John D. Rockefeller, Sr. - 2537 Words

$340 billion. This amount, according to Forbes’s website, is John D. Rockefeller, Sr.’s net wealth in today’s dollars. Mr. Rockefeller built his fortune through the oil industry. He founded the Standard Oil Company, which owned about 90% of American refineries and pipelines. Although John D. Rockefeller, Sr. is arguably the richest man in United States history, he was also a deeply despised man. According to PBS’s video on the Rockefellers, he kept a revolver near his bedside because of death and kidnapping threats he and his family received. These threats were mainly due to the fact that a substantial amount of Americans viewed Mr. Rockefeller as a Robber Baron, or someone who is evil, greedy, corrupt, and exploits workers to become extremely wealthy. The term â€Å"Robber Baron† coincides with a greedy, poor, and progressive time in American history that took place after the Civil War and the Reconstruction. It was the Gilded Age (Chernow 226-227, Deane, and O’Donnell). The Civil War ended in 1865, and the United States, especially the South, was in shambles. The federal government tried to repair the damage in the South and restore the Southern states to the Union. This unsuccessful attempt, which lasted from 1865-1877, was called the Reconstruction. Shortly after, the Gilded Age began. Mark Twain was one of the first people to title this era, which spanned from the late 19th century to the turn of the 20th century. Twain uses this title to explain that this period wasShow MoreRelatedJohn Rockefeller: American Business Mogul Essay901 Words   |  4 PagesJohn Davison Rockefeller was born on July 8th, 1839 in Richford, New York. He was the second born of six children in the family. His father, William Avery Rockefeller, was an entrepreneur of his own. He claimed to have the ability to cure patients with cancer and charged up to $25 per treatment. His mother was a very religious and well-organized woman. Growing up Rockefeller started his entre preneurship career early by selling candy and doing jobs for his neighbors. Little did anyone know thisRead More John D. Rockefeller Essay1337 Words   |  6 Pages   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Rockefellers feared the temptations of wealth, yet a visitor once described their estate as the kind of place God would have built if only he’d had the money. They amassed a fortune that outraged a Democratic nation, then gave it all away reshaping America. They were the closest thing the country had to a royal family, but the Rockefellers shunned the public eye. For decades, the Rockefeller name was despised in America, associated with John D. Rockefeller Sr.’s feared monopoly, StandardRead MoreEssay on John D. Rockefeller1369 Words   |  6 Pages15, 2001 The Rockefellers feared the temptations of wealth, yet a visitor once described their estate as the kind of place God would have built if only hed had the money. They amassed a fortune that outraged a Democratic nation, then gave it all away reshaping America. They were the closest thing the country had to a royal family, but the Rockefellers shunned the public eye. For decades, the Rockefeller name was despised in America, associated with John D. Rockefeller Sr.s feared monopolyRead MoreThe Industrial Revolution : The Iron Company Known As Standard Oil Co. Inc.2602 Words   |  11 Pages Mitchell Hollis 5/28/15 Honors D Term Paper Final During the latter half of the nineteenth century, following the immense development in technology known as the Industrial Revolution, the company known as Standard Oil Co. Inc., and its head, John D. Rockefeller, Sr., grew to become, arguably, the most powerful symbol of capitalism in the United States of America. At the top of the nation’s industrial hierarchy was the mysterious, controversial figure held in contemptRead MoreJohn D. Rockefeller And The Gilded Age1697 Words   |  7 Pagesbusiness in 1870, John D. Rockefeller created the Standard Oil Company, which later dominated the entire oil industry. Although he had years filled with success in the business, Rockefeller faced a disastrous court case that dissolved his company and years of his hard work. Despite this catastrophic event, Rockefeller found other ways to contribute his knowledge and hard-work by making innumerable philanthropic donations. After many years and countless efforts, John D. Rockefeller had one of the mostRead MoreJohn D Rockefeller: a Positive Influence on American Industry?4520 Words   |  19 PagesJohn D. Rockefeller Senior is one of the most famous industrialists to date. His fame is well deserved, through decades of hard work that brought prosperity to the American petroleum industry. Rockefeller has been called philanthropist, great man 1 industrial statesmanÂ…, robber baron , thief and other titles of both pleasant and unpleasant nature. His ways of conducting business brought him fame, fortune, and a lawsuit that broke up the Standard Oil Company. Despite these questionable businessRead MoreCaptains of Industry783 Words   |  3 Pagesare indebted to the businessmen who sought to manipulate and dominate the industry. Despite beginnings in poverty, determination and innovation led Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller to become not only captains of industry in their own time, but also legacies of American success. Though very different in personality, Rockefeller and Carnegie were raised under similar circumstances and shared similar convictions in regard to poverty. Growing up in Dunfermline, Scotland, Carnegie experienced theRead MoreThe Legacy Of Laurance Rockefeller Essay1784 Words   |  8 PagesLaurance Rockefeller was regarded as an incredibly important figure in environmentalism. He was very generous with his money, giving it away in the effort to protect special landscapes. Furthermore his money, family, and donations helped him reached very high environmental positions. The Rockefeller Family, the Power Elite, and Noblesse Oblige, can help explain some Laurances life in context. In or der to explain how Laurance climbed his way to the top environmentally, one must start with his familyRead More JD Rockefeller and Ted Turner Essay2213 Words   |  9 Pagesto Riches A Comparative Essay on JD Rockefeller and Ted Turner â€Å"Yet among men there are some endowed with vision, an insight more penetrating and more sustained. To their liberated spirit the world unfolds a farther prospect.† These words were spoken by Carleton Noyes to his class as they were analyzing The Harvard Classics (collection of poetry). This phrase means to reflect the driving genius behind such philanthropist entrepreneurs as John D. Rockefeller and Ted Turner. Both of these ‘supermen’Read MoreJohn D. Rockefeller Vs. Thomas Edison1545 Words   |  7 PagesJohn D. Rockefeller Versus Thomas Edison In 1863, John D. Rockefeller (1839-1937) entered the oil business in Cleveland, Ohio and became one of the world’s wealthiest men by being the founder of the Standard Oil Company. Standard Oil was a major source of income in the late 1800’s, taking up a large percentage of the United States refineries. It eventually became the largest oil refinery in the world. But in 1911, U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the company was not legal due to violations of laws