Ellena C. Romans
Professor Jack Sarles
History 1322
January 12, 2017
Carnegie
For my assignment I have chosen Carnegie for my subject as a prospective employer based on the following question:
4. You are a 1890s worker. You must choose to go to work for Carnegie, Morgan, or Rockefeller. Choose one of these men and include reasons for the man you chose and reasons for not choosing the others
Carnegie embodies three qualities that I admire, a humble background, technological foresight, and charity. I chose Carnegie as my subject rather than the other historical figures because of Carnegie’s initial characteristic, a modest upbringing.
Carnegie emigrated from Scotland with his family as a child. The son of a weaver by trade he would have grown up in a very modest household. Beginning as a messenger boy for a telegraph office in 1850. Three short years later, Carnegie moved forward to a secretary position in support of the superintendent (Thomas Scott) at the Pennsylvania Railroad. Under the tutelage of Scott, Carnegie began making investments and working his way into loftier ranks within transportation, and communication. These experiences led to an ability to look future ward.
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An example of this would be the transition of iron to the product of steel in construction. Steel is superior to iron in strength and flexibility. According to Professor Joseph S. Spoerl in his work, A Brief History of Iron and Steel Production, “Unlike many of his competitors, Andrew Carnegie was quick to recognize the importance of the Bessemer, Thomas basic, and open-hearth processes. He was also among the first steelmakers to grasp the vital importance of chemistry in steelmaking. These became keys to his success as a steel manufacturer.” Carnegie’s monetary success did not leave him unmindful of his journey in life, he maintained his identification with the working