Andrew Carnegie's The Gospel Of Wealth

Andrew Carnegie, a first-class American who netted millions of dollars in the late 1800s, encouraged and inspired wealthy citizens, through his essays, to donate money to charities, public service agencies, educational institutions, and more. In his entire lifetime, he accumulated more than 390 million dollars, which would amount to over four billion dollars today. Ninety percent of that was donated to charities and foundations, supporting over 2,500 libraries and hundreds of venues for concerts and meetings. When he wrote The Gospel of Wealth, many other wealthy American citizens joined Carnegie’s endeavors. The Gospel of Wealth influenced many wealthy Americans to donate their excess money to universities and colleges. The central thesis of the essay was that “the wealthy entrepreneur must assume the responsibility of distributing his fortune in a manner that assures that it will be put to good use, and not wasted on frivolous expenditure” (Carnegie Corp. of New York: Search Publications). Also, he described that people should only receive aid if they truly want it for legitimate reasons, …show more content…
Due to complications with acquiring land under Dutch law, the Carnegie Foundation was formed in order to obtain the land, and who still manages the land. During 1914, when tensions between countries in Europe erupted, Carnegie created the Church Peace Union, which assembled leaders in religion, academics, and politics. His goal was to mobilize churches and religious organizations to promote moral leadership and find alternatives to armed conflict. The day World War I officially broke out, Carnegie stated that men were “slaying each other like wild beasts! I dare not relinquish all hope” (Carnegie, 1920). He had not given up fighting for world peace, but abruptly ended his autobiography and stopped trying as