Just like the treatment his workers endured Carnegie wasn't any nicer to his competitors. Andrew Carnegie was a phenomenal businessman. Much of his success is due to how he operated his business. He watched the costs of his business intently (Document C), always making sure that the steel was being produced at a lower price than what it was being sold for (Document D), and he watched his competitors even closer. In March 1889, when Allegheny Bessemer Steel built a mill directly across from Carnegie's mill it intimidated Carnegie. Andrew became even more worried when his competitor introduced the direct rolling process. The new process was effective and efficient. It cut down on the cost of production, something that Carnegie couldn't tolerate.
Andrew Carnegie was born November 1835, in Dunfermline, Scotland. He grew up poor and lived in a small cottage attic with his family. In 1848 the carnegie family made the hard decision to immigrate to the United States. Carnegie was locally famous for decoding messages when he was a telegraph operator. He later worked himself up to being one of the most famous men in business during the late 1800’s.
To start, Andrew Carnegie revolutionized steel production in the U.S as he used methods that were faster and easier to make steel, but Andrew Carnegie would have been nothing if it was not for his workers. Carnegie tried to lower his employees’ wages and he is just swindling his workers that, no offense, are poor because they are working for a steel company that have to lower their wages. One incident happened in 1892 when employees in Homestead went on strike after Carnegie tried to lower their wages. In document 3, the author states,” When the company tried to lower wages at a Carnegie steel plant in Homestead, Pennsylvania, the employees objected”(Doc, 3). Carnegie tried to deprive his employees’ of their wages for himself.
They wanted to strike about it but there was no strike allowed in the steel mill. They would threaten the workers poorly and have them go home with less than $2 to provide for their families. These documents show that Andrew Carnegie was a Robber Barron and wouldn't treat his workers right and would fight for what he wanted. He would scam his customers and pay his workers poorly. On the other hand, he is a good
The business leaders of the Industrial Age were both robber barons and philanthropists, but were considered philanthropists because of how they positively impacted the U.S during this time. Some business leaders at times took money and treated their workers poorly which was considered being a robber baron. However, they also made large donations and invented many great things we still use today which makes the business leaders of the Industrial Age philanthropists. Andrew Carnegie was one of the business leaders of the Industrial Age. Carnegie did do things that made him a robber baron at times.
(I)t is to this law (of rivalry) that we owe our superb material advancement, … while the law might be at times hard for the individual, it is best for the race, since it guarantees the survival of the fittest in each office." (Document 2) Carnegie clarifies. At the end of the day, Carnegie trusted that the individuals who strived to pick up their riches could enhance society. Carnegie, a man who exploited and followed up on chances to make progress, did not lessen or put down laborers, but rather focused on the significance of the great that originated from riches. In spite of the fact that it might appear like Carnegie had faith in "survival of the fittest" he focused on diligent work.
This show us that Carnegie had withheld money from his employers who were the ones doing all the hard work. Jobs at Carnegie company exhausted workers because of their 10 hour shifts that consisted of hot machinery and the smell of gas. This also lead to some deaths.(Doc 6) Even though workers worked long, hard, and tiring shifts, Carnegie only cared for the income and not the working conditions. Since Andrew Carnegie gave low wages and did not care for bad
In my opinion, Andrew Carnegie should be deemed as a hero. Sure, he did some things that people frowned upon. But, he also accomplished things that made his communities education better and stronger, but he made his community all around better. To do this, he did things such as provide local libraries for people and students, He claimed that it was disgraceful to die a rich man and give money away to your children, also his total giving overall was 350,695,653 dollars. Carnegie should be seen as a hero because of his good deeds, and providing of libraries to better the community’s education.
Once Carnegie had acquired the company, he declared that the process that was being used was efficient, and would save the company both time and money without compromising the quality of the steel, contrary to his prior rumors. Carnegie spread lies about a company that was prospering, and earning more profits than him, for the reason of hurting their business and acquiring their methods. This completely loathsome, deceitful business practices is nothing short of immoral, and depicts Carnegie as a robber
Furthermore, in Document D, during 1875 & 1876, Andrew Carnegie was profiting $10 for one ton of steel rails and ripping people’s money off when he could’ve just profited by $3 per ton of steel rails like he did in
In the past, there have been many influential economic figures in the industrial business industry. Andrew Carnegie is one of the most famous of these figures but not just in a business scheme, but also in an economic and national scheme. Andrew Carnegie is a business man that caused a major controversial issue to arise; the topic of being labeled a Robber Baron or a Captain of Industry by the public. A Robber Baron is someone who has become wealthy through heartless and unethical business actions that will only benefit the individual. On the other hand, a Captain of Industry is a business leader who has become rich by accomplishing activities that will, overall, benefit the people of the community such as expanding a market or providing more jobs.
They did not accept any competition and would go through great lengths to remain the main steel producers. This meant lowering production costs and paying lower wages. Their controversial decision to take down the AAISW (Amalgamated Association of Steel Workers) in 1892 led to the most horrific, catastrophic event in history. The workers were furious at getting lower wages and refused to work. Carnegie inconveniently leaves to his home in Scotland leaving Frick with all the trouble.
Carnegie was considered a Robber Baron for many reasons. For example, he gained huge profits because of his workers low wages. In the excerpt, “Who was Andrew Carnegie,” the author said, “his steel workers were often pushed to long hours and low wages.” Workers worked in harsh conditions and received no benefits causing them to live in poverty with scarce food, clothing, and shelter. Workers were tired of the low wages and decided to go on strike.
Andrew Carnegie is a steel plant owner who claims to support unions and the working man. His charge is that he ignored the legitimate grievances of his employees at his plant in Homestead Pennsylvania and that his neglect contributed to the death of several of his employees during a strike at Homestead in June of 1892 and that he should be held accountable. Andrew Carnegie has dealt with strikes at his plants before. One strike was at his plant in Braddock Pennsylvania where he settled with the workers by agreeing to higher pay but without input from the Union, essentially ruining it. The union at Homestead was one of the last unions in any of his plants.
‘The reason for the United States of America having the strongest economy in the world is because of the work of entrepreneurs.’ Certain entrepreneurs had the vision to achieve their goals and to build empires that shaped the future of the United States of America’s economy, therefore making the USA the most powerful country in the world. These men included: Cornelius Vanderbilt through his shipping and railroad empire; John D Rockefeller through his oil, kerosene and gasoline empire; Andrew Carnegie through his steel empire; JP Morgan through his General Electric company as well as his contributions in banking and lastly Henry Ford for his perfection of the assembly line and creating a car affordable for the common man. These men not only
Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie’s was one of the most successful businessmen during America’s Age of Industrialization in the 1880’s. After the Civil War, he saw a future in having a career in the iron industry, and later on, decided to invest in the steel industry (PBS). Though Carnegie is most known for his contribution in the steel industry, he took part in a few other businesses as well. However, the Gilded Age is an era full of poverty and corruption hidden underneath the prosperous, wealthy nation, and the working conditions within Carnegie Steel Company were not much better than those in other factories (Resetar).