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Was Jay Gould A Robber Baron

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The late 1800s to early 1900s was filled with new opportunities, new technology, thriving business and wealth. But underneath it all lied great amounts of corruption whether it was beknownst or unbeknownst to the public eye. Jay Gould was a cunning business man. Although he was tactical and did benefit the nations railroad system, many including myself viewed him as a true robber baron of the time period, due to his manipulations in stock. jay Gould had experience with a variety of businesses starting at a young age. This made him a savvy fancier. Coming from humble beginnings, Jason or should i say Jay Gould was born into a farming family in Roxbury, New York, on May 27, 1836.He attended a local school and learned basic subjects like the average child but took a fancy to surveying.In his late teens he was first employed as a cartographer. Making maps of counties in New …show more content…

Being so familiar with stocks Gould noticed fluctuation in gold prices and devised a plan. The intricate scheme would allow Gould to essentially control the gold supply in America, which would mean he could influence the entire national economy.Gould's plot could only work if while driving up the prices the federal government chose not to sell gold reserves. To sideline the Treasury Department, Gould was at it again bribing officials in the federal government, including a relative of President Ulysses S. Grant. September 24, 1869, the price of gold began to rise and a panic ensued on Wall Street. By midday Gould's plan unraveled as the federal government began to sell gold on the market, driving down the price. This day is known as Black Friday, no not November 25 when stores offer great deals before Christmas but a much more dismal day for the economy. Although Fish and Gould caused this disruption as well as ruined speculators, by covering up their tracks the two walked away with

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On September 24, 1869, the U.S. money related part slipped into disarray after renegade theorists Jay Gould and Jim Fisk endeavored to corner the country 's gold business sector. The looter nobles planned to make a mint by driving the cost of gold into the stratosphere, and to draw it off, they manufactured a system of defilement that stretched out from Wall Street and the New York City government the distance to the group of President Ulysses S. Stipend. The intrigue at long last unwound 145 years back on what got to be known as "The shopping extravaganza following Thanksgiving," yet not before Gould and Fisk had dragged the whole U.S. economy to the edge of fiasco. In the event that any pair of speculators had the money related clout and absence of second thoughts required to design the confusion of Black Friday, it was Jay Gould and Jim Fisk.

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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.

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The charge about the old days of the American economy—the nineteenth century, the “Gilded Age,” the era of the “robber barons”—was that it was always beset by a cycle of boom and bust. Whatever nice runs of expansion and opportunity that did come, they always seemed to be coupled with a pretty cataclysmic depression right around the corner. Boom and bust, boom and bust—this was the necessary pattern of the American economy in its primitive state. In the US, in the modern era, all this was smoothed out.

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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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Emily Foster 3/7/15 P.6 Tombstone Essay Now worth 71 billion dollars making his way up to the top in business in his time, becoming one of the worst robber barons and, the 8th worst CEO of all time is Jay Gould. Jay Gould was born to Mary and John Gould on May 27 1836 in Roxbury, New York. Jay Gould grew up as an only child, In Jays early years he went to various public schools, but once he reached college Jay went to school at the Hobart Academy in New York. The principal of the academy helped him get a job of a bookkeeper for a blacksmith. After a year, the blacksmith offered to give him half interest in his shop which

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As industry began to grow in America, a select group of pioneers such as Andrew Carnegie became controversial. The controversy was that they were simply rich and took from the poor. People who participated in such acts were referred to as “Robber Barons”. It is often said that Andrew Carnegie was a “Robber Baron” but he was not because in his case, he was one of the first people to bring industry to such a large scale. Without people before him, he had no guidance and therefore it was much harder to conduct business because he was essentially creating his own path.

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During the late 1800s there was a time period called the “Gilded Age”. The Gilded Age is a time period the economy was struggling along with the people of the era. Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, and Thomas Edison were some examples of successful business owners and Robber Barons of that time. Robber Barons were the people who stole money from the public along with natural resources such as soil, land, etc. These men were supposed to be great leaders, but instead they enforce horrible working conditions.

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Over a century after his death, Stanford’s name lives vividly in international consciousness as one of the most prestigious universities in the United States. However, before he and his wife, Jane, created Leland Stanford Jr. University, his origins begin quite differently: as an adventurous capitalist and politician who made California his stomping grounds over the course of several decades. Stanford experimented with various industries and enjoyed great wealth as one of the major robber barons of the late 19th century. Although Leland Stanford may have achieved his wealth through morally questionable ways, his legacy lives on through what is now called Stanford University, erected in memory of his deceased son.

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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.

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Huntington knew the borrowing money from foreign investors gave him a leg up in information. He would strategically release information when it proved to give him some sort of advantage (White, 27). The inaccuracy of the release of certain information resulted in hurting Europeans investors immensely. When with demanded reports and information was always easy to fabricate and it wasn’t always easy to insure accuracy. Many European countries had large stakes within the transcontinental developments and paid dearly for falling for promises of high returns.

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In October of 1929, the stock market crashed, leading to the depression. Wall Street was sent into a panic and millions of investors were wiped out. Investors began dumping shares in mass amounts. October 24, also known as “Black Thursday” was the day that 12.9 million shares were traded. Five days later, the day known as “Black Tuesday”, another 16 million shares were traded.

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968 Words | 4 Pages

A robber baron is described as a person, most likely a businessman, who handled their power to progress industrial monopolies, obtaining power from politics, and finally gaining wealth in the process. Whereas, a captain of industry is recognized as a business leader who contributed positively to their own country. Many questions asked, an important one is, “Are Cornelius Vanderbilt, J.P. Morgan, Andrew Carnegie, and John D. Rockefeller, robber barons or captains of industry?” During the nineteenth century, there were many methods in which the following business men used. For an example, monopoly, a hand in politics, or other unusual business practices.

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Was Cornelius Vanderbilt a Robber Baron or Captain of Industry? A cruel businessman or an industrious leader? Henry J. Raymond believed that Vanderbilt was “a monopolist that crushed other competitors”(T.J Stiles). While he is also deemed one of America’s leading businessmen, and is also credited for helping shape the United States. His fortunes were made unfairly in some cases but his million dollar contribution to the Navy was very generous.

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Andrew Carnegie was a “robber baron” as shown in the way he acted towards the people who helped him reach the top and the terrible working environment that he subjected his workers to. He did various things in an attempt at overshadowing the awful things he did and positively alter his public image. His mentor, Thomas Scott, taught him the skills he would use to become the undisputed king of steel. Costs were the most important aspect of any business and reducing those required cutting wages, demanding 13 hour days and utilizing spies as a way to thwart possible strikes. Many years after Carnegie had gone out on his own, Scott met with him thinking that the years they spent together and all he had taught him would unquestionably result in help in his time of trouble.

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History should remember the entrepreneurs of the 1800’s and 1900’s as Captains of Industries or Robber Barons. These entrepreneurs

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