With industrialism looming and the first transcontinental railroad nearing completion, the famous Collis P. Huntington laughed all the way to the bank as he had just invested in the construction of the railway. company that would give birth to one of the most oppressive monopolies in American history. Huntington was a successful railroad tycoon, but his practices were considered unfair and he was given the label of a robber baron, a businessman who amassed great wealth in unethical ways. Although Collis P. Huntington viewed philanthropic projects as a wealthy businessman, he was a robber baron because he presided over the great Central Pacific railroad empire that created a de facto monopoly and often bribed politics with money. money. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on "Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned"? Get the original essay On October 22, 1821, Collis P. Huntington was born into a large family on the farmlands of Poverty Hollow in Harwinton, Connecticut. Huntington was just as miserable as he was insightful, and by the time Huntington was a young man he had become a relatively wealthy merchant with his brother in the Oneota district of New York. Huntington and a few of his siblings were taken from their poor families by local farmers who could provide for the Huntingtons. Described as tough and valiant, Huntington sought opportunity with the San Franciscan Gold Rush of 1848. He moved to Sacramento to seek profit by retailing mining equipment. In Sacramento, Huntington not only retailed equipment but also invested in Theodore Judah's vision of a transcontinental railroad. Huntington becomes rich despite his poor upbringing, rising from poverty to power by dominating Gilded Age industries. A robber baron greatly expands his control over an industry, and as a result, dominance forms a monopoly. Huntington, along with three other key investors known as the “Big Four,” managed to build an empire through the railroad advertising industry. During Huntington's time presiding over the industry, he carried out extensive construction work. Huntington continued to buy companies in the transportation sector, and when he took over the majority of American transportation services, he inflated prices; therefore, creating a recession in the economy while personally receiving large sums of money. The famous American journalist Ben Ratliff examined the impact of the Big Four on the economy, concluding: "By the early 1870s, they had established a de facto monopoly on California shipping by establishing control in San Francisco, leaving producers and retailers have no choice but to come together. Southern Pacific Railroad's exorbitant costs or seeing their products rot in the warehouse ("The Octopus and the Big Four"). Ben Ratliff's research demonstrates that the group of four investors, including Huntington, profited from the assets by creating a monopoly that unethically forced other companies into bankruptcy. Huntington, as the passage shows, was able to expand his control over the transportation industry, creating a de facto monopoly that had a detrimental effect on the economy. Huntington was a member of the group that developed the industry, but he was also known for his plots against his associates. He was very effective in subduing the railway sector while expanding his domination over the North American continent. Writing in 1898, New York Times reporter George Miles confirmed that Huntington and his associates continued to.