Cobblestone, By John D. Rockefeller

Growing up in the lower class and making it up to the upper class is what John D. Rockefeller did. Growing up with nothing, to having what seems like an endless amount of everything is the definition of rags to riches. At one point, Rockefeller was the richest person in the world, but it was not always that way. Rockefeller's strong ambition and work ethic helped him become one of, if not, the wealthiest Americans in American history. One piece of evidence that showed Rockefeller was an ambitious man is that even though he grew up in a non-wealthy lifestyle, he always tried to earn money. From a young age, he was always looking for a way to become successful. According to Barbara D. Krasner in “Cobblestone,” when Rockefeller and his family

Krasner continues to state that Rockefeller did not have a good relationship with the Clark brothers, but Rockefeller was so determined to continue to expand that he bought them out. By buying out his partners, he was ready to take over and dominate the oil industry. Have you ever heard the saying “no one ever becomes successful by being honest”? In Rockefeller’s story, this saying is very true. According to Sara Ann McGill in “John D. Rockefeller” many of his business deals were illegal and immoral. McGill continues by stating that for him to dominate all oil refineries and ensure his success, he allegedly bribed politicians, managed transportation rebate contracts with railroads, and undercut the competition. He also continued to find loopholes in the law so he could continue with his expansion. He bought out most of the oil refineries and dominated the industry, creating a monopoly over the whole oil industry. There is no competition left. He went from being a lower-class man to starting a small company to making it expand

Rockefeller: Oil Baron and Philanthropist.” states that Clark and his brothers did not always see eye to eye with Rockefeller and that Clark was nervous because Rockefeller wanted to do all these things on the verge of more competition increasing. Prices per barrel of oil continued to rise. Clark was careful, but Rockefeller had a strong belief in the future of oil. According to Laughlin, Rockefeller and Clark started to get into arguments, and Clark mentioned that maybe they should dissolve the partnership. Rockefeller agreed, suggesting that they should hold an auction so one of them could buy each other out. Clark, not knowing that Rockefeller had been preparing for this to happen, agreed to the auction. Laughlin continues by saying that the auction started at the $500 mark but was increasing rapidly but stopped at $72,500 because Clark did not want to go any higher. At age 25, Rockefeller owned the business, but Andrews was still on his team. Rockefeller had taken the gamble and put his entire future in the oil business. The oil refinery continued to expand rapidly as soon as Rockefeller took over the firm. But to not just rely on the bankers to give them loans, Rockefeller always had sufficient cash in reserve. According to Laughlin, Rockefeller wanted to instill his strong ambition into his