Robber Barons During The Gilded Age

The late 19th century and early 20th century, dubbed the Gilded Age by writer Mark Twain, was a time of great growth and change in every aspect of the United States, and even more so for big business. It was this age that gave birth to many of the important modern business practices we take for granted today, and those in charge of business at the time were considered revolutionaries, whether it was for the good of the people or the good of themselves.

    According to the Modern American History textbook, the Gilded Age is a term coined by Mark Twain. This term suggested that there was a glittering layer of prosperity that covered the poverty and corruption that existed in much of society. This term also helped covered the wide

The Gilded Age was one of the most vibrant and unpredictable eras in the history of America. It brought about a new wave of industrial and economic opportunities that allowed some to build massive businesses and fortunes, while other lower and middle class citizens struggled to survive. Some would go as far to say it created a war between the classes across American societies. Giants of industry, such as Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller, revolutionized how big business led to the rise of corporate America, but also how it leveled competition in the free-market. The Gilded Age offered America rapid economic growth and new technological products that created an economical boom. Yet, these advancements were created at the costs of exploiting industrial workers and farmers working long hours in dangerous conditions for low pay and the American people sought political and social reforms in an effort to rebalance the scale of power in the United States. During the Gilded Age, the American economy had shifted from a nation of small farmers and craftsmen to an economy transformed by railroads and telephone lines that stretched from coast to coast. Confronted by new models of economics and politics, unforeseen struggles caused farmers and laborers to fight for survival while emerging industrialists celebrated new wealth.

Robber Barons such as John Davison Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie were a large part of the propelling force that led the United States into a new frontier, setting the standard for the American dream. These men were known for their ingenuity, intuition, and innovation as business men. Each setting a high standard in their field, these men set out to accomplish greatness by revolutionizing their industry. They were known in history as the first men to become giants of the industrialized world, they created a new ear, and with it legacies that have lasted centuries.

Who wants to be a millionaire? The answers simple, apparently all of the bright men within the nineteenth century during the attractive booming economy. Whereas, the Gilded Age struck the people after the Civil War and the revolution of the railways brought with it, a spur of industrialization. The markets for manufactured goods were stimulated, more commerce was beckoned with foreign and domestic investors, and even the process of raw materials going to the factories was sped. Although sounding like a luxurious period for all, the main beneficiaries became know as the robber barons as they manipulated the public and business to their needs, established the visible social classes, and used laborers with little discretion for age.

The American Industrial Revolution at the turn of the 20th century brought about a big change to the way the United States operated. It called for long work hours, and high output. The Industrial revolution was influenced by the men known as, “The Robber Barons” or “The Captains of Industry.” These men Included; Cornelius Vanderbilt, John Davison Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, John Pierpont Morgan, and Andrew William Mellon. These Captains of Industry and Robber Barons would never have gained the level of influence and power that they had achieved if they had not acquired great wealth.

In the Gilded Age when America was forging an industrial society, some were becoming extremely wealthy, while some were very poor and couldn’t do anything about it. The capitalists who shaped post-Civil War industrial America should be characterized as corrupt “robber barons”.

Throughout the Gilded age, men like John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, and John Pierpont Morgan shaped America during the early parts of the 20th century to the present. All three of these men became the top owner of each of their companies during there lifetimes. Rockefeller became the first billionaire in American history through his company Standard Oil and owned ninety percent of the world’s oil. Carnegie became a wealthy businessman through steel and J.P. Morgan succeeded through banking. Of these three men, Rockefeller had the most impact on the American people not only through Standard Oil, but his philanthropically work. Rockefeller turned a small oil mill in Cleveland, Ohio into the most successful business known to man. Many

During the Industrial Revolution, robber barons corrupted the government. The greedy robber barons overpowered the working class. With that massive wealth, they created monopolies.

Is there a difference between the names “Robber Baron” and “Captains of the Industry”? A robber baron was a negative title contrived by the citizens from the Gilded Age about some of the businessmen. These entrepreneurs made their fortune by questionable means. They took advantage of everyone else to raise themselves on a social level. Even though in this century what they did was unethical, there were no laws to prevent these actions made by the robber barons. However, the men may have been mistakenly denominated. Perhaps, some of these deceiving gentlemen were captains of the industry instead of robber barons. A captain of the industry was a business leader who had ethical intentions to acquire enough personal fortune to support the country in a positive way. These business eminences made their money in an honest way in order to donate (like a philanthropist). So, were they robber barons, or were they captains of the industry?

In the period following the civil war often referred to as the Gilded age, American Economy advanced both in size and function ( manufacturing rose from $3 billion to $9 billion) at an exceptional rate. New technologies, improved transportation and communication network , small businesses and sector’s of American economy like banking, manufacturing, steel, oil refining were now dominated by corporations, and new managerial techniques were some of the prominent changes in the business operations during the gilded age. This eventually led to the per capita income to rise to a new level and the United states became the largest industrial nation.

The Gilded Age took place in the late 19th century. The term was donned by one Mark Twain in The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today. He said this because the United States appeared to be gold, or gilded, but was truly corrupt with problems. The era was a time of reform between the Civil War and World War I where many immigrants came. Also, the country had corruption in politics, as well as, corporate financial issues.

After the American Civil War, a laissez-faire government allowed for a new class of businessmen to rise to power: those who dominated an entire industry, sometimes several markets. They were the hallmark of the so-called Gilded Age, which lasted from the end of reconstruction until the early 1900s. These men, known as Robber Barons, shaped the American economy, necessitating new laws to be signed to limit their power . Although there were only four main Barons (John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, Cornelius Vanderbilt, and J.P. Morgan), they controlled much of the economy with their four respective trades: Oil, steel, railroads, and banking . Although all four were important, Rockefeller and Carnegie stand head and shoulders above the rest, becoming among the richest and most successful people the world has ever seen with the exception of some royalty.

The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today is about the United States’ struggle post civil war. This novel is the only book that Mark Twain wrote with a collaborator. The collaborator, Charles D. Warner, and Mark Twain were at dinner with their wives when the women challenged them to a writing competition. The two realized the book they wrote went together well and began the process of publication. The talented authors depict a poor family living in rural Tennessee who fail at selling their deceased patriarch’s unimproved land. As a result, the step-daughter, Laura, moves to Washington D.C. becoming a lobbyist to convince Congressmen to force the

The industrial revolution sprouted many industrialists that exploited the laws of the United States. These industrialists like Carnegie and Rockefeller collected vast amounts of wealth that were extremely unnecessary for the society at that time while the common citizens of the U.S. were having trouble with poverty and working conditions. They used shady and unorthodox tactics to take control of the country 's wealth and power. They took advantage of the poor and the ideals in the U.S. to further their own wealth. These industrialists were morally bad people and used loopholes to make their way to the top and gain more wealth than any other men in the United States.