Robber Barons - Historical Essay

John Seratt

History 1302

Mr. Fitz-Gerald

21, Sept. 2016

Robber Barons - Historical Essay

        In the United States during the 19th century, our country’s industry started going through what some called the second Industrial Revolution. Even though industrialization wasn’t new to the United States at this time, the tremendous scale and nature of this revolution was on a totally new level. The size of the growing industries were larger than anything our country had seen before. As stated by Michael Schaller, “‘Big business,’ as Americans referred to these new enterprises, generated unprecedented wealth for those who emerged victorious in the fierce competition that marked the era.”^[1] Because of the cut-throat, monopolistic, and some say unethical ways that these new industrialists used, many people called them “robber barons”. The term was used to describe this new class of extremely wealthy businessmen and it infers that they were all ruthless, uncaring and willing to do anything to take complete control of vital industries.

        In my opinion though, I consider these new industrialists of the United States “captains of industry”. I don’t think that they are “robber barons”. I feel like they basically single handedly shaped our country’s most important industries into the global giants that they are today. Some of the men that are considered “robber barons” are people such as John D. Rockefeller, the founder of the Standard Oil Company, Andrew Carnegie, the steel tycoon, J.P. Morgan, the financier and banker, and Cornelius Vanderbilt, the steam boat and railroad owner. These men are the ones that paved the way for all “Big Business” and anyone who is after “The American Dream” of being able to become wealthy and a self-made man. One thing all of the men have in common is that they are all very hardworking, cunning, strong minded and not afraid to get or take what they want. A great example of the resolve that these “captains of industry” had comes from a quote from Robert McNamara, “Cornelius Vanderbilt, rising from very humble roots as the operator of one small ferry in New York Harbor, the man who would become known as "The Commodore" would dominate the entire transportation industry in the United States.”^[2] From there Vanderbilt would continue on to become the richest man in America at one point.