The Demise Of Cornelius Vanderbilt

Andrew Carnegie was one of the wealthiest men in America but his wealth didn’t come without hard work and dedication. Carnegie was born in “Dunfermline, Scotland on November 25, 1835” (Tyle). According to Laura B. Tyle, the invention of the weaving machine unfortunately pushed Carnegie’s family in to poverty “In 1848, Carnegie’s family left Scotland and moved to Allegheny City, Pennsylvania, where his father and eventually him worked in a cotton factory” (Tyle). After leaving the cotton factory “Carnegie became a messenger boy for the Pittsburgh telegraph office and eventually made his way up to telegraph operator” (Tyle). According to Laura B. Tyle “Thomas A. Scott, the superintendent of the western division of the Pennsylvania Railroad, made Carnegie his secretary at the age of eighteen.” Later, Carnegie took over Scott’s position of the railroad. Furthermore Carnegie “began to see that steel was going to replace iron and by 1873 he organized a steel rail company” (Tyle). According to Laura B. Tyle he continued to build his company when he “cut prices, drove out competitors,

Andrew Carnegie, the “King of Steel”, the benevolent employer, the giant of industry, was among the greatest influences of the second industrial revolution. It is sometimes questioned whether Carnegie was the ruthless, sneaky steel tyrant some made him out to be, or the generous, benevolent education benefactor he appeared to be. I believe him to be a combination of both, but more so the great giant of industry.

Vanderbilt used different methods that gave his business more customers. He experimented with technology that was not traditionally used, like his use of the beam engine. This proved to give more speed than the

Since he was a filthy rich man, he knew how to get the money, easily, whether it was making small deals with someone or finding another rich man and making a deal with him, he knew how to get it. Other than being smart about his money, he did not meet up to the title of a captain of industry because he treated his workers poorly and he had them build the railroads in awful conditions, whether is would be poorly dressed or bad weather. Also, their pay was very low. They should’ve been paid more than what they got for working so hard to build the railroads for Vanderbilt, to make him money. He was partially a captain of industry but he more so fit the picture of a robber

The industrialists of the late 19th century were “captains of industry” because they created new industries that further flourished the United States and its economy. Railroad tycoons such as “Cornelius Vanderbilt, James J. Hill, and Jay Gould” created the “transcontinental railroad [that] would allow for settlement of the west, new markets for eastern manufacturers, and relief to overcrowded eastern cities” (“Binding the Nation by Rail” 1). The railroad system connected those who are thousands of miles away and allowed goods to reach parts of the United States that it could not previously. As a result, the prices of goods dropped a

Andrew Carnegie was a man who started from nothing and built his way up to find his fortunes in world of steel and factories and after retiring set himself to a life of philanthropy donating his fortunes to the people. This isn’t to say he was an entirely good person however, as his time as a business owner and as an employer. Whether he was a captain of industry or a robber baron is up to your opinions, but I believe he was a true captain of industry.

Andrew Carnegie, a Gilded Age industrialist, was a captain of industry, because he expanded the American steel industry through hard work, becoming one of the richest people in history, and then donated about 90% of his fortune in an attempt to improve society.

The major wealthy capitalists of the time-Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, J. Pierpont Morgan, and Cornelius Vanderbilt-all played a tremendous role in developing American industry and ultimately the economy as a whole. Through their business ventures, they vastly increased the industrial output of America. For example,

William Vanderbilt was an American businessman whose wealth was derived from the thriving railroad industry of the late nineteenth century. He was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey in 1821 and died at age 64 on December 8, 1885. During this time, he led the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway, the Canada Southern Railway, and the Michigan Central Railroad. He took over as president for these organizations for his father. His father, Cornelius Vanderbilt, brought the railroad business to his family. Upon his death, William Vanderbilt was the richest man in the world. His success can be attributed to his ability to capitalize on the transportation revolution that swept America years ago, and only remained to expand and grow with the

Cornelius Vanderbilt was one of the most influential people of the 19th century by being a shipping and railroad tycoon (history.com). He shaped the way future American businesses will operate. Vanderbilt was a ruthless and competitive man (history.com). This approach to business will be what helps him to defeat a Steamboat Monopoly granted by the New York Legislature. This ruling in the law will influence future court cases (McBride, “Landmark Cases”).

Cornelius Vanderbilt is a name that people in American society associate with success, wealth, and prestige. Although the name may not be easily recognized by the average American citizen, Cornelius Vanderbilt is a name that symbolizes greatness to the American elite, members of academia, and aspiring businessmen who wish to someday build an business empire. The fact that he is still well esteemed amongst a smaller group of elite members in society allows him to be considered iconic. Cornelius Vanderbilt became the face of the American Dream through his aggressive business efforts, became a symbol of American values by having a lasting economic and historical impact, and defined what American royalty is. Cornelius Vanderbilt and the empire that he built has had an influential impact on how many Americans see their country and the opportunities within their reach.

Cornelius Vanderbilt was also and industrialist, he was the Captain of Industry of the railroads. With him making railroads, that's allowing people and cargo to get places at a quicker rate. Eventually we got the transcontinental railroad, which connected the West to the East, and created the National Market.

By gaining profit while selling product, the oil company boosted the economy tremendously. Another large business consisted of both Andrew Carnegie and J P Morgan with the innovation of railroads. The Bessemer process for making steel and the abundance of coal fueled the railroad industry, with Andrew Carnegie producing most of the steel in the country. J P Morgan contributed with the steel tubing industry, and bought Carnegie’s business, creating the United States Steel Corporation becoming one of the first billion-dollar corporations. Cornelius Vanderbilt was one of the most successful in the railroad industry with the old New York Central railroad, offering railway service at low rates, and founding Vanderbilt University. The railroads stretching into the South and gaining resources from the South made the “New Industrial South… wide awake to business, excited and even astonished at the development of its own immense resources” (Doc B). Along with “communication, rapidly opening mines… furnaces, foundries… utilizing the native riches” (Doc B), the South had much more connection through railroads, and began to be regarded similarly to the North in industry. The wealthy capitalists, leading the industrial growth becomes “the mere agent and trustee for his brethren, bring to their service his superior wisdom, experience, and ability to administer, doing for them better than they would or could do for themselves” (Doc C). The top capitalists of the

Cornelius Vanderbilt was the most powerful railroad baron. He earned a fortune for himself in the steamship line. He also combined the New York and Harlem and New York and Hudson estate ferry boat operations. He established a connection between New York and Albany to make Lake Shore and Michigan Southern link Buffalo with Chicago. When he died he owned and operated nearly 4500 miles of track between New York City and most of the important cities in the Midwest. He left his fortune to his son, unlike the others he did not donate to many organizations. The only contribution he gave was to support the, now, Vanderbilt College.

Cornelius Vanderbilt was a steamship and railroad tycoon. He made millions in the steamship business before turning to the promising railroad industry. He began to take capital from the steamship business to buy railroads, starting with the New York and Harlem Railroad in 1862. Vanderbilt eventually amassed over $100 million from his railroad empire and his wealth and power was virtually untouchable. He was a ruthless businessman, once saying to a competitor “You have undertaken to cheat me. I won't sue you, for the law is too slow. I will ruin you.” His New York Central rail line operated from New York to Chicago along more than 4,500 miles of track at the time of his death.