United States History from 1877 to Present
Dr. Edrene S. McKay  (479) 855-6836  Email: US2013@cox.net
WEB ACTIVITY 1: INDUSTRIAL ENTREPRENEURS:
ROBBER BARONS OR CAPTAINS OF INDUSTRY?
INTRODUCTION
Rapid
Industrialization
The late 19th century witnessed the trend towards the technologically-advanced, industrial nation
that we are today. American society was an ideal vehicle for industrialization. The Protestant
ethic and a belief in free enterprise fostered technological innovation and economic growth. The
country had enormous natural resources and a supply of cheap labor. Labor-saving devices and
new technologies forced farm workers to move to the cities and enter the factories, which also
drew upon cheap immigrant labor.
Philosophy of
Industrialism
The philosophy of industrialism – laissez-faire capitalism, rugged individualism, and social
Darwinism – also drove American industrialism. Small government was the theme of the day.
Hard work and personal achievement were the methods and the goals. America was to be a
nation where people earned their achievements based upon their merits. Nobody summed up
these ideas better than Horatio Alger. His books told stories of honest, hard working young men
who made their fame and fortune through these traditional values. His books were the best
selling books of the time.
Key Industries
By the turn of the century – aided by the spread of a transportation network, new building
materials, energy sources, and communications techniques – the United States had overtaken
Britain in the output of iron and coal and the consumption of raw cotton. In the 20th century the
United States also dominated the new automobile industry, which Henry Ford revolutionized by
introducing a system of assembly-line operations. Ford's success led to the widespread adoption
of mass production techniques in industry.
All of these new technologies made industrialization possible. However, it was not initiated by
machines. It was driven by industrial entrepreneurs. There can be no mistaking their motives:
wealth and power. That was the American dream. However, there is some debate about how they
should be portrayed.
Robber Baron
and Captain of
Industry
Some feel that the powerful industrialists of the Gilded Age should be referred to as Robber
Barons. This view accentuates the negative. It portrays men like Vanderbilt and Rockefeller and
Ford as cruel and ruthless businessmen who would stop at nothing to achieve great wealth.
These robber barons were accused of exploiting workers and forcing horrible working conditions
and unfair labor practices upon the laborer.
Another view of the industrialist is that of Captain of Industry. The term “captain” portrays
these men as ingenious and industrious leaders who transformed the American economy. They
were praised for their business skills as well as for their philanthropy.
THE TASK
Study a 19th
Century
Industrialist
In this activity, you will study the life of one of the following late 19th century industrialists,
decide if he was a robber baron, a captain of industry, or something in between, and present your
conclusions to the class:
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Andrew Carnegie (Steel)
John D. Rockefeller (Oil)
Cornelius Vanderbilt (Steamships and Railroads)
John Pierpont Morgan (Banking and Finance)
Jay Gould (Railroads)
Henry Ford (Automobiles)
Web Activity 1: Industrial Entrepreneurs
PROCESS
1. Develop a
Research
Plan
2. Create a Group
Presentation
Page 2
After meeting with your group, complete an individual Web Activity Research Plan outlining
the scope of the project, potential resources, your specific responsibilities, and the group’s
deadlines
Your presentation should include:
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A thesis statement and supporting arguments
Facts about the industrialist’s life, including:
 Family circumstances at the time of birth
 Early life experiences
 Relationships that influenced him
 Formal education
 Early part-time jobs and work experience
 How he acquired his wealth
 Factors that permitted him to amass a huge fortune
 Was he a self-made man?
 Lifestyle after acquiring wealth
 Influence on the community and politics
 How he (or his related industries) treated workers
 How he spent his money
 Philanthropic efforts
 Positive and negative effects on society
Conclusion about how the industrialist should be portrayed
(i.e., Robber Barron, Captain of Industry, or something else)
A Works Cited section in which you list the title and URL for online resources and the
MLA method for printed sources. (See Easybib.com for an online citation maker.)
3. Reflection
Question
In addition to the research plan and group presentation, each individual will respond in writing to
the following reflection question: “How has the growth of a modern industrial and technological
society been beneficial to us? How has it been harmful? How can we reduce the harmful effects
during future periods of economic development?”
4. Source
Analysis
Finally, each individual will describe the single resource that was most helpful in completing this
project. Do a source analysis (see Guidelines for Source Analysis) of this source, detailing its
strengths and weaknesses, and explaining why you found it so helpful.
SOURCES
These are suggested sources to use as a starting point in your research. You are encouraged to go
beyond them, but do not, under any circumstances, cite reference works (i.e., Wikipedia,
Answer.com, or other encyclopedias or dictionaries) Although these references are a good
starting point and provide a general overview of a topic, they are not considered scholarly
enough for historical research, so do not cite them in your presentation or reflection question.
ANDREW CARNEGIE (STEEL)
 Meet Andrew Carnegie: The Two Andrews
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/carnegie/sfeature/meet_andrews.html
 Meet Amazing Americans: Andrew Carnegie
http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi/aa/carnegie
 The Richest Man in the World: Andrew Carnegie
http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi/aa/carnegie
 Letters about the Homestead Strike
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/carnegie/sfeature/mh_letters.html
 Information about the Carnegie Mansion
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/carnegie/gallery/carnegieman.html
 Carnegie Biography
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/carnegie/peopleevents/pande01.html
 How to Succeed in Life by Andrew Carnegie
Web Activity 1: Industrial Entrepreneurs
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Page 3
http://www.clpgh.org/exhibit/neighborhoods/oakland/oak_n751.html
Andrew Carnegie Preaches the Gospel of Wealth
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/1900/peopleevents/pande2.html
The Gospel of Wealth
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1889carnegie.html
Personal Recollections of Andrew Carnegie
http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/LynCarn.html
JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER (OIL)
 The Rockefellers
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/rockefellers/
 John D. Rockefeller
http://archive.rockefeller.edu/bio/jdrsr.php
 A Fastidious Life
http://www.rockefeller.edu/centennial/jdrexhib.html
 John D. Rockefeller
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USArockefeller.htm
 John /d, Rockefeller and the /standard Oil /company
http://www.micheloud.com/FXM/SO/rock.htm
 JDR
http://www.pocanticohills.org/rockefeller/jdr.htm
 Rockefeller and Standard Oil... Rags to riches...
http://www.bilderberg.org/whatafel.htm
 John D. Rockefeller - A Short Biography (Video)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_y7XbLri4ZE
 “John D. Rockefeller: A Character Study” by Ida /tarbell
http://tarbell.allegheny.edu/archives/jdr.html
 The Dismantling of the Standard Oil Trust
http://www.linfo.org/standardoil.html
CORNEIUS VANDERBILT (STEAMSHIPS AND RAILROADS)
 The House of Vanderbilt
http://www.nps.gov/archive/vama/house_of.html
 Cartoon, "The Great Race for the Western Stakes"
http://loc.harpweek.com/LCPoliticalCartoons/IndexDisplayCartoonMedium.asp?SourceInd
ex=People&IndexText=Fisk%2C+James&UniqueID=33&Year=1870
 Business Biography of Cornelius Vanderbilt
http://www.stfrancis.edu/ba/ghkickul/stuwebs/bbios/biograph/vanderbi.htm
 Vanderbilt Mansion Historical Site
http://www.nps.gov/archive/vama/about.html
 Cornelius Vanderbilt
http://www.voteview.com/vanderb2.htm
 Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt fought war over route through Central America
http://www.vanderbilt.edu/News/register/Mar11_02/story8.html
 Cornelius Vanderbilt
http://www.nnp.org/nni/Publications/Dutch-American/vanderbiltc.html
 Tales of the Commodore
http://www.library.vanderbilt.edu/speccol/vrr/tales.shtml
 Cornelius Vanderbilt
http://www.costarica-net-guide.com/vanderbilt.html
 Why We Should Be Lucky Bill Gates and Warren Buffet Don't Take After Cornelius
Vanderbilt http://hnn.us/articles/43736.html
JOHN PIERPONT MORGAN (BANKING AND FINANCE)
 JP Morgan The most influential banker in history
http://www.financial-inspiration.com/JP-Morgan-biography.html
 J.P. Morgan (Brief Biography}
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/1900/peopleevents/pande10.html
Web Activity 1: Industrial Entrepreneurs
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Page 4
Now It Is Told
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,745650-1,00.html
Capital and Labor
http://www.learner.org/biographyofamerica/prog17/transcript/index.html
First Public Demonstration of Edison's Light Bulb
http://www.americaslibrary.gov/jb/gilded/jb_gilded_edison_1.html
The Morgan Bonds
http://projects.vassar.edu/1896/morganbonds.html
John Pierpont Morgan Quotes
http://thinkexist.com/quotes/john_pierpont_morgan/
The House of Morgan
http://coat.ncf.ca/our_magazine/links/53/morgan.html
John Pierpont Morgan and the American Corporation
http://claver.gprep.org/fac/sjochs/jpmorgan-1.htm
John Pierpont Morgan
http://thehobophilosopher.blogspot.com/2006/02/john-pierpont-morgan.html
JAY GOULD (RAILROADS)
 Jay Gould Biography
http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h866.html
 Digital History: Jay Gould
http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/database/article_display.cfm?HHID=203
 Jay Gould: A Revisionist Interpretation
http://www.h-net.msu.edu/~business/bhcweb/publications/BEHprint/v015/p0055p0068.pdf
 The Fight for the Commission
http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/exhibits/railroad/fight/page3.html
 Jay Gould's Roxbury
http://www.catskillmtn.org/publications/articles/2005-04-jay-gould-s-roxbury.html
 Jay Gould: His Business Career
http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=7725914
 Excesses of the Rich Jay Gould
http://www.trivia-library.com/c/excesses-of-the-rich-and-wealthy-jay-gould.htm
 "To Kill The Other Half…"
http://www.northstarcompass.org/nsc0011/otherhalf.htm
 Midas-/touch
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,928036,00.html
 Dark Genius of Wall Street
http://www.hbs.edu/bhr/archives/bookreviews/81/mklein.pdf
HENRY FORD (AUTOMOBILES)
 The Life of Henry Ford
http://www.hfmgv.org/exhibits/hf/
 The Time 100: Henry Ford
http://www.time.com/time/time100/builder/profile/ford.html
 Spectrum Biographies: Henry Ford
http://www.incwell.com/Biographies/Ford.html
 Henry Ford
http://www.willamette.edu/~fthompso/MgmtCon/Henry_Ford.html
 Henry Ford
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAford.htm
 People and Discoveries: Henry Ford
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/databank/entries/btford.html
 Inventor Henry Ford Biography
http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventors/ford.htm
 Henry Ford Estate: Fair Lane
http://www.henryfordestate.org/
 Henry Ford and the Model T
Web Activity 1: Industrial Entrepreneurs
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EVALUATION
Page 5
http://www.wiley.com/legacy/products/subject/business/forbes/ford.html
Henry Ford and the Nazis
http://reformed-theology.org/html/books/wall_street/chapter_06.htm
Your grade will be based on four components: (1) The group presentation will constitute 50% of
your grade. Individual components, including (2) a research plan and responses to (3) the
reflection question and (4) best source, will make up the remaining 50% of your grade. These
are the criteria for evaluation:
The Presentation (50-pts) should be:
 Original and creative in it's approach to the subject
 Well thought-out, reflecting extensive knowledge of the period under consideration
 The result of substantial research, reading, reflection, and discussion
 Well-documented with extensive citations in the MLA format. Use EasyBib.com
http://easybib.com to create entries automatically for your Works Cited section.
The Research Plan (10-pts) should reveal:
 A carefully-planned and well-coordinated strategy for completion of the project
 Equal distribution of labor
 Realistic deadlines
The Reflections Question (30-pts) should be:
 Original and creative in its approach to the subject.
 Well thought-out, reflecting extensive knowledge of the period under consideration
 The result of substantial research, reading, reflection, and discussion
 500-750 words in length plus an MLA bibliography
The Source Analysis (10-pts) should be:
 Excellent in its analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the site, following the
criteria for source analysis.
 Well thought-out with several excellent examples of why the source was helpful and an
insightful and complete explanation of what made it the "best" resource
 At least 250 words in length