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.