Chapter 6 - 9

09 History

listen to a lecture in a history class, fill in the diagram with the information that you hear.

A: As the Industrial Era swept across America on the later half of the 19th century, it created an enormous amount of wealth for a new generation of men, men who often had started from humble backgrounds only to acquire fabulous riches in their lifetime.

Yet at the same time, millions of Americans were suffering in horrible conditions of poverty in the rapidly growing industrial cities.

Some intellectuals of that time were championing the rise of these ultra-wealthy leaders of industry.

They would say that a man gets what he deserves in life.

For instance, if he works hard and becomes rich, then that is what he deserves.

His wealth is the product of his hard work.

Conversely, if a man is lazy and lives in poverty, then that too is his own fault. Such thinkers believed that America was a land of endless riches.

They also said that if a man became very wealthy, the government had no right to take his money in the form of taxes, because he earned it and knows best how to spend it.

But you might say. don’t governments need money to help the poor and those in need by providing public education, hospitals, sewers, and other things that everyone can use?

One of the wealthiest men of the time, Andrew Carnegie, responded to such a question by promoting what he called the “Gospel of Wealth”.

It stated main ideas I have just laid out for you that men get what they deserve, the government should let them get rich, and that they should be able to do what they want with their wealth, but he added something that others were not saying.

Carnegie believed that a man with wealth was responsible to help others improve themselves, and demonstrate his commitment to help other men improve their conditions, he gave generously, creating a system of 2,800 public libraries.

He died before he could spend all of his money, but carefully left it entrusted to an organization that continues to manage his money today and give to people in need.

Carnegie believed that such great men of wealth could indeed eradicate poverty from America without government interference.

Well, has the “Gospel of Wealth” lived up to the promises that Andrew Carnegie envisioned?

Let’s look at two criticisms before we decide. First, there is the problem of the ideas underlying the “Gospel of Wealth”. Carnegie did not reject the idea that some men could become incredibly wealthy and that this might be a problem.

He was more concerned with what they did with their money. The problem is that not everyone can become rich−not in 19th century America or anywhere.

People have different personalities and abilities. Some people are born with poor health and injuries, so that they must be cared for their entire life.

Because the “Gospel of Wealth” continue to support the idea that people get what they deserve, it did not help face the real causes of problems facing American society at the end of the 19th century.

Its narrow commitment to individualism obscured the realities many people faced.

Second, while Andrew Carnegie accomplish great things through his philanthropy, and set about to give away all his wealth, few others followed his path.

For his “Gospel of Wealth” to truly have helped alleviate the suffering of so many during his time, it would have needed far more philanthropists to practice what Carnegie preached.

That did not happen. It was a mistaken idea to think that if wealthy industrialists were allowed to pay less money to the government in the form of taxes, then they would give it away more effectively.

It didn’t happen. There was and still are excellent philanthropists, wealthy people that give their money to others in need, but the problem is there aren’t enough of them.

So governments tax people and, if they are at their best, should use that money to make sure that everyone benefits.

There are a lot of things governments provide that aren’t always recognized, but that improve the condition of all people, rich and poor alike. Without government programs, we would never have seen industrial cities cleaned up and made into healthier, safer places to live than they once were.

Some would argue that these changes were more beneficial to most poor people than Carnegie’s libraries, since these changes directly raised living standards.

1) Based on information from the lecture, indicate whether or not each idea is specific to Carnegie’s “Gospel of Wealth”. Place a check mark in the correct box.