How Did Andrew Carnegie's Impact On Society

History Paper The Industrial Revolution brought radical change to the United States in what is now called the Gilded Age. As the country transitioned from an agricultural based economy to a industry based economy, the richest men in American history were crowned. The legacy of these men, now deemed robber barons by some, and captains of industry by others, have shaped America forever. One of the most prominent figures of the time, Andrew Carnegie, pushed America forward, and made amazingly generous charitable contributions, but the scandals regarding the treatment of his employees will forever tarnish his legacy. Andrew Carnegie exemplifies many of the good traits of the rich businessmen of the late 19th century. A Scottish immigrant from

Carnegie first constructed libraries at each of of his steel plants. Upon completion, Carnegie delved into a larger project, The Carnegie Institute. The Carnegie Institute cost Carnegie 25 million dollars, and is still one of the finest higher learning institutes in the world today. Carnegie was just getting started however. Upon his retirement, Andrew Carnegie turned philanthropy into a full time business. One highlight of his generosity that we still feel the effect of today is the 5.2 million dollar donation to the New York public library system that established 65 branches. Additionally, 500 cities were granted libraries funded by Carnegie in only three years, a move that cost Carnegie over 50 million dollars and established over 2000 libraries in The United States, Britain, and Ireland. Carnegie then shifted his focus from libraries back to higher learning and donated over 20 million towards higher education, including the establishment of the Carnegie Institution in Washington, established only for scientific research. Simultaneously, Carnegie began one of the first pension systems for teachers at his institutes. This foundation grew to be enormous, and still exists as the Teacher’s Insurance and Annuity Association. In his later years, Carnegie switched his target toward other world events, and lobbying

As they arrived on river barges, the workers in town caught wind of what was happening. They greeted the agents with an angry mob of approximately 3000 men, and gunfire broke out. After 14 hours of fighting, the Pinkerton agency men surrendered. The official casualty count of the skirmish was 12 men, 3 agents and 9 steel workers. Although he lost the battle, Carnegie was not ready to be defeated. Only four days later, Carnegie requested 8,500 National Guard troop to the plant. The workers had no chance against this force, and Frick and Carnegie assumed nearly complete control over the town. Once they again assumed control over the town, Frick and Carnegie were ruthless. Strike leaders were charged with crimes, and steel workers wages decreased over 20% in the next five years. Additionally, work days were lengthened from eight to twelve hours and the union went nearly bankrupt. In the next two years, the union lost over half of its members and lost almost all of its power. In this same time period, Carnegie Steel profits continued to soar. Within the next nine years, the company reported over 100 million dollars of profit. In Carnegie’s defense, the events at Homestead reportedly devastated him. He would go on to write that the events at Homestead were “contrary to my ideals, repugnant to every feeling of my nature.” Carnegie was always torn between his moral values and the profits of his companies, and