The Robber Barons Of The Gilded Age

He said in his veto message “It is easy to conceive that great evils to our country and its institutions might flow from such a concentration of power in the hands of a few men irresponsible to the people.” He is saying that the bank is being taken over by the rich and that the bank isn’t helping the common men at all. This shows his concern for economic equality because he cares about the common men and how they are being treated economically compared to the rich and wealthy. Jackson’s veto killed that power and by 1833 the bank was gone. Andrew Jackson also showed his concern for economic equality in 1828 when he supported the common men even though they weren't rich and wealthy. He took in their concerns and he treated both rich and poor with the same amount of respect and they respected him.

The amount of wealth amassed by the top 1% of the population began to unnerve the American public and politicians alike. The rich got richer while the rest remained stagnant or became poorer. Labor strikes and riots were common during the time. Policies were put into place to prevent individuals from gaining this much power ever again. In todays’ modern Gilded Age loopholes have been exploited and the rich are becoming just as powerful as they have ever been.

During the Gilded age billionaires like Carnegie, Vanderbilt, and Rockefeller were earning massive profits off of the backs of cheap, underpaid labor. Working conditions in the late nineteenth century were terrible and the pay was even worse.Workers would work for 12 hour days in harsh dangerous conditions with no job security and no safety standards These employees would earn a bare minimum wage of one dollar a day for six days a week. Outraged workers wanted better conditions and better pay, so they formed unions like the Knights of Labor (KoL) and the American Federation of Labor (AFL). These unions fought for eight hour work days, better conditions, and better pay along with other topics. The Knights of Labor included black and female members unlike the American Federation of Labor.

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. This was caused by the lack of regulations and laws which allowed businessmen to get away with paying their employees unethically low wages without benefits.

During the Gilded Age billionaires like Carnegie, Vanderbilt, and Rockefeller were earning massive profits off of the backs of underpaid labor. Working conditions in the late nineteenth century were terrible and the pay was even worse.Workers would work for 12-hour days in harsh, dangerous conditions with no job security and no safety standards These employees would earn a bare minimum wage of one dollar a day for six days a week. Outraged workers wanted better conditions and better pay, so they formed unions like the Knights of Labor (KoL) and the American Federation of Labor (AFL). These unions fought for eight-hour work days, better conditions, and better pay along with other demands. The Knights of Labor included black and female members, unlike the American Federation of Labor.

The railroads were the first big businesses in America, and the Pennsylvania was one of the largest of them all. Carnegie learned much about management and cost control during these years, and from Scott in particular. American railroads had become the largest companies in the world, but a new industry emerged to challenge the railroads—the age of oil. But as railroad men like Tom Scott and his protege Andrew Carnegie took on big oil. Under the condition, Rockefeller declared war on the railroads.

Morgan used his ambitious persona to help stabilize American financial markets during several economic crises, including the panic of 1907. Morgan’s banking firm built the structure of the most prominent American industries in the Gilded Age beginning with the railroad. During Morgan’s dominant years the American economy grew immensely. Through his funding and investments, companies could thrive during the golden years of the American

The Dust Bowl and the Great Depression are two, pure examples of America’s weakest moments. American citizens struggle to find jobs and maintain hope from the 1920s and 1930s, causing them to sacrifice personal belongings in order to survive. In the novel, The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck, exhibits the impact of greed, money, and power has on economic corruption, making it nearly impossible to recover. Greed is one of the major components of the Dust Bowl. In chapter 14, Midwestern landowners demonstrate greed because, “The land company—that's the bank when it has land—wants tractors, not families on the land.” (Steinbeck 101).

Despite what Rauchway says, In my personal opinion, I believe Eric Rauchway was way too critical of Herbert Hoover for he had to deal with a seemingly powerful economy completely falling apart. He was a smart, hard working, and had one of the best mental understandings of economist, greater than any other president in the the twentieth century. However Herbert Hoover couldn’t maintain his political party because he did not have enough political warmth. As

Furthermore, Steinbeck describes the bank as "something more than men... It's the monster. Men made it, but they can't control it," (Steinbeck 37) and there was no man who can punish them for taking advantage of them. Steinbeck also writes that "they [the banks] breathe profits; they eat the interest on money. If they don't get it, they die the way you die without air, without side-meat" (Steinbeck 37).