Robber Barons Exposed In Andrew Carnegie's Robber Baron

After the Civil War, the Second Industrial Revolution was established due to America’s rapid growth for industry and economics. Capitalists during the industrial period of 1875-1900’s were either accused of being a robber baron or a captain of industry. Some capitalists leaders who were accused of being a robber baron or captain of industry included J.P. Morgan, Andrew Carnegie, Andrew W. Mellon, and John D. Rockefeller. A robber baron is a business leader who gets rich through cruel and scandalous business practices. The captains of industry is a business leader who wants to better the companies in a way that it would be positively contributing to the country. The most accurate characterization for the time period of 1875-1900’s were both

For over thirty-five years after the Civil War, the United States of America entered into a period of fast reconstruction. During this time, there is a man called Andrew Carnegie who made a huge impact on America’s post-war recovery. He led an enormous expansion of American steel industry in the late 19th century. By 1897, Carnegie’s mills produced more than 6,000 tons of iron and steel daily. Those steels were used in machines and they also helped build railways and bridges. At age 65, he sold his company and consequently became the world’s richest person. After his retirement, he started to live up to his philosophy of philanthropy. His efforts influenced not only America’s post-war reconstruction,

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. There have been many debates on which one

Abstract: Nowadays, there still exists lots of controversial comments towards Andrew Carnegie. Some of them hold the view that Andrew Carnegie should be described as a captain of industry while others contend that he was only a robber baron. As far as I am concerned, Andrew Carnegie, known as the King of Steel, built the steel industry in the United States, and in the process, became one of the wealthiest men in America. He is a man worthy of being respected.

Carnegie reduced the wages of working employees in his steel company (document D). But as a business man he needed to do the most conventional thing to win more money. The more money he won the more he gave to the poor. If working employees don’t get enough pay they are considered poor so the employees still benefit for pay and donated things from Carnegie. Plus people that were employees to Carnegie’s industry of steel at least had a job so they can survive longer. If you were in Carnegies shoes wouldn’t you do the same? Andrew Carnegie was just being a entrepreneur.

A hero is someone who does a meaningful deed, worthy of remembrance and selflessly. Andrew Carnegie was a wealthy man. After he sold his steel company in 1900, he devoted the rest of his life giving money to charity. Did Andrew Carnegie’s generosity make him a hero? Andrew Carnegie was not a hero. Carnegie is not a hero because he took money, only gave to other wealthy recipients, and contributed largely to his own.

Do you believe he is a Robber Baron or Captain of Industry? Carnegie made a large sum of money, and he gave his money away in many ways to many organizations such as schools, universities, and many other places. So, I believe he is a Captain of industry.

Many people believe that Andrew Carnegie was a hero. I disagree, I believe that he was not a hero but a robber baron. Throughout every aspect of his life including his personal life, business approach, and his philanthropy show that he was not a hero. He has done many wrong and unjust things in these parts of his life they prove that he was not heroic. Not only is he not heroic but he is also a robber baron.

Andrew Carnegie was a “robber baron” as shown in the way he acted towards the people who helped him reach the top and the terrible working environment that he subjected his workers to. He did various things in an attempt at overshadowing the awful things he did and positively alter his public image. His mentor, Thomas Scott, taught him the skills he would use to become the undisputed king of steel. Costs were the most important aspect of any business and reducing those required cutting wages, demanding 13 hour days and utilizing spies as a way to thwart possible strikes. Many years after Carnegie had gone out on his own, Scott met with him thinking that the years they spent together and all he had taught him would unquestionably result in help in his time of trouble.

During the late 19th century, there was a growth in industrialization. This brought new opportunities for the poor and the rich. For example, Carnegie helped build the steel industry in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, which made him one of the richest man in the world. As Carnegie gained more wealth, he questioned who money should be given to. Carnegie was both a Robber Baron and a Captain of Industry.

There are many ways Andrew Carnegie was a robber baron, yes. Yet, he always did things to help the community grow and helped people. In document 5 Carnegie shows a chart shows his foundation and the amount of money it donates to different things and people. In 2005 his foundation was giving out about $100,000,000 a year to education. Trying to give others the opportunity to young people to be just as successful in life as Andrew. The way he looked at money in the 1870’s is helping others even after his death.

Andrew Carnegie was born in Dunfermline, Scotland on November 1835. Growing up poor, Carnegie started working 12 hour shifts at the age of 12 for a $1.20. As he started getting older he taught himself new things which would eventually lead him to making $1,500 a year at the age of 17. In the early 1870s Carnegie was so successful in the steel industry that he sold his Carnegie Steel Company to J.P. Morgan for $480 million making him the richest man in the world. Before dying Andrew Carnegie dedicated himself to helping charities and donating approximately $350 million to education. All of this makes Andrew Carnegie look like a hero, but he was not. Carnegie was no hero because he didn’t treat his workers fair enough, he was selfish, and he

Since the creation of the U.S. two hundred and forty one years ago, one of the founding ideals of the nation is that any citizen should have the right to pursue their own dreams. For some the “American Dream” can be defined as the opportunity to gain success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative. John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie personify this concept completely, and although these men were hailed as “captains of industry,” they always hungered for more.

According to Andrew Carnegie in this source, wealth had changed significantly in the 19th century. The Indians now had what the civilized people had in the past. He views this as highly beneficial to their society. The commodities of that time appear incredible to the people of the past. The world had already become much better than it was not long before. He believed that it was the rich man’s responsibility to live somewhat modestly and act as a steward with his excess wealth to help those less fortunate. This in general would benefit all of society.

Carnegie was an American hero in the eyes of people who did not face the challenges of his labor. Workers at Andrew’s industry earned no more than $1.90 while he received over one-hundred thousand dollars.(Doc 7) 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