Mr. Rockefeller is sometimes described by historians as a “robber baron”. What image does this bring to mind? What does this term suggest about Rockefeller?
Introduction
During the Gilded Age (1870’s - 1900), the American Economy shifted its focus from an agricultural
based economy to one that was steeped in industrialization. As a result of the boom of the American
economy, a newly created middle class enjoyed wealth & prosperity. Beyond their reach was an elite
group of wealthy businessmen that controlled much of the economic interests of the United States.
Nearly all of them started out as entrepreneurs, and amassed large fortunes that would later become
wealthy family trusts. These men, such as John D Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, Cornelius
Vanderbilt, and Jay Gould, would not only be defined by their wealth, but would forever be known as
“captains of industry” and “robber barons” in studies of American history.
Mr. Rockefeller is sometimes described by historians as a “robber baron”. What image does this
bring to mind? What does this term suggest about Rockefeller?
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