Robber Barons Research Paper

In the 19th century, the Gilded age was this period of time when America looked like this massive productive country. What people do not know was that in the inside they were this suffering country that had massive poverty and thousands of people without jobs. America was filled with industrialists which are also called Robber Barons. Robber Barons were these people who basically stole fortunes by having their employees work 12 hour days, 7 days a week and getting paid about 15 cents an hour. Andrew Carnegie was a really wealthy businessman who made steel. Carnegie made millions of dollars but in the end he still paid his workers very little. His employees worked long hard days and at the end of the day they got paid hardly nothing. These workers also worked in bad conditions and some of the workers were kids and they were having them do some of the really hard dangerous work. According to a US history author “They received no health benefits, no vacation, and suffered from periodic layoffs because of downturns in the business cycle( The Gilded age pg. 1) The 19th century during the Gilded age most of the big business men where these guys who had massive amounts of money and yet they pay their workers really low wages with bad conditions.

While they were only getting richer with their corrupt methods, the poorer classes were getting poorer because of the money they spent on the capitalists’ goods. In “The Robber Barons of Today, 1889”, the robber barons are seen with their “knightly” attire while the poor pay “tribute” to them. (Doc D) It represents the poor paying the “amazing” capitalists and being subservient for the goods they need. Also, in Henry George’s Progress and Poverty, 1879, it said that the gulf between the classes is getting wider and wider. Because of the industrial tycoons taking the poor’s money, they are getting richer. They are also providing fewer jobs since the industries usually have one major company for a particular manufacturing, and so “the poorer class is becoming more dependent” on the capitalists to provide jobs and goods. (Doc A) The robber barons took the poor’s money to become wealthier and to feed their greed while worsening the gap between the social

Despite the nation’s increase in wealth through urbanization and the façade of a prospering people, the fraudulency of the Gilded Age crippled the masses in their rise to security. The competiveness amongst laborers, a battle for control of

America’s industrial growth during the period from 1870 to 1900 was greatly impacted by growth of large corporations that affected the economics and politics of our nation. As corporations began to grow, so did their power and influence. Their numbers grew to be so significant that they were known to be one of the major forces within the United States, with both a great amount of power and the ability to control much within the United States. Their power and influence expanded and impacted the economic and political aspects of our nation. These corporations dominated American business and defined the American culture. The Gilded Age, a term coined by Mark

Accurately established by many historians, the capitalists who shaped post-Civil War industrial America were regarded as corrupt “robber barons”. In a society in which there was a severe imbalance in the dynamics of the economy, these selfish individuals viewed this as an opportunity to advance in their financial status. Thus, they acquired fortunes for themselves while purposely overseeing the struggles of the people around them. Presented in Document A, “as liveried carriage appear; so do barefooted children”, proved to be a true description of life during the 19th century. In hopes of rebuilding America, the capitalists’ hunger for wealth only widened the gap between the rich and poor.

*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.

J. P. Morgan was a robber baron because he was born into a wealthy family and did not have to completely start from the bottom and build his success from there. However, A. Carnegie, C. Vanderbilt, and John D. Rockefeller were Captains of Industry because they were not derive from a family where financial support, a solid education, and a business where handed to them. Also the three men, A. Carnegie, C. Vanderbilt, and John D. Rockefeller all substantially donated back into the community. Carnegie Library, Vanderbilt University, Rockefeller University, and foundations such as the Rockefeller foundations were due to the generosity of these three men who donated back to the community. Therefore, A. Carnegie, C. Vanderbilt, and John D.

The Industrialists are robber barons. Industrialists made their workers work for little pay, did not care about the people's health, and made an immoral government influence or plutocracy. In the gilded age, a few of the industrialists were robber barons who became successful by paying their workers low wages. An example of a robber baron is John D. Rockefeller, he was a aiming to be an philanthropist. In the article, The new Tycoons: John D. Rockefeller states, “ Rockefeller was a bona fide billionaire. Critics charged that his labor practices were unfair. Employees pointed out that he could

Perhaps the most significant feature of America during the nineteenth century was the alarming rate at which it became an industrialized society. Looking in from the outside, all in America seemed satisfactory and wonderful. However, as unsparing competition and mechanization of the work process started to lower wages and worsen working conditions, workers saw their position and status wear away. Additionally, increased dependence on child and immigrant labor further lessened wages. It is unsurprising that wealth during this time period was not distributed equally, which workers were angered by.

The Greek Philosopher Plato once said “The measure of a man is what he does with power.” Plato’s quote is a true statement because the power he could be talking about what level of morality people use the power on. Robber Barons and captains of industry from the late 1800s have been measured based on morality whether they are atrocious or honorable people. To understand this further, Robber Barons are judged as villainous, they are owners of a company that has become excessively rich through ruthless and unethical business practices. Robber Barons treated workers in an inadequate way by giving them low wages and corrupted the legislators. On the Kohlbergs scale of morality Robber barrons would act on individualism and exchange. Captain’s of

Money Makes the world go around. Is a very common phrase that we hear often. The Robber Baron were individual whom represent the phrase a lot. A Robber Baron were businessmen in the United States Industrial Revolution of the 1800's who were wealthy by taking people’s land, money, or someone else business in a rather dishonest way. They are knowledgeable about their ways but only interested in getting more more money. Robber Barons are called so because of their greed and ruthlessness, their unethical business practices, and their total lack of concern for their workers, their customers or their competitors. An example of a robber baron in that time will be Andrew Carnegie, JD Rockefeller, and JP Morgan. The Robber Baron made the American

In the late nineteenth century, America was a country in its prime of industrialization and immigration influx. Known as the Gilded Age, this period defined the United States as the bustling powerhouse it is today, but at the cost of many social and political injustices that lay underneath the guise of the “American dream”. Among the urbanization and booming industry, there was national and racial discrimination, gender inequality, child exploitation and labor,

“The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them”. This quote by Eda B. Wells reminds us that now is the time to shine the light upon these unfair business practices of robber barons. The early industrialists of the 19th century were robber barons. Despite their wealth and personal success, these people harmed our society. Robber barons negatively impacted society for two main reasons: their success took away the law of competition and also caused the government to be out of the people’s control.

As the last sparkles of the Civil War cooled down, a period of transformation took over U.S. and the endeavour to restore post Civil War economy initiated. The Gilded Age, as Mark Twain referred, was a time identified with economic boom and social change. During those years, U.S. experienced the transition from agricultural to urban together with industrialisation, scientific innovations and an economic boom. This modernisation evolvement however, was followed by negative outcomes: as labour demand amplified the need for immigration broke out and poverty became a remarkable issue. What is more, the growth of middle class and its insatiable appetite

The latter half of the 19th century ushered in growth and change that we still live with in the 21st century. We became an industrial powerhouse in an era of unbridled capitalism. The face of our nation was transformed from an economic culture steeped in agriculture to an economic culture steeped in industry and technology. We were connected coast to coast via railroad and were able to communicate by telegraph and new inventions included the telephone. Travel and communication were accelerated; manufacturing and retail provided new jobs, and lands became accessible that eventually became sprawling communities. Economic forces fed off of each, other causing growth to spiral upward. Some benefitted more than others and there were winners and there were losers.