, and a captain of industry. A robber baron is defined as “an unscrupulous plutocrat, especially an American capitalist who acquired a fortune in the late nineteenth century by ruthless means.” However, a captain of industry is defined as “a business leader whose means of amassing a personal fortune contributed positively to the country in some way.” Andrew Carnegie is a name known widely, and still to this day. But, there are conspiracies: was he a robber baron, or captain of industry? Andrew Carnegie was born on November 25th, 1825 in Dunfermline, UK. He was born into a...
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...I think the way Rockefeller lived and treated his people and workers would put him more in the category of a Robber Baron. In our text the is a nice with up help us understand what kind of man John Rockefeller was, “[Rockefeller’s company] killed its rivals, in brief, by getting the great trunk lines to refuse to give them transportation. Vanderbilt is reported to have said that there was but one man—Rockefeller—who could dictate to him”—H. D. Lloyd, The Atlantic, 1881 But I have to admit people change throughout their life, and Rockefeller did something that was quite astounding. He gave $500 million dollars to charity upon his death. I find that very impressive for a man with his reputation. “He was the first American to ever be worth over...
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...out to be “Robber Barons” rather than ¨Captains of Industry¨. They received a bad name because their success and the money they made, was at the expense of the working class. They revolutionized the American industrial system and boosted America’s place as a national manufacturing power, while also monopolizing businesses and hurting the working class. Where you find wealth, you'll find that the land contains monopolies. The Captains of Industry made money and revolutionized the American industrial system, boosted America’s place as a national manufacturing power, increased the standard of living in America by creating many jobs, and generously gave away their own money to various charities and organizations. There are multiple reasons why these big businessmen should be remembered as “Captains of Industry”. One example is their generosity towards the...
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...A captain of industry or a robber baron? Many big business owners were considered to be one or the other. I believe that big business owners were different in their ways and there is not one definition that defines them all. Many big business owners were captains of industry but there were many that were robber barons. Andrew Carnegie, for example, was a captain of industry. Carnegie was an immigrant from England that lived his life off the “pennies in his pocket.” Carnegie decided to invest heavily in steel after seeing a new method of making steel called the Bessemer process which he picked up in England and brought with him to America. Carnegie began to form the Carnegie Steel Company. Carnegie was defined as a captain of industry because...
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...Billy Rudnik Silverman U.S. History 1 5/14/16 Late 19th Century Tycoons Assignment Several nineteenth-century industrialists are debated as both "captains of industry" and "robber barons". These include people such as J.P. Morgan, Andrew Carnegie, Andrew W. Mellon, and John D. Rockefeller. The term “Robber Baron”combines the concept of a criminal robber with an illegitimate aristocrat baron and means becoming wealthy by unethical means. For example. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Company of Ohio controlled 90 percent of the refining business. Rockefeller reaped huge profits by paying his employees extremely low wages and driving his competitors out of business by selling his oil at a lower price than it cost to produce it. Then, when...
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...Who were the “Robber Barons?” How did they work to concentrate wealth and reform capitalism? How could they be called “Robber Barons” by many, and “Captains of Industry,” by a few? In what ways were they both? Throughout history there have been very important men who have had a big impact on our industries. Without these men we would not have some of the greatest industries we have today. Men like Cornelius Vanderbilt, John Rockefeller, J.P. Morgan and Andrew Carnegie. These men were some of the richest men in their times, they each were very successful business men. Cornelius Vanderbilt made his fortune off of steam ships and railroads. John Rockefeller controlled the oil companies. J.P. Morgan was a successful banker and investor whose company J.P. Morgan & co is still around today. Andrew Carnegie took over the steel industry making him one of the richest men in the world when he died. (Zinn Ch 10 & 11) All these men were successful and could be called Captains of Industry but at the same time were also known as Robber Barons. In this essay I will be giving a brief history of each of those men and in what industry he made his fortune. I will also explain how each one had different aspects of their life that made people think of them as Robber Barons. Finally I will talk about how they can be considered to be both Robber Barons and Captains of Industry. The dictionary has two definitions for a Robber Baron. The first is “an American capitalist of the latter part...
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...A robber baron is an American capitalist in the 19th century who acquired a fortune by ruthless and sometimes corrupt means. These wealthy businessmen were often owners or associates of monopolies. Even though robber barons were considered evil, the did contribute a lot to the American economy. Robber barons were good for our country because they rose the standard of living, helped with industrialization, and gave some of their money back to society. At that time, there were many big businesses that need a lot of people to work for them. Both Americans and European immigrants worked for the robber barons. There was a multitude of opportunities waiting for them, especially immigrants since they were constantly being sought after and hired...
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...Captains of Industry? Or Robber Barons? [pic] Overview: The thirty years plus, following the end of the Civil War, is often referred to as the “Gilded Age”. This was a term coined by Mark Twain, the most renowned American writer of the period. It refers to a superficial period of intense economic growth. During this time, businessmen created large business organizations known as trusts. The ingenuity of these entrepreneurs earned the titles of “Captains of Industry”. Yet, their ruthlessness in building wealth at the expense of their competitors, workers and consumers often earned them the title “Robber Baron”. This DBQ (Document Based Questions) asks you to decide whether these businessmen were “Captains of Industry” or “Robber Barons”. Background Essay During the post-Civil War period, an era commonly referred to as the Gilded Age, the economy of the United States grew at a fantastic rate. With the exception of a recession during the mid-1870s, and another during the mid-1890s, the economic growth was in unprecedented in United States history. Manufacturing output increased by 180 percent. Railroads, an important catalyst of growth, increased in miles by 113 percent. Steel production grew to over 10,000,000 tons per year by 1900. Every aspect of the American economy expanded from traditional activities to new enterprises brought about by the huge influx of cutting-edge technological inventions. The gross national product almost doubled during the period and the per...
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...What are some arguments in favor of the Robber Barons (or captains of industry)? Just as professor Burton mentioned, the Robber Barons were not one sided, in that they were only good or bad. The truth is that they were complex individuals that did do good and bad things. In addition, one argument in favor of Robber Barons consists of the philanthropy that these individuals practiced. Consequently, in many cases their intentions may be maleficent, however, if the donations that these individuals made to society helped, then they can be labeled as beneficial. For example, Daniel Drew built several churches; helped found Drew Theological Seminary and Drew Seminary for Young Ladies. These institutions helped society in a positive fashion. Additionally,...
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...At the end of the Civil War in 1865, America found itself in a state of economic chaos. Within the following decade, capitalists introduced industrialization and helped shape a financially damned nation into industrial America. Historians used the terms “captains of industry” or “robber barons” to depict capitalists during America’s industrial movements between 1875 and 1900. While both names were used, these capitalists were deserving of their title as “robber baron” as most of them gained their wealth and power by ruthless means — at the endless toil of the poor, working class of people. Capitalists abused their workers with the provision of poor working conditions and low wages, even at times of inflation, to maximize their profits. Consequently,...
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...8/17/11 Captains of history or Robber barons? The capitalist who shaped industrial America made the southern industry more developed. Although it shaped society for us today the capitalist went about it the wrong way. Industrialization was often introduced as beneficial to all, profitable even in history. In document I “John D. Rockefeller , testimony to the U.S. Industrial commission, before the house of representatives, 1899.” It says “their chief advantages are:… power to give the public improved products at less prices and still make a profit for stockholders…” this discusses the advantages that the industrial oil company has and how beneficial it was to the public. To add some reality to this there were flaws with industrialization an example is in document H “Clement Studebaker, manufacturer of horse-drawn vehicles, testimony to Chicago Conference on Trusts, 1899” it says “No true monopoly is possible in this country..” The way this quote was perceived was that in this country there was no big money guaranteed. The capitalist were corrupt “Robber Barons”. Industrializing was hard work but not for the capitalists. As in many cases in the south the wealthy had it easy and the poor had it hard and now children were mistreated as well. The wealthy class was considered the superior to the poor. They were the bosses and they benefited a lot from the industrialization of the south. The wealthy had to share their “knowledge” with the poor. Document C “Andrew...
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...working together to make the nation a more stable and unified country. 2.Even though, Vanderbilt, Carnegie, and Rockefeller used bad methods to make their fortunes, it would be unfair to call them “Robber Barons”, because the money they made was later given back to the populace. Instead they should be called “Captains of Industry”. Vanderbilt showed a compassion for learning and gave a million dollars towards the founding of Vanderbilt University. Carnegie had the healthy idea called the Gospel of Wealth deeming that it was a philanthropist’s duty to hand over large sums of wealth to the poor or middle-class people. Before his death he distributed 350 million dollars. Rockefeller known to eliminate his competition also contributed to the community by funding establishments such as the University of Chicago, and produced oil that turned out to be a great product at a small price, which benefited the economies at home and abroad, due to their kind hearts and gracious acts of production and distribution, I believe that these people should be seen as "captains of industry" because these men started many important industries some still used today. And just because they tried to make a little extra cash in the process, does not mean that they are bad men and should be called “Robber Barons.” 3.The Industrial Revolution offered several opportunities for Americans and immigrants, but it also gave the opportunity for corruption to take place. This era let big companies believe that they...
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...Josh Jensen Mr Myer US History – 3rd Per. November 5th, 2015 Captains of Industry When you think of our history’s men of success, you think of people like John D. Rockefeller and Cornelius Vanderbilt. These men were widely successful in their businesses, and as a result accumulated huge amounts of profits for themselves. But it has been debated throughout history whether or not they are considered “Robber Barons” or “Captains of Industry”. What this is essentially asking is whether or not they stole gave back or stole more from society in the 1850’s. I believe that the leading industrialists of the 19th and early 20th centuries were “Captains of Industry” because they gave back to the community, and provided jobs. First, let’s talk about...
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