All That Glitters: The Faces of Wealth and The American Dream

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All That Glitters: The Faces of Wealth and The American Dream

Throughout all of history, there have been clear distinctions between wealthy and non wealthy. These distinctions can be observed through several of the luxuries that the wealthy lay claim to. Through this installation of the blog we will see how the faces of wealth have changed over time and how their meanings of wealth have changed as well. The faces of wealth have served as figures of motivation as no two truly have the same background story. This concept helps prove the age old concept of the American Dream where no matter the upbringing, wealth can be attained.

Early 1900's Wealthy Figures:

John D. Rockefeller

The early 1900's were a distinct period of time where people coming from old money lived in prosperity, like they always had, but it was also a time where the people with "new money" became insurmountably rich through their tremendous drive and ambition. In these early 1900's days, there is without a shadow of doubt no one who can quite equally represent the premise of richness and prosperity as John D. Rockefeller. Rockefeller represented the epitome of th American Dream and he still does to this day.

Rockefeller was born to a family who had "opted out of society" and therefore did not have much
wealth. His con artist of a father taught John Rockefeller how to fend for himself in the real world, and was very successful without through what Rockefeller ended up becoming. Through his enormous oil empire that he created, John D. Rockefeller earned himself a spot in the richest ever in America, and is in fact the richest man ever to have lived in America through a standardized calculation of wealthy figures throughout history. With all his acquired riches, assets, and inspiring back story, it is no one wonder that he is still an inspiration to young kids today.

Mid 1900's Wealthy Figures:

Through large socio economic changes, the mid 1900's quite distinctively earned a name for themselves as a great turning point in American history. They were a time of entrepreneurship and a time of corporate founding. In the mid 1900's, no one quite exemplifies these two principles as Sam Moore Walton. As much as Rockefeller started up his company from the bottom up, he did not start up in a very uncertain industry where wealth was even harder to come across the way Sam Walton did.

Sam Moore Walton

Sam Walton was born in Oklahoma to a poor farming family that was too poor to make ends meet. Through his youthful ages, he was committed to becoming educated as a way to make a way out for his family. Walton then eventually ended up in service for the military for many years until he ended his service. After this termination of service, he promptly went into the convenience store industry. Through his talented business skills and his ambition, he was able to found and grow his company to the point of where it became the largest corporation within America; and this corporation is known as Walmart. Through Walton's ambition, he was able to turn his past around, like Rockefeller, and make a name for himself through his immense  fortune and ubiquitous corporation.

Modern Wealthy Figures:

Bill Gates

The last on this list of influential figures comes as no shock to anyone who may read this. Those of us who are on the younger sides have grown up with his name engraved within our minds by those older and wiser who have seen his high points, low points, and unimaginably high points; and this man's name is Bill Gates. If there is anyone who epitomizes wealth within the late 20th early 21st century era, it is without a shadow of doubt Bill Gates.
Unlike other influential wealthy figures, Bill Gates was born to a substantial amount of money. This
meant that he never had the same motivations that the other two figures had, but Gates was fueled by his goal to
change the world with his knowledge. It is very clear to see that in this modern world, Gates very much succeeded with his goal. Almost every electronic device has a historical footprint left by Bill Gates and his co founders who created the groundbreaking company Microsoft. Microsoft changed the world, and it still continues to many decades after it was founded. Bill Gates lavish lifestyle and noble mission serve as a common goal around people who either are like him already or aspire to be like him. Like all the other figures, Bill Gates was very successfully able to make a quite substantial name for himself and still leaves an impact on society.

Next Generations:

It is a fact that there will be more influential people within the coming decades, however, like stated in the intro, there is a high chance they will not have the same upbringing as people before them. The death and birth of influential "tycoons" within the world, but the birth of influential "Mega tycoons" like those illustrated within this post are truly something special. It is not known from what background or in which industry the next mega tycoon will arise in but we can all be certain that there is destined to be one in the near future.