Control Of The Oil Industry example essay topic

A. "The Meaning of Freedom" African American explored the potential of freedom by stating they would bear the burdens of citizenship and preserve, protect, and defend the country in any way. But if they were to fight for the countries preservation they should be given rights and total freedom. Their desires and ambitions were to be as free as white Americans. They wanted to work, have equal rights and no longer be judged. Analysis and Debate 1. John Q.A. Dennis did not want his children suffer under the control of their owner.

When he became a free man he asked the secretary of war, Edwin M. Stanton permission to take his children and set them free. He wanted to be with and take care of his family as any free man does. 2. Ex-slaves wanted their marriages to be legalized because they wanted the union with their mate to be recognized. If they could fight in war and risk their lives for this country, they should be allowed marry. 3.

Blacks deserved voting rights because the government asked them to fight for its preservation. If the government could trust Blacks in war they should be trusted to the vote. B. "Rockefeller and His Critics" Lloyd, Tarbell and Josephson Attacked Rockefeller because of the illegal methods he used to acquire the oil refining industry and wealth. As Standard Oil grew independently owned oil refineries had no choice but to let Rockefeller buy them out. He practically had a monopoly of the oil refining business without the public knowing. Lloyd, Tarbell and Josephson also though that the Standard Oil Company was a threat to democracy. If the company was a monopoly, there would be no competition and oil would have to be bought from Rockefeller.

Analysis and Debate 1. Lloyd and Tarbell agreed that Rockefeller gained control of the oil industry by secretly demanding rebates from railroads in exchange for their business. The railroads rebated him on his own shipping fares. The also gave him shares of the rates paid by competitors. The railroads desperately wanted to do business with Rockefeller. 2.

Henry Demarest Lloyd's style of writing was very careful but explanatory. He didn't use any names to avoid being charged but the reading public still knew who he was referring to. Ida Tarbell's style of writing was blunt and direct. This might be because her father's oil refineries were taken by Standard oil. She had first hand experience on how Standard Oil tried to take over the oil industry. I think Tarbell is an impartial observer and that her style of writing was more effective because her history allowed her to report the methods Rockefellers used to gain control of the oil refining industry.

3. Rockefellers silence was a bad strategy. I think he was silent because he didn't want to draw any more attention to himself, especially if he was operating illegally. Because he didn't address the situation, people might have though that he didn't care about their concerns or complaints. He could have tried to appease the public but instead he felt that if he ignored the situation that it would eventually disappear. 4.

Matthew Josephson was motivated to write the "Robber Barons" in 1934 because of the new oil that was discovered in Texas and Oklahoma. Perhaps he wrote about it to prevent other oil companies from doing what Rockefeller did. Another reason why Josephson might have written this article was because of the stock market crash. He wanted to show how all who were invested in Standard Oil, lost all their earnings. C. "Hydraulic Mining " Hydraulic Mining was developed in 1852 by a miner named Antoine Chabot who made canvas hoses that shot out massive jets of water that washed dirt and gravel down into a sluice box, exposing gold bearing sediments. It made mining faster and easier because the water did most of the labor.

Hydraulic mining produced more gold in less time, increasing profits. Hydraulic Mining had a terrible impact on the environment. Debris was dumped into rivers and streams. Farmers were especially angry because the debris that was dumped rivers forced the water out of river banks causing disastrous floods. The water devastated farms by destroying vegetation and causing cattle to drown. Layers of silt several feet deep covered the land and farms went out of business. C. "Flash Photography and the Birth of Photojournalism" Flash photography was a new technology where cameras used a pistol lamp that fired magnesium cartridges which provided light for photography.

Flash photography allowed for pictures to be taken in dark places or at any time without relying on natural light. Photography became more popular because more events could be photographed exposing people to new affairs. Jacob Riis was a police reporter who wanted to inform people of the living conditions of New York's tenements. Flash photography helped him by exposing the poverty, crowding, and sickness in these tenements.

Jacob Riis's story "How the Other Half Lives" which included text and pictures allowed middle-class Americans, upper-class Americans and the general public to see the conditions of the people living in the tenements for the first time. His photojournalism not only opened the nation's eyes but also brought about tenant reform. Flash photography was dangerous because the pistol lamp cartridges contained highly explosive chemicals. If not careful the photographer could get severely burned. D. "Mechanical Cotton Picking Revolutionizes a Social System" Mechanical Cotton picking was a faster more efficient way to pick cotton. .".. a machine that could pick more bales of cotton in a day than he average farmer in the deep south grew in a year" (The American Promise: A History of the United States, Roark, Johnson, Cline-Cohen, Stage, Lawson, Hartmann). Mechanical cotton picking helped large cotton farmers who could afford the machine produce more bales and become dominant in the industry. The majority of farmers could not afford the machine and when the cotton prices decreased it was almost impossible to stay open.

The blacks were affected because they lost their jobs to machines. Unskilled and poor they moved to the north in hopes of finding new jobs. Because of racial tensions, it was hard for blacks to find work. At the beginning of the new deal half of urban blacks unemployed. Eventually African Americans were included in a New Deal relief where one quarter of the black community received some federal assistance.

Although they were able to receive some federal assistance they never fully recovered because they were still suffering from discrimination.