Dbq 8 the Role of Capitalists

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DBQ 8 The Role of Capitalist, 1875-1900 Brice Persiani The surrender of Robert E. Lee on April 9, 1865 marked a major turning point for Capitalism in the United States. The war left the country open to be formed in whatever way the capitalists molded it into. To industrialize, change treatment of hired work, continue slavery through hard labor, or to change the way laborers were treated for the better. There were two true roles these capitalists could play, admirable “captains of industry” or corrupt “robber barons”. The “captains of industry” resided in both the North and the South; the North was beginning to industrialize and also was the South yet for different reasons. The South wanted to supplement the agricultural economy, so they began to mass produce items that could be used on farms. They also began to open mines to enhance the northern steel industries. That steel would be used to make tools for farms in the South. Everyone began working in the South, men, women, and even children were all at work, showing a step towards equality as well as showing that the treatment of the working class was good or these people would have just stayed at home tending a farm rather than working, like it is stated in document B. The head of the largest steel company in the United States, Andrew Carnegie, resided in the North, where he was the steel king. Carnegie felt that it was his duty as a man of wealth to produce the most efficient results for the community by giving his workers a raise in salary when surplus money was sent his way, as stated in document C. As you can see capitalism was alive in both the North and the South and “captains of industry” were constantly fighting against corruption. The capitalists of this period had created many job opportunities. Thousands if not millions of Americans found work thanks to Carnegie’s US Steel,
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