In the late 1800s and early 1900s the term "Robber barons" came about. A robber baron is a description for businessmen of the period who only cared about personal profit and often participated in unfair business practices. But were these millionaires, such as Cornelius Vanderbilt, Andrew Carnegie, and John D. Rockefeller really as ruthless as this definition implies or were they really philanthropists, people who try to help others through their fortunes.

Sometimes the wrong idea is portrayed when it comes to these men. In actuality they all came from rather humble beginnings. Just look at Andrew Carnegie, the son of a weaver, was born in Scotland in 1848 and at age 13 immigrated to Pennsylvania. Carnegie would later found Carnegie Steel Company and own several subsidiaries like Pittsburgh Locomotive and Car Works. He is also the founder of many institutions such as Carnegie Institute of...