Doug Ernst Inquiry Lesson
1
Were Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller Captains of Industry or Robber Barons?
Topic: An examination of whether Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller were Captains of
Industry or Robber Barons.
Grade Level: This lesson is designed for a 7th grade class.
Length: Approximately 50 minutes.
Overview: During this lesson the students will examine eight sources to make hypotheses on
whether Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller where “Captains of Industry” or “Robber
Barons.” This lesson will be preceded by a class spent learning about the rise of industry in
America with a focus on the three industrialists mentioned in the Virginia Standards of Learning,
Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, and Cornelius Vanderbilt, while also mentioning J.P.
Morgan as a leader in finance. The focus of this lesson will be to introduce the students to the
industrialists and their contributions to the economy WITHOUT mentioning their business
practices or philanthropy. At the end of class the students will be introduced to the terms
“Robber Baron” and “Captain of Industry” and told that tomorrow they will get more
information about the Carnegie and Rockefeller and will hypothesize which category they fall
into.
Background Information: After the Civil War the United States economy began to change.
Since its inception the American economy centered on farming, but in the late 19th and early 20th
centuries a dramatic shift towards industry swept the nation. Out of this change emerged men
who embodied the true American dream, rising from rags to riches to become the first
industrialists. Andrew Carnegie dominated the steel industry and John D. Rockefeller controlled
oil. Despite their overwhelming success both men have been pejoratively termed “Robber
Barons” for getting rich through unethical business practices and exploitation of their workers.
At the same time the men have been celebrated as “Captains of Industry” for driving the
Industrial change that swept the nation, allowing the United States to emerge as a world power.
Rationale: This topic is perfect for an inquiry lesson because there is ambiguity as to whether
Carnegie and Rockefeller were true “Captains of Industry” or “Robber Barons”. As with many
instances in history they are likely a blend of both but are often characterized as one or the other
depending on who is presenting the information. Virginia lauds both in the Standards of
Learning as “Captains of Industry” but that is only one perspective. Using inquiry the students
can examine primary and secondary source documents and interpret events through different
historical perspectives, eventually coming up with their own hypothesis and displaying it through
writing, all of which are included in the VSOL (Virginia Standards of Learning).
Doug Ernst Inquiry Lesson
2
Objectives:
Information:
Students will understand the difference between and definition of the terms, “Robber Baron” and
“Captain of Industry”
Students will formulate a hypothesis on whether they believe Carnegie and Rockefeller were
“Captains of Industry” or “Robber Barons”
Students will understand that the terms “Captain of Industry” and “Robber Baron” can still be
used to describe business men and women today
Skills:
Students will analyze and interpret primary and secondary source documents in order to increase
understanding of events and life during the Industrial Revolution (USII.1, a)
Students will make connections to the past and present (USII.1, b)
Students will interpret ideas and events from different historical perspectives (USII.1, d)
Evaluate and debate an issue orally and in writing (USII.1, e)
Assessment:
To determine their understanding of the inquiry objectives the students will write a one page
letter in which they take on the personality of a person in history, either a worker, or an
industrialist (Carnegie or Rockefeller). They will be told at the beginning of the lesson that this
is the goal and they will gather the information for this letter from the data sets we will be
examining in class.
-Students will be informally assessed on their participation level during the class period to ensure
that they are staying on task, and reading/discussing the data sets.
-Students will create a letter from Carnegie or Rockefeller to one of their workers defending
them as a “Captain of Industry” OR they will create a letter from one of the workers to their boss
accusing them of being a “Robber Baron.” The letter will have woven into it both terms and
their definition.
-On the unit test students will be asked to write a paragraph in which they explain why some of
the industrialists we have studied could either be considered a “Captain of Industry” or a
“Robber Baron” giving one example on each side. Students will be told they do not need to use
specific examples, just main ideas (This will come a few weeks after the lesson).
Doug Ernst Inquiry Lesson
3
Content and Instructional Strategies:
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
Engagement in the Inquiry (5 minutes): To engage the students I will show them the
video clip titled “homestead_strike_1892” which can be found at the following link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9M_eDmpZsk . This clip will be downloaded to
my computer so I do not have to access the internet to play it. This clip does a good
job of setting the stage for Carnegie being a good man but also a man that was
disliked by many. Also the ending does a good job of grabbing attention and will
make the students want to learn more about Carnegie and Rockefeller.
Elicit Hypothesis (5 minutes): After showing the clip I will review with the students
the difference between the term “Robber Baron” and “Captain of Industry” and
display the inquiry question on the board and ask them to record whether they think
Carnegie and Rockefeller were “Robber Barons” or “Captains of Industry.” The
students will be reminded that they do not have to choose the same for both but most
probably will. I will explain that this is an initial hypothesis and that we will examine
more data after which the students will revise their hypothesis or keep it them the
same.
Data Gathering and Processing (25 minutes): At this point I will pass out the data
sets which will be included in a packet to make sure they stay together and can be
easily transported home with the students. They will be clearly marked as to whether
they pertain to Carnegie or Rockefeller. The students will be asked to, as a group
(desks are arranged in groups of 3 but this can be modified), read through the data
sets and discuss how each set contributes to or detracts from their original hypothesis.
There are four sets for each industrialist for a total of eight; two that provide
information that would lead students toward the designation of “Robber Baron” and
two that would lead the students toward the designation of “Captain of Industry” for
each industrialist.
Revising Hypothesis (5 minutes): After the students have finished reading, analyzing,
and discussing the data sets, I will ask them to rewrite their hypothesis reflecting the
information they have just looked at. I will tell them that if in light of the new
information their hypothesis has not changed, then they can rewrite their hypothesis
as it was, however if it has changed they may write their new hypothesis. Next, I will
tell them that below their hypothesis they need to explain why they have kept their
original or why they have changed it.
Conclusion (5 minutes): After the students have written their new hypotheses I will
ask some students to share them and their explanations. I will explain that since their
hypotheses are based on a relatively small amount of data, that they are tentative and
could be subject to change in the future were they presented with more information.
At the end of class I will assign their letter for homework, and answer any questions
the students have about it giving them time to begin formulating ideas on what to
write if time permits. The following class we will begin by having some of the
Doug Ernst Inquiry Lesson
4
students read their letters and will discuss how some of today’s businessmen and
women might fall under one of the terms discussed or both. We will also discuss how
history can be interpreted differently by different people emphasizing that according
to the VSOL the two men discussed, along with Cornelius Vanderbilt, are considered
Captains of Industry.
Resources:
This lesson will require:
-Computer that can be linked to projector
-100 Copies of the data sets (One for each student, adjust for how many students you will be
using the lesson with)
-100 Copies of guided inquiry lesson sheet
-Pencils or Pens
Differentiation: This lesson can be differentiated in a few ways. First, although not present
here the data sets could be expanded to include more data for more accelerated learners as
well as including more information in the sets present. Second, gifted students could be
asked to construct a more detailed, fact filled letter than some of the students with learning
disabilities.
Adaptations: This lesson could be adapted in a few key ways to accommodate students with
special needs in my class. First, I and primarily the Special Education teacher in my class,
will give more attention to the students who need it while monitoring discussion and assisting
in the formulation of hypotheses. Helping these students read through the text, decode the
cartoons, and guiding their discussion may be critical in their completion of the inquiry
lesson. Also, if necessary, students who might need to use the computer to complete the
assignment could access both the data sets and the worksheet to help guide hypothesis
electronically and do their writing on the computer. The assignment that the students will
complete for homework could also be adapted by allowing some students to write a shorter
letter with fewer supporting facts. The students could also be given the option to either type
or handwrite the letter to be more accommodating to their needs.
This lesson could be adapted to different levels by expanding the amount of data
reviewed as well as the detail of the letter they write at the end. This is designed for a 7th
grade class but could be used in a high school classroom by asking the students to make a
third revision to their hypothesis after independently reviewing books as well as the internet
Doug Ernst Inquiry Lesson
5
and then ask them to complete the letter. The letter could also be changed to a research paper
of a length that suits the level of the classes, with an emphasis on citing sources, and
potentially evaluating the objectivity and bias of sources depending on the level of the
students. Also, more industrialists could be included like Cornelius Vanderbilt and J.P.
Morgan. An expanded discussion could also be explored with more advanced students and
be connected in more detail to contemporary men, women, and companies in business.
Reflection: As I designed this lesson the question that I kept asking myself was whether or
not it was too advanced for 7th grade students. I do not believe the writing assignment at the
end to be too difficult but wonder if decoding and discussing the primary sources is too much
for this grade level. I still have had a relatively limited amount of interaction with a 7th grade
classroom so have concerns about their decoding of the language and meaning making with
some of the primary sources. I am also concerned with the amount of information they will
be able to take away from the data sets and whether it is enough to come to a truly informed
opinion but the students are in 7th grade so it could be more than they need.
I also hope that the preceding class which will be the basis for the prior knowledge
necessary for the inquiry lesson is sufficient for the students to understand some of the issues
discussed in the primary sources. For example, the Rockefeller cartoon shows Standard Oil
with its tentacles on different parts of industry and the government but students may not be
able to fully understand what that means without a solid background.
Another concern deals with the class’s ability to stay on task during the reading,
analysis, and discussion of the data sets. Some students and classes in general will not have a
problem doing this but others may have a difficult time, particularly if they have difficulty
decoding the data sets. It will be imperative that I emphasize the importance of staying on
task and circulate the room helping each group along as they go through the sets, answering
questions and providing extra information if necessary. It may be beneficial to go over some
of the data sets as a group or even have the students take a few minutes to review each one
and come back together after each to discuss them so everyone has a good understanding of
the relevant information. I have the lesson as taking up about 50 minutes of class time which
doesn’t account for about 3-7 minutes according to my particular schools bell schedule.
Hopefully these extra few minutes could be used to extend any portion that needs a little
more time and be used for students to start the assignment if things move faster than
expected.
Overall, I think this is an interesting inquiry lesson and lends itself well to the common
occurrence in history of different groups seeing history in different ways. A good teaching
point at the end of the lesson would be for students to view everything they see in history
with an inquiring mind and consider different sides of every story when evaluating
information. This will help students develop a deeper understanding of history and also help
them extend what they have learned through comparisons to the world they live in today.
Doug Ernst Inquiry Lesson
6
Post Teaching: Will complete when and if I teach this lesson.
Data Sets:
Rockefeller:
This political cartoon by Udo J. Keppler appeared in the September 7, 1904, issue of
"Puck." It shows J.D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil tank as an octopus with many
tentacles wrapped around the steel, copper, and shipping industries, as well as a state
house, the U.S. Capitol, and one tentacle reaching for the White House, as it crushes the
competition
The Vision of Rockefeller
John Davison Rockefeller (1839 – 1937) embraced philanthropy early in life. In his teens, he
was regularly donating money from his first job to his Sunday school and other activities of his
Baptist church. As his personal wealth grew, so did his generosity. Impressed by an 1889 essay
by Andrew Carnegie, Rockefeller wrote to the philanthropist, “The time will come when men of
wealth will more generally be willing to use it for the good of others.” It was that year that
Rockefeller began his own philanthropic work in earnest, making the first of what would become
$35 million in gifts, over a period of two decades, to found the University of Chicago.
In 1901 he established the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research, now Rockefeller
University. In 1903 he created the General Education Board at an ultimate cost of $129 million
to promote education in the United States “without distinction of sex, race, or creed.”
When a young Albert Einstein sent a request for $500 to John D. Rockefeller's top lieutenant,
Rockefeller instructed his deputy, "Let's give him $1,000. He may be onto something." They
experimented, adapted, and changed course when necessary. They didn't use the word
Doug Ernst Inquiry Lesson
7
innovation then; they called it "scientific philanthropy." But innovation was their game. It was
bold and daring, intrepid and risk-taking.
Since its inception, John D. Rockefeller’s foundation has given more than $14 billion in current
dollars to thousands of grantees worldwide.
John D. Rockefeller in an interview with William Hoster, quoted in God's Gold (1932) by
John T. Flynn
I believe the power to make money is a gift of God … to be developed and used to the best of our
ability for the good of mankind. Having been endowed with the gift I possess, I believe it is my
duty to make money and still more money and to use the money I make for the good of my fellow
man according to the dictates of my conscience.
The History of the Standard Oil Company (1904) by Ida Tarbell
In the fall of 1871, Rockefeller and some other oil refiners developed a remarkable scheme, the
gist of which was to bring together secretly a large enough body of refiners and shippers to
persuade all the railroads handling oil to give to the company formed special rebates on its oil,
and drawbacks on that of other people. If they could get such rates it was evident that those
outside of their combination could not compete with them long and that they would become
eventually the only refiners. They could then limit their output to actual demand, and so keep up
prices. This done, they could easily persuade the railroads to transport no crude for exportation,
so that the foreigners would be forced to buy American refined. They believed that the price of
oil thus exported could easily be advanced fifty per cent. The control of the refining interests
would also enable them to fix their own price on crude. As they would be the only buyers and
sellers, the speculative character of the business would be done away with.
Doug Ernst Inquiry Lesson
8
Carnegie:
"Forty-Millionaire Carnegie in his Great Double Role," The Saturday Globe, 9 July 1892;
from David P. Demares
Editorial in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, early August, 1892.
Count no man happy until he is dead. Three months ago Andrew Carnegie was a man to be
envied. Today he is an object of mingled pity and contempt. In the estimation of nine-tenths of
the thinking people on both sides of the ocean he has not only given the lie to all his antecedents,
but confessed himself a moral coward...
A single word from him might have saved the bloodshed -- but the word was never spoken. Nor
has he, from that bloody day until this, said anything except that he had "implicit confidence in
the managers of the mills." The correspondent who finally obtained this valuable information,
expresses the opinion that "Mr. Carnegie has no intention of returning to America at present."
He might have added that America can well spare Mr. Carnegie. Ten thousand "Carnegie Public
Libraries" would not compensate the country for the direct and indirect evils resulting from the
Homestead lockout. Say what you will of Frick, he is a brave man. Say what you will of
Carnegie, he is a coward. And gods and men hate cowards.
Andrew Carnegie to William E. Gladstone, Former Prime Minister of Great Britain,
September 24, 1893.
Doug Ernst Inquiry Lesson
9
My Dear Mr. Gladstone,
It was just like your noble self to write such a kind sympathetic note.
This is the trial of my life (death's hand excepted). Such a foolish step - contrary to my ideas,
repugnant to every feeling of my nature. Our firm offered all it could offer, even generous terms.
Our other men had gratefully accepted them. They went as far as I could have wished, but the
false step was made in trying to run the works with new men.
It is a test to which workingmen should not be subjected. It is expecting too much of poor men to
stand by and see their work taken by others...
All this time I heard nothing until days had elapsed and, as the way easiest to peace, going on
was then best -- returning being impossible, for the State of Pennsylvania could not retire troops
until they had established and vindicated Law. The pain I suffer increases daily. The Works are
not worth one drop of human blood. I wish they had sunk.
I write this to you freely; to no one else have I written so. I must be silent and suffer but after a
time I hope to be able to do something to restore good feeling between my young and rather too
rash partner and the men over at Homestead..."
Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegies Essay, “Wealth,” published in the North American Review in 1889
“This, then, is held to be the duty of the man of wealth: First, to set an example of modest,
unostentatious living, shunning display or extravagance; to provide moderately for the legitimate
wants of those dependent upon him; and, after doing so, to consider all surplus revenues which
come to him simply as trust funds, which he is called upon to administer, and strictly bound as a
matter of duty to administer in the manner which, in his judgment, is best calculated to produce
the most beneficial results for the community /the man of wealth thus becoming the mere trustee
and agent for his poorer brethren, bringing to their service his superior wisdom, experience and
ability to administer, doing for them better than they would or could do for themselves.”
Doug Ernst Inquiry Lesson
10
Guided Inquiry Worksheet
Define
Captain of Industry:
Robber Baron:
Based on what you have learned thus far would you characterize John D. Rockefeller and
Andrew Carnegie as Captains of Industry or Robber Barons?
After reviewing the eight data sets, what is your new hypothesis? Using examples explain why
you have changed your hypothesis or why it has stayed the same.