Characteristics Of A Captain Of Industry Or A Robber Baron

The life of a coal miner is not so different from the views of Andrew Carnegie. In the Gilded Age, a lot of youthful boys and men would work endless hours to only get from sixty cents to a dollar every day. Carnegie would focus on how the upper class would misuse their money for selfish needs. These young coal miners would work more than these rich “snobs” and still get a salary of less that 200 dollars a year. That is what Carnegie was stressing in his Gospel of Wealth.

How did he acquire his wealth? He acquire his wealth by being a self-made man, that revolutionize the car industry in the 90’s.

In the past, there have been many influential economic figures in the industrial business industry. Andrew Carnegie is one of the most famous of these figures but not just in a business scheme, but also in an economic and national scheme. Andrew Carnegie is a business man that caused a major controversial issue to arise; the topic of being labeled a Robber Baron or a Captain of Industry by the public. A Robber Baron is someone who has become wealthy through heartless and unethical business actions that will only benefit the individual. On the other hand, a Captain of Industry is a business leader who has become rich by accomplishing activities that will, overall, benefit the people of the community such as expanding a market or providing more jobs. There have been many debates on which one

Was Cornelius Vanderbilt a Robber Baron or Captain of Industry? A cruel businessman or an industrious leader? Henry J. Raymond believed that Vanderbilt was “a monopolist that crushed other competitors”(T.J Stiles). While he is also deemed one of America’s leading businessmen, and is also credited for helping shape the United States. His fortunes were made unfairly in some cases but his million dollar contribution to the Navy was very generous. Bill Gates was a wealthy man who might have been greedy and only in for the money. He was also a generous man who employed a lot of people and donated $40 million.

Andrew Carnegie was a “robber baron” as shown in the way he acted towards the people who helped him reach the top and the terrible working environment that he subjected his workers to. He did various things in an attempt at overshadowing the awful things he did and positively alter his public image. His mentor, Thomas Scott, taught him the skills he would use to become the undisputed king of steel. Costs were the most important aspect of any business and reducing those required cutting wages, demanding 13 hour days and utilizing spies as a way to thwart possible strikes. Many years after Carnegie had gone out on his own, Scott met with him thinking that the years they spent together and all he had taught him would unquestionably result in help in his time of trouble.

The Gilded Age was an era that transformed from agrarian to industrialized working/businesses and goods. The Gilded Age soon came after Reconstruction and lasted from the late 1860’s to the late 1890’s. During the Gilded Age there were many businessmen that were labeled Robber Barons or Captains of Industry based on their actions of ruthlessness and monopoly or their actions of generosity and kindness. A Robber Baron is a businessman who obtained wealth through cruel manors. A Captain of Industry is a business leader who obtained wealth through positive and generous ways that had a good impact on those around them. History should remember the entrepreneurs of the 1800’s and 1900’s as Captains of Industries or Robber Barons. These entrepreneurs

“What do I care about the law? Ain’t I got the power?” This is a quote from the business magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who was the leader of the railroad industry during the Gilded Age. The Gilded Age was a superficial period in the US History, in which the economy grew at a suprising rate. It started in the late 19th century and ended in the early 20th century. During this period, the entrepreneurs Jay Gould, Cornelius Vanderbilt, John D. Rockefeller, J. P. Morgan and Anrew Carnegie founded large operations are known as trusts. These trusts helped them build their wealth and business empires and laid the foundation for modern America. To achieve this, the businessmen turned to methods that are seen as unscrupulous. Their methods and behavior led to a debate on wheter they are Captains of Industry, who contribute positively to the country, or Robber Barons, who utilized questionable tactics to reach their success. The industrialists of the Gilded Age were Robber Barons, because they treated workers badly, ruined competition and used manipulation and bribery to keep themselves in power.

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.

He was the son of John Hancock and Mary Hawke. In 1742, his father died and Thomas Hancock, his uncle, later adopted him. He enrolled in Harvard University and received a master’s degree in 1750. After graduating, he worked for his uncles shipbuilding business. John eventually took over the business and became one of the wealthiest men in America.

There are two types of businessmen in this world, “Robber Barons” and “Captains of Industry”. “Robber Baron” is a idiom established during the United States Industrial Revolution of the 1800s. It is used to describe demeaning businessman that are wealthy industrialist, those who monopolize companies, and use unfair practices within their businesses. On the other hand “Captains of Industry” are positive businessman that contribute to the nation. For instance they provide jobs, increase productivity, expand the markets, and increase trade. Some even make generous philanthropies to the people who are less fortunate. Although it is good to be a “Captain of Industry”, Rockefeller and Walton were both degrading “Robber Barons”. From this moment forward

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.

Topic: Should Andrew Carnegie be described as a “captain of industry” or a “robber baron”?

Almost immediately after his arrival, Carnegie took a job in a cotton mill changing bobbins shortly after his family’s arrival. He worked from sunrise to sunset six days a week, receiving minimum pay. However, he was permitted to read in the library provided for the workers and did so avidly, nurturing his love of reading and books. Similarly to Carnegie’s immigration, Rockefeller and his family moved to Cleveland. However, unlike Carnegie, he attended high school and went on to attend business school for a short time. The two now had the experience necessary to launch their careers.

“To try to make the world in some way better than you found it is to have a noble motive in life.” This quote by Andrew Carnegie is a an accurate summary of the way Carnegie strived to live his life. Carnegie’s story began in Dunfermline, Scotland, in 1835, when he was born to lowly weaver Will Carnegie and his wife Margaret(“Andrew Carnegie: Pioneer.”). When Carnegie was thirteen years old, his family along with five-year-old Tom Carnegie, sold much of their belongings and sailed to America specifically Allegheny, PA. Will obtained ownership of a relative’s weaving shp after moving into the two rooms above it. Sadly, the business soon failed, puting the Carnegies in need of money once again(“Andrew Carnegie: Pioneer.”). Andrew soon joined

The late nineteenth century was a pivotal moment in American history. During this time, the Industrial Revolution transformed the nation, railroads had dissipated all throughout the country, and economic classes began to form, separating the wealthy from the poor. One of the wealthiest men of this generation was Andrew Carnegie, a Scottish immigrant who fled to America to make millions off the railroad, oil and even steel businesses. Carnegie is considered one of the richest men in history, and even with all that wealth he decided to give back to the community. As a matter of fact, Carnegie donated most of his funds to charities, universities and libraries in his last few years. He believed that if the wealthy don't give back some of their profits to the community, they are living a dishonorable life, and although I didn't necessarily agree with this radical viewpoint at first, I now am a firm believer in Carnegie's argument about wealth.