Social Darwinism; William G. Sumner, a political science professor at Yale University, promoted the theory that success and failure in business were governed by natural law and that no one had the right to intervene. He was trying to say that the marketplace should not be regulated.

Name of Successor	Importance
Andrew Carnegie	He came to this country in 1848, at age 12. Six years later, he worked his way up to become private secretary to the local superintendent of the Pennsylvania Railroad. After doing such a good work in this job he then went into the steel business. There he successfully used vertical and horizontal integration to gain control over his suppliers and having limited his competition.
John D. Rockefeller	Established the Standard Oil Company which in 1870, processed two or three percent of the country's crude oil. Within a decade, it controlled 90 percent of the refining business. When he controlled the market, he hiked prices far above original levels. He was also famous for giving over $500 million to provide funds for the University of Chicago, and creating a medical institute that helped find a cure for yellow fever.
Samuel Gompers	He led the Cigar Makers's International Union to join with other craft unions in 1886. He was the president of the American Federation of Labor (AFL). The AFL focused on collective bargaining, or negotiation between representatives of labor and managements, to reach written agreements on wages, hours, and working conditions.
Eugene V. Debs	Born in Indiana, he left home at the age of 14 to work for the railroads. While in prison following the Pullman strike in 1894 he became increasingly disillusioned with capitalism. He became a spokesperson for the Socialist Party of America and was its candidate for president five times. In 1912, he won about 900,000 votes which was an amazing 6 percent total.

Expansion of Industry | Railroads | Business & Labor | Inventions | Enviroment