During the post civil war era, a new age arose, the Gilded Age. In this era, there was an “elite group of people.” These people were both thought of as robber barons and or captains of industry. I believe that the more accurate evaluation for these people is the term, captains of industry. They helped the economy flourish and get back on its feet. They provided jobs, houses, opportunities and much more for this country.
As shown in document C, Andrew Carnegie shows his support towards the Gospel of Wealth. He states that the wealthier men become a source of help for the less fortunate. This document agrees with the point of view that they are captains of industry because they are being generous to the community. They make a surplus amount of money so instead of saving ALL of it and wasting it on worthless things, they donate to the community to try and improve the lives of others. Also, in document B, the Harper’s monthly magazine talks about the “new” industrialized south. It saids that the south now has mines, lines of communications, building furnaces, and all sorts of shops to take advantage of its native riches. This document implies that the captains of industry have influenced not only the North but also the south. Along with the new industrialized south came more jobs. Harper’s magazine stated that the most magnificent change in the south was that there was work for EVERYONE.
Another example of these men being captains of industry can be found in document I. John D. Rockefeller saids that his company, standard oil, makes everything as cheap and profitable. This implies that the workers will have higher wages and that the price for the goods will be lower. With this document, he also implies that his cheap prices and goal to wipe out the competition causes more companies to try to start up and therefore, a lower price. Document H also supports the idea of captains of industry.
Although these men have been thought of as captains of industry, not everyone would agree with that. They have been portrayed as robber barons by many cartoons and other documents. For example, document C is a cartoon that shows the high class men that founded the big companies. They are drawn as big, fat men which implied that they didn’t lack money to eat well and enjoy themselves. Also in this cartoon, you can see the workers
