John D Rockefeller Impact On Society

The 1800s was a significant time period for American citizens. The rising industrial economy soon changed the idea of American culture. With the increasing population and expansion, new industries evolved. John D. Rockefeller was a man who took a chance in the new industry of oil refining. Through this new oil industry, Rockefeller became the wealthiest man and a major philanthropist in modern history.

John Rockefeller was born on July 8, 1839, in Richford, New York. Growing up, John was a very bright young man. Not only was he a bright young man, but he was very hardworking. John's father was a traveling merchant who taught his son to work hard for the things he wanted. As a young boy, Rockefeller raised turkeys and helps his neighbors

Rockefeller wanted to expand his businesses even further but could not figure out how he could get his products across the country. He had an idea of using the railroad system to transfer his products but he needed an investor. Many of the railroad owners were raising their pricing rates because Rockefeller was so well known and was rich. But the intention Rockefeller wanted was to ship to make profit, so Rockefeller looked to Andrew Carnegie for help. Andrew Carnegie was known as the Steel Giant. He created steel for bridges, railroads, and buildings. He was the second richest man in the country, which caused tension later on in their relationship, but Carnegie allowed Rockefeller to transport his oil using his railroads. This partnership made The Standard Oil Company the fastest growing industry in America. Many people compare John Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie. They both were the richest men in America, and both were major philanthropist. Andrew Carnegie was known for his production in the steel industry, while Rockefeller was known for his oil industry. Carnegie from the start gave most of his earnings to better the lives of others by donating to collage's and other communicable places. Many people argue that Rockefeller copied Carnegie's work, because he did not become a philanthropist until his final years in his life. Many people also argue that Carnegie was jealous of Rockefeller because he was known as

In 1882, John Rockefeller created the Standard Oil Trust. By this agreement, the trustees within the companies could create, merge, dissolve, or divide their branch of The Standard Oil Company. The idea of Rockefeller owning 90 percent of the oil industry scared the American people. In 1890, competitors started to realize the theme behind The Standard Oil Company. They realized that the company was monopolizing. Weather this was a business strategy or wanting moral superiority, writers repetitively targeted Rockefeller. The rumors of borrowing materials from others enhanced the credibility of the accusations (Oil & Ideology). Eventually, Rockefeller became vulnerable, and his trust agreement created a huge mess of legal issues. The company was being convicted of spying on fellow competition, crushing partnerships, threatening to shut down other rivals, and becoming rich off other people's ruins. This went against Federal Law of the Sherman Antitrust Act for monopolizing. Ultimately, this forced The Standard Oil to break off into different branches in 1911 (Oil & ideology). Some of these branches are still going strong today, like Exxon Mobile and Chevron Corporation. Even after the company had to be broken into smaller branches, Rockefeller became even more wealthy. The smaller branches were actually worth more separately then as one