Andrew Carnegie: Robber Baron Or Captain Of Industry?

Words: 914
Pages: 4
Open Document
Andrew Carnegie: Robber Baron or Captain of Industry? During the late 1800’s with new businesses imagine, technology advancing, railroads to new places being made, and a bunch of people looking for jobs it was a great time to start a business, if you were competitive. Being a business leader in the late 1800’s was a “cutthroat, dog eat dog” situation. Each company's leaders and investors looked to gain as much money as they could, as quick as they could. A Robber Baron is known as a ruthless, selfish, and corrupt business owner, a Captain of Industry is known as a person who is a good business leader with foreton and has contributed positively to the country in some way. Personally with Andrew Carnegie I am tied, he treated his workers …show more content…
Dirty and unsafe factories, low payment, and long hours is what you could expect working for any company that was owned by Andrew Carnegie. Most factory workers worked 12 hour shifts seven days a week, with one day off, July 4th. One worker from a factory ran by Carnegie said he lost 40 pounds in 3 months, he would drink 2 buckets of water in the 12 hours in which time he would sweat so much it would fill his shoes. They did not receive breaks, some managed to find 3-5 minutes when they had to oil engines, 12 hour shift with a couple 3 minute breaks. I don’t think anyone in today's time would be able to do that. They received no lunch breaks, some used the 3-5 minute down time for that. Many workers did not bring food because they didn’t have anytime to eat. During this time if you were 40 years old you were considered old because you can’t do the job that is needed to be done in these factories, these factory jobs were man beaters. Most people don’t retire until their late 50’s and 60’s today, we see 40 year olds as middle aged, just let that sink in. After all this work and time put in the average worker recieved around $10.00 a week, just over the poverty line at $500.00 a year. It took the earnings of 4,000 factory workers to meet the income for …show more content…
Carnegie believed in the “Gospel of Wealth” He became a Philanthropist, a person who gives money to good causes. He made donations before 1901 but after 1901 people considered giving away money to be his new occupation. In 1902 he created the Carnegie Institution to fund scientific research, he also made a pension fund for teachers with a $10 Million donation. Carnegie gave money to towns which created over 2,000 free public libraries (he loved to read, he decided to do this because he used to live near Colonel James Anderson who was rich and allowed any boy who worked for him free access to his library. He also donated $125 to the Carnegie Corporation to aid in colleges and schools. Carnegie also believed in world peace, he created the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and donated the money for the construction of the Hague Palace of Peace which holds the world court in the Netherlands. By 1911 Carnegie had given away over 90% of his
Show More

Related Documents: Andrew Carnegie: Robber Baron Or Captain Of Industry?

Andrew Carnegie: Captain Of Industry

Many people think of Andrew Carnegie as either a robber baron or as a captain of industry, the more you learn about Carnegie you will see that he is actually both a robber baron and captain of industry. The definition of a robber baron is an unscrupulous plutocrat or in other words a person who became rich by ruthless acts, especially an American capitalist who acquired a fortune in the late 19th century by ruthless means; the definition of captain of industry is a business leader whose means of…

Words 304 - Pages 2

Robber Barons

Robber Barons or Captains of Industry? Centuries have passed since great industrialist helped form America, but the debate still remains. Many industrialist are considered to be robber barons because of their tactics. People like CorneliusVanderbilt , John D. Rockeller, Andrew Carnegie, and J.P. Morgan, were often premeditated to be predatory and ruthless. Each capitalist subsidized to our economy today. These ingenious tycoons were captains of the industry. One of America’s Builders, Andrew Carnegie…

Words 630 - Pages 3

Differences Between Captains Of Industry And Robber Barons

Between Captains of Industry and Robber Barons, both groups have had an impact on history in some sort of way shape or form. When you look at these two groups, you think to yourself whether people back then were either a captain or a robber. Captain of Industry is described as a person particularly a business leader whose has a huge amount of money and contributes positively to the country in some way. Robber Barons is described as a businessmen or banker who were questioned on how they did things…

Words 345 - Pages 2

Why Is Andrew Carnegie Important

Andrew Carnegie was an industrialist who caused the expansion of the steel industry in the late nineteenth century. In 1853 he learned about business and investing as he worked as a superintendent for the railroads. Carnegie decided to invest his higher pay rather than spending it which allowed him to make connections with important men. When he decided to invest in steel because it was sturdy and lasted a long time, he learned of the Bessemer Process. Then in 1892, Carnegie established the Carnegie…

Words 685 - Pages 3

Andrew Carnegie: Captain Of Industry

Andrew Carnegie was a super powerful industrialist who had a lot to do with the rise of the industrial revolution. He was an Irish immigrant who had humble beginnings in America. He was born in 1835 in Dunfermline, Scotland. In his early years, he had little formal education and worked many jobs. Although that all changed when he started Carnegie Steel Company in 1892. Some people think he was a robber baron while some think he was a generous captain of industry. I think he was a captain…

Words 211 - Pages 1

Robber Barons Research Paper

Robber Barons, also known as Captains of Industry, were industrial workers who formed massive monopolistic companies during the Gilded Age 1. Despite their reputation, the robber barons' investments led to the creation of millions of jobs and spurred more economic development during the Gilded Era in the United States. For example, Andrew Carnegie started investing in iron and steel during a time of rapid industrialization. He focused on vertical integration by not only owning the steel mills but…

Words 245 - Pages 1

Essay about Hairlines: Robber Baron and Captains

Age. In this era, there was an “elite group of people.” These people were both thought of as robber barons and or captains of industry. I believe that the more accurate evaluation for these people is the term, captains of industry. They helped the economy flourish and get back on its feet. They provided jobs, houses, opportunities and much more for this country. As shown in document C, Andrew Carnegie shows his support towards the Gospel of Wealth. He states that the wealthier men become a source…

Words 651 - Pages 3

Andrew Carnegie: The King Of The Steel Industry

the age of 24 he became superintendent of. It was at this time when Carnegie met many businessmen slowly making money investing paving the way for his future Steel Industry Accomplishment. Many believed Andrew Carnegie to be a Robber Baron selfish and greedy because he made so much money, but in reality it wasn’t just about him he was a Businessman, Philanthropist who cared about the welfare of the less fortunate. Andrew Carnegie was a businessman, who became known as the king of the Steel…

Words 1009 - Pages 5

Robber Barons Book Report

independent...” - Jay Gould Jay Gould, Andrew Carnegie, J. P. Morgan, and John D. Rockefeller self-made men of the Gilded Age and Captains of Industry or Robber Barons? The question does not ask if these men were successful, but rather if these men were willing to sacrifice their souls with unethical, immoral, and corruption in exchange for power and greed. Edward Renehan attempts to shed new light or rather a deeper understanding of notorious king of the Robber Barons Jay Gould in his book Dark Genius…

Words 1053 - Pages 5

Essay on Robber Barons and J. P. Morgan

today, just over 100 years later. His business had preceded his death. That’s very successful also it is still booming today. J. P. Morgan was so successful he eventually started buying out other successful business men. He bought out the one and only Andrew Carnegie’s steel company. This is what put him on top of other business men in the U.S. J. P. Morgan, otherwise known as John Pierpont Morgan, was born in 1837 on April 17. John was born in Connecticut ,but more specifically in Hartford. Unlike…

Words 390 - Pages 2