Robber Baron v Captain of Industry

Robber Baron v Captain of Industry Name: Institution: The Scottish born Andrew Carnegie was an American industrialist who gathered a fortune in the steel industry and then turned to be a major philanthropist. He worked for Pittsburgh cotton factory before he started working as a superintendent in different divisions of the Pennsylvanian railroad. He later invested in different sectors such as oil and iron companies. After selling the Carnegie Steel Company in 1901 for $480 million, he devoted himself to philanthropy where he gave more than $350 million. The term Robber Baron is associated with negative connotations is normally associate with greedy people. Some of Andrew Carnegie actions portrayed him as a Robber Baron. For example, he engaged in some tactics which were not in the best interests of his employees. He attempted to reduce his employees’ wages at his steel company, an action which led to homestead strike and also cause numerous deaths. Additionally, his workers were usually underpaid and they also worked for long shifts in dirty and unsafe environments. He only improved the conditions of the laborers after pressure from the unions.[John P. Altgeld, 1894. "Broken Spirits: Letters on the Pul...