How Is John D Rockefeller A Captain Of Industry

The Progressive Era was a period of immense change during the turn of the nineteenth century. Progressives were a diverse group of politicians and citizens who desired a change in the economic, social, and political atmosphere of the time. Their activism and reform come under question from historians because of their lack of unity, and thus the validity and effectiveness of the movement is challenged. However, the Progressives were successful to a certain extent- they were successful in influencing legislation for general improvements, despite their lack of homogeneity.

Arguably one of the most pivotal points in American history, the industrialization of the 19th century brought about a new way of life, and with that came intense competition and crucial outcomes. Cornelius Vanderbilt, Andrew Carnegie and John D Rockefeller are just a few examples of industrialists that made lasting impacts on society. I believe that these 19th century industrialists did not always play fair, but it was their motivation and intuition behind their choices that credit them as the “Captains of Industry” and helped shape American business. To earn this title, these men had to do whatever it took to stay on top. Being the front runners, they were constantly being targeted and had to fight back to ensure the prosper of their own

The Men who Built America impacted the lifestyle of many Average Americans. These men were great, but also not so great. There were Rubber Barons and Captains of Industry in this time. A Captain of Industry is someone who’s fortune positively impacted the lives of those around them. On the the hand, a Robber Baron was a person who has a big fortune by using selfish behavior and using others to grow their riches.

This investigation will scrutinize the question: To what extent did antitrust laws affect John D. Rockefeller’s company- Standard Oil? To analyze the effectiveness of the antitrust laws, the investigation will focus on the government policies and execution of said policies during the Gilded Age and the Progressive Era (1870-1920). The first source is a cartoon drawn by Horace Taylor for the September 25, 1899 issue of The Verdict named “What a Funny Little Government”. By 1890, Standard Oil dominated 90 percent of the oil industry, thus the publication date strengthens the value of the cartoon itself, since the close proximity enables for the cartoon to capture the perception of the cartoonist as well as the general public.

In the early 1900s, corporations and monopolies were major concerns, especially the larger corporations and monopolies that dominated the market and were controlled by trusts.

This essay will generally analyze the relationship between the government and businesses, and how “Big Business” essentially took control of the Gilded Age. America’s first true big business mostly arose because of the railroads, which is fairly significant, because it essentially helped lead the development of other business barons such as, John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, and J. Pierpont Morgan who all had particularly extraordinary accomplishments in shaping our economy. Most of these men who created big businesses after the Civil War were driven by a compelling desire to become rich and influential.

While many states in the South were utterly destroyed during the Civil War, the former Union states thrived. Large businesses that once made supplies for war now sought to expand into other territories. Simultaneously, large amounts of citizens left the countryside to work in factories. This led to a rapid growth in city populations. The transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869, allowing Americans to travel across the country much faster than ever before.

”(Henretta, Edwards, Self. Page 511). Another example is John D. Rockefeller who became successful during the Civil War because of the kerosene business and borrowed heavily to expand capacity. Through vertical integration, Rockefeller controlled production, sales, oil fields, and developed a distribution network. He became allies with railroad executives, which gave him an edge of competitors.

The industrialization of America brought new big businesses that led to monopolies. Men like J.P. Morgan, Jay Gould, and John D. Rockefeller owned all or nearly all the industry in their respective fields by using vertical and horizontal integration to squeeze out all other

In the period between 1900 and 1920, the federal government and reformers were very successful in bringing social, economic, and political reform to the federal government. While not every aspect of it was successful, the rights of women, fighting against child labor and limiting the control of trusts and monopolies were three distinct successes of that time. Even before the progressive era, women challenged their place and articulated new visions of social, political and economic equality. The progressive era was a turning point for women as organizations evolved fighting for equal rights. Woman began to become very involved in a variety of reform movements.

Thesis : After the Civil War, America was in a post-war boom. During the 1870-1890, big business moguls, such as Rockefeller and Carnegie, create huge corporations which not only affected the economy, but also affected the political realm of America. While many may assume that during the rise of these big business helped to change the economy and politics,  the real focus was on the responses formed by society, such as labor unions, increase public outcry, and political opposition groups that helped to change society. A: Economically, big business flourished during the late 1800s.

During the period of 1870 to 1900 large corporations, such as the railway company, grew significantly in size, number, and influence. The cause of this was the need for a new way of transportation, the demand was great so the railways expanded all over the United States so that they could meet these demands. These large corporations affected the economy by making it easier to pay for everyday chores, politics in the way that it gave politicians too much power but in doing so gave normal limited power. The corporations had great power and influence which made them a huge impact to society.

Also, during this time, the economic industry was booming, advancement in technology, farming influence, politics, businesses, natural resources, transportation and railroads. By the end of 19th century, the middle-class Americans, were known as trusts. Trusts were known as people who controlled competition in the industry. In the late 19th century, the first major trust was John D. Rockefeller, who controlled a substantial part of the oil industry. Andrew Carnegie was another major trust, that controlled the steel industry and stated in the Gospel of Wealth (1889), that if a person consumed wealth, they’re supposed to live frugally and use the extra money to help people in need (Foner, Voices of Freedom, II, 28).

The Gilded Age was a time of good and bad economic growth. In America during post civil war times, years 1870 to 1900, the nation was prospering on the surface, but was corrupt underneath; large businesses took control of the economy, changed society, and influenced politics nefariously. By the end of the nineteenth century, monopolies and trusts exercised a significant degree of control over key aspects of the American economy. Carnegie used vertical integration to take over the steel industry. He then set up a mega trust with Rockefeller, who was in the gas and oil industry, JP Morgan, who was a banker, and Vanderbilt, who was high up in the railroad industry.

Shivam Patel APUSH Mr. Mathison 1/10/14 ​Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) is a highly debated American figure. Many critics question his success in his presidency, while others glorify this battle torn American hero. His presidency was spontaneous. He did not know he was going to become the president, but fate worked its grasp around Roosevelt’s future, turning him from a new Vice President into the youngest appointed President in history. His energy inspired some, and turned away others.