Andrew Carnegie: A Hero As A Hero

Whether it be a fictional superhero or an everyday savior, everybody in at least one point in their life has idolized a hero. But what exactly defines the qualities of a hero? Does it revolve around being successful, having integrity, and/or charisma, etc.? Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish born American Industrialist and philanthropist, which led him to be one of the wealthiest businessmen of the 19th century. Carnegie born on November 25, 1835, in Dunfermline, Scotland, worked a series of railroad jobs and by 1889 he owned Carnegie Steel Corporation, the largest of its kind in the world. In 1901, he sold his business and dedicated his time to expanding his philanthropic work, including the establishment of Carnegie-Mellon University in 1904,

His integrity relied on the betterment of the society; he was aware of what needed to be done to improve society. Document H, “Homestead and Its Perilous Trade,” states that the average employee would earn a day is $1.40. Their daily wage did not help meet the minimum amount of money ($600) to support their family; the employees were only able to get an approximate amount of $280. In order to be able to do his philanthropic work, Carnegie had to make money and the method he decided was to underpay his workers. Carnegie underpaid his workers; document I claims that the iron and steel industry workers would earn a daily average of about $1.81, meanwhile, Carnegie’s workers earned 40 cents less. The employees had to work in dangerous conditions for long hours that they would describe as “deathtrap,” “mouth of hell,” and “inhumane” (Doc. H). The employees suffered tremendously during work since they had to face steams, iron explosion, and their tiredness. Andrew Carnegie would not be viewed as a hero since he depriving his workers the ability to support their family, but secretly he is because his motive for the harsh conditions his workers had to face was for the betterment of the