John D. Rockefeller: Captain of Industry or Robber Baron?

The industrialist, John D. Rockefeller, of the late nineteenth century and early twentieth centuries is best characterized as a captain of industry. His achievements were in fact very positive because his company that he built provided oil for many people across the country. Oil was a big necessity at the time so his company helped many people. By saving up money to create his own small business, he built his way up buying many large oil companies to create the highly successful and profitable Standard Oil Company. Though he did want to be successful and wealthy, his motives were simply creating one powerful company. His fortune totaled $900,000,000 but he didn't just keep it for himself. Instead he put his fortune from his large monopoly to good use. He was a big part in creating the University of Chicago by donating $75 million to its funds. He set up the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research and donated another $50 million. He also donated $50 million to the General Education Board to help raise salaries for teachers and professors. He established the Rockefeller foundation and gave it $235 million. By creating such a successful business that provided oil and light to people all over, he was able to fulfill his dream and be honored for his charitable activities.

New Years Resolution

This year, I'm really hoping to improve my grade. As of now, my grade in APUSH is good but I'd like to do even better. What I hope to do this year is to really focus on the reading. For me, it's really easy to get distracted when I read and I feel like I'm not completely understanding the text. For me to get every detail down, I have to re-read the chapter multiple times. What I'd like to do is take more time to really understand the information instead of skimming it for the answers of the questions and terms. I also want to take notes as I'm reading to make sure I get it. If I understand the reading more, I'll be able to understand more of the references we use in class which will, in the end help me get better test scores and better grades.