Industrial Giants:
It is your job to research the lives of the following five (5) industrial giants. What is an industrial giant you may
ask? An industrial giant: is a man that used his brains to make himself both very rich and very powerful in
the early days of American industry (between the years 1865-1900).
There were many industrial giants but we are going to learn about five (5) of them. These five (5) men used
their talents to make their separate businesses so powerful that over 100 years later, their business is still
around.
But realize that many people thought these five (5) industrial giants were actually “robber barons,” meaning
they had so much money that they had robbed from the people to get it. Depending on how you look at it, these
five (5) industrial giants did have a lot of money and some of them did make their money through cheating
people, but these men also gave a lot of their money away. So you be the judge.
Here is your checklist.
John D. Rockefeller ______________
Andrew Carnegie ________________
Henry Ford ___________________
J.P. Morgan ___________________
Cornelius Vanderbilt ______________
Before you get started, answer these questions...
1. What is an industrial giant?
A. Someone who was rich
B. Someone who was smart
C. Someone who used their intelligence to become rich and powerful in the early days of American
industry.
D. None of the Above
2. Define: robber baron:
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3. What is one thing we can say about these industrial giants?
A. They continue to live today
B. Their business made money just back in the day
C. These men can be seen as both a hero and as a bad person for making the amount of money they did
but they were very wealthy and very powerful in the early days of American industry.
D. None of the Above
4. During what years in American history did American start to become industrialized?
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John D. Rockefeller
Read: A short history of John D. Rockefeller
1. Define: Philanthropist:
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2. Do you think philanthropy is important? Why?
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3. John D. Rockefeller started what company in 1870?
A. Oil Company
B. American Oil Company
C. Standard American Oil Company
D. Standard Oil Company
4. What are two (2) of the causes that Jon D. Rockefeller supported with his money?
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Look at The cartoon of John D. Rockefeller
5. This cartoon shows how John D. Rockefeller has so much power and money that he powers the
government of the United States. Do you think John D. Rockefeller had this much power? Why?
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Look at: A poem John D. Rockefeller wrote at the age of 86.
6. Which one of the lines is your favorite? Why?
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Andrew Carnegie
1. How much was Andrew Carnegie worth?
A. $56 billion
B. $298 million
C. $298 billion
D. $56 million
Read: A short history of Andrew Carnegie
2. Define: philanthropist.
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3. Was Andrew Carnegie born in America?
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4. What was the first steel company Andrew Carnegie built?
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5. What are two (2) things you can build with steel?
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6. What was one (1) thing that Andrew Carnegie gave a lot of his money to?
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7. Who did Andrew Carnegie sell his ‘Carnegie Steel Company’ to in 1901?
A. Andrew Colville
B. Robert Granchalek
C. P.J. Morgan
D. J.P. Morgan
Look at: A cartoon of Andrew Carnegie
8. What does Andrew Carnegie remind you of in the picture? Why?
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9. Why would the artist of this cartoon make Andrew Carnegie look like a little kid playing with
blocks?
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Henry Ford
1. What was Henry Ford’s net worth?
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Read: A short history of Henry Ford
2. Henry Ford was one of the first to use what in making his Ford Cars?
A. Interchangeable barrels
B. Four sets of changes
C. Seven fetor valves
D. Assembly lines
3. Define: Patent
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4. Define: “Fordism”
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5. What did Henry Ford believe would bring peace to the world?
A. People watching the same television
B. People playing the same game
C. Fathers and Mothers making sure to take care of their children
D. People around the world buying the same things
6. Where did Henry Ford leave most of his money to?
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Look at the picture: An image of the Ford Assembly Line
7. What is the first thing word that comes to your mind when you think of the word “assembly line?”
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8. In your own words: Explain what an assembly line does.
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J.P. Morgan
9. What is the net worth of J.P. Morgan?
A. $17 billion
B. $45 billion
C. $28 billion
D. $324 billion
Read: A Short History of J.P. Morgan
10. How did J.P. Morgan make all his money?
A. Swept floors in the mailroom
B. Controlled the money of the local bootleggers
C. Sold himself out to the highest bidder
D. Managed the money for large business and industries
11. Define: bequeathed
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12. What was J.P. Morgan known as? “A man….
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13. Why is it so important to be “the man behind the scenes?”
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14. Where did J.P. Morgan give most of his art collection to?
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Look at the image: A Painting of J.P. Morgan
15. What is one word you could use to describe J.P. Morgan?
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16. What do you think J.P. Morgan is holding in his left hand?
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17. Why would the artist paint this in his left hand?
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Cornelius Vanderbilt
18. What was Cornelius Vanderbilt’s net worth?
A. $567 million
B. $167 million
C. $167 billion
D. None of the Above
Read: A short history of Cornelius Vanderbilt
19. What was Cornelius Vanderbilt’s nickname?
A. The Commander
B. The Commodore
C. Your Commodore
D. America’s Commodore
20. What was the purpose of Vanderbilt’s Accessory Transit Company?
A. To send Christmas gifts to needy children
B. To make sure hobos did not get a free ride
C. To ship things from place to place by train
D. None of the Above
21. Define: Entrepreneur
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22. Who did Cornelius Vanderbilt give most of his money to after he died?
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23. What university did Cornelius Vanderbilt help start?
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Look at: A Cartoon of Cornelius Vanderbilt
24. Why is Cornelius Vanderbilt looking so much taller than everybody else in this cartoon?
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25. What are three (3) words that you could use to describe Cornelius Vanderbilt in this cartoon?
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