John Davison Rockefeller was known as a powerful and world changing person who had control of nearly all oil production and distribution in the U.S. Rockefeller wasn’t always like that, he worked hard at a very young age to become what he is known for today, and that being one of the richest men in his time, and the very first billionaire in the world (Chernow, Ron. 1998), also one of the greatest philanthropists to have lived. A philanthropist is a person who searches to help others, especially by handing out generous donations to good causes. John D. Rockefeller back in his time was the very first american to have had a net worth over one billion dollars, and at the time of his death in 1937 his net worth was 340 billion dollars. Born on July 8th, 1839 on a farm in Richford, in Tioga County, New York with five other siblings and his father William A. and his mother Eliza Rockefeller in Rockefellers time with staying home his father was never home and he took responsibility of being the man in the house so young John went job searching and within six weeks looking for work he ended up being hired by Hewitt & Tuttle a small firm of commision merchants and produce shippers as an assistant bookkeeper. With the job paying fifty-one cents a day, $3.57 cents a week he worked for that much for three months then got raised to 25 dollars a month, in seeing that john was doing well and understood what he was doing he got promoted as the cashier and official bookkeeper (The Rockefeller Archive Center). This is how John supported his family and donated some his earned money to the church. John decided for himself that high school wasn’t fitting for him so he decided to drop out in 1855 to take a business course at Folsom Mercantile College,...
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...n and he became that man because the choices he made and the things he’s done for other people. Even after his death on May 23, 1937 people still know of John D. Rockefeller and how much donations he’s lent to organizations which helped thousands and is still continuing to help people today because Rockefeller built these organizations to help others these organizations he has left behind are doing his philanthropic work for him even while he is in his grave his John D. Rockefeller’s foundation alone has given more than $14 billion in current U.S dollars to thousands of grantees worldwide (Our History - A Powerful Legacy). Not only did Rockefeller leave behind wonderful organizations that are continuing to help others he also helped change the world of medicine and gave scientists the instruments and resources needed to improve on medicine which they are doing today.
It's said that before John D. Rockefeller died, "he gave away about $550,000,000 to charity, more than any other American before him had ever possessed" (98). His money went to schools, churches and also "paid teams of scientists who found cures for yellow fever, meningitis, and hookworm"(97).
These industrialists are the pillars of the American society due to the successful outcomes of their hard works. Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller were both born in an underprivileged families. Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller became the breadwinner of the family at a young age. They both worked hard despite of being born to a
Many people consider Rockefeller a robber of industry because of his forcible ways of gaining his monopolies. Rockefeller was fond of buying out small and large competitors. If the competitors refused to sell they often found Rockefeller cutting the prices of his Standard Oil or in the worst cases, their factories mysteriously blowing up. Rockefeller was obsessed with controlling the oil market and used many of undesirable tactics to flush his competitors out of the market. Rockefeller was also a master of the rebate game. He was one of the most dominant controllers of the railroads. He was so good at the rebate that at some times he skillfully commanded the rail road to pay rebates to his standard oil company on the traffic of other competitors. He was able to do this because his oil traffic was so high that he could make or break a section of a railroad a railroad company by simply not running...
These were the great men during their time. They took the American dream and made it come true. These were risk takers and men that recognized opportunity. The time after the Civil War saw the creation of an industrial business boom. These men were either in the right place at the right time, but no matter the reason they succeeded. The most important part is that they show us that with determination and patience you can make a life for yourself. These men were not selfish with there money. Carnegie and Rockefeller both gave millions upon millions of dollars to charities and other causes.
...ckefeller, in order to soften the appearance of him and his company, he also engaged in philanthropy and founded the University of Chicago and the Rockefeller foundation which helped educational institutions.
To describe John D. Rockefeller in one word would be an extremely difficult, if not impossible thing to do. Rockefeller was known by so many things in his time and still today; a captain of industry who revolutionised the American economy with new business practices and keen management of what he controlled, a robber baron who lied and cheated his way to the top with back room dealings and taking advantage of the most disadvantaged of people. In his early life, Rockefeller grew up in Richmond, New York with his two brothers and two sisters about 20 years before the start of the Civil War as the child of Eliza Davison and William Avery Rockefeller. His father was con artist who spent most of John’s life traveling selling his various elixirs and his mother was a devout Baptist who John said shaped his life and most of his religious views for the rest of his life. Towards the end of his life, Rockefeller had built up a beyond substantial fortune but, seeing as how he was now retired from the oil industry and had no desire to invest into a new business, he decided to follow Andrew Carnegie's Gospel of Wealth by donating the bulk of his wealth to charity. John D. Rockefeller was truly a man who was almost undefinable despite the simple black and white labels that most people and historians have pinned upon him, as we examine his life it can be determined that Rockefeller was neither an evil man nor a good one but someone who lived his life in the grey.
Rockefeller was the son of a trader, and began in the oil company when he was 20. He knew this was the area to invest in, because coal was being replaced by oil in the power industries. By 1870, he had his first oil business, called the Standard Oil Company. Like Carnegie, Rockefeller used horizontal integration and within two years, he had also created a monopoly. He made more money because he paid his workers extremely low wages and treated them poorly. Unlike Carnegie who offered his workers benefits and stock options, Rockefeller gave his workers poor conditions and even abused them at times. Even though Rockefeller was a philanthropist and gave a lot of his money away, that does not make up for how he treated other people and put people out of business to become wealthy. He is best known for a robber baron because he simply used his power to destroy other businesses. He did whatever he could to control the oil industry, even if that meant stepping on others on the way to his success. He reduced the costs of his company, and he was then able to drive other companies out of business, which is how he became one of the richest men in history.
People like Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, and J.P. Morgan are men who possessed the intellect, the foresight, and most importantly the work ethic to become powerful industrialists. These men displayed their work ethic to the country by being ruthless and tireless. They started something so important that a hundred years later it is still making a huge contribution to our country (Maury Klein pg. 32). What they started was the industrial revolution. Today our country is the most powerful in the world because of our great wealth. This wealth comes from the strength of our industry. “If thou does not sow, thou does not reap”(Hofstadter Recon.-Present Day pg.79). Carnegie, Rockefeller, and Morgan are the epitome of this statement.
...artists, he established the National Endowment for the Humanities and National Endowment for the Arts. He accomplished a great amount to help increase the well-being of all Americans no matter what race, religion or financial status. To this day, Americans are still benefiting from his dreams for Americans and his determination to make life better for all citizens.
John Davison Rockefeller of English and German decent was born on July 8, 1839 in Richford, New York. He grew up in a family of six children him being the second. His father was William Avery Rockefeller a con artist and his mother was Eliza Davison a homemaker. Rockefeller’s father William was infamous for his notorious schemes. When Rockefeller was only a child his father was caught having an affair with their housekeeper Nancy and was also gone f...
There have been many wealthy men Throughout American history, many have been the topic of many heated debates among them, Andrew Carnegie. Andrew Carnegie at one time was the richest man in the world, who immediately after gaining that title began giving his money away. The impact and size of Carnegie’s philanthropic efforts are undeniable, but why he gave so much has been a topic of debate for nearly a century now. Carnegie’s rags to riches story is the epitome of the American dream and has been an inspiration to many entrepreneurs around the world.
John D. Rockefeller, born on July 8, 1839, has had a huge impact on the course of American history, his reputation spans from being a ruthless businessperson to a thoughtful philanthropist (Tarbell 41). He came from a family with not much and lived the American dream, rising to success through his own wit and cunning, riding on the backs of none. His legacy is huge, amassing the greatest private wealth of any American in history. Rockefeller’s influence on our country has been both a positive and a negative one, he donated huge sums of money to various public institutions and revolutionized the petroleum industry. Along with all the positives to the country, Rockefeller also had many negative affects as well, including, by gaining his riches by means of a monopoly, often using illegal methods, by giving others a reason to frown upon capitalism, and by hurting smaller businesses.
John D. Rockefeller was born on July 8, 1839 in Rickford, New York. He grew up in a very poor family. His father was William Avery Rockefeller. He claimed to be a doctor, who for $25 would cure various diseases. His mother was Eliza Davison Rockefeller. She was the role model who taught Rockefeller his values and morals (Poole). John Rockefeller was the second child. Altogether he had five brothers and sisters (Outman 139). As a child he was very business smart. At the young age of 12 he loaned $50 to a famer. He charged a 7% interest. When he was older he said this about the business deal, “The impression was gaining ground with me that it was a good thing to let money be my servant and not make myself a slave to money” (Poole).
A "robber baron" was someone who employed any means necessary to enrich themselves at the expense of their competitors. Did John D. Rockefeller fall into that category or was he one of the "captains of industry", whose shrewd and innovative leadership brought order out of industrial chaos and generated great fortunes that enriched the public welfare through the workings of various philanthropic agencies that these leaders established? In the early 1860s Rockefeller was the founder of the Standard Oil Company, who came to epitomize both the success and excess of corporate capitalism. His company was based in northwestern Pennsylvania.
True, Andrew Carnegie and John D Rockefeller may have been the most influential businessmen of the 19th century, but was the way they conducted business proper? To fully answer this question, we must look at the following: First understand how Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller changed the market of their industries. Second, look at the similarities and differences in how both men achieved domination. Third and lastly, Look at how both men treated their workers and customers in order achieve the most possible profit for their company.