Robber Barons In The Gilded Age

A Review of The Myth of the Robber Barons a book by Burton Folsom JR.

There were many conflicting views during the Gilded Age. Some viewed those at the top of the socio-economic ladder as robber-barons due to the vast amount of wealth that never seemed to extend to the workers in terms of salary or safety. However, some called them captains of industries, those who bettered the economy and the lives of workers. These people had an enormous positive impact on the country’s businesses and philanthropy on American economy and society. They transformed America into the most powerful industrial nation, leading the country’s charge by building powerful industries.

The Gilded Age is a time period in American history between 1870-1900. During this time period there was a boom in the United States economy and population. Unfortunately, during this time period there was a lot of financial corruption and inequality which caused the rich to become very wealthy. Interestingly enough there were a variety of distinguished authors, from William Graham Sumner, Henry Demarest Lloyd, Andrew Carnegie, and Henry George knew economic inequality was a major problem and something needed to be done.

The Gilded age was run by big business. It was the time of industrialization, little to no government intervention, and a lot of money for a small group of people. It’s hard to say if many of the prominent business men of this time were really robber barons or captains of industry. Andrew Carnegie might have donated most of his money to worthy causes but he also refused to give his workers better conditions and pay despite his yearly income of $25 million compared to their $380. Rockefeller likewise gave away a large part of his fortune but also engaged in dirty business practices. This fine line between being a robber baron or captain of industry might be common among the businessmen of the Gilded Age but what about our businessmen of today?

The Gilded Age was a time in American history when some of the most famous industrialists rose to power. These industrialists made good decisions and bad decisions which reflected them as Captains of Industry or Robber Barons. A Captain of Industry is used to describe someone who contributes positively to society. Robber Barons are businessmen who use unethical or questionable ways to gain power/wealth. Both terms were expressed during this time period by businessmen. The great industrialists of the Gilded Age show traits of being both Captains of Industry and Robber Barons.

The term “Robber Baron” describes a business owner who obtained their wealth based on unfair practices (Overview of the Gilded Age, Digital History). During this time immigrants were coming overseas needing jobs to support their families. The business owners took notice of this and took it as an opportunity to make money by paying the immigrants low wages but working them excruciatingly long hours. By doing this, businesses began to increase their income because they weren’t obligated to pay laborers. Thanks to the businessmen of the Gilded Age who treated their companies and laborers unfairly, there are now laws and regulations as to how many hours a person can work in a week. Another positive that came out of these historical figures is, we now

The Gilded Age was an era after the civil war in the United States in which the economy thrived in a rapidly paste. Mark Twain because of the corruption over money and power gave the name to this era. The businessmen during this period were known for their ruthless actions and for the thirst over money. During the Gilded Age the cities grew as well as the population. The social, political and economic structures changed during the Gilded Age of the late 19h century.

The Gilded Age, a phrase coined by Mark Twain, refers to a post-civil war era that spanned 1870-1900. Large corporations grew significantly wealthy and influential throughout this time period, supported by unprecedented growth and profitability. These businesses also created a large wealth gap between powerful monopolists like Rockefeller and Carnegie, and thousands of urban factory workers. The great inequalities of wealth sparked factory workers, immigrants, farmers, and others not benefited by the vast transformation of the late 19th century to propose various reforms. Growing social and political involvement of educated middle-class reformers also pushed to effect change both locally and nationally. Rampant political corruption in this

The 1860s to 1920s was known as the gilded age in the United States of America. Immigrants moved to the U.S. to have a better life but when they arrived, they an unexpected situation. In the gilded age, Robber barons or business owners made a tremendous amount of money. Most of them accomplished this by using monopolies and trusts which led them to gain power and money. While money was flowing in the United States, the lower class population lived in tenements, where diseases would spread fast and comfort was not available. Workers had to work more than twelve hours a day and they could lose parts of their bodies in the machines and therefore get fired. Children worked as much as their parents did. They were in a position of

*It was justified to the full extent to characterized the industrial leaders of the late nineteenth century as "robber barons". People high up in business such as Andrew Carnegie and Rockefeller were proven to be robber barons by most working class and middle class Americans. They earned their wealth through questionable ways and through intimidation. They tried to ease their robber baron reputation by donating large amounts of money to various public buildings and causes. However, this attempt failed when many citizens realized that these donations gave society no long term benefits.

To begin, the "Robber Barons" of the late 1800's treated their workers poorly. First of all, according to the political cartoon by Keppler and Schwarzmann, business owners paid their workers $6-11 a week (Doc A). This conveys that business owners were not giving enough money to pay their workers. Also, in the article of the Homestead Steel Mill by PBS.org it states,"… for the rest of the year, they worked like animals,"(Doc F). This reveals that in Carnegie's Homestead Mill, many worked

    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

Many of the men who were called "captains of industry," they worked hard to make America an advanced and prosperous nation. "Some of them, however, greed for gain and aggressive buisiness practices earned them the less flattering titles of "robber barons." (United States History Book) Some of the most influential companies of the Gilded Age were the Standard Oil Company, the United States Steel Corporation, and they were founded by two of the "robber barons" John D. Rockfeller, the first American billionaire, founder of the Standard Oil company, and J.P Morgan, the founder of the United States Steel corporation, America's first supercorporation. "The production of steel and iron rose as the demand for improved transportation increased the desire for the resources of the west such as lumber gold, and silver." (http://www.americaslibrary.gov/jb/gilded/jb_gilded_subj.html) The Gilded Age was a period when many great companies were created, and supported America's inevitable growth in

A Robber Baron was a derogatory term used to describe powerful American business owners in the mid 1800’s; they usually took advantage of their power in order to gain wealth. In addition, they looked down upon several members of society, but they were needed due to the control over certain industries such as railroads, oil, steel, etc. They used this industrial power to gain higher political rank, and ultimately they used their wealth to better themselves. In contrast, “The Captains of Industry” was a term used to describe commanding business owners of the mid 1800’s that positively contributed to society by increasing the number of jobs. These “Captains of Industry” were also philanthropists; therefore, most

The Gilded Age was a period from the late 1800s through the early 1900s. The name of this time period was given by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner in their book The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today which expresses this time using two stories. One of a Tennessee family trying to sell undeveloped land and the other of two upper class businessmen. This book visits the highs and lows of living in this age. Those who are rich and plentiful, and those who are dirt poor. Showing the struggle people went through to live in this era. The workers during this time were conservative capitalists trying to make as much money as they could as cheap and fast as they could. They did this at the expense of the poor who got even poorer as this happened.