The desire for wealth saturates everyone's mind at one time or another. Almost everyone dreams of having a large mansion near the beach, many cars, etc., but this money does not simply come, it must be inherited or earned. During the 1800s, most wealth was inherited, but there were some self-made men who worked from the bottom up to become rich. One man in particular influenced wealthy men like Andrew Carnegie and Rockefeller. He was able to start many of the ideas carried forward during the Gilded Age because he not only had a great influence in society, but he greatly changed the economy and industries he was involved in during that time. Finally, he modernized commerce for the businessmen to come. Cornelius Vanderbilt became one of the most famous names in American history thanks to the continuous positive changes he brought to the country. Cornelius Vanderbilt was an inspiration to future wealthy people of the Gilded Age because he fought to limit competition in the developing railroad and steamboat industries; his tactics in these areas brought him great wealth, which helped him wield enormous power and influence over the American economy and politics. Vanderbilt sought to limit competition by creating business trusts and lowering prices in order to monopolize other railroad and steamboat businesses. In the steamboat industry, while Vanderbilt worked for Gibbons, he was able to lower ticket prices to an obscenely low amount by increasing the cost of food on the boat. Other steamboat companies considered it illegal because the government regulated the cost of tickets and Vanderbilt was falling below regulatory costs. Finally, after much dis...... middle of paper ......bring the South financially after the Civil War to convince them to join the Union. Works Cited Marshall, John. “Gibbons vs. Ogden 22 United States 1." January 1824. Accessed December 18, 2011. http://www.ourdocuments.gov.Poole, Keith. "Entrepreneurs and American Economic Growth: Cornelius Vanderbilt." VoteView.com. Accessed December 7, 2011 Last modified 1997. http://voteview.com/.htm.Stiles, TJ “Cornelius Vanderbilt.” The New York Times (New York City), January 2009. Accessed December 7, 2011. http://www.topics. nytimes.com.———. “Robber Barons or Captains of Industry.” History Now. Accessed December 7, 2011. Last modified June 2010. http://www.gilderlehrman.org.Valentine, Rebecca Progressive Era. Farmington Hills: Thomson Gale, 2007. Weisberger, Bernard A. Captains of Industry New York: American Heritage Publishing , 1966.