Political Cartoon Essay On America's Robber Barons

Political Cartoon Essay on America’s Robber Barons Throughout the late 19th century a group of men held control over the economy of the United States. This group consisted of men who were beyond wealthy. They owned almost every facet of the economy through monopolism and other practices that are not considered legal. With the government of the time partaking in what is called laissez faire capitalism, these men were allowed to begin building what could be considered an empire without federal interference. Notable examples of such men included under the title of robber barons were Cornelius Vanderbilt, Andrew Carnegie, J.P. Morgan, John D. Rockefeller, Jay Gould, Jim Fisk, and Russel Sage along with many others. (McNamara) The wealth of these
These sacks have things like wages, taxes and interest written on them. This represents what the working and middle class people of America had to pay the robber barons. These are all things that the trusts of America had complete control over and arranged them so that they themselves received hefty compensation at the dismay of many citizens. The image is summed up with the banner held behind the trustees. “War of Tariff & Monopoly”. The artist declares that these acts could be viewed as an act of war against the American people. A one sided war that can only be solved by the legislators of Congress. Unfortunately the trustees have them in the palm of their hand in the form of a sword. The artist cleverly relates the past to the future, clearly states his position on the issues, while visually drawing parallels between robber barons and medieval nobility along with the working class of America and peasants of the Middle Ages. History does indeed repeat itself but by that standard, that time of war will pass and bring about an era of peace. That is what I can infer from this political