Affidavit

I am a witness for The Gilded Age. The time period of the Gilded Age was roughly around when the Civil War ended right up to when World War II commenced. This period was marked in American history by the massive growth of industry. The iron and steel industry grew dramatically and there was an increased demand for western resources such as lumber, gold, and silver due to the fact that it improved transportation. Railroad development dramatically grew, as trains were needed to move goods from the west to the east. This was Cornelius Vanderbilt’s area of expertise. John D Rockefeller was the founder of the Standard Oil Company, whereas Andrew Carnegie built a Steel Empire from the ground up. However all of these so-called, “geniuses” were robber barons, because they ridiculously rich through their ruthless business deals. The Gilded Age was exactly what the name means; having a pleasing or showy appearance that in all reality conceals something of little worth. Although everything seemed glitzy and glamorous on the outside that was not how it truly was. In 1890, 11 million of the nation’s 12 million families earned less the $1200 a year. From this, the average annual income was only $380, which was well below the poverty line. Many Americans and new immigrants crowded into urban areas, causing them to be teeming with crime and filth. Andrew Carnegie was the creator of the Steel Empire and is considered a Robber Baron because he rose to the top in a very unfair way. The other Robber Barons of this time were also unfair, but what they did was not as severe as to the degree of Carnegie. For example, Rockefeller used his wartime profits to finance his investment in Samuel Andrew’s oil refinery, which eventually led to him creating the Standard Oil Company that then led to his huge fortune. What Rockefeller did differently though was that he was an astute businessman who also knew how to borrow money to finance his projects. Cornelius Vanderbilt realized that the steamship business was going to go down in ruins, so he sold most of his ships to the union Navy and became a railroad tycoon. He eventually acquired the New York & Harlem, the Hudson River, and the New York Central railroads. Through this process, he built himself a nice little fortune of $105,000,000, which made him the richest man in the world. There were many other “Robber Barons” of this time period, and they all took certain measures to obtain their wealth, but Andrew Carnegie became well known for things that were not too great. Manufacturing steel became easier, faster, and more productive due to Carnegie’s plants around the country with his advanced technology for the age. To make these improvements, Carnegie was doing everything he could, even when it came to the expense of his workers. In 1892, the company tried to lower wages at a Steel plant in Homestead, Pennsylvania. The employees objected this. They already had to work in unfair conditions, but now they wanted to lower their wages. They refused to work, and this action is now known as the Homestead Strike of 1892. This conflict between the workers and the local managers became violent after the managers had to call in guards to break up this union. Carnegie always made sure that he was not present at the time of these events, but he organized them all. The managers are underneath Carnegie, and must do as he says. I’m sure that a man as powerful and wealth as Carnegie would allow his managers to do something that he did not approve of and let it go. He was behind every action taken, and many held him accountable for these actions.