There was a great debate on whether the industrialists of the late 19th century were considered to be a robber baron or a captain of industry. Some of the 19th century industrialists include John D. Rockefeller, J.P. Morgan, Andrew Carnegie, and Andrew W. Mellon. These industrialists were highly powerful and they all sought after wealth. The term robber baron combines the idea of a robber, a criminal, and a baron, an illegitimate aristocrat. Robber barons were considered as those industrialists that schemed their way to the top. They used questionable procedures to grow their monopolies. They were accused of making their products seem like they were really cheap so the competitors would give up and once the competitor dropped out, they would then having sky-rocketing prices and overcharge for products. They also had hard working conditions for …show more content…
Robber barons are considered to be very crude and ruthless. Robber barons would do whatever it takes to make a great deal amount of money, no matter if it was legal or not. On the contrary, captains of industry were seen as those businessmen who made their way to the top using their talented business skills. They were viewed as leaders who changed the American economy. When a captain of industry was coming into a great deal of wealth, something within the country would have positively changed. Either that be through expanding the markets within an area, raising the productivity, providing more jobs, or acts of philanthropy. Personally, I believe these men were both robber barons and captains of industry. I vow not to choose one side because they portray acts of both robber barons and captains