Gilded Age DBQ Practice

AP American Studies
Prompt:
Were the wealthy industrialists of the Gilded Age Captains of Industry or Robber
Barons?
Document A:

DBQ Paragraph Format:

Thesis:
As wealthy industrialists revolutionized American business, they were both Robber
Barons and Captains of Industry because of their corrupt strategies to attain success
and their promotion of philanthropy.
Body:
Basic Example
As the leading industrialists of the time paved the way for business growth, their
tactics were unscrupulous and only served to benefit them. John D. Rockefeller rose to
the top of the oil industry by eliminating his competition (Doc A). Through the practice of
horizontal integration, Rockefellers Standard Oil Company became a monopoly ensuring
that no other oil company could survive in its shadow. He successfully drove all other
industrialists out of the oil industry, and as a result, Standard Oil became the first trust
making Rockefeller the richest man in the world. Additionally,
Purpose Analysis
As the leading industrialists of the time paved the way for business growth, their
tactics were unscrupulous and only served to benefit them. In a popular political cartoon
from the Gilded Age, John D. Rockefeller was seen pruning a rose bush reflective of how
he clipped away his competition (Doc A). The purpose of this political cartoon is to show
Rockefeller as a Robber Baron as the scraps of the rosebush are depicted as skulls.
Clearly the artist is trying to show the public that Rockefellers methods are immoral, as
he became known for being ruthless in Standard Oils climb to the top. Additionally,
Outside Knowledge
As the leading industrialists of the time paved the way for business growth, their
tactics were unscrupulous and only served to benefit them. John D. Rockefeller rose to
the top of the oil industry by eliminating his competition (Doc A). Through the practice of
horizontal integration, or buying out competition, Rockefellers Standard Oil Company
became a monopoly ensuring that no other oil company could survive in its shadow.
Despite the passage of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act in 1890, which attempted to regulate
monopolies, Rockefeller was able to evade the law, successfully driving all other
industrialists out of the oil industry making Standard Oil the first trust and Rockefeller,
the richest man in the world. Additionally,
Historical Connection
As the leading industrialists of the time paved the way for business growth, their
tactics were unscrupulous and only served to benefit them. John D. Rockefeller rose to
the top of the oil industry by eliminating his competition (Doc A). In an era of limited
government involvement, the Standard Oil Company became a monopoly through the
practice of horizontal integration ensuring that no other oil company could survive in its
shadow, and Rockefeller became the richest man in the world. Similarly, the Roaring
20s also reflected the same laissez-faire principles of the Gilded Age where
businessmen engaged in over speculation of the stock market and the rich became

richer at the cost of the inexperienced. Likewise, Rockefeller ruthlessly rose to the top at
the expense of others.