Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919) was a Gilded Age industrialist, the proprietor of the Carnegie Steel Company, and a noteworthy giver. He exemplified the Gilded Age archetype of the independent man, ascending from destitution to end up distinctly one of the wealthiest people ever. Naturally introduced to a modest family in Scotland, Carnegie went to the United States with at thirteen years old. He filled in as an errand person before starting a vocation with the Pennsylvania Railroad at eighteen years old. By the Civil War, he held an authoritative position with the railroad. At the war's end, Carnegie entered the iron business, and perceiving that steel rails would soon supplant press rails, he put resources into the steel business. Carnegie used the most up to date advances, for example, the Bessemer impact heater, to grow his steel organization. He likewise utilized "vertical joining"— control over each part of the business from the mining of iron metal through the creation and dissemination of steel—to build his control over …show more content…
Among these philanthropies were the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, the Carnegie Institution of Washington, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and the Carnegie Corporation of New …show more content…
At the end of the day, the rich ought to dedicate themselves to circulating their riches mindfully to profit society while they are still alive. He broadly closes saying, 'The man who bites the dust in this manner rich passes on disrespected.' Trying to do he said others should do, at the season of his passing Carnegie had given away $350 million of his own cash. That was 90% of his riches! He gave his cash with a specific concentrate on advanced education setting up a notable college, a music corridor, and more than 2,500 libraries. The Gospel of Wealth keeps on impacting American's impression of the rich, poor people, and the significance of
The Gilded Age marked a period of industrial growth in America. Mark Twain termed the period of 1865 to 1896 as the “Gilded Age” to {indicate} the widespread corruption lying underneath the glittering surface of the era. Known as either “captains of industry” or “robber barons,” several prominent figures shaped this time period; these capitalists gained great wealth and success with their industries. Corrupt and greedy are two words associated with the term “robber barons,” which referred to the capitalists who acquired their great wealth in less than admirable and ethical ways. On the other hand, many referred to the capitalists as the “captains of industry” that were celebrated as admirable philanthropists; their way of acquiring extreme
Andrew Carnegie was born in Dunfermline, Scotland in 1835. His father, Will, was a weaver and a follower of Chartism, a popular movement of the British working class that called for the masses to vote and to run for Parliament in order to help improve conditions for workers. The exposure to such political beliefs and his family's poverty made a lasting impression on young Andrew and played a significant role in his life after his family immigrated to the United States in 1848. Andrew Carnegie amassed wealth in the steel industry after immigrating from Scotland as a boy. He came from a poor family and had little formal education.
The Gilded Age was the last three decades of the nineteenth century, when America’s industrial economy exploded generating opportunities for individuals but also left many workers struggling for survival. With the many immigrants, skilled and unskilled, coming to America the labor system is becoming flooded with new employees. During this period, the immigrants, including the Italians, were unskilled and the skilled workers were usually American-born. There was also a divide in the workers and the robber barons. Robber barons were American capitalist who acquired great fortunes in the last nineteenth century, usually ruthlessly. There was much turmoil throughout the business and labor community. Two major organizations, the Knights of Labor and the American Federation of Labor, helped represent the workers in this time of chaos. The Knights of Labor, founded in 1869, were representing both skilled and unskilled workers. They were quite popular with a large boost in membership becoming the biggest union in 1885. They sought for equal pay and equal work. All were welcomed to the Knights of Labor; there was no discrimination on race, gender, or sex. They called for an eight-hour day in order to reduce fatigue and for safety issues. The Knights of Labor Declaration of Principles states their purpose is to “make industrial and moral worth, not wealth” (Reading 9, p. 1). This means the moral worth is to what they could contribute to society rather than monetary gains. They were working towards this improvement of the common mans life to advance in civilization and create new ideas for society. They also called upon the employer to treat the employee with respect and fairness so they can contribute to not only their company but to Amer...
...ve up the fortunes they have built themselves. It is an admirable idea to give your money to help promote a thriving community. Carnegie states that he is against charity and believes that those in need should be taught how to improve their own lives. To fund these institutes and corporations a form of charity must be given. Wealthy citizens give their excess money to a few to disperse of in a way they see fit to help the race. Most Americans are not willing to give up such a large sum of money as noble and respectable of an idea as it is. I think that Carnegie’s plan, in theory, would work and would be best for the race. I do not think it is practical because most would rather spoil their own family with inheritance than give it away to help people unknown to them. Carnegie’s idea of fair is equal opportunities for everyone to help themselves and the race.
...se. What Carnegie had in mind was that the millionaire, although by definition wealthy, should never forget the relationship between his wealth and the community from which his income was derived (Lena). Overall, this brief biography on Carnegie’s climb through big business is a readable book that gives the reader historical context, and an understanding of Carnegie’s genius capitalist and entrepreneurial intellect.
He goes over how a man with a plentiful amount of money who only keeps it to himself is basically a waste and he even says in (Doc B) ‘The man who dies rich dies a disgrace’. In that quote he is basically saying that a rich man should give and help while he is still around. By dying rich this shows that he didn’t help as much as he could, and he kept his fortune to himself. Carnegie is basically saying what is the point of being rich if you can’t help others in good ways. He was so helpful he helped by giving away libraries to other places showing he cares about the education of
In the documents titled, William Graham Sumner on Social Darwinism and Andrew Carnegie Explains the Gospel of Wealth, Sumner and Carnegie both analyze their perspective on the idea on “social darwinism.” To begin with, both documents argue differently about wealth, poverty and their consequences. Sumner is a supporter of social darwinism. In the aspects of wealth and poverty he believes that the wealthy are those with more capital and rewards from nature, while the poor are “those who have inherited disease and depraved appetites, or have been brought up in vice and ignorance, or have themselves yielded to vice, extravagance, idleness, and imprudence” (Sumner, 36). The consequences of Sumner’s views on wealth and poverty is that they both contribute to the idea of inequality and how it is not likely for the poor to be of equal status with the wealthy. Furthermore, Carnegie views wealth and poverty as a reciprocative relation. He does not necessarily state that the wealthy and poor are equal, but he believes that the wealthy are the ones who “should use their wisdom, experiences, and wealth as stewards for the poor” (textbook, 489). Ultimately, the consequences of
1. Andrew Carnegie wrote this book in order to leave his story behind for his friends and family who persisted on having “an account of mine”. And being persuaded by enjoying an autobiography written by a fellow friend, Judge Mellon, which gave him much pleasure.
Andrew Carnegie was born in Dunfermline, Scotland in 1835, and grew up in rather poor family. He was born into an average working family and had his first job as a bobbin boy paying at $1.20 a week. He continued advancement and later became one of the biggest steel companies in the area. Although, he may have had a poor life before riches, he had no sympathy for the low class. He was quite a hypocrite.
Even though these men attempted to build a stable foundation for America to grow on, their negative aspects dramatically outweighed the positive. Even though Andrew Carnegie donated his fortunes to charity, he only acquired the money through unjustifiable actions. As these industrialists continued to monopolize companies through illegal actions, plutocracy- government controlled by the wealthy, took control of the Constitution. Sequentially, they used their power to prevent controls by state legislatures. These circumstances effect the way one
A penny saved may be a penny earned, just as a penny spent may begin to better the world. Andrew Carnegie, a man known for his wealth, certainly knew the value of a dollar. His successful business ventures in the railroad industry, steel business, and in communications earned him his multimillion-dollar fortune. Much the opposite of greedy, Carnegie made sure he had what he needed to live a comfortable life, and put what remained of his fortune toward assistance for the general public and the betterment of their communities. He stressed the idea that generosity is superior to arrogance. Carnegie believes that for the wealthy to be generous to their community, rather than live an ostentatious lifestyle proves that they are truly rich in wealth and in heart. He also emphasized that money is most powerful in the hands of the earner, and not anyone else. In his retirement, Carnegie not only spent a great deal of time enriching his life by giving back; but also often wrote about business, money, and his stance on the importance of world peace. His essay “Wealth” presents what he believes are three common ways in which the wealthy typically distribute their money throughout their life and after death. Throughout his essay “Wealth”, Andrew Carnegie appeals to logos as he defines “rich” as having a great deal of wealth not only in materialistic terms, but also in leading an active philanthropic lifestyle. He solidifies this definition in his appeals to ethos and pathos with an emphasis on the rewards of philanthropy to the mind and body.
A wealthy person, with the desire to do well with their fortune, could benefit society in a number of ways. Carnegie has verbally laid a blueprint for the wealthy to build from. His message is simple: Work hard and you will have results; educate yourself, live a meaningful life, and bestow upon others the magnificent jewels life has to offer. He stresses the importance of doing charity during one’s lifetime, and states “…the man who dies leaving behind him millions of available wealth, which was his to administer during life, will pass away ‘unwept, unhonored, and unsung’…” (401). He is saying a wealthy person, with millions at their disposal, should spend their money on the betterment of society, during their lifetime, because it will benefit us all as a race.
Carnegie saw how bad the wooden railroads were, so he proceeded to slowly replace them with iron ones. Carnegie's charm, perception, and hard work led to becoming one of the world's most famous men of the time, and led to the first corporation in the world with a market capitalization in excess of one billion when he sold his companies to John Morgan who called them United States Steel Corporation.
He would later make many plants that helped to make steel much easier. According to Andrew Carnegie, Entrepreneur, Business Leader, Philanthropist(1835–1919), “In 1901, Carnegie made a dramatic change in his life. He sold his business to the United States Steel Corporation, started by legendary financier J.P. Morgan. The sale earned him more than $200 million.” Retrieved from https://www.biography.com/people/andrew-carnegie-9238756 2017. He later spent his life helping others and forming and making foundations and libraries and places and making history that is still a huge part of our America now. He has always made education an important part of his life he could share this with others and he donated tons of his money to libraries and opened over 2,000 of them. He wanted to help people he made libraries public because most libraries were private when he was growing
Andrew Carnegie who is best known for leading the expansion of the American steel industry in the 19th century. Carnegies goal for the steel industry was to maximize efficiency in a way that lowered the costs of producing these goods. He saw that if he was able to complete this ideal, it would lead to industrialization. The way that Carnegie was different from others is that when the going was tough, he did not allow himself to give up. In fact, when “other iron makers shut down in hard times, Carnegie kept his furnaces operating. He believed in expanding during the depression years when costs were low” (65). The outcome from this innovative thinking was astonishing because Carnegie essentially overtook Great Britain in the production of iron. He invented a system so efficient that he lowered the costs from $160 a ton to $17 a ton and still managed to record high profits. Someone, who attained even more success than Carnegie was John D. Rockefeller. Rockefeller followed a similar plan to Carnegie by improving efficiency to lower costs. Rockefeller eliminated a lot of his competition by either purchasing their businesses or selling his own oil at a price so low that they others could not compete. His passion for wanting more did not stop in the oil industry, he also went into the transportation business and convinced the railroad companies to give him