Andrew Carnegie and His Impact on American History - Book Report/Review Example

The Life of Andrew Carnegie and His Impact on American History Personal Profile Andrew Carnegie’s remarkable lifebegun on the 25th of November in the year 1835, specifically at the attic of their one story house located at Moodie Street and Priory Lane, Dunfermline, Scotland (Carnegie, 6). The challenges and accomplishments attributed to Carnegie make him one of the most revered and famous Americans of his time due to his innate unselfish character that touched the lives of many Americans who were recipient of his philosophy: “helping others help themselves” (American Experience, par. 17). The essay hereby aims to present a full story of Andrew Carnegie and his impact on American history. Initially, personal details of his life would be proffered before identifying relevant work experiences and challenges that have rendered Carnegie’s life exemplary and worth noting. Finally, the impact of his life and contributions on American history would be determined prior to a concluding portion that would summarize highlights of the discourse. Carnegies’ parents: William Carnegie and Margaret Morrison (Scottish Connections, par. 7), were instrumental in the development of his personality that recognized the need for hard work to survive and break through the poverty that he was immersed to as a young boy. His father was a weaver and his mother supported them through “opening a small grocery shop and mending shoes” (American Experience, par. 2). He had a brother, six years younger than him, named Thomas. As averred in his autobiography, “this is where the children of honest poverty have the most precious of all advantages over those of wealth. The mother, nurse, cook, governess, teacher, saint, all in one; the father, exemplar, guide, counselor, and friend! Thus were my brother and I brought up. What has the child of millionaire or nobleman that counts compared to such a heritage?” (Carnegie, 21). He married Louise Whitfield aged 28 when he was at a ripe age of 51 years, in 1887. After which, he focused on his philanthropic activities mostly bequeathing funds to establish libraries worldwide. He died on the 11th of August 1919 “in Lenox Massachusetts and is buried at Sleepy Hollow, New York” (Scottish Connections, par. 22). Work Experiences Carnegie has been known as a businessman, a steel magnate, and a philanthropist. In 1848, the family decided to migrate to America in Pittsburg where his mother’s sisters reside. It is here that Carnegie started a lifelong career that traced its roots from meager beginnings working initially as a bobbin boy, messenger, an operator of the telegraph office, a private secretary and personal telegrapher to Thomas A. Scott, prior to pursuing endeavors that catapulted him to fame. Several people assisted Carnegie in his work experiences, who were mentioned in detail in his autobiography. Colonel James Anderson, founder of Free Libraries in Pennsylvania, specifically to working boys, was imprinted in Carnegie’s memory as instrumental in his interest to expand his knowledge through access to books his library. Colonel John P. Glass who appointed him to take messages and watch the office in his absence. And of course, Thomas A. Scott of the Pennsylvania Railroad who had taught him discipline and integrity in his work. Carnegie’s entrepreneurial vision came into a proactive stance after the Civil War when opportunities abound in terms of building bridges, at the onset. The American Experience indicated that “by the time the war was over, Carnegie saw the potential in the field and resigned from Pennsylvania Railroad. It was one of many bold moves that would typify Carnegie's life in industry and earn him his fortune. He then turned his attention to the Keystone Bridge Company, which worked to replace wooden bridges with stronger iron ones” (par. 10). His future endeavors in alliance with Henry Bessemer discovering the process of refining steel by converting huge batches of iron. “By 1900 Carnegie Steel produced more of the metal than all of Great Britain. That was also the year that financier J. P. Morgan mounted a major challenge to Carnegie's steel empire” (American Experience, par. 15). The purchase Carnegie’s steel company by J.P.Morgan in 1901 amounting to almost $500 million made him “the world’s richest man. Morgan went on to form U.S. Steel, a corporation with a capitalization in excess of $1.4 billion” (US History, par. 9). But more than his financial success, Carnegie’s true worth as an instrumental contributor to American history is his unselfish pursuit of bequeathing his riches to worthy endeavors. As revealed, “he spent much of his collected fortune on establishing over 2,500 public libraries as well as supporting institutions of higher learning. By the time Carnegie's life was over, he gave away 350 million dollars” (American Experience, par. 17). Impact on American History The value of Carnegie’s bequests to American history lies not so much on the steel company that made his the world’s richest man; but more so on the philosophies he shared to the American people by manifesting his greatness through humility and sharing his richness. One of the most remembered contributions of Carnegie was the article he wrote entitled ‘The Gospel of Wealth’ published in the North American Review where he emphasized that “the rich are merely trustees of wealth, and that they have a duty to use their resources to benefit society. He took his admonishment to others to heart and spent the last two decades of his life giving away the great bulk of his fortune” (US History, par. 10). Accordingly, the discourse acknowledged the list of his philanthropic works, to wit: Carnegie Institution (1902) for research into American colleges and universities, Carnegie Hero Fund Commission (1904), Carnegie Endowment for the Advancement of Teaching (1905), Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (1910), Carnegie Corporation of New York (1911), funding for the establishment of more than 2,800 libraries, major support for Tuskegee Institute, funding for the Peace Palace at The Hague, The Netherlands, later the home of the United Nations International Court of Justice (US History, par. 10). From the proceeds of J.P. Morgan’s purchase of Carnegie’s steel company, amounting to $500 million, it was acknowledged that about $350 million or 70% has been shared to others through worthy pursuits and endeavors including funds earmarked for academic activities and programs and for the establishment of public libraries deemed to have been instrumental in his personal growth. His philosophy of sharing the blessing received to others so they can likewise be enriched is most commendable and noteworthy – making Carnegie an exemplary American, a magnificent person in words and in deeds. Conclusion The essay achieved its aim to present a full story of Andrew Carnegie and his impact on American history. With pertinent details of Carnegie’s life, work and philanthropic endeavors, the impact of his life and contributions on American history was finally highlighted through his unselfish pursuit to share the wealth that has been entrusted to him through worthy causes, particularly in academic institutions and programs that value education and continued learning. Personally, upon reading the research materials on Carnegie, there were statements that he admonished that further regarded him as an exemplary man. During his life as a messenger, he noted: “Every penny that I could save I knew was needed at home. My parents were wise and nothing was withheld from me. I knew every week the receipts of each of the three who were working—my father, my mother, and myself. I also knew all the expenditures. We consulted upon the additions that could be made to our scanty stock of furniture and clothing and every new small article obtained was a source of joy. There never was a family more united.” (Carnegie, 32 – 33). This only supports that Carnegie valued and loved his family so much that all his hard work and dedication to earn was initially earmarked for them. Further, the love, caring and support from his parents and from his brother were likewise extraordinary and pure as their strong family bond and commitment for self sacrifice for the greater good has been manifested intermittently but consistently throughout his life. When he finally learned the tricks of trade in the steel company, he learned that: “The surest foundation of a manufacturing concern is quality. After that, and a long way after, comes cost” (Carnegie, 64). The adherence to high quality of his company’s products reserved for him a place a one of the most successful entrepreneurs whose rise through the organizational hierarchy was clearly manifested and exemplified through various work experiences and his willingness to improve the lives of those he touched. As aptly concluded in the discourse on his life from the US History, it was revealed that “Andrew Carnegie in many ways typified the American dream. He began with nothing and used his drive and intelligence to become the world’s richest man. At the height of his power, he sold out his holdings and dedicated his remaining years expending his fortune to aid his fellow human beings” (US History, par. 12). The extraordinary experiences of Carnegie, together with his family in America, that paved the way for him to amass tremendous wealth is a story to behold. His innately perfect nature with deep concern for his fellowmen is even more noteworthy that his life should be shared, not only to Americans, but to other people around to world, who have the capacity and resources to parallel Carnegie’s accomplishments. Carnegie is a truly remarkable American in unselfish pursuit to improve the welfare and lives of others. Total Word Count: 1,562 Works Cited American Experience. Andrew Carnegie. 1999. Web. 06 June 2011. < http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/carnegie/peopleevents/pande01.html> Carnegie, Andrew. Autobiography of Andrew Carnegie. 13 March 2006. Web. 06 June 2011. Scottish Connections. Andrew Carnegie. 2011. Web. 06 June 2011. United States History. Andrew Carnegie: Steel Magnate and Philanthropist. N.d. Web. 06 June 2011. < http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h981.html> Read More