Andrew Carnegie was one of the richest men of his era. He helped to completely change the Industrial Era, and had a large impact on American history. Although Andrew Carnegie was a rich man, he was not always that way. Growing up in Scotland and later moving to America with his family, Carnegie faced many challenges in his life; however, these challenges helped to make him stronger and more successful. As a child in Scotland, his family faced many financial issues. Their main source of income was from weaving, which was not very lucrative at the time. On top of this, their income was further limited by the introduction of the power loom. This invention forced Carnegie’s father to sell his extra looms, having his fortune ruined. These experiences …show more content…
Often, he made harsh business decisions that negatively impacted his employees; however, he always felt it was justified. One reason he felt it was justified was that he was serving “America by building their enterprises.” (44). He saw the creation of wealth as a noble endeavor. When Carnegie built his company, he ended up creating one of the biggest companies in the world. This greatly impacted the American economy. He helped to bring a large amount of iron and steel into global circulation, and made these two one of America’s largest exports at the time. This steel and iron also helped advance and speed up America’s industrialization. Although Carnegie’s lower class employees were sometimes negatively impacted by his harsh business decisions, Carnegie felt these decisions benefitted all of …show more content…
Carnegie was a firm believer in Social Darwinism. He saw himself as the most fit, and his financial success was attributed to this fitness. This idea of Social Darwinism made him believe that he was better than everyone else, because he was the most successful and elevated of all mankind. “America needed steel,” (45) and Andrew Carnegie provided. Although Carnegie felt he had more worth than most other people, he still felt he should give back to help others. Believing in the Gospel of Wealth, he believed he was morally obligated to give his wealth back to others in society. At the time of his death he had given ninety percent of his wealth to charity, leaving “10 percent of his wealth for his wife and daughter,” (47). Most of the money he gave was to educate and edify mankind. He believed that he had more self worth than others, but instead of using his success for greed, he used it to positively change the
Questions: Take detailed notes from the reading about the ways in which Carnegie was a Captain of Industry (Bullet-points are fine). Andrew Carnegie was a successful businessman and industrialist who made significant fortune in the steel industry known for his innovative techniques and methods for producing steel, which allowed him to significantly reduce costs and increase efficiency in his factories believed in the principle of "vertical integration," meaning he owned and controlled every aspect of the steel production process, from the raw materials to the finished product $4 million dollar relief fund to assist injured employees and pensions to families dependent on those killed He made much philanthropic efforts by donating millions of
Carnegie’s company was the reason why the United States has a well built physical infrastructure. His company is was stimulated the Industrial Revolution, as he was the one
During the Gilded Age, Andrew Carnegie became a wealthy man due to his control over the manufacturing and distribution of steel. The Carnegie Steel Company and its use of vertical and horizontal integration allowed Carnegie to control the production and distribution of his steel, which made him into a wealthy industrialist (The New Tycoons 2014). In his article “Wealth”, Andrew Carnegie argues for the wealthy to give back their wealth to the community by providing “public institutions of various kinds … [to] improve the general condition of the people” (Foner 30). He uses this article to promote his Gospel of Wealth idea and provide his interpretation of the changing American society. Carnegie’s Gospel of Wealth stated that “those who accumulated
Andrew Carnegie believed that money from wealthy men should be used for projects that would benefit the society. As a power of major business was growing, the difference between rich and poor was great concern for the government. He emphasized that giving money away to the poor will not bring any benefit to people in need, but if you use this money to build schools, libraries, or parks, then it will improve the overall lifestyle of the underprivileged. It would improve their thinking abilities and improve their general condition. Andrew Carnegie always had an eye to bring change that will be the permanent solution for the ongoing issue.
Carnegie preached wealth should not be personal but rather shared. He fought for economic equality by ensuring the wealth at the time was spread out for the public purpose, as well as making sure his wealth would be put to great use once he passed. Nonetheless, the United States economy would not have taken off without industrialists like Andrew
:Not many people get the opportunity to significantly shift America’s ways of life with empty hands. Andrew Carnegie was a diligent man who pulled himself up to success, having nothing to offer, but his fascination with the steel industry of America. His vertical monopoly in America’s steel industry helped economically. He gained a fortune and did many great works as a philanthropist. One could say Andrew Carnegie’s righteous acts outweighed his unrighteous acts, but unfortunately, he did not stay true to his proclaimed duty as a man of wealth.
The Rise of Andrew Carnegie If you know anything about the history of the Unites States and the industrialization period, then you will recognize the name Andrew Carnegie. He was not only the inventor of the well-known steel industry we have today, but is also one of the greatest industrialists that has ever existed. Carnegie, however, didn’t grow up wealthy as a child like you would think from all his wealth from the steel industry. Born into his family in Scotland, his parents struggled to make enough money to support Andrew and his other siblings. Growing up poor vastly helped Carnegie when he got older and dealt with the success of the steel mill.
Andrew Carnegie was a poor man growing up. He started with a house that cost 20 dollars to rent, and throughout his life, he had to work his way up the social ladder and eventually ended up living in mansions and castles. Carnegie used a business practice he invented called vertical integration, which lowered costs and effectively made better quality products. Carnegie was a well respected boss and provided equal pay for
As Carnegie was growing both richer each day from his prosperous Steel company, he had eventually become one of the captains of industry and also in some cases a robber baron. Other owners like Rockefeller were also a part of this group. going back to the Gospel of Wealth, after Carnegie had accumulated an excessive amount of money he had pulled up from his successful industry, he felt the need to use it correctly to benefit everyone or people who didn't have as much money as
Andrew Carnegie was a wise man who gave motivational speeches of how he got to where he was. In document A, Carnegie, at an opening ceremony of a library, stated, “Man does not live by bread alone. I have known millionaires starving for lack of the nutriment... it is the mind that makes the body rich... My aspirations take a higher flight.”
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.
Part of a captain of industries duty were to make sure that whatever he does whether it is “trust funds in which he administered”, it would have to benefit the community (DOC 2). Andrew Carnegie believed in Social Darwinism. Social Darwinism is the belief of the “survival of the fittest.” You are rich because God is rewarding and you are poor because you aren’t working hard
Carnegie’s views on the treatment of his workers are one of the things that he did that are considered unethical. For instance, during America’s depression in the early 1800’s, Carnegie’s workers were repeatedly asked to work long hours for little play; many unions resisted, particularly in the Homestead Strike of 1892. In the Homestead Strike, workers were angry about pay cuts and Carnegie’s
Andrew Carnegie also adopted the Bessemer process in the steel industry. These achievements shaped all of America as we know it. Carnegie helped to expand the rail road industry with steel rails, buildings could be built higher and bigger, and bridges could be constructed that would span further distances and could hold more weight. Carnegie became one of the largest steel manufacturers in the
I categorized Andrew Carnegie a Captain of Industry after learning of his philanthropic views and actions. Carnegie not only obtained a wealth from working hard and wisely investing but used most of his fortune to make a difference on the world. Carnegie own words categorize the essence of generosity and kind hearth. I cannot disagree with him when he stated that “The man who dies thus rich dies disgraced”