Robber Barons Dbq Analysis
The time period from 1870 until 1900 has been called the Gilded Age. This name coined by Mark Twain speaks volumes to what was occurring at the time. The big businesses were rising and along with them technological progress and a lower cost of living; this is the gold plating. Also during this time, corruption was running rampant and poor workers were exploited in order to produce more for their robber baron bosses; this is the gold layer peeled back. Big businesses played a massive role in the economy and politics during the gilded age, as the trusts made the U.S. into a manufacturing powerhouse and they corrupted politicians into not acting on injustices, leading to varying responses from the people such as unionizing, protesting, or rioting.
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The newly present big businesses changed the American economy in that they fundamentally changed the life of the worker and they caused America’s manufacturing to flourish. The large companies were run by business giants such as Cornelius Vanderbilt or John Rockefeller. Their companies were so large that they could afford to not care about the well being of the worker leading to the American worker’s way of life taking a radical change for the worse. David Wells puts this into idea into words when he says, “People who work in the modern factory are...taught to do one thing…they are in a measure helpless” (Document C). David’s point of view as an economist living during the time gives him the unique ability to look at the system as a whole, which is extremely valuable because it allows him to see the problems of the bigger picture. He comes to the conclusion that companies have been able to specialize labor therefore making the workers unskilled. These unskilled workers are easy to replace which gives companies enough leverage over workers to force them to work in sweatshops, a common issue of the time. The leverage was if they complained about conditions they were simply replaced. We can see big businesses clearly impacted America’s workers negatively but they also did some good to America; they turned it into a manufacturing powerhouse. The indexed prices chart shows the broad economic impact the manufacturing businesses had. The cost of living declined slightly during this time, showing that companies were able to lower their prices to more manageable numbers for the people. We also see the price of food, fuel, and lighting significantly decrease due to inventors such as Thomas Edison advancing technology (Document A). These two reasons clearly show businesses massive impact on the economy. These huge changes prompted political response to the rise of big business. The massive rise of large companies in the 1870s to the 1900s either prompted the government to action, or the companies were able to corrupt politicians in order to not have to deal with government intervention.
It's important to understand that during this time the government rarely acted on the violation of workers and when they did they often acted in favor of the company due to the widespread corruption. George McNeill tells us that robber barons “can control legislative bodies, dictate legislation,[and] subsidize the press” (Document B) and by doing this he shows that his goal is to expose corruption and anger the people. This is his goal because his point of view is that of a labor leader. He doesn't give proof but rather means to call the people to action based on their anger. He outright states there is corruption, showing in one simple sentence the great impact that businesses had on politics. In Keppler’s political cartoon the audience is similar to McNeill’s because the medium of a cartoon’s intention is to call the people to action. A key detail that can easily be overlooked is the closed door of the people. This is the artist saying that not only are the massive trusts allowed into government, the people are forced out of it (Document D). What the artist didn't know is that just a year later the Sherman Antitrust Act would be passed, signifying the opening of the door for the people. This act, though it failed, showed that the government wanted to work for the people by trying to shut down trusts. The corrupt government, exploitation of the worker, and very little effective action by the government prompted response from the
people. The American public was upset with the government because they didn't stop poor work conditions, so they fought for rights through groups such as unions and political parties. The context behind labor unions is key because they were often crushed or had little impact and it was therefore a big deal when any meaningful change occurred. We can see a political party that was partially successful in the Populist party. We see in their platform that “we seek to restore the government of the republic to the hands of the ‘plain people’”(Document F). The message of their party is made clear from just this statement. They are responding to the fact that business runs the government and they want the people to be in control. The audience they are speaking to is significant because they are clearly trying to bring people to their cause and make themselves clear. Samuel Gompers responds to similar events by saying “[humans] should have a better consideration than inanimate and dormant things”(Document G). He is responding to the fact that people are treated like objects by companies, and wants this injustice to end. These two examples clearly show that the people responded angrily to the businesses impact on the economy and politics. This time period’s problem of big business being too involved in government is scarily similar to what is occurring today. There are corporate lobbyists whose only job is to make the government do what their employer wants. This analogous to the corruption that occurred with businesses trying to buy politicians in the 1870s, with the only difference being that in this day and age, the corruption is legal. Clearly big business had a massive impact on the economy as they shaped the definition of what it means to be a worker. They also had the ear of the politicians giving them massive political impact. The people didn't like the power these companies had and called for the power to be returned to the people.
The newly present big businesses changed the American economy in that they fundamentally changed the life of the worker and they caused America’s manufacturing to flourish. The large companies were run by business giants such as Cornelius Vanderbilt or John Rockefeller. Their companies were so large that they could afford to not care about the well being of the worker leading to the American worker’s way of life taking a radical change for the worse. David Wells puts this into idea into words when he says, “People who work in the modern factory are...taught to do one thing…they are in a measure helpless” (Document C). David’s point of view as an economist living during the time gives him the unique ability to look at the system as a whole, which is extremely valuable because it allows him to see the problems of the bigger picture. He comes to the conclusion that companies have been able to specialize labor therefore making the workers unskilled. These unskilled workers are easy to replace which gives companies enough leverage over workers to force them to work in sweatshops, a common issue of the time. The leverage was if they complained about conditions they were simply replaced. We can see big businesses clearly impacted America’s workers negatively but they also did some good to America; they turned it into a manufacturing powerhouse. The indexed prices chart shows the broad economic impact the manufacturing businesses had. The cost of living declined slightly during this time, showing that companies were able to lower their prices to more manageable numbers for the people. We also see the price of food, fuel, and lighting significantly decrease due to inventors such as Thomas Edison advancing technology (Document A). These two reasons clearly show businesses massive impact on the economy. These huge changes prompted political response to the rise of big business. The massive rise of large companies in the 1870s to the 1900s either prompted the government to action, or the companies were able to corrupt politicians in order to not have to deal with government intervention.
It's important to understand that during this time the government rarely acted on the violation of workers and when they did they often acted in favor of the company due to the widespread corruption. George McNeill tells us that robber barons “can control legislative bodies, dictate legislation,[and] subsidize the press” (Document B) and by doing this he shows that his goal is to expose corruption and anger the people. This is his goal because his point of view is that of a labor leader. He doesn't give proof but rather means to call the people to action based on their anger. He outright states there is corruption, showing in one simple sentence the great impact that businesses had on politics. In Keppler’s political cartoon the audience is similar to McNeill’s because the medium of a cartoon’s intention is to call the people to action. A key detail that can easily be overlooked is the closed door of the people. This is the artist saying that not only are the massive trusts allowed into government, the people are forced out of it (Document D). What the artist didn't know is that just a year later the Sherman Antitrust Act would be passed, signifying the opening of the door for the people. This act, though it failed, showed that the government wanted to work for the people by trying to shut down trusts. The corrupt government, exploitation of the worker, and very little effective action by the government prompted response from the
people. The American public was upset with the government because they didn't stop poor work conditions, so they fought for rights through groups such as unions and political parties. The context behind labor unions is key because they were often crushed or had little impact and it was therefore a big deal when any meaningful change occurred. We can see a political party that was partially successful in the Populist party. We see in their platform that “we seek to restore the government of the republic to the hands of the ‘plain people’”(Document F). The message of their party is made clear from just this statement. They are responding to the fact that business runs the government and they want the people to be in control. The audience they are speaking to is significant because they are clearly trying to bring people to their cause and make themselves clear. Samuel Gompers responds to similar events by saying “[humans] should have a better consideration than inanimate and dormant things”(Document G). He is responding to the fact that people are treated like objects by companies, and wants this injustice to end. These two examples clearly show that the people responded angrily to the businesses impact on the economy and politics. This time period’s problem of big business being too involved in government is scarily similar to what is occurring today. There are corporate lobbyists whose only job is to make the government do what their employer wants. This analogous to the corruption that occurred with businesses trying to buy politicians in the 1870s, with the only difference being that in this day and age, the corruption is legal. Clearly big business had a massive impact on the economy as they shaped the definition of what it means to be a worker. They also had the ear of the politicians giving them massive political impact. The people didn't like the power these companies had and called for the power to be returned to the people.