America’s Industrial Expansion period of the 1800’s left a legacy for the modern world today. This legacy not only included new types of industry and business techniques, but also included a list of notable and impactful individuals who contributed to America’s industrial empire.
Among this list of individuals is John Pierpont Morgan. Born in Hartford, Connecticut on April 17, 1837, J.P Morgan was introduced to the banking industry at an early age. His father, Junius Morgan ran a widely, successful banking business in which J.P Morgan would eventually inherit. To prepare his son for this responsibility, Junius Morgan ensured J.P.’s education by sending him to the English High School of Boston, a strong institution specializing in business mathematics. Later, J.P. Morgan would attend Germany’s prodigious University of Göttingen.
After working at Peabody, Morgan and Company (his father’s London banking branch) and gaining experience as an accountant, J.P. Morgan relocated to J.S. Morgan & Co’s American branch in New York City. Here, he became an representative for his father’s firm. In 1864, J.P. Morgan’s assiduous determination paid off, as he became an member of great influence at Dabney, Morgan and Co. Soon, in 1871, he struck a partnership with the distinguished Philadelphian Drexels to form the new firm of Drexel, Morgan & Co. This firm was later renamed J.P. Morgan & Co. and recognized as the most prestigious and influential institutions of finance in the world that executed numerous consolidations and reorganization. As America’s Industrial Expansion period hit it’s peak, J.P. Morgan established himself as a top banker and financier.
J.P. Morgan took advantage of an eclectic range of business strategies to rise in power...
... middle of paper ...
...the most diverse and valuable in America. He later donated it to the American Museum of Natural History.
Yes, J.P. Morgan used questionable business practices. Yes, he did create industrial monopolies. But he paid back America through millions of dollars towards schools, museums, and hospitals. Not to mention he saved America’s economy from the panic of 1907. Today, America’s business are stronger both organizationally and structurally because of Morgan’s tactics. Without a doubt, J.P. Morgan deserves to be a Captain of Industry.
Works Cited
History.com Staff. "J.P. Morgan." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web. 19 Mar. 2014.
"John Pierpont Morgan - People of Connecticut." John Pierpont (J.P.) Morgan - People of Connecticut. N.p., 27 June 2013. Web. 19 Mar. 2014.
"J.P. Morgan Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, 2014. Web. 19 Mar. 2014.
Andrew Carnegie, the monopolist of the steel industry, was one of the worst of the Robber Barons. Like the others, he was full of contradictions and tried to bring peace to the world, but only caused conflicts and took away the jobs of many factory workers. Carnegie Steel, his company, was a main supplier of steel to the railroad industry. Working together, Carnegie and Vanderbilt had created an industrial machine so powerful, that nothing stood in its path. This is much similar to how Microsoft has monopolized the computer software
Robert Fulton, Edward K. Collins and Samuel Cunard are a few political entrepreneurs, that Folsom tells about. All three of these men worked in the steamboat industry and received federal aid to run their businesses. Also, they all had high prices for passenger fair and mail postage. Unfortunately, Cornelius Vanderbilt, a market entrepreneur, defeated Fulton, Collins and Cunard.
The american society will not look like this today without Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller and JP Morgan. They took astonishing risks to attain that success. They created an innovation that no one could ever imagine. Andrew Carnegie, John D, Rockefeller and JP Morgan, are the empire builders and pillars of American Society because they have changed the way we think and created a new way of living.
John D. Rockefeller and other members of his family produced the fuel that powered America and Europe. In fact, 85% of the world's kerosene supply was produced in a company of Rockefeller's in Pennsylvania. J.P. Morgan, a giant in finance was equally successful by capitalizing small businesses and taking private corporations public. His genius for investing and financing was known world-wide. Because of Morgan and investors like him the American economy grew at a rate that the world had not seen before. His "Gentlemen's Agreement" brought stability to a railroad industry that was unstable because of it's incredible growth. The agreement regulated rates, settled disputes and imposed fines for companies that did not abide by the terms of their contracts. J.P. Morgan helped create a centralized banking system and paved the way for what was to become The Federal Reserve. Henry Ford a corporate giant in transportation built the Ford Motor Company and
The mid-19th century is one of the major turnarounds in the history of the United States. That is the time when America became an industrial giant and emerged as one of the most powerful countries in the world. The Industrial Revolution changed the people’s way of living in the whole world, especially the United States, from hand and home productivity to machine and factory. America rose from a rural and agricultural country to an urban-industrial that introduced new technologies. The United States has been through a lot of ups and downs in spite of its emergence and three books tell the story of the Industrial America from three different perspectives.
... He started his career by becoming a partner in his father's bank and financing company, but he soon started grabbing up other smaller companies similar to his own, and he changed the name to J. P. Morgan and Company to reflect his power. Morgan also got a stranglehold in several other industries by buying out Carnegie Steel, oil companies, and railroads. Morgan soon went back to his roots and started acquiring more banks, financial firms, and insurance providers. Today, J. P. Morgan and Company is known as JPMorgan Chase, easily the world's largest global financial services firm.
During the 1800’s, America was going through a time of invention and discovery known as the Industrial Revolution. America was in its first century of being an independent nation and was beginning to make the transition from a “home producing” nation to a technological one. The biggest contribution to this major technological advancement was the establishment of the Transcontinental Railroad because it provided a faster way to transport goods, which ultimately boosted the economy and catapulted America to the Super Power it is today.
Lubar, Steven." Engines of Change: The American Industrial Revolution 1790-1860." Smithsonian Institution. http://www.si.sgi.com/organiza/museums/nmah/homepage/docs/engin10.htm ( 1986).
Meyer, David R. The Roots of American Industrialization. N.p.: JHU, 2003. N. pag. Google Books. JHU Press. Web. 29 Sept. 2013
Among the many changes during the Gilded Age, large corporations became powerful forces in American society. New technologies in communication and transportation allowed for a national marketplace and fueled industries including the railroad and telegraph grids. The wealth of this expanding industry became increasingly concentrated in the hands of a relative few. Often by gaining a monopoly in their respective markets, these “Robber Barons” amassed wealth and notoriety, making names for themselves that remain recognizable even today like Carnegie, Vanderbilt and Rockefeller. In 1890, the Sherman Anti-Trust Act was passed to combat these large trust-based monopolies as the power of the large corporations invited abuses of government and individuals (America’s Library).
John D. Rockefeller, born on July 8, 1839, has had a huge impact on the course of American history, his reputation spans from being a ruthless businessperson to a thoughtful philanthropist (Tarbell 41). He came from a family with not much and lived the American dream, rising to success through his own wit and cunning, riding on the backs of none. His legacy is huge, amassing the greatest private wealth of any American in history. Rockefeller’s influence on our country has been both a positive and a negative one, he donated huge sums of money to various public institutions and revolutionized the petroleum industry. Along with all the positives to the country, Rockefeller also had many negative affects as well, including, by gaining his riches by means of a monopoly, often using illegal methods, by giving others a reason to frown upon capitalism, and by hurting smaller businesses.
During the 1800’s, business leaders who built their affluence by stealing and bribing public officials to propose laws in their favor were known as “robber barons”. J.P. Morgan, a banker, financed the restructuring of railroads, insurance companies, and banks. In addition, Andrew Carnegie, the steel king, disliked monopolistic trusts. Nonetheless, ruthlessly destroying the businesses and lives of many people merely for personal profit; Carnegie attained a level of dominance and wealth never before seen in American history, but was only able to obtain this through acts that were dishonest and oftentimes, illicit. Document D resentfully emphasizes the alleged capacity of the corrupt industrialists. In the picture illustrated, panic-stricken people pay acknowledgment to the lordly tycoons. Correlating to this political cartoon, in 1900, Carnegie was willing to sell his holdings of his company. During the time Morgan was manufacturing
The banking industry is under pressure in today’s business climate. Banks have been through big changes. There is opportunity, but there is also increasing competition. To be the preferred bank means changing “good enough” into a unique value proposition. And that means changing the way people have always done things, change on this level requires cutting edge technology. Change cannot be achieved with a simple directive or surface adjustment especially within the banking industry. It requires an innovative rethink of the entire system, in a strong partnership between bank leaders and their change agents. New systems and policies must support the strategy to be successful. The real test of a good strategy implementation plan is whether the people understand the strategy, are motivated and enabled to implement it, and actually start achieving its goals.
The first key player in the American industrial revolution was Francis Cabot Lowell. In 1810, in Waltham, Massachusetts, Lowell was responsible for building the first American factory for converting raw cotton into finished cloth. Large factories were built along the river to house the new water driven power looms for weaving textiles. At the same time that more factories were built to keep up with the growing demands of the consumer, the numbers of immigrants to the United States grew (Kellogg). This new labor force could be employed with even less pay and provided with a much lower standard of housing. This in turn increased the profit margi...
He made sure he was the one controlling all of his prices, and no one else could raise prices and take away part of his profits. An example of this is his merger with Henry Clay Frick’s Coke company. He started with about eleven percent of the company, but soon owned over half of the company (Rags).