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Robber Barons Essay

648 Words3 Pages

Back in the gilded age, late 1800’s, there were big businessmen that changed our economy greatly: but the question is, were they really robber barons or captains of industry? These businessmen were the owners of industries that were very important economic activity in the time period. Though, they were involved in many ethically questionable practices. These practices included child labor, making illegal shortcuts, scams, and deals; plus, they also exploited many of their workers. According to the definitions of each accusation, theses businessmen of the gilded age should be considered as both robber barons and captains of industry, due to the way they have changed the economy, and also how they did so unethically. So, most know that through …show more content…

Though, this did not stop these businessmen. No matter the reason for working to improve the economy, these men achieved the desired goal of a captain of industry. They contributed to the economy by forcing employees into poor working conditions. These poor conditions consisted of having to work many hours at a time, receiving little pay (“Captains of Industry...”, par. 5), and having to work multiple jobs alongside with family just to get by (“Captains of Industry…”,par. 6). On top of this, workers were not provided with suitable housing. As this course continued, the poor continued to get poorer as the rich became more rich; the gap between them continued to grow larger. What these people had to go through, without money, housing, or stability, made it nearly impossible to live. What these captains of industry were doing was causing the general public to suffer. So, that is to say that these captains of industry are also robber barons. The Gilded Age, after the civil war had ended was a time of desperate measures. Business was booming and ended up being too much to handle without being unethical. Though, that can’t justify these men's actions. While these captains of industry gained more and more power, the better off our economy became; though, in conclusion, they should be labeled as robber barons also, because of their strong economic impact along with their impact on the

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