Who Is Vanderbilt A Hero Or A Villain

Andrew Carnegie, a tightfisted employer among many, but a good-hearted philanthropist among many more; however, does this really explain if he was or was not a hero? Andrew Carnegie was a scottish immigrant born in November 1835 who grew up in a poor and hard life, whose family made the tough decision to the Americas in 1848, started working at age 12 to appease his family’s financial trouble. He worked harder and harder, deciphering dot-dot-dash messages by ear, setting train schedules and untangling train wrecks, and saving Union soldiers, and finally, as a result, rose to become one of America’s richest and most integral heroes. However, we should ask ourselves this: Was Andrew Carnegie truly a hero? Well, to answer that question we need to look at the definition of a hero. Hero, a word defined as a person who holds amazing courage, or a person who possesses strong integrity, or a person who boasts a vast amount of intelligence or wisdom. Going by this interpretation, we could state that Andrew Carnegie was a hero in the business area because of his strategic intelligence; in the social area because of his honest integrity; and in the economic area because of his courageous work and investments.

At the age of 11 (in 1805), Vanderbilt dropped out of school to work for his father for a few years by providing transportation services. These services were low level, but in 1810, they proved to be very profitable for Vanderbilt. Using a loan from his parents, he started his own passenger and freight service, he beat a lot

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 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.

Andrew Carnegie was both a hero and a villain, considering he was a philanthropist, he knows what it was like to be poor and the way he treats his employees. In some aspect, he was indeed a hero and it does seem he care about the humanity, which is why he had so many charities and foundations. He is even considered the original philanthropist. Despite all the evidence on why Andrew Carnegie was a villain, he was a hero in many individual’s eyes. Andrew Carnegie was a phenomenal businessman and a hero for the American

Vanderbilt has a very competitive spirit and a need to win. He was not in it to make millions, he was in it to be the best at what he does and be superior to his competitors. This influences his purchases and his cooperation with businesses. The Erie Wars is a prime example of his desire to become the greatest. He invested millions and

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.

Another idea and invention that Whitney proved was helpful was the use of interchangeable parts. He wanted a machine to make all the parts so that they would all be identical. The use of interchangeable parts would save time because everything would not have to be hand made. Also, more people could create these things that were previously handmade because now they would just have to operate a machine. Using interchangeable parts would also save money since it took less time to make, so you could sell them for less, but still make a

Cornelius Vanderbilt quit school at age 11 to go work at ferrying cargo, he was very successful in cargo he made a lot of money doing this. Then he contracted with the US neboring outpost during the war of 1812. He gave the government outpost during the war. George Vanderbilt is Cornelius Vanderbilt grandson worked with him

Classical liberalism was a very popular subject during the time of Cornelius Vanderbilt. The source shows the mansion he was able to afford due to the fortune he gained in the shipping and railroad industries. The caption explains the house being worth around $160 billion in today’s dollars. There is no doubt that Vanderbilt reaped the benefits of classical liberalism in his time. Vanderbilt would likely argue that he deserved everything, because unlike the way the feudal system was set up, he worked for the money that he got. Vanderbilt would likely have a more right wing ideology, and have strong opinions regarding the benefits of classical liberalism, as he was able to see the best of it. People who would agree with the idea of classical liberalism would likely argue that Vanderbilt worked for the money he deserves, and should not have to give up his riches for people who have not worked as hard as he has. In today’s terms, Vanderbilt would have likely been seen as a conservative, believing in little government control over economics. A person like Robert Owen would likely be unhappy with the way Cornelius Vanderbilt ran his business, as he believed in the idea of factory owners giving up some of their riches in order for the workers to gain a richer quality of life. Vanderbilt is one of the few people who reaped the rewards of classical liberalism, so it would be no surprise for him to want to have a free market in place. Classical liberalism allowed the rich to become

The strategies he used with the advancement of these tools at the time weren’t illegal, the only thing he did do was to purchase smaller lines which led to the expansion of his railroad company. This in no way unethical moves of a business it was just an innovative way of using technology at that time. He was known to be such a good competitor; he had two weapons which were superior service and cheap rates (Flynn 183). Vanderbilt was a success in the Hudson but he sought more investment into the railroad industry. Vanderbilt did everything in his power to be the top gun of the railroad industry, that he even bribed the Council called the Forty Thieves, the legislature known as the Black horse Cavalry (Flynn 192). Vanderbilt essentially had it all. He began making better stations with new equipment and sleeping cars for his enterprise as well as cutting cost for consumers (Flynn

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.

Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, J.P. Morgan, and Henry Ford. These were just a few business men that followed the idea of Social Darwinism. In the late 1820’s, Cornelius Vanderbilt went into business on his own, building steamships in the New York area, eventually becoming one of the largest steamship operators. In the 1860’s, the railroad industry was entering a period of great expansion, so he shifted his attention to make railroad transportation more efficient. Vanderbilt’s goal was to control the steel industry. He bought out competitors and suppliers, giving him total power to set the cost of his product to what he wanted. Vanderbilt used the idea of Social Darwinism when he transferred from working the shipping to railroad business. He knew that if he kept his shipping business, it wouldn’t be as profitable later on. That’s why he invested his money, focus, and time into building a successful railroad industry. At a young age, John D. Rockefeller acted much like a young businessman, selling candy to local children and supporting his family. In 1870, Rockefeller established the Standard Oil Company of Ohio. He eventually controlled 90 percent of the refining business. With his large profits, he drove his competitors out of business by selling the oil cheaper than what it cost to produce the oil. After taking total control, he raised the price of oil to make his money back. In 1873, Andrew Carnegie entered the steel business and by 1899, the “Carnegie Steel Company” manufactured more steel than all the factories in Great Britain. Carnegie’s success was to searching for ways to make better products more cheaply and hired chemists to improve the quality of the steel. He used a vertical integration which he bought out his suppliers, giving him total power of the cost and quality of his product. Carnegie was greatly influenced by Herbert Spencer’s, “Social Darwinism.” Spencer believed that the poor were

Nikola Tesla also used his amazing intellect in order to change the world for the better with his extraordinary inventions. One of his most well-known contraptions was the induction motor: “[Tesla’s motor could not only] convert the zig-zag impulses of an alternating current into a spinning motion in one direction, but it could run at high voltages with no danger of sparking,”("Nikola Tesla." World of Invention). Tesla’s motor was revolutionary for its time and is still in extremely common use today. Tesla’s dedication to using his astute mind in order to change the world is what made him a true hero. Not only did Tesla invent the motors that are used in devices ranging from blenders to cars, but an interviewer also witnessed him predict the

He is the first person to make a successful electric motor to power his inventions and other people's inventions.