What Is The Impact Of Andrew Carnegie's Impact On Society

John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, and Cornelious Vanderbilt are some of the names of the most influential businessmen or titans of industry. Their impact and achievements have shaped what the American economy is today. Their business strategies, inventions, and innovations have had a positive and negative impact on the world. While it is important to recognize their accomplishments and success, it is also crucial to have it be known of their negative impact on society. These men should be taught equally; including their positive and negative impacts on society. Andrew Carnegie has been one of the most impactful contributions to the steel industry in history. Carnegie strived and thrived for the economic scaling of steel which led his company,

The most notable unethical practice that Carnegie continuously participated in was the poor treatment of his employees. The extremely poor working conditions within his factory were not taken kindly by the workers. Carnegie has made it clear to his workers that he is anti-union which raised concerns for his employees. His workers demanded better pay, hours, and working conditions which weren’t being met. Protests began to rise and Carnegie needed to dissolve them as soon as possible. Carnegie's handling of the Homestead protest was a disaster. Carnegie's plan was to hire Pinkerton agents to dissolve the protest group and break them up, but this would result in the deaths of several employees. People are now questioning whether Carnegie cares for his workers even with clear evidence of unethical practices. Carnegie’s work also contributed to the monopolistic business practices which would cause problems within the industry. “This first man gets the oyster and the second man gets the shell” is a quote by Andrew Carnegie and what he means by it is that being the first to do something and the person who stays on top will get the rewards. With this type of mindset, Carnegie believed that he always needed to be on top of the chain which could be an explanation to his monopoly. By having a monopoly on a resource that is needed everywhere, Carnegie was able to

Rockefeller is another major business power holder of his time. Rockefeller is most known for his absolute power within the oil industry. Rockefeller’s company, Standard Oil Company, has made great strides in the oil industry. Rockefeller’s innovative ideas and pursuit of domination pushed his oil company into such a powerful position he created a horizontal monopoly. With a company, this large, Rockefeller has provided countless jobs and opportunities for his employees. Rockefeller is also responsible for providing infrastructure beyond the Standard Oil Company by making storage facilities, newspapers, general stores, and even railroads. During this time, railroads were becoming increasingly important because of their quicker transportation of people and equipment. Rockefeller didn’t stop even after business; with his old age, he wanted to continue to help others by using his largely accumulated wealth. He donated around $540 million to many charities including medical research, scientific investigations, and vaccine research. According to Philanthropy Roundtable, Rockefeller is one of the most accomplished philanthropists in history. Rockefeller wanted his deeds to live on even after his death. “Next to doing the right thing, the most important thing is to let people know you are doing the right thing” said Rockefeller, and it means that Rockefeller knew that he was trying to do the right thing and wanted people to know that is was, which could lead to a deeper