Was John D. Rockefeller a robber baron? I’d say so. Through ruthless business tactics and exploitation of workers, he made a fortune in his lifetime. In this paper, I’m going to be talking about said business tactics and exploitation. If you believe Rockefeller was just a good business man who donated to the poor, I hope your view will be changed by the end.
Phillips-Fein’s writing provides historical examples that helped back her overall message of Invisible Hands; her message being that the business elites had heavy political influence during the four decades of the period. A book that can be compared to Phillips-Fein’s work is Jim Powell’s FDR's Folly: How Roosevelt and His New Deal Prolonged the Great Depression. In this writing we see more of a one sided view of liberalism with a lot of history based around Roosevelt rather than the conservative movement. However, in both writings we can trace a similarity in the New Deal and draw a conclusion that there were those who supported more government regulations and those who did not.
His work, The Tycoons: How Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, Jay Gould, and J. P. Morgan Invented the American Supereconomy, allows readers to see a more picture perfect outlook on what the lives of these men entitled. Morris’s book was published in 2005, which allows readers to get a perspective from a long period of time and closer to reality rather than other historians writing on this era. The last author that allows readers to view the Robber Barons in a different manor is James Nuechterlein in his journal article Gifts of the “Robber Barons.” Nuechterlein wrote this article in 2007 allowing readers to view the men through historical resources that he uncovered. His stance shows a more balanced approach to the Robber Barons rather than saying one or the other was a better man than the other.
The issue of racial injustice in the American court system is a significant concern. Statistics show that 48% of people serving life imprisonment are black due to discrimination and racial profiling. Walter Dean Myers’ novel “Monster”, addresses this dispute effectively. The book explores the injustice of the court system and racial labeling. The novel delves into the life of 16-year-old Steve Harmon, on trial for his alleged involvement in the murder of a drugstore owner.
Henry George’s was a critic of big business and since there we social problems he blames it on a few monopolists to grow wealthy as a result of rising land values. He proposed a single tax on land to replace taxes which would be returned to in addition to the people. If they propose this tax it would destroy monopolies, distribute wealth, and it would eliminate poverty. Robber barons are the reason why people were being driven into poverty (DOC 1). The result of this was how the Northern capitalists led the South away from agriculture and economic dependence, and how they used their wealth to further grow the American industry.
Leo W. Gerard writes the critical column “Murdering American Manufacturing/‘Strictly Business’” in an attempt to foreshadow the imminent doom of American manufacturing due to corporations leaving for Mexico. In the column, Gerard compares the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) in an analogy to “labor abuses, not improvements”, so that the Trans-Pacific Partnership receives an understood omen of failure. In an urgent manner, the columnist bashes the TPP proposal; however he loses the reader from misplacing the main idea near the end of the column. Emitting pathos, Gerard’s tone is the equivalent to a fervent plea directed at individuals who have fallen victim to the exodus of American companies. Beginning his column, Gerard is cautious about his word choice.
Mary Louise Roberts in “The Price of Discretion: Prostitution, Venereal Disease, and the American Military in France, 1944-1946” discusses what American GIs did in France with regard to sexual relations, and Roberts criticizes American hypocrisy by having self-contradictory (double-standard) attitudes toward sex. Jeffrey Burds in “Sexual Violence in Europe in World War II, 1939-1945” points out the sexual brutality during World War II conducted by both German Soldiers and Soviet Soldiers. Roberts discusses the relationship among prostitution, venereal diseases, and the U.S. army in France. U.S. officials believed that sex with other men other than the Americans contributed to the spread of VD, and sought to control the men with whom the women in the brothel had sex.
The Gilded era was comprised of lots of private funding by big businesses, which limited government involvement and gave increased power to the big business. Political machines were an example of private business and corruption. Political machines provide the cites needs while increasing in profit. Document 5 and document 7 showcases this stance for increased government involvement. Document 7 shows the divide within a city, while document 5 speaks about monopolies and trust.
Miles Murphy Anthony Kelley Phil 4943 Feb 24, 2023 A Critique of David Boonin’s Analysis Of the Case of the Two Hit Men Contents: Introduction The Case of the Two Hit Men Summary Critique of Boonin’s Trolly Case Argument Critique of Boonin’s Ticket Preventer Argument Conclusion Introduction
People often think business and politics are separated from each other. However, both of them influence one another since they have a very deep connection with economics. Jane Mayer, the author of a book “Dark money”, focuses on the fact that businessmen affect politics in her book. Mayer reveals unknown history of affluent and prosperous people and how their political view have influenced American politics, and why they took such actions. The author mainly talks about Koch Family from Koch Industries to give readers specific examples of the affluent and prosperous family.
Life is like a sports game. Some games you win, some you lose. In life, some days are full of conflict, and some are not. Rainsford faces man versus man, man versus nature, and man versus self conflicts in the short story “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell. The first conflict is man versus nature.
Back in the gilded age, late 1800’s, there were big businessmen that changed our economy greatly: but the question is, were they really robber barons or captains of industry? These businessmen were the owners of industries that were very important economic activity in the time period. Though, they were involved in many ethically questionable practices. These practices included child labor, making illegal shortcuts, scams, and deals; plus, they also exploited many of their workers. According to the definitions of each accusation, theses businessmen of the gilded age should be considered as both robber barons and captains of industry, due to the way they have changed the economy, and also how they did so unethically.
In the bully a realistic fiction novel by Paul Langan, a high school student named Darrell Mercer that had recently moved from Philadelphia to California. In Philadelphia he had a friend named Mark he had fought all of his fights because Darrell was small and skinny kid. Then his mom found a better job in California. After they settled Darrell first day at school was really bad and he meet a bully that made his day really bad that he wish that he can move back. Langan used setting, characters, and plot to develop the theme of this novel.
During J. P. Morgan’s time, Morgan himself was in a position to loan the Federal government huge sums of money. In essence he indirectly controlled the federal government and influenced their policies to serve his interests. He considered it a form of nationalism by doing so, even though he was rewarded handsomely in the form of interest paid back on the loan. The amount of wealth amassed by the top 1% of the population began to unnerve the American public and politicians alike. The rich got richer while the rest remained stagnant or became poorer.
In T. Coraghessan Boyle’s short story “The Hit Man”, underlying psychoanalytical themes are present that display an allusion to struggles in human life. The main themes present in this story are dysfunctional behavior, displacement, and an insecure sense of self. Readers see the main character, The Hit Man, go through his entire life struggling with insecurity and other dysfunctional behavior. During this timeline, his dysfunctional behavior represents common struggles and conflicts that occur in common day-to-day life. Relationships with his parents and classmates and also academic struggles seems to be the main contribution to the way this character is represented.
