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Did Money Build The Industrial Economy

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Did Money Build The Industrial Economy
Did money make richest men truly happy? The men who helped build the industrial economy in the U.S. had money, however they all had struggles and hardships in their lives. They all had mentors who helped them become the businessmen they had become. Money did not buy John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, and John P. Morgan Jr. individual or collective happiness.

John D. Rockefeller did not want anyone to be above him or to beat him in the competition between the founders of the industrial economy. Rockefeller view of his life changed when the train he was suppose to be on crashes and kills everybody on board. He was suppose to be on his way to a meeting with Cornelius Vanderbilt. After he went to Vanderbilt and made a deal. During this time Rockefeller’s company was failing, he told Vanderbilt that he would fill every one of his cargo with oil everyday. Rockefeller stabs Vanderbilt in the back and goes to Thomas Scott to transport his oil faster and for cheaper prices to save money. Rockefeller then went into the pipe industry to get rid of the need to ship crude oil to his refinery.
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Even with a fortune like Carnegie he still encountered sad hard times. When Andrew was 46 his mentor Thomas Scott died. This was a sad time in Carnegie’s life. This event pushed him to strive and do better. Then the South Fork Dam broke. Carnegie was responsible for the damage and deaths that this devastating event caused. This was the first time relief effort or better known as the Red Cross. After the flood Carnegie went to Scotland because of the shame put upon his name. Then, he was forced to come back after the Homestead Strike. Andrew Carnegie realized Henry Frick was ruining his company. His image to the public went down, he worked to bring his name back

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