Robber Barons During The Gilded Age

After the Civil War, America gave rise to a new era of industrialism, the Gilded Age. An era dominated by powerful figureheads of industry, otherwise known as robber barons, America soon became an international economic power. Many believe that America’s international economic power is due to the doctrine of laissez-faire capitalism, where businesses operated without any interference from the government. However, there are multiple instances where the American government had directly supported the rise of industrialism. Thus, the Gilded Age’s success cannot only be attributed to laissez-faire because of the government intervention through the use of corruption practices, foreign policy, rail roads and the government’s response, government

American businessmen, of the 1800’s, built America to be one of the greatest superpowers in the world. To start, businessmen of the 1800s consisted of men like John D. Rockefeller, Cornelius Vanderbilt and Andrew Carnegie. Some of these men were split by how they got their money; Captains of Industry and Robber Barons. Captains of Industry were business leaders that helped the nation in a positive way. On the other hand, Robber Barons were men that shrewd capitalists, swindled the poor and benefitted for themselves.

According to many Americans and a few socialists, “greedy monopolists, in league with unscrupulous politicians, had seized control of the economy and bent it toward their own advantage.” (Keene, Cornell, O’Donnell, pg 494) Big corporations were at fault for using unjust business practices to get control, often at the expense of those most vulnerable to them. Americans became enraged with anger and resentful towards them. Various workers even resorted to joining the Knights of Labor group because they emphasized practical goals.

When Cornelius Vanderbilt died he left his $100 million fortune to his son William Vanderbilt and they both had the same attitude. During the Gilded Age these big business and their owners were thought of as being Robber Barons or Captains of Industry. The poor working conditions that were provided, the corruption they led in government, and their use of child labor shows that they were Robber Barons. Children were used in labor to work a lot and most days of the week. Kids as young as 5 often worked as much as 12 to 14 hours a day for barely any pay.

The obvious reason is that the Unions demanding more from the Barons meant less money in the Barons’ pockets. Essentially nothing was going to get between the wealthy industrialists and the money and power they felt was their right. Some key examples include: Cornelius Vanderbilt was already a millionaire when he entered the railroad business.

In developing countries there has always been a difference in how companies and the people that worked for them agree about working conditions and salaries. This brought about what we now call labor unions, which today and in earlier years negotiated working conditions and other issues concerning labor. The Knights of Labor and the American Federation of Labor were two of the unions formed during the time that labor issues were being debated. The Knights were considered to be secretive and more radical than the American Federation of Labor, which was considered to be a formal federation of labor unions.

In ways, this was seen as a labor union since the employers were well represented, but it was not well organized, which eventually led to the downfall of the group. The Knights of Labor was a diverse union that was open to all

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary has two definitions listed for the term robber baron: “an American capitalist of the latter part of the 19th century who became wealthy through exploitation,” and “a business owner or executive who acquires wealth through ethically questionable tactics.” To call someone a robber baron implies that they were corrupt, perhaps through paying off the government, giving unfair wages, or using unethical business practices. “Robber Baron” is a loaded term, and should not be used lightly. That being said, the term “robber baron” aptly describes men such as Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, and Cornelius Vanderbilt.

Robber Barons and Captains of Industry Some might believe that the businessmen of the Gilded age are robber barons because of how some of them treated their workers and spent their money. The businessmen of the Gilded Age were captains of industry because of the impact that they made on the country. Carnegie, Rockefeller, Morgan, and Vanderbilt all have done things that can identify them as captains of industry. These businessmen gave their time and effort to help the economy grow.

The Knights of Labor “An Injury to one is a concern of all” The Knights of Labor was an organized secret society which begun in the 1869 composed of a group of skilled and unskilled workers In 1886, The knights flourished to 700,000 members under the leadership of Grand Master Workman Terrance V. Powderly Functioned by informing members on what to do and actions against its employers such as work strikes Also pushed for an eight-hour workday and equal pay for women

The late 19th century was full of growth, production, and business. People were craving power and seemed to achieve this through any means necessary. Consequently, a new business elite formed consisting of the richest men alive. The way in which these individuals acquired all their profits is something very contradictory even over one-hundred years later. Some historians characterize these businessmen as “robber barons” who used extreme methods to control and concentrate wealth and power, and being supported by multiple sources, this statement is justified but only to some extent.

During the Gilded Age we saw the emergence of captains of industry: business moguls who absolutely dominated the field they were in. An example of this was Andrew Carnegie, Carnegie was an immigrant who worked his way up in the steel business to become one of the richest men in the country (OTP pg. 517-520). “ The conditions of human life have not only been changed, but revolutionized, within the past few hundred years.” (Foner pg.

Robber Baron's are the powerhouse of businesses in the United States. Were the big businesses and their owners captain of industry or robber baron, they were robber baron, more powerful and wealthy. The owners such as J.P. Morgan, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Rockefeller and more were robber baron. J.P. Became the first billionaire of the businesses. J.P. Morgan's US steel was the first billion dollar company in the world with an authorized capitalization of 1.2 billion dollars.

Benjamin Franklin once said “ He that is of the opinion money will do everything may well be suspected of doing everything for money.” (Lifehack Quotes, P.1) This era of becoming “money hungry” began in the Gilded Age which occurred around 1877-1917. The industrialists of the 19th/20th century were Robber Barons who used questionable practices to acquire their wealth. Andrew Carnegie, The Vanderbilt family, JP Morgan, and John D Rockefeller were all Robber Barons because they only donated money to make themselves look better, they took advantage of their workers, and exploited other business companies.

The Gilded Age alludes to a period in American History where there was gigantic financial development, innovative advances, and improvements in popular culture. Indeed, even such a significant number of Americans felt that these advancements were misrepresented and that underneath this change and riches laid the brutal substances of urban areas, political defilement, and the abuse of workers. Be that as it may, there were endeavors to better those that blocked the glittery part of America. There was a gigantic development inside the urban populace. This was because of the ascent of movement and in addition Americans expecting a superior life in urban regions due to every one of the employments accessible.