“The old nations of the earth creep on at a snail’s pace; the Republic thunders past with the rush of the express. The United States, the growth of a single century, has already reached the foremost rank among nations, and is destined soon to out-distance all others in the race. In population, in wealth, in annual savings, and in public credit; in freedom from debt, in agriculture, and in manufactures, America already leads the civilized world.” -Andrew Carnegie. The early 1900s were a time of great prosperity for the United States of America especially in two areas, oil and steel. These two industries grew and pushed the country into the Industrial Age, or sometimes known as the Gilded Age. This era was so profitable because circumstances …show more content…
Rockefeller established an oil refinery near Cleveland. Within the first two years it was the largest in the area. Eventually, after many successes in the industry, Rockefeller turned his full attention to the oil business. In 1870, Rockefeller and his partners started the Standard Oil company. This business immediately began making money, partly because of the favorable economic conditions and partly because of Rockefeller’s drive to streamline the company’s operations and keep margins high. Standard also began buying out its competitors. It eventually controlled the majority of refinery’s in the Cleveland area within two years and then used its size to make favorable deals with the railroads for shipping. At the same time, Standard expanded its business by buying pipelines and terminals, setting up a system of transport within the company. Standards grip on the oil industry tightened and they eventually bought thousands of acres of forest for lumber, drilling and to block competitors from building their own pipelines. Standard continued expanding their business by purchasing competitors in other regions …show more content…
“Rockefeller so enjoyed business that he dreamed about it at night.” He was so focused on work that within a decade he commanded most of the oil in the United States and he did this through perseverance and passion. However, he didn’t do what he did to make money, he was very philanthropic and gave much of his earnings to charitable organizations. “He believed in The Law of Tenfold Return, i.e. if he gave happily, joyfully and confidently then for every dime he gave away he would receive a dollar, happy, joyfully and confidently, in return from providence.” He started a habit of giving as a young boy in the Baptist Church with his mother. In certain respects it can be said that even in developing Standard Oil it was for the benefit of the poor. Rockefeller said, “Let the good work go on. We must remember we are refining oil for the poor man and he must have it cheap and good.” Prior to Rockefeller and the byproducts of his refineries, only the rich benefitted from things such has oil lamps. After he took control of the oil industry he was able to provide for low-income family’s and he gave them what the rich had at reasonable prices. He thought of everyone in his work, the poor and the rich. He created an industry that serviced the lowest of the low the same way it serviced the higher ranking people. He grew his company to allow people to create a life for
He convinced the railroad company to charge Rice twenty five cents a barrel, whereas Standard Oil was only charged ten cents. Eventually causing George to close his business due to the lack of profits. In addition to this Rockefeller forced the railroad to
Rockefeller's Standard Oil was formed during a time of need. America was industrializing fast, railroads were expanding, and need for oil was at an
By eliminating the competitions Standard Oil gained a monopoly in the industry of oil. In 1881, the Standard Oil Company owned so much of the refinery business it became known as the Standard Oil Trust. The trust controlled and created companies across the United States that were their own entities, and Rockefeller directed all of the businesses. By creating separate companies Rockefeller controlled all parts of
John D. Rockefeller was an important part to the oil industry. He had many accomplishments in his lifetime. Some of his many accomplishments in his lifetime were forming his first business in 1859, getting into the oil industry, and forming The Standard Oil Company. He was a captain of industry. He was a philanthropist donating money to various causes.
John D. Rockefeller was also a renowned philanthropist. Most of his charity went to the church. He also donated to educational institutions, public health causes, and medical science researches along with many others. He donated $80 million to the University of Chicago, converting it into a top-notch institution. He also founded the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research and established the Rockefeller Foundation (Rockefeller Biography).
Rockefeller completely eliminated any competition; he owned 90 percent of the nation’s refineries and pipelines! That’s a lot! Owning basically all of the oil refineries meant that most of the nation’s oil had to go through Rockefeller; But Rockefeller didn’t get away with his rise to power. Many of the muckrakers targeted him. “As The New York Times reported in 1937: “He was accused of crushing out competition, getting rich on rebates from railroads, bribing men to spy on competing companies, of making secret agreements, of coercing rivals to join the Standard Oil Company under threat of being forced out of business, building up enormous fortunes on the ruins of other men, and so on.”
Carnegie donated money to establish ($350 million worth) libraries, schools, universities, and pension funds for his employees. James J. Hill provided seed, grain, and cattle to farmers during the Great Depression. (Hook Exercise). These entrepreneurs promoted inventions that enhanced the way we live in the developing technological era. When people were in need, these captains of industry were there to save the day, sharing their money like it was no big deal; only it really was to the ones who needed
It even got to the point where Rockefeller tried to maximize profits by inflating oil prices, since he was the only Oil Company available. Both Carnegie and Rockefeller were utilizing new business strategies that no one had seen before, which ended up being known as Social Darwinism. It was based off Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution that he wrote about in his famous work, On the Origin of Species. It basically stated that organism who were stronger and better adapted would get rid of weaker ones, allowing them dominate the gene pool. This was just applied to businesses ridding of each other, allowing the strongest business to rule the
Growing up, Rockefeller wasn’t handed his life on a silver platter like most other successful tycoons of the 1850’s. Although his family wasn’t rich and often struggled to make ends meet, Rockefeller’s father was a hardworking businessman, “rising at four in the morning to go to the snowy woods” and “keeping a tight rein on his employees” (Nevins) to provide for his family. It was because of his father’s work ethic that Rockefeller admired him as a “big, powerful man as quick as a flash and afraid of nothing” (Nevins). Rockefeller thus began his first business endeavor while attending Cleveland High school, working as “an assistant bookkeeper and clerk for 50 cents a day,” at the Hewitt and Tuttle Office (Folsom). On the job, Rockefeller
In 1870, John Rockefeller made his own standard oil company and refinery near Cleveland, Ohio. John moved to Cleveland at the age of 14. In 1865, John borrowed money to buy out some of his partners and take control of the refinery, which had become the largest in Cleveland. Over the next
John D. Rockefeller Sr: How did John D. Rockefeller impact the Industrial Revolution John Davison Rockefeller Sr. once stated “If you want to succeed you should strike out on new paths, rather than travel the worn paths of accepted success” (John D. Rockefeller Quotes). John D. Rockefeller was the founder of Standard Oil in which then became one of the wealthiest men in the world. Rockefellers ongoing funding as a philanthropist and trust in oil is how the man's name still lives on to this day (The Rockefeller Archive Center). For thousands of years oil has been a main resource for human consumption, and remains the same.
The Influence of The History of the Standard Oil Company on Rockefeller's Oil industry In 1859, Edwin Drake drilled the first U.S. oil well in Oil Creek, Pennsylvania. After five months of drilling and obtaining the nickname“crazy Drake'', Edwin discovered an oil well 65 feet deep. Oil refining was necessary to use the oil (King). At first, refiners boiled the oil, however, this process was extremely dangerous (King).
He was a devout Baptist and gave his tithe which is ten percent of your earning to the church. He also gave back to the community improving Colleges. In the 1890s Rockefeller retired and dedicated his time to philanthropy. He also wrote reminiscences that where published in Random Reminiscences for Men and
HOW DID JOHN D ROCKEFELLER IMPACT THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE MODERN OIL INDUSTRY DRAFT MIKAEEL MOTI A. Summary of Evidence: John D. Rockefeller was an entrepreneur in the United States who established a fortune by maintaining control of the oil trade in the United States from the late 1800s to the early 1900s. He is an American National icon and is largely credited for pioneering the modern oil trade and shaping it into the industry it is today.
These men are Captains of Industry because they donated millions of dollars to schools, museums, and clinics. John Rockefeller donated 100s of millions of dollars to schools and research. Rockefeller donated 75 million dollars in total to Chicago throughout a span of a few years (reading). Rockefeller gifted 50 million dollars to the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research(reading). In 1919 Rockefeller 50 million dollars to the board to raise academic salaries(reading).