Introduction During the Gilded Age (1870’s - 1900), the American Economy shifted its focus from an agricultural based economy to one that was steeped in industrialization. As a result of the boom of the American economy, a newly created middle class enjoyed wealth & prosperity. Beyond their reach was an elite group of wealthy businessmen that controlled much of the economic interests of the United States. Nearly all of them started out as entrepreneurs, and amassed large fortunes that would later become wealthy family trusts. These men, such as John D Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, Cornelius Vanderbilt, and Jay Gould, would not only be defined by their wealth, but would forever be known as “captains of industry” and “robber barons” in studies of American history. Mr. Carnegie is sometimes described by historians as a “captain of industry”. What image does this bring to mind? What does this term suggest about Carnegie?

Introduction During the Gilded Age (1870’s - 1900), the American Economy shifted its focus from an agricultural based economy to one that was steeped in industrialization. As a result of the boom of the American economy, a newly created middle class enjoyed wealth & prosperity. Beyond their reach was an elite group of wealthy businessmen that controlled much of the economic interests of the United States. Nearly all of them started out as entrepreneurs, and amassed large fortunes that would later become wealthy family trusts. These men, such as John D Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, Cornelius Vanderbilt, and Jay Gould, would not only be defined by their wealth, but would forever be known as “captains of industry” and “robber barons” in studies of American history. Mr. Carnegie is sometimes described by historians as a “captain of industry”. What image does this bring to mind? What does this term suggest about Carnegie?