Robber Baron Document Rankings

Power Rank 1:  Document Number: 5

Why do you believe it best represents the era you have been studying?.
This picture of Rockefeller best represents the era we've been studying because it shows how Rockefeller is so much bigger then the government. This could portray that Rockefeller is more powerful then the government, because he is talking about how silly and little the government is. Meaning, that the government can't control all of his actions and money gain. This is accurate because Rockefeller did seem to have more power then the people and the government.
Power Rank 2:  Document Number: 1
Why do you believe it best represents the era you have been studying?
This document best represents the era we've been studying because, this document talks about how people like Rockefeller have no morals. This document also talks about how these people are taking money from the community and common people, which is true of the rich people of this time. This is accurate because it is saying how big money people should be more kind to the poor and not be so greedy with their money because they are taking so much from the less fortunate.
Power Rank 3:  Document Number: 11
Why do you believe it best represents the era you have been studying?
This document best represents the era we've been studying because, this document talks about how the power and income for, persue, the railroads, should be taken away from the rich and given to the people who it is created for. Something such as the railroads were created for the community so poor people should not be taken advantage of, according to this document. This is accurate because so many common people were losing money to big buisnesses in this time period.
Power Rank 4:  Document Number: 16
Why do you believe it best represents the era you have been studying?
This document best represents the era we've been studying because, even though it pretty much goes against what i believe represented the industrial era, ("Big Money" people taking the community and common people's money) it does make a few points that i agree with. This document best represents the era because of how the big money people thought, they made the money so they should be able to keep it. I honestly agree with that a little, but it is also how the era is represented because it shows someone's perspective that isn't a common civilian.
Power Rank 5:  Document Number: 18
Why do you believe it best represents the era you have been studying?
Again, this document goes against my views on the big buisness people taking everyone's money because it is supporting Rockefeller because of his contributions to his community. This does however show the perspective of someone who supported Rockefeller and it is accurate because it does show just how much money he had to spare, and how much he was willing to spend on the community with all of his extra money.

Age of Railroads

1. What problems did employees of the railroad companies face?
Some problems that employees of the railroad companies faced were attacks from the Native Americans as they were laying out the tracks on "treacherous terrain". Another problem these employees endured is disease and also some accidents that happened while working. This lead to the statistic of 2000 deaths and 20,000 injured.
2. What was it like to live as a Pullman employee in the town of Pullman?
Living as a Pullman employee in the town of Pullman was actually not too bad. The town of Pullman was basically made up of housing for all the workers of the Pullman company. According to the text, the houses were "clean, well-contructed brick houses and apartment building with at least one window in every room" The town also included basically everything a normal town would consist of, including the doctor's office, shops, etc. One of the downsides of living in this town though, is that it was a very strict town. For example, there was no consumption of alcohol allowed. There was good reason for the strictly enforced rules though, the better the employees health and well-being is, the better workers they would be for the company, so the town had to be tightly maintained. However, when pay cuts happened, but the price of rent stayed the way it was before pay cuts, there was a strike in 1894.
3. Who was involved in Crédit Mobilier, and what was the purpose of this company?
The people involved in the Credit Mobilier were stockholders in the Union Pacific Railroad who decided that they would make a contract that let workers "lay down track at two or three times the actual cost" and the money that was profited was donated to representatives in congress. The purpose of this company was simply to sway representatives with the profit they took in from the stockholders, which would've given the Republican party a benefit.
4. In what ways did the railroad companies use their power to hurt farmers?
The railroad companies used their power to hurt farmers by doing a few different things. One of these things was not using the government land grants properly, by selling them to other businessed instead of the settlers which is where they were supposed to go in the first place. Something else the railroad companies did to hurt the farmers is that they charged different customers different prices, usually not in a very fair manor either. For example, a short trip would cost more then a longer trip on the train.
5. Why didn’t the decision in the Munn v. Illinois case succeed in checking the power of the railroads? This case didn't succeed in checking the power of the railroads because, even though the decision in this case was to keep the Granger laws, and also gave the right to the goverment to "regulate private industry to serve the public intrest" later on the supreme court made another ruling. This ruling stated that states could not regulate rates on railroad traffic that was going or coming from another state. This fails to check the power of the railroads because it basically put them back where they started.
6. Why didn’t the Interstate Commerce Act immediately limit the power of the railroads?
The ICA didn't immediately limit the power of the railroads because they "had difficulty regulating railroad rates because of a long legal process and resistance from the railroads" which basically means that there was a long process to go through in order to limit the power of the railroads and also that the railroads didn't want their pwer to be limited, so they were fighting back.

Big Business and Labor

1. What is it?                    B.  How did it help businesses such as the Carnegie Company and tycoons like Andrew Carnegie?

1. Vertical integration

A. Vertical Integration is the process in which one buys their own suppliers.


B. This helped businesses such as the Carnegie Company because one could buy everything they needed, from themselves, so they could make everything they need super cheap and very easy for themselves to obtain.

2. Horizontal integration

A. Horizontal integration is the process in which companies by out their competitiors or companies with similar products.


B. This helped businesses such as the Carnegie Company because it eliminated competitors and made it so that one company could sell one product, and everyone would have to go to that one company for the product.

3. Social Darwinism

A. This was basically a philosophy stated by some businesses that it was okay to be the only company selling one product, similar to Darwin's theories of survival of the fittest. If one was able to have a good business, then why should it be tampered with.


B. This helped businesses such as the Carnegie Company because it made it so that one could have a monopoly and it be legal; that it was alright with everyone to have a big business and put other ones that were not adequit out of buisness, therefore also helping the bigger business because it gets rid of competitors like the horizontal intregration.


4. Monopoly

A. When one has "complete control over it's industry's production, wages, and prices"


B. This helped businesses such as the Carnegie Company because one could have a monopoly. If one had a monopoly, they basically had total control over one thing, meaning there were no other places to buy the item, some one person could over charge and get even more rich from the over-pricing of one item.


5. Holding company

A. A holding company is something that can be set up that is a "corporation that did nothing but buy out the stock of other companies"

B. This helped businesses such as the Carnegie Company because again, it would eliminate competitors so there would onloy be one place to by a certain product, and the product would most likely be overpriced because there is only one place to get it. Inturn, this had a positive effect on a company because they could make more money.


6. Trust

A. A trust is something in which someone gives their stocks over to a group of trustees, who ran seperate companies as one large cooperation.


B.This helped businesses such as the Carnegie Company because the bigger companies got some of the profits made by the trusts, so they were able to make more money for their company.



7. The perception of tycoons as “robber barons”

C. How did it harm businesses such as Standard Oil and tycoons like John D. Rockefeller?

The perception of Tycoons as "robber barons" harmed businesses such as Standard Oil and tycoons like John D. Rockefeller because it could've possibly made people fear buying one item from one producer, in fear that they may soon have complete control over it and charge more then the price should be for the item.



8. Sherman Antitrust Act

C. How did it harm businesses such as Standard Oil and tycoons like John D. Rockefeller?

The Sherman Antitrust Act harmed businesses such as Standard Oil and tycoons like John D. Rockefeller because the act stated that it was illegal to form a trust that interferred with free trade between states and other countries which meant that it would be more difficult for someone to make a profit off of a trust, seeing as free trade between states and other countries had never before been an obstacle, and a monopoly wouldn't have been a problem because it didn't matter if it affected free tr4ade between states and other countries.

Expansion of Industry

Factor 1: Abundant Natural Resources

A. Which resources played crucial roles in industrialization?

Some resources which played crucial roles in industrialization were oil (kerosene).

B. How did Edwin L. Drake help industry to acquire larger quantities of oil?
Edwin L. Drake helped industries to aquire larger quantities of oil because he had "successfully used a steam engine to drill for oil " which made it a lot easier to get oil from the ground and therefore pushed the oil drilling industry foward.

C. How did the Bessemer process allow better use of iron ore?
The Bessemer process allowed better use of iron ore because through this process air was injected into molten iron to remove carbon and other things. This made steel and thus made a better use of the iron ore.

D. What new uses for steel were developed at this time?
Some new uses for steel that were developed were mainly rails for the railroads that were being developed, along with barbed wire and some farming machines.


Factor 2: Increasing number of Inventions

A. How did Thomas Alva Edison contribute to this development?
Thomas Alva Edison contributed to this development because, not only did he invent the first research laboratoy, but he also created the lightbulb ! This later led to his invention of distributing electricity.

B. How did George Westinghouse contribute to it? 

George Westinghouse contributed to this development because he "added innovations that made electricity safer and less  expensive."

C. How did Christopher Sholes contribute? 
Christopher Sholes contributed to this development because he invented the typewriter.

D. How did Alexandar Graham Bell contribute?
Alexandar Graham Bell contributed to this development because he invented the telephone (along with Thomas Watson) which obviously chamged the world's way of communication.

Factor 3: Expanding Urban Populations Provided new markets for inventions and industrial goods; and provided a ready supply of labor for industry

Factor 4: Government Support of Rapid Industrialization

Tarbell's History of Standard Oil

1. How did Rockefeller set out to aquire control of the oil industry?
Rockefeller did a lot to aquire control of the oil industry. One of the first things he did was have pure dedication to aquireing the control of the industry. As the readings says, "It seemed to be an intellectual necessity for him to be able to direct the course of any particular gallon of oil from the moment it gushed from the earth until it went into the lamp of a housewife" which is a quote that basically proves what dedication Rockefeller had to gaining control of the oil industry. Another way Rockefeller set out to aquire control of the oil industry was to further the advances in transporting and refining oil. According to the reading, " that Mr. Rockefeller inherited when he succeeded in corralling the refining and transporting of oil" which shows that Rockefeller did help advance the technologies on refining and transporting oil, which overall helped him aquire control of the oil industry.

2. Do you think Rockefeller deserved to be called a "robber baron?" Why or why not?
I do believe Rockefeller deserved to be called a robber baron because he did "become welathy by exploiting natural resources" He most indefinitly exploited natural resources by finding new ways to refine and transport the oil, oil being a natural resource. This eventually made him have control of the oil industry and being in control of really any industry can make you wealthy. According to the reading "If a dealer bought out a barrel of oil a year, it must be from Mr. Rockefeller " which implies that Rockefeller had complete control over the oil industry. This also leads to the conclusion that any oil being bought was from Rockefeller, and thus he turned up a profit and earns the right to be called a robber baron.