Andrew Carnegie: The Father of Middle-Class America
Andrew Carnegie: The Father of Middle-Class America
For decades Americans couldn’t help but love the red-headed, fun-loving Little Orphan Annie. The image of the little girl moving so quickly from poverty to wealth provided hope for the poor in the 1930s, and her story continues to be a dream of what the future just might hold. The rags-to-riches phenomenon is the heart of the American Dream. And few other people have embodied this phenomenon as much as Andrew Carnegie did in the late 1800s and early 1900s. His example and industry caused him to become the father of middle-class America. Andrew Carnegie can be looked to as an ideal example of a poor immigrant making his way up to become leader of the capitalist world. Carnegie was born into a poor working-class family in Scotland. According to the PBS documentary “The Richest Man in the World: Andrew Carnegie,” the Industrial Revolution was difficult on Carnegie’s father, causing him to lose his weaving business. The Carnegie family was much opposed to the idea of a privileged class, who gained their wealth simply by inheritance (“Richest”). This type of upbringing played a large factor in Andrew Carnegie’s destiny. In order to appease his mother’s desire for material benefits, and perhaps in an effort to heal his father’s wounds, Carnegie rejected poverty and cleaved to prosperity.
Carnegie’s character was ideal for gaining wealth. His mother taught him to “look after the pennies, and the pounds will take care of themselves;” he later turned this proverb into “watch the costs, and the profits take care of themselves” (“Richest”). Such thrift was integral to his future success. He also believed that “all is well since all goes better” (“Richest”). His theory General note: the paper heading, the title, and body text of the paper (including block quotes) are all double-spaced, 12 point Times New Roman font. Except where exceptions are noted, the paper has regular margins set at 1.0” all around.
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For decades Americans couldn’t help but love the red-headed, fun-loving Little Orphan Annie. The image of the little girl moving so quickly from poverty to wealth provided hope for the poor in the 1930s, and her story continues to be a dream of what the future just might hold. The rags-to-riches phenomenon is the heart of the American Dream. And few other people have embodied this phenomenon as much as Andrew Carnegie did in the late 1800s and early 1900s. His example and industry caused him to become the father of middle-class America. Andrew Carnegie can be looked to as an ideal example of a poor immigrant making his way up to become leader of the capitalist world. Carnegie was born into a poor working-class family in Scotland. According to the PBS documentary “The Richest Man in the World: Andrew Carnegie,” the Industrial Revolution was difficult on Carnegie’s father, causing him to lose his weaving business. The Carnegie family was much opposed to the idea of a privileged class, who gained their wealth simply by inheritance (“Richest”). This type of upbringing played a large factor in Andrew Carnegie’s destiny. In order to appease his mother’s desire for material benefits, and perhaps in an effort to heal his father’s wounds, Carnegie rejected poverty and cleaved to prosperity.
Carnegie’s character was ideal for gaining wealth. His mother taught him to “look after the pennies, and the pounds will take care of themselves;” he later turned this proverb into “watch the costs, and the profits take care of themselves” (“Richest”). Such thrift was integral to his future success. He also believed that “all is well since all goes better” (“Richest”). His theory General note: the paper heading, the title, and body text of the paper (including block quotes) are all double-spaced, 12 point Times New Roman font. Except where exceptions are noted, the paper has regular margins set at 1.0” all around.
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Cited: Blumin, Stuart M. “The Hypothesis of Middle-Class Formation in Nineteenth-Century America: A Critique and Some Proposals.” American Historical Review 90.2 (1985): 299-338. Print. Carnegie, Andrew. “Wealth.” North American Review CXLVIII (1889): 653-64. Furman: Andrew Carnegie, Wealth. Ed. Katie Morgan and T. Lloyd Benson. Furman U. n.d. Web. 3 Aug. 2009. Kent, Zachary. Andrew Carnegie: Steel King and Friend to Libraries. New Jersey: Enslow, 1999. Print. McCloskey, Robert Green. American Conservatism in the Age of Enterprise, 1865-1910. New York: Harper, 1951. Print. “The Richest Man in the World: Andrew Carnegie.” Dir. Austin Hoyt. Narr. David Ogden Stiers. The American Experience. PBS. WGBH, Boston. 1997. Television. Walton, Gary M., and Hugh Rockoff. History of the American Economy. 9th ed. New York: Thomson, 2002. Print.