Robber Barons

"Robber Barons"

Long hours, dangerous work conditions, and low wages are just a few words to describe the treatment of workers at the turn of the 20th century. This was all in the hands of some powerful industrialist we refer to as "robber barons". There can be no mistaking their motives: wealth. It portrays men like Vanderbilt, Rockefeller, Pullman, Ford and cruel and ruthless businessmen who would stop at nothing to achieve great wealth.They cared little about the lives and treatment of those that worked under them, and reside in their towns. They were in many cases accused of disregard of workers' rights, exploitation of resources, and concentration of wealth. In my perpective, it is true.

In order to be successful in many businesses of the late 19th century, you had to think like business owners. Goerge Pullman for example, is a clear definition of disregard of workers, rights. Pullman was indeed a perfectionist that liked to take control. Pullman hired freed slaves and immigrants. These workers were not thought of as deserving fair treatment. Working conditions for these people were extremely dagerous which was conspicuous to pullman. It was a feat to survive a day at work, because a laborer could easily have been burned or injured from factory equipment. The boilers often exploded, bridges collapsed, and rails were worn out. Some workers acepted it while other grouped together for change.

The powerful industrialists of the gilded age thought inorder to control people you had to have them at your call. Which contributes to the idea of Pullman, Illinois. This town created vicious a cycle. Pullman decided on how much rent to pay, the tricky thing was if rent incresed the workers that resided in the towns still made the same amount of money. Pullman did not have enough food, and all the houses did not have heat in the winter. Many resources was altogether exploited in Pullman, Illinois.

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