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Cornelius Vanderbilt Robber Baron or Captain of Industry

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Cornelius Vanderbilt Robber Baron or Captain of Industry
ornelius Vanderbilt Robber Baron or Captain of Industry

The 1800's was the beginning of something new for America, It was the rise of American industry. Cornelius Vanderbilt had a huge role in American industry. Vanderbilt was responsible for developing much of the the transportation system in the middle and later part of the 19th century in the North East part of the United States. He was responsible for both boats and trains. I think Cornelius Vanderbilt has made a huge impact on the American Industry because of what he has accomplished in his life like taking over the train industry. Even though he was a very ruthless and determined man he was also a very hardworking and succesful man, I believe Vanderbilts life shows the true story of rags to riches. Cornelius Vanderbilt was born on May 27, 1794 on Staten Island. He belonged to a very poor family and his father earned his living by providing low level transportation services. He entered buiseness at the age of 16 in 1810. He was paid $100 by his mother to clear and plant 8 acres of land. He use the $100 to buy a small vessel and used it to carry frieght and passengers between Manhattan and Staten Island. He quickly got the reputation to be reliable and fearless and he took that reputation with him when he entered the train industry. By the 1840's Vanderbilt had about .3100 steamships and he had become the biggest employer in the United States. Vanderbilt did not only compete with his rival with his low prices but also with comfort, size, speed, luxury and elegance in the steamship passenger transportation industry. In the 1860's Vanderbilt became aware that the big growth in the future for the transportation industry was not by way of water but by way of rail. He became interested is railroad transportation, which was then still in its infancy. Instead of building new railroads, he took the easier route by buying exsisting rail roads. In 1867 he also acquired the Central Railroad and merged it with

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