Jay Gould As A Captain Of Industry Essay

The late 19th century is referred to as the “Gilded Age”. Although everything seemed fine on the surface, it was corrupt underneath. From the end of Reconstruction in 1877 to the Panic of 1893, the economy in America nearly doubled in size. At the time, the government was very pro-business and looked favorably upon the growth. The wealthy were given the title of either a captain of industry, a businessman whose means of acquiring a fortune contributed positively to the country, or a robber baron, a businessman who used immoral methods to get rich. One of the successful businessmen of the 19th century was Jay Gould, who was a financier and railroad developer. A successful businessman of the 21st century is Mark Zuckerberg, a computer programmer and internet entrepreneur. Both men are well known businessmen who became extremely wealthy during their time. Jay Gould was a well-known robber baron of the 19th century. He was originally a surveyor in New York, but in 1859, he began speculating in the

Jay Gould, a robber baron, drove competitors to the ground, paid poor wages, and forced employees to work under dangerous conditions. Mark Zuckerberg, a captain of industry, raises productivity, expands more markets, and creates more jobs. Their individual philosophies of wealth influenced Gould and continue to influence Zuckerberg. While Gould was able to corrupt public officials and persuade them to interpret laws in his favor, it is challenging for millionaires of today to successfully do that. As time has gone on, it has become a lot more challenging to manipulate the system due to laws put in place, such as minimum wage laws and the Fair Labor Standards Act. Although “robber baron” is a term that is not often used anymore, there are people that continue to use unscrupulous methods to get rich, but Mark Zuckerberg is not one of them. Jay Gould’s and Mark Zuckerberg’s ways of life contrast one