Carnegie, the Selfish Philanthropist

Andrew Carnegie, The Selfish Philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, born on November 25, 1835, was a economical philanthropist who was one of the richest men in America in the 1900s. I completely match with Carnegies opinion of how the rich should donate their capital toward the unplayful of mankind in advance they erupt, but dis view as with his actions toward his workers . He started working in a cotton mill making $1. 20 a calendar week only to upgrade to $2. 20 working as a messenger boy. He eventu all in ally taught himself telegraphy and worked as Thomas A. Scotts assistant for $35 a month.He moved on to investing, with the help from his mentor Scott, in the waldmeister Sleeping Car Company and several small iron mill around and factories. He was so successful that he was able to buy an diligence of iron products. This investment brought him to buy a piece of land and score a brand manufacturing factory on it. With the millions he make, he visited Scotland much to see his family. Carnegie thought it was a good imagination to put most(prenominal) of the money that he made back into the fellowship. He gave his money aside through public programs, which was a little overwhelming for him it seems.He cut the take of his workers to provide more money for him to put back into his programs. There was a strike that broke out which ca physical exertiond his second in command to subscribe to immigrants. This changed Carnegies reputation. It also influenced him to retire and sell all of his holdings to J. P. Morgan for a sum of 480 one grounds thousand dollars. Over the course of the rest of his lifetime, he ended up boastful away 350 million dollars. He encouraged other incident holders to do the corresponding as him. John D. Rockefeller was one of the few that followed his Idea. Carnegie had large(p) intentions.Carnegie believed that a man who dies rich dies disgraced. He explains this as the cockeyed who die wealthy , did nothing with their weal th to better mankind. His call backing was influenced by Herbert Spencer, who was a societal Darwinist. Carnegie agreed with Spencers survival of the fittest belief. He felt that there existed superior populate who would be classified as fittest (this included himself). Carnegie mainly donated money to his interests in the community. His love for learning was something that fed his charitable mind. He funded the building of 2,509 libraries before he ended this program in 1917.His interest in melody is what gave him the idea to donate pipe organs to churches despite his lack of creed in a religion. The establishment of the Carnegie Foundation was something founded by Carnegie, to continue to run after his passing, after finding out that he would not be able to spend his fortune in his lifetime. Some examples of people that agree with Carnegie would be Bill Gates and warren Buffet. Bill Gates and Warren buffet created The Giving Pledge which was an agreement among 57 billionai res to donate half of their fortunes during their lifetimes.Their thoughts were intertwined with Carnegies thoughts of boastful back to the community and improving the quality of life for homo beings. An example of someone that disagrees with Carnegie would be Teddy Roosevelt. Teddy Roosevelt-if Carnegie had employed his fortune and his time to doing justice to the steelworkers who gave him his fortune, he would have accomplished a thousand times what he accomplished. Roosevelt is referring to Carnegie fine-looking to the good of mankind, time at the same time hurting his own workers by undermining them with less pay.If someone interchangeable Carnegie wanted to help the community and make life better for mankind, he should start with his own company. I agree and disagree with Carnegie. I agree that the rich should devote some of their riches toward the gains of mankind before they die/as they live their life, but agree with Roosevelts argument toward Carnegies ruthless stra tegies of rude(a) his own workers pay just to put more money toward his giving. The reason that the wealthy should put some of their wealth back into the community is because that is where they made their money.Without other people to buy, sell, or trade, where would the wealthy get their wealth? This also prevents the family member or the heirs of the inheritance to be spoiled. Carnegie had a great point for doing this. For some strange reason, Carnegie cut the wages of his steel workers while at the same time putting money toward public programs that would benefit mankind. He even stated that he could put more use of that money than the workers ever could, which is ridiculously egotistical and rude. By not giving his workers a fair wage, he was hurting the economy. Our economy is based tally of consumers spending their money.In my honest opinion, I think Carnegie is a selfish prudence seeking mastermind. He seems very sensitive to what other people think of him. Dont get me vi olate, he sounds like a nice, caring, and independent man. His intentions though, are outweighed by the means and basis for his profit unfair and underpaid labor. The money that he made from his steel factory was ironically against his giving attitude that he was essay to generate. I think that after he realized that he would neer have to worry intimately his financial situation ever again, he focused on becoming a public figure and cared about the public opinion of himself.An example to prove this would be how he reacted to the steel strikes. While he was visiting Scotland, his next in command (Henry corpse Frick) replaced all of the strikers with immigrants. This action is said to have caused the death of 10 men. Carnegie took the blessed and lost positive reputation. He later retired by selling all of his assets (Probably to further the steel factory from being associated to his name) and continued to give his money away to recover from his lost reputation. (This is what I th ink anyway). Carnegie had the right idea to donate his money to a better cause, but used the wrong means to get there.I agreed with his method, but not his means. Works Cited 1 . Andrew Carnegie. 2012. Biography. com 24 Oct 2012, 1251http//www. biography. com/people/andrew-carnegie-9238756 2. Mills, Harry. Andrew Carnegie Master deal maker and pillager baron. The Naked Negotiator. The Mills Group, 24 2009. Web. 24 Oct 2012. http//blog. millsonline. com/2009/08/24/andrew-carnegie-master-deal-maker-and-robber-baron/. 3. . Spreading evangel of wealth. The Economist. SANTA BARBARA from the print edition United States, 19 2012. Web. 24 Oct 2012. http//www. economist. com/node/21555605.