Robber Barons played a huge role in westward expansion as well as the connection between the eastern and western parts of the United States. Names such as Cornelius Vanderbilt, James Hill, and Edward Harriman were all railroad tycoons who shaped the way America transported goods, as well as themselves. After the civil war America entered a second industrial revolution, where capitalism grew, and business tycoons took advantage of poverty and dependence from the American public. These Business tycoons, also known as Robber Barons, were able to take advantage of the way the country was and make money off it. In the late 1800s, wealthy industrialists controlled much of America’s wealth. Many of these "Robber Barons" took advantage of post-Civil