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

After the Civil War there came the time period called the Gilded Age. This referred to the time when businesses were taking off and people were making money. Some people, that is. Others were working long, horrendous hours in factories or on farms. People were working in conditions that were unfit to even be around in today’s time.

The Gilded Age was a time when anything seemed possible if you worked hard enough - but it also brought about immense inequality between those who could afford success and those who could not make ends meet no matter how much they

A “robber baron” is defined as one who uses immoral methods to get rich. John D. Rockefeller, king of oil and the owner of the Standard Oil Company, was known for these unscrupulous tactics. Rockefeller’s peculiar ideas of the “law of nature” in accordance with his “primitive savagery” allowed this stealthy businessman to manipulate his way to the top. Although Rockefeller’s oil monopoly attributed to the wealth of the American economy, he destroyed the morality of modest men to accomplish ultimate power and prestige making him one of the wealthiest industrialists during his time.

Gilded age 1878-1889 was the age of fast growth of industry and immigrants in America history. The production of steel and iron rose radically than other time. In contrast, the Western resources increased such as silver,lumber, and gold. As well as the transportation also improved. Railroad develop and move goods from resources rich west to east.

The industrialist leaders were robber barons throughout the Gilded Age. The Gilded Age was a term coined by Mark Twain to label an era defined for its corporate and political greed and corruption; furthermore, monopolies created by industrial leaders grew to prosperity. For instance, John D. Rockefeller was an American businessman who dabbled in the oil industry. Rockefeller practiced horizontal integration where he would ally with, buy out, or undermine competitors to monopolize his business. This allowed him to acquire the vast majority of the oil industry thus empowering Rockefeller to control the latter by forcing his competitors into bankruptcy.

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 Gilded Age was one in which the rich became richer, and the poor became destitute. The middle and lower class were forced into dangerous, labor intensive jobs

The Gilded Age was an age of rapid economic growth. Railroads, factories, and mines were slowly popping up across the country, creating a variety of new opportunities for entrepreneurs and laborers alike. These new inventions and opportunities created “...an unprecedented accumulation of wealth” (GML, 601). But the transition of America from a small farming based nation to a powerful industrial one created a huge rift between social classes. Most people were either filthy rich or dirt poor, with workers being the latter.

The Gilded Age was a time in American history that approximately corresponded to the years from the end of the Civil War in 1865 to the turn of the century. It lasted from the late 1800s to the early 1900s. It was a period of quick economic growth, urbanization, and industrialization, but it was also a period of severe social unrest, corruption, and inequality. The emergence of the robber barons, wealthy industrialists who amassed enormous fortunes through monopolies and trusts, frequently at the cost of employees and customers, was a defining feature of the time. Political corruption, with politicians frequently being bought off by big corporate interests, was another hallmark of the Gilded Age.

Corporate greedy and corrupt politicians were specific problems and injustices that were present in American life during the late 1800s and early 1900s however these were addressed during the progressive era with laws and regulations. Throughout the gilded era corrupt politicians and corporate greedy allowed the upper class and businessmen to take advantage of the working class. This means that a majority of the population were hurt during the gilded age whereas a small percentage benefitted. As seen in document 1, living conditions were crowded, dirty, and unsafe.

The Gilded Age lasted from 1870 to World War 1, “1900s.” The Gilded Age was a period of fast economic development, but also much social struggle. Mark Twain in the late nineteenth century founded the “Gilded” Age, which means covered with gold on the outside, but not really golden on the inside, for example, tin. This period of time was glittering on the surface but corrupt underneath. In other words, the outside looked beautiful, but the inside looked old and trashy.

Robber Barons were people who built a fortune by stealing money from the American people, and creating monopolies. The men of the 1800’s were Robber Barons. These men drove out their competition, treated their workers terribly, and created monopolies. Some Robber Barons at the time include, John D. Rockefeller, and Cornelius Vanderbilt. 7 percent of American people owned 90 percent of America’s wealth in total.

The Gilded age was a period in the late 1800s (1865-1900) that showed tremendous increase of wealth caused by the industrial age. The lifestyle of the rich during this period hid the many problems of the time that eventually brought about the progressive era movement. This was a movement for reform between 1900-1920s. Progressives typically held that the irresponsible actions of the rich were corrupting both public and private life. Forces such as immigration, the Populist Party and industrialization that led to the progressive era also impacted the American government both in its activeness and its democracy.

Cornelius Vanderbilt, and John D. Rockefeller are both labeled as robber barons. Robber barons is a term that means that they stole and were granted special rights, so that they could create monopolies in their fields. This concept is completely wrong though, since both Vanderbilt and Rockefeller worked hard to earn everything they received. Rockefeller and Vanderbilt were both businessmen who made wise business decisions, and created deals that would benefit them.