John D Rockefeller Was The American Dream

“I believe in the dignity of labor, whether head or hand, that the world owes every person an opportunity to make a living.” This short quote resonates so much to me because it is so simple yet so true. We have lost that logic as a society, instead of the opportunity to make a living, we rely too much on our own government to provide for us. This is a quote by the first true entrepreneur of the American dream, Mr. John D. Rockefeller. Mr. Rockefeller was truly the American dream, to come from basically nothing to being one of the foremost business leaders in the United States. Don’t get me wrong, not everyone is supposed to be this shining example of a true businessman but Mr. Rockefeller really showed that any many can reach their career

Rockefeller didn’t attend college. He felt that he had learned enough from his father to build the empire he aspired to create. John differed than most in his class, as he didn’t want to work for some big corporation, he wanted to work for himself. He believed that money earned by your hard work meant more and like his mother instilled in him that it was his job to give back to the community that supported him so much. One thing that stood out most rather than most businessman of this time was that John took so much risk at the ripe old rage of 16. So many businessmen of his time were dependent of investors but that’s where Mr. Rockefeller differed. He believed to invest in yourself in order to really profit. Here in lies the beginning of the end in Rockefeller’s empire was when he invested his entire fortune into the Standard Oil Company, a company that would ultimately lead to his empire crumbling beneath his

Rockefeller. In that year they were found in violations of the Sherman Antitrust Act and ordered to dissolve the company as well as the trust that Rockefeller had set up. In his later years Rockefeller was known more for his charitable contributions more than his cutthroat business tactics that made him one of the richest businessman in modern time. Rockefeller’s charitable contributions are responsible for the creation of the University of Chicago as well as the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research, and the Rockefeller Foundation, all of which has contributed to modern day society to this day. Rockefeller’s legacy lives on in his five children today. You really don’t hear that name in today’s business world but conspiracy theorist believe that the Rockefeller legacy plays a big role both in the business world as well as government policies. Rockefeller passed away at his Florida home in 1937. Although he has long passed, his legacy will forever be cemented in our modern day financial and business districts. Some would say he was a dirty business man but I would call him a man before his times. He truly was a pioneer of the American Economy and his legacy will forever live on. The name Rockefeller will forever live on and at the end of the day I believe that was John’s end goal. I believe money was never a driving factor in John’s life, rather making a legacy of the name his father gave him.