Robber Barons

Robber Barons

This image was really interesting to me in the way it portrays robber baron’s compared to their workers. The Gilded age was a time of extreme division in wealth and poverty. Workers were very unhappy about wages and conditions. In this image you can see only 4 men sitting on top of bags of money while many men hold the raft above water. Robber baron was a referring to a business man in the 19th century who engaged in unethical and monopolistic practices. Robber barons gained immense political influence and gained enormous wealth. While this was the lifestyle for them, their workers suffered barely making enough money to stay afloat. The image shows how clothing workers averaged $9 dollars a week, iron workers averaged $7 dollars a week, lumbar workers $6 a week. Since businesses had little regulation, by lai it was possible for a few amount of men to dominate industries. Men like Cornelius Vanderbilt. Cyrus Field, Jay Gould, Russell Stage are all portrayed by this image. Events such as the Homestead Strike and the Pullman Strike showed the publics resentment toward the wealthy.

Puck Magazine

The Protectors of Our Industries. 1883. Puck Magazine, New York City. Web.

http://history1800s.about.com/od/1800sglossary/g/Robber-Baron-definition.htm

December 13th, 2015

Erin Donlon