Tenth Period | Robber Barons or Captains of Industry: Teaching the Gilded Age Economics

BRI staff members Rachel and Kirk are joined by Nicole Moretti, World History, World Geography, and AP U.S. History teacher from Lyman, Wyoming, and BRI Teacher Council member, as they discuss the American industrial age and the ensuing economic explosion. They will consider whether the magnates of the Gilded Age were talented individuals whose skills benefitted society as a whole (captains of industry), or selfish individuals who harnessed the worst parts of human nature for their own gain (robber barons). They'll incorporate two contrasting primary sources: "Looking Backward, 2000-1887" by Edward Bellamy and "Wealth" by Andrew Carnegie.