Robber barons Essays

There is a broad line between a captain of industry and a robber baron. A captain of industry brought an advanced, modern economy. They might have done a few shady acts, but people can look past it. A robber baron can be considered as thieves because of the way they gained money by destroying other companies. Many could say these millionaires are both.

The Gilded Age which is the time period 30 years after the civil war, is when the economy went through a period of intense growth. The railroad industry was considered the start of the economic growth during the civil war. Many Businessmen of the period, such as Andrew Carnegie the controller of the steel industry, Jay Gould and Cornelius Vanderbilt, who were successful in the railroad industry, John D. Rockefeller who dominated the oil industry, and J.P Morgan who was very successful in the banking industry, they were often criticized for having monopolies and treating their workers poorly. Many Businessmen practiced the philosophy of Social Darwinism is when only the strong survive based Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection. Robber Baron was an industrialist during the Gilded Age who was powerful and wealthy Businessmen, he became wealthy by treating his workers terribly and other questionable and unethical tactics.

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.

The men who built America are viewed today as either “Robber Barons” or “Captains of Industry”. According to dictionary.com a Robber Baron is “a person who has become rich through ruthless and unscrupulous business practices. A Captain of Industry is “a business leader whose means of accumulating a personal fortune contributed positively to the country in some way.” These men are Robber Barons rather than Captains of Industry because of the unfair ways they got to the top, the cruel ways they treated their workers, and the rivalries they created with each other.

Judging from the article I read I see the term Robber Barons as a perfectly used term. Before the Civil War people were more of a locally relying group. In the process of the Civil war taking place you start having these men that see an opportunity to making small businesses into big corporations. Now, I did say that the term Robber Baron was over used, but I do believe there was a rise of Robber Baron’s in that time period.

Robber barons, specifically Andrew Carnegie, an industrialist and John D. Rockefeller, a philanthropist, were the chosen, elite members of society according to the doctrine of Social Darwinism. Darwinism is when evolution occurs and the strongest organisms of an ecosystem survive and reproduce to outnumber the weaker, less fit organisms of an ecosystem. Similarly Social Darwinism follows the same concept, but in a capitalist sense of thought. Those who were able to exploit the Gilded Age’s laissez faire economy to their own benefit, like the robber barons Andrew Carnegie of Carnegie Steel and J. D. Rockefeller of Standard Oil, were the fittest members of society because they were able to survive in the grueling and ruthless free economy. By usurping all of the fresh yet unfit immigrants that were flowing into the States due to the rise of urbanization, these two men integrated these easily-manipulated people into their factories to augment their profits.

What does Zinn mean by referring to industrialists like Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller as “robber barons”? What did they do to deserve that name? Why do Schweikart and Allen refer to them as “titans of industry”? What good do they think Rockefeller and Carnegie did?

Leaders in the industry are always based off of two sections, one being a Robber Baron and the other a Captain of Industry. John D. Rockefeller and Sam Walton can both display traits from one of these two categories. Although they both play different roles in the industry, both Rockefeller and Walton have contributed to the economic and political stance of the industry today, making noticeable contributions, whether or not they had made a positive impact on their community and to the future practices of industrialism. Robber Barons are “a ruthlessly powerful U.S. capitalist or industrialist considered to have become wealthy by exploiting natural resources, corrupting legislators, or other unethical means” according to the dictionary. This form

There is a difference between being selfish and being greedy. The definition of greed is “Intense desire for something, especially wealth or power”, whereas the definition of selfish is “Lacking consideration for others”. During the Gilded Age, America was characterized as the Land of the Free, which attracted immigrants from all over the world to come live the American Dream. Was it greedy or selfish for these immigrants to come to America and improve their way of living? During the Gilded Age, greed is what motivated industrial innovation and for people to improve their ways of living.

The objective of this research is to evaluate their collective role in the growth of the United States economy after the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln following the American Civil War. The investigation will also analyze the economic state of the United States before Cornelius Vanderbilt, John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie and John Pierpont Morgan introduced their ideas and their investments, as well as the impact of their actions on other people and materials for their businesses. The investigation will also describe how the “Robber Barons” built their industries and amassed their respective fortunes. Cornelius Vanderbilt was also known as “The Commodore”. At sixteen years old, Vanderbilt bought a “periauger” with a loan of

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.

Name of Industrialist: Henry Ford How did he acquire his wealth? He acquire his wealth by being a self-made man, that revolutionize the car industry in the 90’s.   How he (or his related industries) treated workers? Ford manage to lowered the cost of manufacturing, while providing a wage correspondent to more than double of the previous average.

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.

Men like Carnegie, Rockefeller and Morgan could be viewed as "Captains of Industry" and "Robber Barons." Some people may see these men as "captains of industry" because they helped move the nation forward with innovation. Andrew Carnegie who was a Scottish American industrialist ended up leading the huge expansion of the American steel industry. He purchased and constructed Carnegie Steel Company which was in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He built a huge bridge across the Mississippi River which was the first time ever a bridge had been constructed out of steel.

Cornelius Vanderbilt, and John D. Rockefeller are both labeled as robber barons. Robber barons is a term that means that they stole and were granted special rights, so that they could create monopolies in their fields. This concept is completely wrong though, since both Vanderbilt and Rockefeller worked hard to earn everything they received. Rockefeller and Vanderbilt were both businessmen who made wise business decisions, and created deals that would benefit them.

“It was to be a story for boys; no need of psychology or fine writing; and I had a boy at hand to be a touchstone.” (Stevenson) Formerly titled The Sea Cook: A Story for Boys, by Robert Louis Stevenson, the novel was initially fashioned off the mere scraps of a map of childhood fantasy drawn by Stevenson’s stepson, Lloyd Osbourne. By the further implementation of similar material from previous authors, such as Charles Kingsley, Captain Charles Johnson, Edgar Allan Poe, and Washington Irving, the 19th Century Scottish writer would develop one of the most highly recognized pirate novels of all time; ultimately, branded in 1883 as Treasure Island. While the novel is a captivating story of pirates, buccaneers, and bandits alike, underneath it all rests profound meaning and importance. Themes of criminality, exploration, and friendship litter across the pages of the novel, yet there is one that rises above the others in both insinuation and significance.

Transnational Organized Crimes are illegal big businesses such as weapon smuggling, human and drug smuggling and trafficking, and fraud and corruption. TOC’s have been studied for decades by the government agencies, and now local and state law enforcement are involved as the eyes and ears in the communities. This is very important when looking into the research and finding out where and why TOC’s can grow and expand as rapidly as they have been. Gaps in the literature can be seen when it comes to finding solutions on how to combat TOC’s domestically and internationally, and in finding consistency in targeting the problems and solutions on TOC’s and negotiating them globally.

Corporate Criminal Liability is defined as Corporations, just like individuals, can be tried and convicted of committing crimes if managers, directors or even ordinary workers commit the crimes. There are two types: strict liability and vicarious liability (Kadian-Baumeyer, Kat). Capital punishment, also called death penalty, execution of an offender sentenced to death after conviction by a court of law of a criminal offense. Capital punishment should be distinguished from extrajudicial executions carried out without due process of law. The term death penalty is sometimes used interchangeably with capital punishment, though imposition of the penalty is not always followed by execution because of the possibility of commutation to life imprisonment

After the Civil War, the Second Industrial Revolution was established due to America’s rapid growth for industry and economics. Capitalists during the industrial period of 1875-1900’s were either accused of being a robber baron or a captain of industry. Some capitalists leaders who were accused of being a robber baron or captain of industry included J.P. Morgan, Andrew Carnegie, Andrew W. Mellon, and John D. Rockefeller. A robber baron is a business leader who gets rich through cruel and scandalous business practices. The captains of industry is a business leader who wants to better the companies in a way that it would be positively contributing to the country.