How Did Rockefeller Influence The Monopolizing The Industry

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Today everyone uses oil. Everything from farming machines and cars for traveling use oil. During the late 1800’s with the help of this oil, the United States prospered in innovation. John Davidson Rockefeller influenced this oil revolution by monopolizing the industry, producing oil in masses. With his refining business and knowledge of how to keep the operating costs down he was able to offer cheaper prices than the competitor. Although today the use of monopolization is illegal, Rockefeller’s use was for the good, to help others by giving them an efficient and reliable power source for its time. Throughout his life, Rockefeller was interested in business. Born on July 8, 1839 in Richford, New York; Rockefeller was born into a middle-income…show more content…
Rockefeller had numerous small companies that before his expansion were in competition for Cleveland's oil business. Many, except for four, refineries in Cleveland had sold to Rockefeller for Standard Oil stock, and many become rich off it. Ida Tarbell’s father owned an oil refinery during Rockefellers rise and was one who did not sell to Rockefeller and struggled to continue independently. Rockefeller was accused of bribing to force the smaller companies to pay more for shipping and taking secret rebates from railroads, Ida Tarbell wrote on this using of monopolism in her book, The History of the Standard Oil Company saying, "As for the ethical side, there is no cure but in an increasing scorn of unfair play -an increasing sense that a thing won by breaking the rules of the game is not worth the winning. When the businessman who fights to secure special privileges, to crowd his competitor off the track by other than fair competitive methods, receives the same summary disdainful ostracism by his fellows that the doctor or lawyer who is "unprofessional," the athlete who abuses the rules, receives, we shall have gone a long way toward making commerce a fit pursuit for our young men." Ida Tarbell was a strong believer in the antitrust laws, influenced by her father. She believed that Rockefeller was influenced by greed rather than the good deed which Rockefeller spoke of himself saying to a partner, “We must ever remember we are refining oil for the poor man and he must have it cheap and
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