Robber Barons Dbq Analysis
The time period from 1870 until 1900 has been called the Gilded Age. This name coined by Mark Twain speaks volumes to what was occurring at the time. The big businesses were rising and along with them technological progress and a lower cost of living; this is the gold plating. Also during this time, corruption was running rampant and poor workers were exploited in order to produce more for their robber baron bosses; this is the gold layer peeled back. Big businesses played a massive role in the economy and politics during the gilded age, as the trusts made the U.S. into a manufacturing powerhouse and they corrupted politicians into not acting on injustices, leading to varying responses from the people such as unionizing, protesting, or rioting.
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It's important to understand that during this time the government rarely acted on the violation of workers and when they did they often acted in favor of the company due to the widespread corruption. George McNeill tells us that robber barons “can control legislative bodies, dictate legislation,[and] subsidize the press” (Document B) and by doing this he shows that his goal is to expose corruption and anger the people. This is his goal because his point of view is that of a labor leader. He doesn't give proof but rather means to call the people to action based on their anger. He outright states there is corruption, showing in one simple sentence the great impact that businesses had on politics. In Keppler’s political cartoon the audience is similar to McNeill’s because the medium of a cartoon’s intention is to call the people to action. A key detail that can easily be overlooked is the closed door of the people. This is the artist saying that not only are the massive trusts allowed into government, the people are forced out of it (Document D). What the artist didn't know is that just a year later the Sherman Antitrust Act would be passed, signifying the opening of the door for the people. This act, though it failed, showed that the government wanted to work for the people by trying to shut down trusts. The corrupt government, exploitation of the worker, and very little effective action by the government prompted response from the
It's important to understand that during this time the government rarely acted on the violation of workers and when they did they often acted in favor of the company due to the widespread corruption. George McNeill tells us that robber barons “can control legislative bodies, dictate legislation,[and] subsidize the press” (Document B) and by doing this he shows that his goal is to expose corruption and anger the people. This is his goal because his point of view is that of a labor leader. He doesn't give proof but rather means to call the people to action based on their anger. He outright states there is corruption, showing in one simple sentence the great impact that businesses had on politics. In Keppler’s political cartoon the audience is similar to McNeill’s because the medium of a cartoon’s intention is to call the people to action. A key detail that can easily be overlooked is the closed door of the people. This is the artist saying that not only are the massive trusts allowed into government, the people are forced out of it (Document D). What the artist didn't know is that just a year later the Sherman Antitrust Act would be passed, signifying the opening of the door for the people. This act, though it failed, showed that the government wanted to work for the people by trying to shut down trusts. The corrupt government, exploitation of the worker, and very little effective action by the government prompted response from the