Robber Barons

When the names Carnagie, Rockefeller, and Pullman come to mind, most of us automatically think of what we saw or read in our history books: "These men were kind and generous and through hard work and perseverance, any one of you could become a success story like them," right? Wrong. I am sick of these people being remembered for the two or three good things they have done. Publicity and media have exaggerated the generosity of these men, the government has spoiled these names with false lies, and people could not see that these men were ruthless, sly businessmen who were motivated by your money and their fight for power. 
George M. Pullman is best remembered for his contributions to the railroad industry through the invention of his Pullman Cars. The cars sold well and the railroad industry flourished with this new invention. Although the success attached to his name, not many people know the real truth behind this robber baron. His greed for money took him to extreme measures as his workers were seriously mistreated and put under restrictions. For instance, every worker had to live in his village (Pullman, IL) and under no circumstances was anyone allowed to leave. The people had to buy from his store, pay him rent, and attend work every day. People who did not obey his rules were heavily penalized by their name being written on black book (which meant that this worker couldn’t get a job in any other industrial field). How many history books teach such in-depth details like these? 
Another good example of the acts of a robber baron can be seen through the actions of John D. Rockefeller. A picture I found online has a group of people watching an old Rockefeller crouch over to accept a flower from a little girl. The caption reads "John D. Rockefeller, American industrialist and philanthropist, is caught doing one of his good deeds." No wonder that only a handful of people can’t distinguish that this old man was a crock and deserves to be treated with disrespect! With all this positive media attention, the public had been told many lies! In real life, this money hungry, greedy villain is the prime reason why the Sherman Antitrust Act was passed. Rockefeller’s dream was to monopolize the oiling industry, and he so successfully did. Because of his great empire (the Standard Oil Co.) and the wealth it brought, when any other competitor tried even to step foot into the oiling industry, Rockefeller dropped his prices until the new industry was forced out. 
After he regained control, he then jacked up the prices. Sure, the people were mad, but what could they do? Many other industries depended on the oil that Rockefeller provided and besides, he donated over 2500 libraries worldwide, he helped establish the famous concert hall in New York, and he helped finance several colleges in the US. Can you guess who he is? Yes! Andrew Carnagie. Now how about this person: In the early 1900s, in order to maintain control of the steel industry, he bought out rival plants, he ran a self running holding company which bough stock in itself in order to buy control of the industry, and he also hired children (as young as 9 years old) to work twelve hours a day under harsh, dangerous conditions and paid them the lowest wages possible. Can you guess who he is now? As a matter of fact it is our "American Hero" Andrew Carnagie! Carnagie did, for a fact, hire children because they were "cheaper"; yet these same children were sometimes required to run!
 swing shifts which meant occasional 24 hour work days.
These men have helped our country by donating an exorbitant amount of money to our education departments.  Without these men we would not have built the strong, flourishing country we have today.  These men also taught us that it is possible in our society to work from the bottom to the top.   
It all too much of regularity that these robber barons all share some of the same traits: ruthlessness, mistreatment of their workers, greed for money and power, and a sneaky way of doing business. With these traits in mind, who can consider these men heroes? It’s the government and the big businesses which want us to think that way.