Haley Farrell 8/7/14 AP U.S History Summer Assignment • Andrew Carnegie was an industrialist who influenced the enlargement of the American steel industry in the conclusion of the 19th century. In his era, he was one of the most well-known philanthropists who had also given most of his wealth to charities and foundations. Carnegie believed that those who are wealthy should distribute their riches to work towards amelioration of society and to reduce the gap between socioeconomic statuses, which he expressed in an article called “The Gospel of Wealth” in 1889. Andrew gained his fortune by investing in railroads and bridges in the 1860’s and then later became a bond salesman in which he worked to elevate American enterprise in European countries.
Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie’s was one of the most successful businessmen during America’s Age of Industrialization in the 1880’s. After the Civil War, he saw a future in having a career in the iron industry, and later on, decided to invest in the steel industry (PBS). Though Carnegie is most known for his contribution in the steel industry, he took part in a few other businesses as well. However, the Gilded Age is an era full of poverty and corruption hidden underneath the prosperous, wealthy nation, and the working conditions within Carnegie Steel Company were not much better than those in other factories (Resetar).
Another reason that his practices are justified is that there was nobody before him to set the example in ethics and no laws requiring a certain pay. His goal was to make as much money as humanly possible and when push comes to shove that is what a business is for. “What few people realize about Carnegie is that his insatiable drive for more and more wealth , without limit, was tied to his conviction that it was his duty to give it all away by the time of his death- so that the richer he became, the more beneficial he could become”. This shows that he was not a greedy scumbag who was only concerned for himself and reiterating the fact that he was a captain of industry and not a robber
Greed – the extreme, selfish desire to acquire what is beyond average necessities. Whether greed applies to wealth or power, mankind is prone to exemplify the cupidity. Humans may never become truly content with what they are given, allowing them to desire superfluous objects. The development of greed, as shown in repeated history, eventually leads to the ruination of characters, one particular character being Andrew Carnegie. Andrew Carnegie, the leader of the steel industry in the 19th century, epitomized the concept of greed by yearning for supplementary profits within his company; this greed greatly affected the lives of many, including Carnegie himself.
Carnegie hired Frick to oversee his steel mills, most specifically the Homestead. Frick was working every last once out of these workers, and they had had enough. They began to get together, planning a rebellion. Knowing this, Frick began to make moves of his own, quickly letting the workers know that there was going to be no changing in the way the mills were run, no change nor negotiations. This didn’t stop the workers; they continued to plan until, June 29, 1892 when 2,000 Carnegie workers stood outside the barricaded homestead mill.
What’s funny about this is Andrew Carnegie was always fighting for laborers and was always trying to protect their rights but little did we know he was violating his own rules. Interesting. Cornelius Vanderbilt mistreated his workers and assigned them long hours(faqla.com, P.1). This is not a shocker to most people since Cornelius Vanderbilt was known to be a ruthless character who was very greedy, arrogant, and basically abused everyone. “Cornelius Vanderbilt made a fortune off the sweat of immigrant labor and by monopolizing pretty much all travel east of chicago.”
As Carnegie saw himself as a virtuous employer but the policy which he implemented contradict his public belief. Because, since his origins related to that of his workingman within his company and used this identity which helped sway public support for him and his company. Standiford takes notice by adding “Had Carnegie been challenged he would surely have defended himself vigorously as the possessor of a special understanding of the laborer, having himself been ‘one of the downtrodden.’ And he would always on some sentimental level identify with the less fortunate... Nevertheless, Carnegie continued to make noble statements about the workingman to the very end of his life.”
He was one of the first economists to change the way the economy was run. Born on November 25, 1835, Andrew Carnegie was one of the most wealthiest and famous industrialists of the late 1800s and early 1920s. He is a Scottish-born American industrialist who pushed the economy of the United States into a whole new level. He was the one who expanded America’s economy into what we know it as today. Ever since he was a young boy, he already had ambition burning inside of him.
The United States began to enter a prosperous and increasing period after the civil war known as industrialization. Despite the fact that industrialization led the United States to wealth, it also led it to many social and economic problems during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. During this time, Upton Sinclair and Andrew Carnegie were the people who responded to the economic and social problems generated by industrialization. Andrew Carnegie was one of the wealthy men in America and was very charitable, he impacted the United States with his steel to transform cities. During these economic and social problems generated by industrialization, he responded by providing money to fund charities.
He was also one the wealthiest men of his time and helped transform the steel industry. Andrew Carnegie could be considered to be a hero in many ways. He helped create jobs, transformed the steel industry and also helped other industries, and was an influential philanthropist. Many of the people at the time were poor and living in poverty. There weren't many jobs; and the one that they did have didn't pay enough to sustain a family.
This show us that Carnegie had withheld money from his employers who were the ones doing all the hard work. Jobs at Carnegie company exhausted workers because of their 10 hour shifts that consisted of hot machinery and the smell of gas. This also lead to some deaths.(Doc 6) Even though workers worked long, hard, and tiring shifts, Carnegie only cared for the income and not the working conditions. Since Andrew Carnegie gave low wages and did not care for bad
The strikers eventually won causing the company to stay closed. Then five days later the governor in Pennsylvania sent soldiers to restore order and re-open the the plant. Two months later the strike was called off, Carnegie was criticized for Fricks actions. Carnegie did a lot to achieve his large empire, he fought competitors and made good business
The late nineteenth century was a pivotal moment in American history. During this time, the Industrial Revolution transformed the nation, railroads had dissipated all throughout the country, and economic classes began to form, separating the wealthy from the poor. One of the wealthiest men of this generation was Andrew Carnegie, a Scottish immigrant who fled to America to make millions off the railroad, oil and even steel businesses. Carnegie is considered one of the richest men in history, and even with all that wealth he decided to give back to the community. As a matter of fact, Carnegie donated most of his funds to charities, universities and libraries in his last few years.
This is also known as the Homestead Strike. Carnegie then hired Pinkerton thugs to attack the workers. In the same excerpt, the author says, “he hired Pinkerton thugs to intimidate strikers. Many were killed in the conflict, and it was an episode that would forever hurt Carnegie's reputation and haunt the man.” He uses unfair ways to have a successful business through low wages, and using wealth to his
Carnegie was not a hero, because a hero does a deed selflessly, but he thought a lot about himself. 184,400,000 dollars was spent on big-name corporations and associations that would honor him by naming a meaningful belonging after him (Doc C). Carnegie was a man who wanted to feed his ego but should have donated money to help the community, not make himself known. Andrew Carnegie was not a true hero. Many may say, going from rags to riches makes Carnegie a hero.