Robber Barons Essay

Andrew Carnegie. Who was he? Was he just a robber baron or a captain of industry. Andrew was a self made Entrepreneur in the late 1800s. He was the owner of the Carnegie Steel Company which monopolized the steel industry. In 1889 he wrote the famous “Gospel of Wealth” which made the use of libraries to give to the worthy poor that were smart to use them. He also gave away 350 million dollars. On the other side Carnegie’s steel workers were treated poorly by long working hours and reduced wages. He also gave support to the plant manager Henry Frick who hired Pinkerton thugs to intimidate workers on strike and many were killed in the conflict. Andrew Carnegie was sometimes saw as a robber baron taking others money to give away not spending his own money On the other hand people saw him as a captain of industry giving to the worthy poor with libraries and millions of dollars.

What is a robber baron? Webster’s New Dictionary defines it as an American capitalist of the late 19th century who became wealthy through exploitation (As of natural resources, governmental influence, or low wage scales) or a person who satisfies himself by depriving another. In America we had a lot of these kind of people. For this report I am going to tell you about the ones that I found most interesting to me. I would first like to tell you about Cornelius Vanderbilt.

The “rags to riches” story is a term of reverence respecting the few in society who sacrificed the little they had and emerged successful. These doctors, lawyers, entrepreneurs, researchers, and other professionals inspire people of all socioeconomic levels by transforming nothing into something. Jay-Z, George Soros, Steve Jobs – these are names culture holds with great respect. One “rags to riches” story not many Americans have heard of pushes the limits of mental capacity. This man followed the poor-to-rich path and succeeded to such high degree that he, in turn, defined the very essence of this characteristic. Once a poor boy, Andrew Carnegie transformed the limited resources available to him into tools that aided his journey in becoming one of the richest, most successful men in all of history. Carnegie began his journey as an immigrant to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from Scotland. His family sought work, as their former weaving business had been destroyed by the Industrial Revolution (“Andrew Carnegie” American Experience). This experience as a poor worker created the drive that led him to become one of the wealthiest men of all time through his massive steel company, the Carnegie Steel Company. In conjunction with his economic success, the tycoon used the fruits of his leadership in the steel industry to become the “father of American philanthropy” (“Meet Andrew Carnegie”). As accomplished the man became, the

Andrew Carnegie: He was the owner of the biggest steel company that led its expansion. His company produced 1/3 of the steel throughout the whole nation during the late 19th century. Carnegie was one of the leading business people that led America into the industrial era and also one of the reasons why Capitalism was created.

Robber Baron is “the name given nineteenth-century industrial and financial tycoons who gained wealth and status by exploiting workers, governmental practices, and the environment.” (Robber Barons) Some of the best-known Robber Barons were Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, Charles Crocker. After the late of 1800s to the new century the U.S. was wealthy with the natural resources including ; oil, iron, and coal. Andrew Carnegie, a working-class family, in the age of the 14 he came to the United States with his family. They settled in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, and Carnegie went to work in a factory, earning only $1.20 a week. he learned about the railroad industry and about business in general. Three years later, Carnegie was promoted to

Throughout the late 19th century, several men such as John Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, and Cornelius Vanderbilt built empires in railroad construction, coal mining, and the oil industry. These industrial leaders helped the economy flourish and created a leading industrial power in the world. After a while, critics began to question their power and objective. Critics began to call them “robber barons” for their selfish and corrupted techniques. While they took advantage of careless government regulation and no income tax, they generated huge business that benefited the country.

Were these powerful industrialists trying to get rich and powerful no matter what strain it puts on their workers and competitors? Or were they an example of the American dream, an industry leader who improved the nation and helped his people? Industrialists like Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller were sometimes criticized and said to be Robber Barons. However, they were not, both men increased the economy drastically, created millions of jobs for Americans, and donated large amounts of money to charities like The Carnegie Institution and various Philanthropic causes. Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller were Captains of Industry, not Robber Barons.

Andrew Carnegie, originally from Scotland, took advantage of the time and created a vertically integrated steel company. Being a vertically integrated company meant he controlled every phase of business from the raw materials to transportation, manufacturing, and distribution of steel. He was a dictator in his company and his factories operated non-stop everyday except for the fourth of July. He believed that the rich had a moral obligation to advance society and he distributed a lot of his money to philanthropies like the creation of public libraries in towns throughout the country. He was seen as a captain of the industry and inspired Americans to become industrial leaders. He was also seen as a “robber baron” because of his dictatorial attitudes, repressive labor, and domination of power and

Andrew Carnegie was one of the wealthist man of 19th century. Some claim that his money was the result of dispensing poor working conditions and treatment for his workers. Others say that he was a truthful, industrious man. So, the question is who was right and who was wrong? Andrew Carnegie was born into a poor family in 1835 in Dunfermline, Scotland. He spent 13 years of his life in Scotland and then because of an economic depression his family had to move to United States. He worked his way up from being a necessitous Irish migrant to become one of the most prominent industrialists that helped alter the U.S. steel industry in 19th century.

Andrew Carnegie’s motto was as simple as it could get, “Watch the costs, and the profits will take care of themselves” (Boyer 18-1d). I consider Carnegie as someone who is not afraid to play dirty; he is a master at running his competitors out of business. “Using rigorous cost accounting and limiting wage increases to his workers, he lowered his production costs and prices below those of his competitors” (Boyer 18-1d). Carnegie would stop at nothing until he got what he wanted. “When these tactics did not drive them out of business, he asked for favors from his railroad-president friends and gave “commissions” to railroad purchasing agents to win business” (Boyer 18-1d). Carnegie was way ahead of his competition in the steel company business. Andrew Carnegie had all his competitors scared to death that he would take over the industry, so they decided they would buy him out. “In 1901, J. Pierpont Morgan purchased Carnegie’s companies and set up the United States Steel Corporation” (Boyer 18-1d). Carnegie did not just let the pieces fall into place, he took charge and knew what was going to happen. That is why I think Carnegie is a much better

Good morning to my fellow American citizens and colleagues. I, Andrew Carnegie have decided, after much deliberation, to address my status as a “robber baron”. To truly understand my reasoning on this issue, we must first discuss how I rose to my current status, and what hardships I faced along the way.

John D. Rockefeller was born on July 8, 1839, and has had a huge impact on the course of American history. His reputation spans from being a ruthlessly powerful businessman to an intelligent philanthropist. He came from a family with not much and lived the American dream, rising to success with his own genius, all by himself. His legacy is unforgettable, gaining the greatest wealth of anyone in history. Rockefeller’s influence on America has been both a positive and a negative one. He revolutionized the petroleum industry and donated huge amounts of money to various institutions. Although Rockefeller had many positive effects to this country, he also had many negative ones as well, such as gaining his wealth by creating an illegitimate monopoly that often grew by using illegal methods, by giving American’s (and the rest of the world) a reason to dislike capitalism, and by damaging small businesses.

Aggressive monopolist who used tough means to build He profited from the multitude of immigrants who worked for low wages and in poor working conditions. Little government regulation and no income or corporate taxes also aided people like Carnegie. The Robber Barons cared little for the working conditions and safety of their employees.

One of the events that I think that formed today’s America were the men that build America which were, Cornelius Vanderbilt, John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, J.P. Morgan and Henry Ford this five legends are the one’s responsible the economic boom in the 1800’s. all the innovation made was what make the big business in America. By the development of railroads, financial systems, etc. coming from nothing this men’s create the concept of what really was the American dreams which all of us today look so desperate to accomplish.

Thomas Carlyle coined the term Captains of Industry in his 1843 book “Past and Present” to describe forerunners in business which had accumulated vast personal fortunes and contributed positively to the country through some act. Amidst the second industrial revolution in America, names such as Vanderbilt (Rail), Carnegie (Steel), Rockefeller (Oil), Morgan (Electricity/Finance), and of course Henry Ford (Automobile) are often lionized for their achievements in building America into a modern day power. On the contrary, many of these same figures are also considered Robber Barons; industrialists that routinely cheat investors and consumers, monopolizing activities and perverting government officials by any means for the exploitation of profit. All that is, but Henry Ford.