Document Based Question Essay (Robber Barons)

Document Based Question Essay

Robber Barons

Robber Barons did not care about the public at all, other than the fact that they provided money for the big businesses services. Due to this lack of empathy robber barons were able to gain large quantities of money and kept that money through bribery in the congress, theories, and becoming philanthropists.

In an Interview with one of the Robber Barons himself, William H. Vanderbilt said “The public be damned.”. This is a very clear statement as to how him and other rich people thought of the average class. He also claims that they would cut out a piece of track even though it would harm the public in order to save money, but to keep their competition out they had to leave the track in. This shows how far companies like the railroad system are willing to go to keep their money in the form of monopolies and control over competition. Also, In “A Call to Action” James B. Weaver warns his readers that trusts use “threats, intimidation, bribery, fraud, wreck, and pillage.” In order to keep their money and keep the public suppressed. Another article of the time represents the corruption of the Standard Oil Company. It shows Standard Oil as an octopus that has its tentacles strangling the white house and congress.

In the Statement of Pullman Strikers workers are tired of constant change in their wages even though the price of housing (which the employer provides) remains the same. This shows the discontent amongst the working class against the larger corporations. It also puts bluntly the illegal methods that big businesses were willing to go through to control their income.

            Andrew Carnegie, another individual whom amassed large quantities of wealth at this time, argues in “Wealth” that it is essential for there to be an imbalance in money. This is a theory that many robber barons used. They used Charles Darwin “survival of the fittest” to claim that they deserve to have wealth because they worked harder for it. Anyone who wishes to work that hard can earn that much money.

A table representing John D. Rockefeller’s donations to various charities depicts how excessively rich he became from corruption. Rockefeller ended up gifting just under 507 million dollars to public charities such as the Y.M.C.A and the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research. Robber Barons such as Rockefeller felt so guilty from having all this wealth hat they felt obligated to give some of it back to the public.

Robber Barons used illegal methods to suppress the working class and keep their wealth. Their absolute control over the entire system allowed for a monopoly and an increase in wealth.