Andrew Carnegie. Opinion Essay

There are mixed opinions on Andrew Carnegie. What would make him a hero? Andrew Carnegie was a man who became a millionaire. He started working at 12 due to his poor family and slowly rose to riches. He grew up in Pittsburgh near family; he then later was the supervisor of Pennsylvania’s Western Division. In 1861 he was asked to help with troop transportation in D.C. He then moved to New York City, NY, and that was where he primarily live till he died. He was born in 1835, sailed to America in 1848, Helped in the war in 1861, wrote a letter to himself in 1868, in 1872 he met Bessemer (He gave Andrew the heads up on steel), 1883 after a success in steel acquired a coal mill, in 1890 he had many steel mills and many other industries were about to be acquired as well, in 1901 he sold all of his company’s holdings for $480,000,000 (His share was $225,000,000), He died in 1919 after much philanthropy. A hero changes from person to person, but to most he or she is a good person. To acquire something is to buy or get hold of. Philanthropy is like charity or volunteering. Andrew Carnegie should be considered a hero because he created jobs, accepted the competition in the world, and he donated lots of money to worthy charities.

Andrew Carnegie was a hero because through his years building up the steel business he created many jobs for unemployed or underemployed people. The background essay is a tertiary source because it has quotes and letters written by Andrew, but it is written by somebody else. Since it has both it is tertiary. “Within twelve months of meeting with Bessemer, construction of a larger steel mill was under way.” This shows of how he built a steel mill and so created a large amount of jobs.

Another way Andrew Carnegie was a hero was because he accepted embraced and overcame the thought of competition in the world. In Document B “Wealth” by Andrew Carnegie is a primary scource because it was from that time period and written by the subject. “{I}t is to this law (of competition that we owe) material development, … while the law maybe sometimes hard for the individual, it is best for the race, because it insures the survival of the fittest in every department, We accept and welcome, therefore, … the concentration of business in the hands of the few….” This quote shows how he believed competition helps, how he embraced it, and how he uses it to his advantage. That is why embracing your inner competition can help you and why Andrew Carnegie was a hero.

Andrew Carnegie was also a hero because he donated over $1,000,000,000 since he died. In the background essay it states when he came to riches. “When the famous banker J.P. Morgan indicated he and his partners were interested in buying the Carnegie Steel Company and all of its holdings, Carnegie wrote down a price on a scrap of paper - $480,000,000 – and had it shuttled downtown to Wall Street. Morgan gave it a glance and said, ‘I accept this price.’ The world’s most famous businessman was about to become the world’s richest ex-businessman.” This shows how he came up with the money to provide charity. Because he dedicated his life to giving himself away he became a hero.

Because Andrew Carnegie created jobs, accepted the competition in the world, and he donated lots of money to worthy charities he was a hero. Andrew Carnegie still, after death, donates one hundred thousand dollars a year.