Industrial Revolution DBQ

DBQ

The period of the late 1800s and early 1900s was a period during one of the biggest leaps in the industrial movement of America. The industrial revolution's leaders, including Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, and more, provided the nation with much needed inventions and transportation, thousands of job opportunities, and one of the biggest waves of philanthropy the nation has ever seen. The industrial revolution was definitely a period dominated by 'captains of industry.'

'New and improved' was the name of the game during the time of the Industrial Revolution. New inventions like Alexander Graham Bell's telephone in 1876 or Thomas Edison's more practical light bulb in 1879, improved the lifestyles of many Americans. Other inventions
Immigrants, including Chinese, Irish, German, and Scandinavian immigrants, as well as displaced rural workers, flooded urban areas in the hopes of finding employment. The railroad industries captained mainly by Andrew Carnegie and Cornelius Vanderbilt welcomed these immigrants with thousands of job openings. The railroad industry was not the only industry that provided many jobs for these people. Rockefeller's oil industry also provided many jobs for the unemployed. As is shown in Document I, the oil industry, as well as the industries of coal and iron ore, had skyrocketed, in terms of production, by the year 1910. None of this would have been possible without the work of many immigrants and laborers. Also, the production of coal and iron ore helped build other inventions for other uses. Everything worked together to benefit the nation in the
However, this was not the case because much of what the owners of these industries made went straight back out into the community. Andrew Carnegie, probably one of the most philanthropic people of his time, provided the nation with numerous libraries, cultural centers and universities. He even continued his philanthropy by encouraging all other wealthy people to do the same. As displayed in Document E, Carnegie published The Gospel of Wealth, which addressed those who have much wealth, to be charitable with their money and administer it to the community. Others quickly adopted his theory. Vanderbilt and Rockefeller especially contributed as well with many new universities. With the addition of these libraries and universities, knowledge and the chance to improve the nation's industry was more readily available. Also, towns that did not have libraries before had access to them now and they had the ability to enjoy leisure time. This allowed many Americans to greater access to improve literacy as well as to become more educated in other areas. All of these things benefited society by enhancing its educational culture. Even the ballets and operas, that people like Carnegie had founded, added to the newly found culture of the nation. The philanthropy of the Captains of Industry greatly influenced and aided the nation as a