How Did Andrew Carnegie Contribute To Industrialize America

Improved Essays
“I shall remember that check as long as I live. It gave me the first penny of revenue from capital - something that I had not worked for with the sweat of my brow (Golden, 1988, p.2).” Andrew Carnegie was a wealthy individual in industry. Steel became one of the major products to come out of the industrialization period because it was more affordable than iron. The Bessemer process was created to help in the steelmaking process. Carnegie helped many people out of the kindness of his heart. Andrew Carnegie helped industrialize America, he was the author of The Gospel of Wealth, and he gave back to the community by funding places in need. Andrew Carnegie helped in the industrialization of America. Carnegie was a Scottish immigrant who became one of America's robber barons. He was noted as the first robber baron to have about $450 million. His father was a linen weaver, and his mother was the daughter of a political and social …show more content…
He felt that the wealthy were obligated to give back to the community in places of need. In a way, he believed that the wealthy owed their community. He specifically wanted the wealthy to help places such as free libraries, art galleries for the public, public parks, etc.(Snow, 1991). As wealthy as Carnegie became he felt that it was right to give back to the community that helped him become as wealthy as he did. It is because of this belief that Carnegie is remembered as a philanthropist. Not only did he believe in his gospel of wealth, but he put his idea into

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    According to Foner, Carnegie distributed much of his wealth to various organizations and the creation of libraries throughout the country (Foner, 599). In 1900, Carnegie donated around one million dollars to found the Carnegie Technical Schools in Pennsylvania (cmu.edu). These technical schools expanded over the years and they are known today as Carnegie Mellon University. “The Gospel of Wealth” is the idea that was spread by Carnegie that those who amassed wealth had an obligation to use that wealth to improve the lives of others (Foner, 609).…

    • 730 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Carnegie published the “Gospel of Wealth”, in which he said that rich people have “a moral obligation to distribute [their money] in ways that promote the welfare and happiness of the common man” (Bio.com). Carnegie’s way of thinking was that if a rich person dies rich, he/she dies disgraced. He could have easily given his money to charity but he decided to help out the people because he used to be like those people. By the end of his life, Carnegie donated $350 million, which in today’s world it is the equivalent to billions of…

    • 1235 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    He used all methods to reduce the price of oil to his consumers as rebates. He gained many profits and his competitors were crushed one by one. Most of his business were fair business competition. Before his death he gave half of his fortune to medical foundations, Churches, and universities. For Carnegie he donated $350,695,654 during his life…

    • 283 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    The American business giants of the Gilded Age were captains of industry. They had helped build industry in a positive way, used their technology to help advance in the industrial business, and had found new, better, ways to organize their businesses. Alongside these few reasons, the captains of industry, in general, helped revolutionize the way Americans do business. The “business giants” of the Gilded age were all very wealthy, there were few of them, but enough. A good portion of these wealthy business giants had donated large portions of their money to help the creation of new inventions, or for research needed to build new everyday luxuries, such as light bulbs.…

    • 285 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Gilded Age Dbq Analysis

    • 437 Words
    • 2 Pages

    For example, Andrew Carnegie donated much of his riches to making public infrastructures. Also, the economy was greatly improved by businesses flourishing. Production rates rose, railroads grew and more jobs were created. (Context). The actions of big businessmen recreated the face of America to be an international producer.…

    • 437 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Robber Baron Dbq

    • 666 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Gospel of Wealth has become a way of life and the fundamental screen of society. The Gospel of Wealth has given a way for businessmen to help the less fortunate. Through ways such as building libraries and through “maximum prosperity” (Document I). Andrew Carnegie was also known as a “robber baron”. He founded the Carnegie Steel Company These things helped increase pay for workers and a way to be educated in order to grow and become successful.…

    • 666 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    “The first man gets the oyster the second man gets the shell” This means that if you are the first one to do it no one else can take that from you. Andrew Carnegie impacted the citizens of the United States of America because he was the first one to manufacture steel in the United States, and donated his money to educational and scientific institutions. Andrew carnegie was born in 1835 Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland his parents William Carnegie and Margaret Morrison Carnegie Ambitious for her two sons, Andrew and younger his brother Thomas, she organized a family move to the United States in 1848, when Andrew was thirteen. The Carnegies settled in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, where they had relatives and attempted to rebuild the family’s fortunes.…

    • 202 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Andrew Carnegie before dying in, his contributions to society and to the world still live on today through his hard work and many sacrifices, but throughout Andrew`s life he loved to read so it made even more sense to establish more than 2,000 public libraries. Another contribution he gave in philanthropy was the establishment of he Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and funded the building of The Hague Palace of Peace, which houses the World Court, in the Netherlands. But not only did he revolutionize modern steel making and earn himself quite an achievement but gave away almost 90% of his fortune, but did it with the piece of mind that the next generation after him shall have something to live with and learn from. Andrew Carnegie…

    • 147 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Although far outclassing many other colorful characters in American history, in the present age, Carnegie’s philosophy is also greatly admired and Carnegie’s philanthropy…

    • 2369 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    He elaborates on his idea that our economy would increase it’s worth if the rich distributed their money to the poor. The problem is not the inequality or the wealthy, but the rich not using their money appropriately, Carnegie believed. Thus, if the rich are able to give back…

    • 256 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Would a person who is willing to donate millions of dollars to one community have the right to be called a hero? Usually the answer is yes to most people because it is an act of kindness, setting aside time and effort to help their community, a hero-like thing to do. However, does that make that person a good person? What if they could have stolen that money, be involved in illegal activities, long-story short the public honestly does not know the true story behind it. The public only knows what is presented to them, the good and nice side of everything but they are not shown the whole picture.…

    • 1155 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Andrew believed in the even distribution of wealth, “the duty of the man of wealth (is to) set an example of modest [...] to produce the most beneficial results for the community” (Doc M). He was also a person who donated lots of money to charity and even tried to make up for his mistakes by funding $1,450,000 to the Carnegie Corporation which is now a foundation that gives out “about $100,000,000 a year, most of it to education” (Doc N). Carnegie’s philanthropy is a good reason why Carnegie was a hero because he believed that the rich should be giving money so it is distributed evenly instead of giving all the inheritance to a family member. This way, the community would strive more as a whole. He also donated a lot a money that helped others towards their education and access to reading in free public…

    • 809 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Andrew Carnegie believed that it was the duty of the wealthy to help the poor. His idea of help came in the form of opportunities “to help those who will help themselves.” The wealthy would provide opportunities, not direct aid, to the poor; these opportunities could take the forms of “free libraries, parks, and means of recreation by which men are helped in body and mind; works of art, certain to give pleasure and improve the general condition of the people.” However, these opportunities did not really help the poor.…

    • 1678 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Carnegie believed that rich people should use their money to help the poor. But he did not think that they should just give the money away because the poor would not use it in the best ways. Therefore, the rich man should be paternalistic.…

    • 502 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Although there was only wealth in hands of few, he clearly used his power and money for better, to help extend and make this country succeed even more than it already has. One of the greatest quotes I read dealing with philanthropy and Andrew Carnegie would be, “The problem of…

    • 1765 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays