Faces of America

After watching Faces of America, I learned that EVERYONE has some ancestor that they can trace back to that came to America searching for new opportunities.  The people featured in the documentary clearly have become successful, but they would never have had the chance to be that successful if it wasn't for their ancestors taking a giant risk of starting a new life in America.  Because of the chance that their family members made, some not too long ago, shaped how their lives are today, full of opportunity and achievement.

To be a "nation of immigrants" means that no one in America is actually a true American.  At some point, their family had to be an immigrant from a different country.  America is one giant melting point where everyone is different and has a different background.  The people that chose to leave their home and start a new life here must have had to been brave, but they knew to look to the future and realize that this transition could help their family in the long run by giving them more opportunities.  The people that came would have had to have passion and drive to make a better life, meaning they would have been hard workers.  This really helped America grow and develop.  I feel very thankful that my ancestors took the chance to give their decedents, like myself, a better life.  I know it must have been a hard choice, but it clearly paid off in the end.

Immigrants coming through Ellis Island

John D. Rockefeller

John D. Rockefeller was born in Richford, New York on July 8, 1839.  As a teenager, he worked several small jobs to make money and gradually worked his way up to success.  Eventually, he built an oil refinery near Cleveland.  Not too long after that he started the Standard Oil Company in 1870.  He eventually became the wealthiest man to ever live, his net worth being over $300 Billion.

Rockefeller was known for buying up his competition in order to eliminate his competitors, which was ironic because he was a very religious man who gave a lot of money to his church.  You would think doing that would make someone feel guilty, but he had to work somehow for his earnings.  Just like other industrialists, he knew that playing dirty like that was the only way to succeed in his line of business.  Rockefeller demanded that he get refunds on public rates.  The Standard Oil Company was convicted of the monopolistic practices in Federal Court.  After the Standard Oil Company broke up in 1911, Rockefeller remained a big Philanthropist, giving away a lot of his money to charity.

Sources:
www.biography.com
www.u-s-history.com
http://johndrockefeller.org/

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John D Rockefeller