Andrew Carnegie never wanted to move to America; with tears he reluctantly walked on the boat and said goodbye to his Uncle Lauder and his cousin Dod, and started the 4,000 mile journey to the land of the free, petrified of what was to come. The trip and the new land would bring new opportunities that would impact his life and millions of others for centuries to come. Carnegie by Peter Krass is one of the best historical books that accurately portrays the events that have occurred during Carnegie’s life. Students all across the US should read Carnegie by Peter Krass, because of the fight we learn through blue collared and white collar workers. Furthermore learn into their horrible working conditions and the much worse pay scale that could change every three years with no standard rates. Followed up with the Pinkertons who break up labor unions. …show more content…
All of these reasons and more leading up to strikes that caused many workers to get fired or their jobs to be outsourced to people that would do them for lower prices. The strikes became so out of hand that Frick one of Carnegie’s main presidents would build a Trump worthy wall to protect himself from the workers, while offering a “peace treaty”. These efforts made showed that workers had worked so much that it was inhuman, and weren't paid enough for the intense labor that they are put through in day to day life. The tenstions had heightend and caused much conflict from the entrepreneurs and forced them to hire the Pinkerton, A a group know for their ablity to break up labor unions. The Pinkerton created a huge battle betten the workers and them resulting in a hooting where Frick a president of Canregie company and Carnegie creating the publics outlook on them to be severed and tanted. We see how Carnegie tries his hardest to change that outlook, by donating to the public trying to get rid of the horrid
“Industrial unions dominated the landscape of the late nineteen century U.S. labor movement.” They gathered all level workers together without discrimination of gender, race, or nationality. They declared the eight-hour workday for the first time when normal work time should be 12. Low wage of workers caused the “Great Strike of 1877”, which began with railroad workers in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. After the “Great Strike”, industrial union started to
In the late nineteenth century, many European immigrants traveled to the United States in search of a better life and good fortune. The unskilled industries of the Eastern United States eagerly employed these men who were willing to work long hours for low wages just to earn their food and board. Among the most heavily recruiting industries were the railroads and the steel mills of Western Pennsylvania. Particularly in the steel mills, the working conditions for these immigrants were very dangerous. Many men lost their lives to these giant steel-making machines. The immigrants suffered the most and also worked the most hours for the least amount of money. Living conditions were also poor, and often these immigrants would barely have enough money and time to do anything but work, eat, and sleep. There was also a continuous struggle between the workers and the owners of the mills, the capitalists. The capitalists were a very small, elite group of rich men who held most of the wealth in their industries. Strikes broke out often, some ending in violence and death. Many workers had no political freedom or even a voice in the company that employed them. However, through all of these hardships, the immigrants continued their struggle for a better life.
The Pullman Strike of 1894 was the first national strike in American history and it came about during a period of unrest with labor unions and controversy regarding the role of government in business.5 The strike officially started when employees organized and went to their supervisors to ask for a lowered rent and were refused.5 The strike had many different causes. For example, workers wanted higher wages and fewer working hours, but the companies would not give it to them; and the workers wanted better, more affordable living quarters, but the companies would not offer that to them either. These different causes created an interesting and controversial end to the Pullman strike. Because of this, questions were raised about the strike that are still important today. Was striking a proper means of getting what the workers wanted? Were there better means of petitioning their grievances? Was government intervention constitutional? All these questions were raised by the Pullman Strike.
Andrew Carnegie was born in Dunfermline, Scotland in 1835. His father, Will, was a weaver and a follower of Chartism, a popular movement of the British working class that called for the masses to vote and to run for Parliament in order to help improve conditions for workers. The exposure to such political beliefs and his family's poverty made a lasting impression on young Andrew and played a significant role in his life after his family immigrated to the United States in 1848. Andrew Carnegie amassed wealth in the steel industry after immigrating from Scotland as a boy. He came from a poor family and had little formal education.
The early 1900s was a time of many movements, from the cities to the rural farms; people were uniting for various causes. One of the most widespread was the labor movement, which affected people far and wide. Conditions in the nation’s workplaces were notoriously poor, but New York City fostered the worst. Factories had started out in the city’s tenements, which were extremely cramped, poorly ventilated, and thoroughly unsanitary. With the advent of skyscrapers, factories were moved out of the tenements and into slightly larger buildings, which still had terrible conditions. Workers were forced to work long hours (around 12 hours long) six hours a day, often for extremely low pay. The pay was also extremely lower for women, who made up a large portion of the shirtwaist industry. If a worker were to openly contest an employer’s rule, they would be promptly fired and replaced immediately. Also, strength in numbers did not always work. Managers often hired brutal strikebreakers to shut movements down. The local police and justice were often of no help to the workers, even when women were being beaten. At the time, the workers needs were not taken seriously and profit was placed ahead of human life. This was not just a struggle for workers’ rights; it was also a movement for the working class’ freedom.
The organized labor was unsuccessful because many of the workers went on strike or were killed and didn’t get what they wanted. On July 7, 1892 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, there were ten people reported dead and more that had no official notification of death (Document G). These people died because they participated in the Homestead Strike. Even after this gruesome strike Homestead did not give into their demands and remained a nonunion for a while after. This proves that even though they held a strike against the factory, the workers conditions did not improve at all and many people died making the Homestead Strike unsuccessful. On July 18, 1877 there was an editorial about the Railroad Strike of 1877. It stated that “The strike is apparently hopeless, and must be regarded as nothing more than a rash and spiteful demonstration of resentment by men too ignorant… to understand their own interests.” (Document B). This document proves that the Railroad Strike was not making a dent in the workers conditions. The strikers are the workers and because they are on strike they are not working which means no income. They do all this and they get nothing out of the strike, again proving that the labor union was unsuccessful. Since many of the organized strikes turned out not to do anything, in some cases death, the labor union failed to improve the workers conditions.
Andrew Carnegie believes in a system based on principles and responsibility. The system is Individualism and when everyone strives towards the same goals the system is fair and prosperous. Carnegie’s essay is his attempt to show people a way to reach an accommodation between individualism and fairness. This system can only work if everyone knows and participates in his or her responsibilities. I will discuss Carnegie’s thesis, his arguments and the possible results of his goals.
In Harold C. Livesay’s Andrew Carnegie and the rise of Big Business, Andrew Carnegie’s struggles and desires throughout his life are formed into different challenges of being the influential leader of the United States of America. The book also covers the belief of the American Dream in that people can climb up the ladder of society by hard work and the dream of becoming an influential citizen, just as Carnegie did.
Beginning in the late 1700’s and growing rapidly even today, labor unions form the backbone for the American workforce and continue to fight for the common interests of workers around the country. As we look at the history of these unions, we see powerful individuals such as Terrence Powderly, Samuel Gompers, and Eugene Debs rise up as leaders in a newfound movement that protected the rights of the common worker and ensured better wages, more reasonable hours, and safer working conditions for those people (History). The rise of these labor unions also warranted new legislation that would protect against child labor in factories and give health benefits to workers who were either retired or injured, but everyone was not on board with the idea of foundations working to protect the interests of the common worker. Conflict with their industries lead to many strikes across the country in the coal, steel, and railroad industries, and several of these would ultimately end up leading to bloodshed. However, the existence of labor unions in the United States and their influence on their respective industries still resonates today, and many of our modern ideals that we have today carry over from what these labor unions fought for during through the Industrial Revolution.
Of all the rags-to-riches tales in history, there are none that can compare to the likes of Andrew Carnegie’s. Although Carnegie was a man whose character fell somewhere between callous and benevolent, his abundant contributions to America are nothing short of remarkable. His journey is an exemplary display of the true opportunity that you are given in America regardless of the card you have been dealt. While his sheer wealth was very notable, his philanthropic influences are not to go unnoticed either. Andrew Carnegie was one of the first businessmen to promote public-spirited philosophies that simultaneously achieved individual profit and benefited the America as a whole.
In the documents titled, William Graham Sumner on Social Darwinism and Andrew Carnegie Explains the Gospel of Wealth, Sumner and Carnegie both analyze their perspective on the idea on “social darwinism.” To begin with, both documents argue differently about wealth, poverty and their consequences. Sumner is a supporter of social darwinism. In the aspects of wealth and poverty he believes that the wealthy are those with more capital and rewards from nature, while the poor are “those who have inherited disease and depraved appetites, or have been brought up in vice and ignorance, or have themselves yielded to vice, extravagance, idleness, and imprudence” (Sumner, 36). The consequences of Sumner’s views on wealth and poverty is that they both contribute to the idea of inequality and how it is not likely for the poor to be of equal status with the wealthy. Furthermore, Carnegie views wealth and poverty as a reciprocative relation. He does not necessarily state that the wealthy and poor are equal, but he believes that the wealthy are the ones who “should use their wisdom, experiences, and wealth as stewards for the poor” (textbook, 489). Ultimately, the consequences of
Accomplished leaders inspire the world and their people to reach higher, dream bigger, and achieve greater. Andrew Carnegie, a self-made steel magnate and one of the wealthiest businessmen in the 19th century once stated, “No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself, or to get all the credit for doing it.” A man with a striking amount of wealth and ample power was remarkably giving and a notable philanthropist. His statement holds true in that the key to great leadership is not merely one’s achievements but the accomplishments we can make as a team.
Carnegie was born in Dunfermline, Scotland, and emigrated to the United States in 1848 at the age of 13. His family sailed the seven-week-long voyage to America, aboard the S.V. Wiscasset. During his early years, Carnegie did not attend school in the United States but worked full time as a “bobbin-boy” in a cotton gin on the outside of Pittsburgh. Working for a mere $1.20 a week, young Carnegie tended to bookkeeping, changing cotton spools, and even ran a steam engine that
Andrew Carnegie was born in Dunfermline, Scotland in 1835, and grew up in rather poor family. He was born into an average working family and had his first job as a bobbin boy paying at $1.20 a week. He continued advancement and later became one of the biggest steel companies in the area. Although, he may have had a poor life before riches, he had no sympathy for the low class. He was quite a hypocrite.
Andrew Carnegie traveled from Scotland to America with his parents when he was thirteen years old. The family moved to Pittsburg in 1848, which Carnegie described at the time as unpleasant to say the least writing, “"The smoke permeated and penetrated everything.... If you washed your face and hands, they were as dirty as ever in an hour. and for a time ... life was more or less miserable."(Richest PBS) Here begins the conflict Carnegie displays throughout his life; while he is disgusted with the effects of industrialized society he also builds an empire from the same means.