Carnegie DBQ
Final Draft
Period 5/6
Andrew Carnegie grew up in Dunfermline, Scotland and immigrated along with his family to the United States in the late 1800s. He worked his way up from being a poor Irish immigrant to become one of the most famous philanthropists that helped transform the U.S steel industry in the late 19th century. Andrew Carnegie was a hero in many ways. One reason why Andrew Carnegie was a hero was because of his influences on renovating the American steel industry which helped create the U.S a world power. Secondly, Andrew Carnegie was a hero is because he helped create jobs that employed many Americans. Finally, Carnegie was a hero because he was one of the most influential philanthropists.
He was a ‘hero’ in the sense that he gave away most of his money to establish many libraries, schools, and universities in America, the UK and other countries, as well as establish a pension fund for former employees.Carnegie felt that money is like manure, i.e., it does no good unless you spread it around. Aside from his well-known steel business that he sold to J.P. Morgan who formed US Steel, the philanthropic qualities of the man are most remembered. As Andrew Carnegie himself said on the subject of wealth: “Surplus wealth is a sacred trust which its possessor is bound to administer in his lifetime for the good of the community.”,“There is no class so pitiably wretched as that which possesses money and nothing else.”“I resolved to stop accumulating and begin the infinitely more serious and difficult task of wise distribution.” Some people think that Carnegie did not have much compassion for the average factory worker. The most notable ‘black mark’ on his resume was the Homestead Steel Strike of 1892 in Homestead , PA. However, The violence appalled Carnegie. "The Works are not worth one drop of human blood," he wrote.Carnegie had a right hand man,Henry Frick, who did most of Carnegie's ‘dirty work.’