Topic > Andrew Carnegie: A Robber Baron or Captain of Industry

Did you know that Andrew Carnegie is the third richest industrialist of the Guilded Age? He wasn't always rich, the way he earned that title was very unfair. A robber baron is someone who gets rich through ruthlessness and unfair business practices. A captain of industry is a business leader whose personal fortune makes a positive contribution to the country. Andrew Carnegie is a robber baron and a captain of industry because he used money to build over 2,000 libraries, but he also used money earned by his workers. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay Andrew Carnegie is a robber baron because he used his workers' money and treated them very badly. He gave something back to the country, but using the income of his workers. He had lowered their wages to try to give something back to his country. In the Workers' Prayer for the Mass, the text says: "Oh, master, we thank you for all the free gifts you have given to the public at the expense of your slaves." This shows how even his workers have realized that he is spending their money to try to cover up the fact that he is not paying his workers what they worked for. Not only did he take income from his workers, he was also a hypocrite, preaching to workers to unionize and protect their jobs, but he took money out of their paychecks and extended their working hours. In American Experience: Biography, it states: “Carnegie was unusual among the industrial captains of his day because he preached the right of workers to unionize and protect their jobs. However, Carnegie's actions did not always match the rhetoric. Carnegie steelworkers were often forced to work long hours and low wages. This explains why he was a hypocrite. He preaches for workers to protect their jobs and stand up, but he doesn't practice what he preaches. Andrew Carnegie is a robber baron because he stole income from his workers to make himself look better in the eyes of the public. Andrew Carnegie is a captain of industry because he built libraries and other institutions of learning. Instead he thought of donating money to some kind of charity, he built libraries and a place known as “a peace palace”. In American Experience: Biography it is stated: "He spent much of his collected fortune to establish over 2,500 libraries and support institutions of higher education." This shows how he wanted to help others by helping themselves, building libraries and learning institutions to be given the opportunity to receive their education. Andrew Carnegie had also funded libraries in the English-speaking world. He dedicated his life to philanthropic activities by giving to the public. In the short article, Today in History – Primary Source Quote & Secondary Source, we read: “Believing that all accumulated wealth should be distributed in the form of public donations, Carnegie founded 2,509 libraries in the English-speaking world, including those in Michigan. , New York, Ohio, Vermont and Washington DC. He also founded several trusts and helped found Carnegie Mellon University. This explains how he thought that when he retired, all of his wealth that he had saved should be put towards education for others. It shows how he had built many libraries using his fortune and used it to help establish a university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Andrew Carnegie is a captain of industry because he used his retirement money and accumulated wealth to give back to the public in many positive ways, giving them these institutions to get their.