Impact Of Robber Barons Of The Gilded Age

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The Robber Barons of the Gilded Age The Gilded Age was an era where there was a growth of industry, political corruption and wealth that was supported by materialism in the late 19th Century. This term was created by Mark Twain for its bright and neat appearance on the outside while it’s filled with corrupted and unethical content. It produced new cultural movements, public reform events, and political debates over economic and social policies. Historians from this time period have often been portrayed as “captains of industry” by using their wealth to positively contribute to the country through things like increased productivity, expansion of markets, providing more jobs, or acts of philanthropy. However, because of the split in working classes, terrible working conditions, and unregulated businesses, “robber barons” is a more accurate characterization of those capitalists.…show more content…
In Henry George’s book, Progress and Poverty, he wrote about how those who were already rich continued to become wealthier as the poor become more defenseless and vulnerable (Doc. A). Although there are all these wealthy people coming about they were not doing anything to help or simply provide the poor with hope. In Andrew Carnegie’s article called Gospel of Wealth, he acknowledged how the wealthy should act on behalf of the poor and use their wealth for good (Doc. C). With the imbalance of power and how the wealthy are becoming wealthier but are not doing anything for the poor, this illustrates how the capitalists of the time were robber barons and not captains of
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