During the Gilded Age, there was great debate as to whether the rich businessmen should be considered "captains of industry" (brilliant businessmen who did amazing things for the country) or "robber barons" (evil and corrupt businessmen who were greedy and selfish at the expense of the workers and consumers).
Read each of the following actions taken by these businessmen and place it in the category where you think it fits best - is it something that a brilliant and helpful businessman ("captain of industry") would do or is it something that an evil, corrupt, greedy, and selfish businessman ("robber baron") would do?
Although there are no "correct answers" because it is open to interpretation depending on your perspective, the answer key shows the most common answers. If you sort them according to the most common answers, you should end up with 8 actions in the Captains of Industry category and 8 actions in the Robber Barons category.
Contributed to some of the greatest economic growth the country has ever seen
Average worker's wages increased by 20%
Politicians, judges, and other officeholders were bribed to pass certain laws or make certain decisions
Creative, rational, and efficient business methods were developed
Many workers lived in poor housing conditions and worked in dangerous conditions
U.S. railroad mileage increased by 115%
Laws were passed so that workers were not allowed to go on strike
Children were used as laborers in factories and other difficult jobs
Prices on many good increased
Many workers worked long hours for little pay
A new middle class was created (so not everyone was divided into just the upper class and lower class)
Businessmen manipulated the stock market to increase the value of their own stocks
Millions of dollars were given away to museums, libraries, universities, and other causes
Thousands of brand new, cutting-edge inventions were developed
U.S. manufacturing output increased by 180%
Small businesses were destroyed by trusts and monopolies
Captains of Industry
Robber Barons