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Robber Barons During The Gilded Age

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The industrialist leaders were robber barons throughout the Gilded Age. The Gilded Age was a term coined by Mark Twain to label an era defined for its corporate and political greed and corruption; furthermore, monopolies created by industrial leaders grew to prosperity. For instance, John D. Rockefeller was an American businessman who dabbled in the oil industry. Rockefeller practiced horizontal integration where he would ally with, buy out, or undermine competitors to monopolize his business. This allowed him to acquire the vast majority of the oil industry thus empowering Rockefeller to control the latter by forcing his competitors into bankruptcy. The labor union titled Noble and Holy Order of Knights of Labor, or Knights of Labor, was
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In the 1800’s an almost pure capitalist country was being controlled, bribed, and powered by Robber Barons which employed most of their population in an unmonitored economy. During the late 19th century these Robber Barons were in control of most citizen’s salary. In order to increase profits many factories paid their workers a decent wage so their employees could afford their products. That was the United States. Again a similar problem is arising.

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When Cornelius Vanderbilt died he left his $100 million fortune to his son William Vanderbilt and they both had the same attitude. During the Gilded Age these big business and their owners were thought of as being Robber Barons or Captains of Industry. The poor working conditions that were provided, the corruption they led in government, and their use of child labor shows that they were Robber Barons. Children were used in labor to work a lot and most days of the week. Kids as young as 5 often worked as much as 12 to 14 hours a day for barely any pay.

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The late 19th century was full of growth, production, and business. People were craving power and seemed to achieve this through any means necessary. Consequently, a new business elite formed consisting of the richest men alive. The way in which these individuals acquired all their profits is something very contradictory even over one-hundred years later. Some historians characterize these businessmen as “robber barons” who used extreme methods to control and concentrate wealth and power, and being supported by multiple sources, this statement is justified but only to some extent.

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American businessmen, of the 1800’s, built America to be one of the greatest superpowers in the world. To start, businessmen of the 1800s consisted of men like John D. Rockefeller, Cornelius Vanderbilt and Andrew Carnegie. Some of these men were split by how they got their money; Captains of Industry and Robber Barons. Captains of Industry were business leaders that helped the nation in a positive way. On the other hand, Robber Barons were men that shrewd capitalists, swindled the poor and benefitted for themselves.

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Benjamin Franklin once said “ He that is of the opinion money will do everything may well be suspected of doing everything for money.” (Lifehack Quotes, P.1) This era of becoming “money hungry” began in the Gilded Age which occurred around 1877-1917. The industrialists of the 19th/20th century were Robber Barons who used questionable practices to acquire their wealth. Andrew Carnegie, The Vanderbilt family, JP Morgan, and John D Rockefeller were all Robber Barons because they only donated money to make themselves look better, they took advantage of their workers, and exploited other business companies.

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182 Words | 1 Pages

In developing countries there has always been a difference in how companies and the people that worked for them agree about working conditions and salaries. This brought about what we now call labor unions, which today and in earlier years negotiated working conditions and other issues concerning labor. The Knights of Labor and the American Federation of Labor were two of the unions formed during the time that labor issues were being debated. The Knights were considered to be secretive and more radical than the American Federation of Labor, which was considered to be a formal federation of labor unions.

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648 Words | 3 Pages

The obvious reason is that the Unions demanding more from the Barons meant less money in the Barons’ pockets. Essentially nothing was going to get between the wealthy industrialists and the money and power they felt was their right. Some key examples include: Cornelius Vanderbilt was already a millionaire when he entered the railroad business.

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During the Gilded Age we saw the emergence of captains of industry: business moguls who absolutely dominated the field they were in. An example of this was Andrew Carnegie, Carnegie was an immigrant who worked his way up in the steel business to become one of the richest men in the country (OTP pg. 517-520). “ The conditions of human life have not only been changed, but revolutionized, within the past few hundred years.” (Foner pg.

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John D. Rockefeller was a robber. He was a robber Baron because he used ruthless and unethical means to acquire his wealth, he would abuse his power with his workers. He used sneaky tactics and paid his workers unfair wages. On history.com, John D. History.com states "Critics accused Rockefeller of engaging in unethical practices, such as predatory pricing and colluding with railroads to eliminate his competitors to gain a monopoly in the industry.

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The Merriam-Webster Dictionary has two definitions listed for the term robber baron: “an American capitalist of the latter part of the 19th century who became wealthy through exploitation,” and “a business owner or executive who acquires wealth through ethically questionable tactics.” To call someone a robber baron implies that they were corrupt, perhaps through paying off the government, giving unfair wages, or using unethical business practices. “Robber Baron” is a loaded term, and should not be used lightly. That being said, the term “robber baron” aptly describes men such as Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, and Cornelius Vanderbilt.

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John Davison Rockefeller was the biggest businessman in the oil industry during his time, but he also created a monopoly that many people saw as detrimental, constricting, and dictatorial in a way. Rockefeller was seen as a dictator, and some would call him a robber baron, however it is hard to blame someone for doing what is good for their business. Regardless of what others said Rockefeller did his job and also contributed to society in a positive way. Though many people during Rockefeller’s time criticized Rockefeller and the way he practiced business he still gave back to the people, therefore it is my opinion that Rockefeller is a captain of industry rather than a robber baron.

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The Knights of Labor “An Injury to one is a concern of all” The Knights of Labor was an organized secret society which begun in the 1869 composed of a group of skilled and unskilled workers In 1886, The knights flourished to 700,000 members under the leadership of Grand Master Workman Terrance V. Powderly Functioned by informing members on what to do and actions against its employers such as work strikes Also pushed for an eight-hour workday and equal pay for women

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957 Words | 4 Pages

What was the Gilded Age and why did Mark Twain refer to it as such? To help understand this question, one must know the meaning of the word gild. Per Merriam Webster, the term gild means to “to give an attractive but often deceptive appearance to” (Gild, n.d.). After the Civil War the American people had become tired of all the corruption and simply wanted to see an end to it and to have a stable economy. The Gilded Age was fashioned to be prosperous times for all Americans, promising wealth, and an end to past political corruption.

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The Gilded Age was an era that transformed from agrarian to industrialized working/businesses and goods. The Gilded Age soon came after Reconstruction and lasted from the late 1860’s to the late 1890’s. During the Gilded Age there were many businessmen that were labeled Robber Barons or Captains of Industry based on their actions of ruthlessness and monopoly or their actions of generosity and kindness. A Robber Baron is a businessman who obtained wealth through cruel manors. A Captain of Industry is a business leader who obtained wealth through positive and generous ways that had a good impact on those around them.

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235 Words | 1 Pages

Robber Barons and Captains of Industry Some might believe that the businessmen of the Gilded age are robber barons because of how some of them treated their workers and spent their money. The businessmen of the Gilded Age were captains of industry because of the impact that they made on the country. Carnegie, Rockefeller, Morgan, and Vanderbilt all have done things that can identify them as captains of industry. These businessmen gave their time and effort to help the economy grow.

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