Robber Barons and More! Oh my!

Robber Barons and More! Oh my!

by Emily Bloodworth

​Andrew Carnegie/Steel

• ​Scottish immigrant who moved to the U.S. and started out very poor.

• ​Used the Bessemer Process, invented by Englishman Henry Bessemer, to strengthen steel quicker and cheaper in the U.S.

• ​Carnegie would own the U.S.'s largest steel monopoly.

• ​Became so wealthy he, along with several other wealthy monopoly owners, was known as a "Robber Baron".

  • ​To make up for his "bad image", he became a philanthropist and donated much of his wealth to the arts, libraries, poor houses, etc.

  • ​Carnegie Hall in New York City is named after him.

​Andrew Carnegie/Steel

​Cornelius Vanderbilt

• ​At the age of 10 bought a ferryboat for $100 to take people from Staten Island to New York City.

• ​Owned several railroad companies and railroad lines.

• ​With his monopoly on one of the main/fastest forms of transportation, Vanderbilt died with a staggering worth of $100 Million.

​Henry Ford

• ​While the assembly line and the automobile were not invented by Henry Ford, he managed to bring the two together.

• ​With division of labor and specialization of workers, Ford was able to make automobiles quicker and cheaper for everyone.

​Child Labor

​Children as young as 10 would work 12 hours a day just to help their families.

​Labor Unions

• ​Low wages, long hours, and dangerous working conditions with no benefits if you were injured on the job were some of the reasons workers united and formed labor unions.

• ​Labor unions often used strikes, or a refusal to work, to have their demands met.

• ​Strikes often turned violent and eventually were not used.

​Labor Unions

• ​National Labor Union (NLU)

  • ​Convinced Congress to pass an 8 hour work day law.

• ​Order of the Knights of Labor

  • ​Used arbitration, a neutral third party, when dealing with their members' companies.

  • ​Disbanded when some of their members bombed a rally and killed several policemen.

​Labor Unions

• ​American Federation of Labor (AFL)

  • ​Led by Samuel Gompers

  • ​Fought for higher wages, shorter work hours, and better working conditions through collective bargaining.

  • ​Because Gompers did this without using strikes as much as possible, companies usually listened to him.