ANDREW CARNEGIE: FROM RAGS TO RICHES TO CHARITY A LOOK INTO HOW ANDREW CARNEGIE IS CONSIDERED A HUMANITARIAN What is a humanitarian? According to the Oxford Dictionary, a humanitarian is someone who “seeks to promote human welfare; a philanthropist.” Andrew Carnegie fits the definition of a humanitarian without any shadow of a doubt. Andrew Carnegie was born on November 25, 1835 into a poor Scottish family. After moving to the US, he worked multiple odd jobs. By the time he was 54, he owned Carnegie Steel Corporation, which was the largest of its kind. At the age of 65, he sold his business in order to dedicate his life to charity. I believe that he is considered a humanitarian because of his establishment of the Carnegie-Mellon University in 1900. Yet another charitable act was when he donated 5 million dollars to the New York Public Library. He also started the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in 1910. Carnegie once wrote that the wealthy have “a moral obligation to distribute [their money] in ways …show more content…
It was said that it sold for $480 million dollars to the banker, JP Morgan. He then dedicated his life to charity in order to support his claim that the wealthy have “a moral obligation to distribute [their money] in ways that promote the welfare and happiness of the common man,” (Gospel of Wealth, Andrew Carnegie). Carnegie didn’t want to die disgraced as a rich man. So, by the time of Carnegie’s death, Carnegie had imparted $350,695,653 to charities. After his death in 1919, the remaining $30,000,000 dollars were given away to charities and foundations. The total amount of donated money would be the equivalent of billions of dollars today. He donated over 7,600 organs to churches worldwide. He endowed organizations that were dedicated to the research of science, education, world peace, and other issues. He helped, supported, and donated to organizations that “cared and sought to promote human