American History, s.v. "John D. Rockefeller: quote on money," accessed November 17, 2014. http://americanhistory.abc-clio.com/.
This is a quote on money from an interview that Rockefeller did in 1905. From this source we used the fact that Rockefeller believed in giving money away to help society. This source helped us better understand the thought behind Rockefeller and his donations. Our argument is not that Rockefeller did not give money, this quote disproves that, but that Carnegie was more noble in his giving.
American History, s.v. "John D. Rockefeller," Photos/Illustrations, Library of Congress, accessed November 19, 2014. http://americanhistory.abc-clio.com/.
This source is a photo of John D. Rockefeller in 1910. From this source, we used the photo for our website. This helped us by showing us what Rockefeller looked like.
Andrew Carnegie. Photograph. Library of Congess. http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/98507118/.
This is a Picture of Andrew Carnegie in 1896. From this source we used the picture for our website. This source helped us to better understand Andrew Carnegie by showing us what he looked like.
Burnett, Clara F. Clara F. Burnett to J. D. Rockefeller, Mr., January 13, 1889. Accessed November 19, 2014. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/primary-resources/rockefellers-donations/.
This is a letter address to Rockefeller asking for money to make repairs on a Church. From this source we used the letter for proof that Rockefeller was consistently asked for money for a variety of reasons. This letter helped us to better understand the pressure Rockefeller faced to donate by providing an example of letters he received daily.
Carnegie, Andrew. Andrew Carnegie to John D. Rockefeller, "Letter to John D Rockefeller," February 8, 1903. Carnegie Corporation of New York. New York City. Accessed November 4, 2014. http://carnegie.org/fileadmin/Media/Publications/PDF/carnegie_to_jd_rockefeller.pdf.
This is a letter from Andrew Carnegie to John D. Rockefeller. In the letter, Carnegie talks about how him and Rockefeller know what giving really means. They don't give money to have "applause" or to please the media, but for the good of society and to help. From this source, we used the correspondence between Carnegie and Rockefeller and the content of the letter to show that they knew each other and talked about their donations and why they did it. This source helps us by showing that both donated money, and in the letter Carnegie explains why they donate.
———. "Wealth." In The Gospel of Wealth, 653-65. Vol. 148. Cedar Falls, IA: University of Northern Iowa, 1889. Accessed November 19, 2014. http://digital.library.cornell.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=nora;idno=nora0148-6.
Andrew Carnegie writes down his entire philosophy for how wealth should be dealt with, therefore this source contains reliable insight to the true thoughts of Carnegie. In this section Carnegie forms the thesis that if a man has money his whole life and then dies with it he has nothing, but instead a man who has wealth should distribute to public use throughout his life. From this source we used Carnegie's principles on how the rich can influence the less fortunate and their own communities for our website. This source helped us better understand how noble Carnegie was because we could read his philosophy on the importance of charity.
Carnegie's Steel Plant. Photograph. 1905. Library of congress. Accessed November 19, 2014. http://www.loc.gov/pictures/resource/det.4a06939/.
This is a picture of one of Carnegie's Steel plants. This picture shows how large Carnegie's business was. From this we used the picture for a visual appeal on our website. This source helped us to to better understand Carnegie's steel industry by showing us what is factories looked like.
The Day Book (Chicago, IL). "Hoot Man! Andy Raises Jawn D. $45,089,000." November 11, 1911. Accessed November 19, 2014. http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045487/1911-11-11/ed-1/seq-20/.
This newspaper article was accurate in that it was written when both Carnegie and Rockefeller were alive, nevertheless the author appears to be sarcastically bitter at both Titans. He compares the amount of money they both gave to charity, but he treats it as though it is a game to see who can donate more than the other. From this source we used the data for how much money each man donated on our website. This source helped us better understand that both parties had their positive ethics, as well as critiques.
The New York Times (New York, YN). "On This Day." May 24, 1937. Accessed November 19, 2014. http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/bday/0708.html.
This is Rockefeller's Obituary published in the New York Times. This obituary lists many of Rockefeller's accomplishments in life and the legacy he created for himself. The author praises Rockefeller for his charitable donations, he even states that Rockefeller was more charitable than Carnegie. It also lists the amount of money Rockefeller gave to several different organizations. From this source we used the information about how much Rockefeller gave for proof of Rockefeller's charitable donations. This source helped us to better understand how much money Rockefeller gave away by listing some of his largest donations.
Porter, Phil. "Rockefeller Booted out of Ohio." Cartoon. The Day Book (Chicago, IL), February 17, 1914, Noon edition. Accessed November 19, 2014. http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045487/1914-02-17/ed-1/seq-21/.
This cartoon was drawn in 1914, when Rockefeller had already established his Standard Oil company, and citizens were furious that he shut down so much competition. John D. Rockefeller appears to be a frightened cat jumping over a fence labeled "Ohio," it represents Rockefeller's need to abandon the state where his wealth began in order to avoid tax collectors for our website. From this source we used Rockefeller's lack of payment to tax assessors in Ohio.This comic helps us understand that Rockefeller tried to work around the law and that american citizens were not pleased with his actions.
Standard Oil Co. of New Jersey v. United States, 221 U.S. (1911). Accessed November 19, 2014. https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/257/176/.
This website does not contain the official Supreme Court case law, but appears to be logical and unbias in stating the outcome of the case. Rockefeller's Standard Oil Company was found to have violations with the anti-trust laws, which are responsible for keeping a fair market and preventing monopolies. From this source we used the fact that Rockefeller was violating the law by gaining more and more power for our website. This source helped us better understand the political incongruencies with Rockefeller's company.
The United States Department of Justice. Standard Oil Refinery- Cleveland, Ohio 1870. Photograph. The United States Department of Justice. Accessed November 19, 2014. http://www.justice.gov/atr/public/hearings/single_firm/docs/219389.pdf.
This source is a photo of a Standard Oil Refinery in Cleveland, Ohio. We used this source to put on the website to show one of the refineries that John D. Rockefeller had in his possession as he created his monopoly. This helped us understand what the refineries looked like and can help readers of the website know what a refinery looks like too.
Secondary Sources
Carnegie Corporation of NY. "Andrew Carnegie's Legacy." Carnegie Corporation of New York. Last modified 2014. Accessed November 19, 2014. http://carnegie.org/about-us/foundation-history/about-andrew-carnegie/carnegie-for-kids/andrew-carnegie-legacy/.
This is a Website that talks about Andrew Carnegie's impact in history. On this website they talk about Carnegie's charitable donations that were about ninety percent of his total wealth. From This source we used the information about the percentage of Carnegie's total donations. This source helped us to better understand what Carnegie's charitable donations by giving me numbers and a percentage.
Chernow, Ron. Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. 2nd ed. New York: Vintage Books, 1998.
This book is about John D. Rockefeller's life and the process of creating Standard Oil. The book goes from when his ancestors came to America to when Rockefeller died at the age of 97. The book goes in-depth of how Rockefeller grew up and became the leader of the oil industries. The author is a non-fiction writer and the biographer of Rockefeller. From this source we used the information about his life and how he created Standard Oil. This source helped us better understand how he used his profit to help improve society.
Henle, Peter, and Mark Drajem. "Where Have You Gone, Andrew Carnegie?" Washington Monthly, May 1996. Accessed November 19, 2014. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=mae&AN=9605231675&site=src-live.
This magazine was published 50 years after Carnegie's death, so it could lack accuracy, and the authors appear to be incredibly fond of Carnegie. The entire article analyzes the vast money donated by Carnegie and how many billionaires in our day in age need to follow in his image. From this article we used the institutions and programs that Carnegie donated to as well as the total amount of money he donated in his lifetime ($350 million) on our website. This source helped us understand how charitable Carnegie was, it truly put into perspective the amount he gave compared to wealthy people today.
Lenkowsky, Leslie. "The Carnegie Corporation Turns 100." Philanthropy Magazine, 2011. Accessed November 19, 2014. http://www.philanthropyroundtable.org/topic/donor_intent/the_carnegie_corporation_turns_100.
This is a Magazine article talking about the Carnegie Corporation's 100th anniversary sense being founded. The article talks about Carnegie's motives for giving as well as his other accomplishments as a philanthropist. It also says that while Rockefeller's motives for giving were religious, Carnegie's motives came from Political Philosophies. From this Source we used the statement is the differences of why Rockefeller and Carnegie gave money away for our argument of the differences between the two mens motives for giving.This source helped us to better understand one of the many differences between Carnegie and Rockefeller.
Marshall, Jim. "Standard Oil Company." In American History. ABC-CLIO, 2000-. Accessed November 19, 2014. http://americanhistory.abc-clio.com/.
This source is an article about John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil Company. It talks about how the company was created and what happened to the company as it became a monopoly. From this source, we used the information about the creation and break up of the Standard Oil Company.
Oliver, Charles. "Industrialist John D. Rockefeller." Investor's Business Daily (Los Angeles, California/United States), October 26, 1998, A6. Accessed November 19, 2014. http://search.proquest.com/docview/250309029?accountid=1860.
This is an article printed in a business newspaper, so the author accurately tells Rockefeller's childhood as well as how his company began. The author discusses the research and development departments that Rockefeller had owned and tells the story of his success. From this source we used Rockefeller's growing up and then growing rich story for our website. This source helped us better understand that John D. Rockefeller was human, persistent, and overall adamant about making money.
The Rockefeller Foundation. "Our History- A Powerful Legacy." The Rockefeller Foundation. Accessed November 19, 2014. http://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/about-us/our-history.
This source is a summary of all the things that The Rockefeller Foundation has done since its creation in 1913 by John D. Rockefeller himself. From this source we used the different areas that the foundation has impacted and what started and inspired Rockefeller to donate his time and money. One of these inspirations was Andrew Carnegie himself. We learned from this source that Rockefeller started to donate money to his church when he was a teen but really started donating after reading an essay by Andrew Carnegie when he was 40.
Weinberg, Steve. Taking on the Trust: The Epic Battle of Ida Tarbell and John D. Rockefeller. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company, 2009.
Steven Weinberg is one of the best journalism professors in America, and one can say he is biased toward Ida Tarbell because of his occupation, however, this book does remain entirely factual. Ida Tarbell is a muckraker whose family works in the oil business and disapproves of Rockefeller's monopolizing the oil companies. From this source we used Ida Tarbell's evidence that Rockefeller had made secret deals with the railroads that transported its oil for our website. This source helped us better understand that Rockefeller was not a completely honest man by exemplifying various illicit instances in his business.
Process Paper
We initially planned to do our National History Day project on the influence of Wal-Mart in the production of goods in America. However, because of lack of resources we decided to focus on two men who had also changed America, Rockefeller and Carnegie. As we researched these men we became interested in their philanthropic work, and their different reasons for giving back. For our project we decided to compare the reasons for Carnegie and Rockefeller's charitable work.
To find resources we used data bases provided by our school, such as ABC-Clio. We also used the Library of Congress to find photos, one being of Carnegie, in order to add visual aid. We found websites created by the foundations that Carnegie and Rockefeller established for philanthropic purposes. Two of our most fascinating sources were newspapers, dated back to the era of Carnegie and Rockefeller. By using sources from both during their time and during our time we could see how the opinions of these two great men have changed over the years.
Ultimately we wished to prove that Carnegie was more noble in his donations than Rockefeller. We knew that by creating a website our debate could be open to the general public. A website also allowed us to create an interactive learning experience for those who viewed the site. We also thought that by learning to create a website we would develop new skills that would help us in our future.
Our topic relates to the theme of leadership and legacy in history by explaining the remarkable impact that both Carnegie and Rockefeller had in America. Both were leaders of gigantic companies that changed the world, and through their industries and dedication to donations these men created for themselves a legacy that remains even today.