Rise of the Big Business.

Before the 19th century, America was a still considered a developing country in terms of production of goods. Mass production as we know it today started in the early 19th century when big businesses like John D. Rockefeller's company, Standard Oil and J.D. Morgan's US Steel Company made their mark as the biggest businesses in their trade. The reason these companies began is because there was a sudden need for material such as steel for railroad tracks, and oil, which would be refined and then used in the first automobiles. Since the big businesses were run in large factories, there was a need for many workers to work along a manufacturing lines. Although this provided jobs for thousands of people, it was not a well paying or safe job which led to much conflict between workers and their owners. The workers in these factories were upset with their low payroll for such a dangerous job so they began to strike. Because of the large amount of wealth and power big business owners like Rockefeller and Morgan had, the workers had little effect and influence about their complaints. Because of this turmoil between owners and workers, Mark Twain dubbed this era the "Gilded Era" because of how positive the idea of big businesses sounded while it was actually a very different perspective on the inside. Even with the low salary, poor conditions, and little power these workers had, they still worked hard because of the theory "rags to riches" that was brought to people's minds by Horatio Alger. "Rags to riches" is influencing people that even though life is tough at the moment, it is possible to become rich and successful if you really work hard. While some people preached that “God has intended that the great are meant to be great, and the poor are meant to be poor”, people liked to believe that this wasn't true and that hard work would bring success. It did for some, but for many, they worked hard but never saw a change in salary or lifestyle. Although big businesses were a hardship for many of the people involved, it changed the way American's could live making America a “big” country.