The Gospel Of Wealth Analysis

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The rapid expansion of industry in the United States had an overwhelmingly negative effect on American society, despite its generally positive effects on the American economy, After the end of the Civil War, industry saw a major expansion, generating massive amounts of wealth and productivity for the United States. However, this generation of wealth lead to the corruption of the free market and governmental officials. Monopolies and lobbyists became the largest influence in Congress, instead of the voice of the people. These people who the congressmen were meant to represent suffered greatly under the new wave of industry. The working class became unskilled, and they were forced to work in horribly unfair conditions, leading to the formation …show more content…

In Andrew Carnegie’s “Wealth,” he believes that it is the “duty of the man of Wealth.. To set an example of modest… living, provide moderately for the legitimate wants of those dependant on him.., and… consider all surplus revenues… simply as trust funds.” To put simply, Carnegie believes that he, and other members of the upper class, should use their excess wealth not on themselves, but for the betterment of the rest of society. This idea was known as ‘The Gospel of Wealth,” named after Carnegie’s book. Carnegie likely held these views because of his background.Carnegie was an immigrant to the United States, who worked hard to achieve everything that he had. He had experienced working class America, and knew what it was the the workers were going through. This is not something he shared with many other members of the elite upper class. Carnegie’s unique experience led him to many of his ideas. His new ideas challenged the tradition of passing down excess wealth to family heirs. Carnegie’s ideas were not incredibly popular among the upper class. However, some members, including Carnegie himself, attempted to do what good they

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