John D. Rockefeller, born July 8, 1839, had an enormous impact on the course of American history, his reputation ranging from being a ruthless businessman to a thoughtful philanthropist (Tarbell 41 ). He came from a family with little and lived the American dream, achieving success through his wits and cunning, without riding anyone's back. His legacy is enormous, and he has amassed the greatest private wealth of any American in history. Rockefeller's influence on our country was both positive and negative, he donated large sums of money to various public institutions and revolutionized the oil industry. Along with all the positives for the country, Rockefeller also had many negative effects, including, earning his riches by means of a monopoly, often using illegal methods, giving others a reason to disapprove of capitalism, and harming small businesses . John D. Rockefeller's first positive effect was his donations of large sums of money to public institutions. During his lifetime Rockefeller donated $540 million (Sicilia 2006). Nearly all of his philanthropic activities occurred after his retirement from Standard Oil. Donations ranged from colleges, to churches, to hospitals. With the help of his son and Frederick Gates, the man Rockefeller put in charge of his philanthropic activities, he was able to help improve the lives of many (Poole 2000). Rockefeller remained faithful to his religion throughout his life, not forgetting where he was. came from and how it helped him. Raised Baptist from birth, religion always played an important role in Rockefeller's life and was part of his upbringing. From the beginning of his working life, Rockefeller gave ten percent of his earnings to his church. The......middle of paper......no chance to compete with Standard Oil because of all the tactics employed to keep prices low. This appealed to small-town families and had a similar effect to what Wal-Mart does with mom-and-pop stores today. Numerous families living in small-town America have lost their income due to Standard Oil and the hardships imposed on many. John D. Rockefeller's legacy will live on as he permanently shaped the face of this country. He has funded huge advances in education and medicine, as well as initiated events to end the lassiez-faire economy. Thanks to his research, the oil industry changed significantly during his career and he devised completely new business methods, some of which are still in practice today. Although Rockefeller's personal opinions vary greatly, it is certain that he changed the course of America.