Andrew Carnegie

Vir Mehta                                                                        M,T,W,Th 11:50-1:50

Andrew Carnegie, Immigration, and the Importance of the American Dream during the Industrial Revolution

All around the world, when you ask citizens of most other countries to briefly discuss the United States of America, almost every individual will include the phrase “American Dream” in their response. Even though these may appear like just two words, the deeper philosophical meaning that these couple of words carry is incredibly significant to understanding what it is like to be in America. The American Dream is, “the enduring belief that people can rise above their origins, however humble, and through hard work, honesty, and thrift achieve positions of power and influence, even the presidency of the United States.” (Andrew Carnegie 3) This is a motivational yet incredibly realistic viewpoint that claims that hard work and dedication to one’s craft can lead to affluence and success. Another way to state the American Dream is, “the belief that America rewards hard work and self-improvement with prosperity and rising in society.” (Lecture 3) Even though this is a phrase that truly began evolving in the 19th Century, the words, “American Dream” still ring loud and proud all across this great nation. When studying exactly what the American Dream entails, many historians point to one man whose career typified the American Dream. This man is Andrew Carnegie, and he is considered to be one of, if not the, most important businessman in United States history.

         Just like, “millions of other immigrants who had come between the time period of 1865 to 1924, Carnegie and his family viewed immigrating to the United States as an opportunity to prosper, and saw a lack of opportunity at home.” (Lecture 3) The decision to immigrate turned out to be a great decision, and Andrew Carnegie was credited for having, “perfected business techniques that reshaped the iron and steel industry.” (Andrew Carnegie 5) He also played a role in, “Formulating the systems of industrial management that controlled and coordinated the spectacular economic growth of late nineteenth century America.” (Andrew Carnegie 6) Throughout the duration of this paper, topics such as Carnegie’s immigration experience compared and contrasted to other immigrants will be examined. The time period of Carnegie’s immigration experience, known as the Industrial Revolution, will also be discussed. Finally, this paper will determine whether or not Carnegie had a typical American Dream experience, and if it is reasonable for other Americans to be like him.

First and foremost, it is important to establish the immigration experience that people faced during the 19th Century. During this time period, the US had a policy of open immigration, which allowed nearly anyone to come and try to improve their quality of life. Andrew Carnegie’s family was from Scotland, but, “there were many other cultures and regions of the world that chose to immigrate to the United States. People such as the Japanese, Italians, Greeks, Jews, Slovaks, Catholics, and many more.” (Lecture 3) It is also important to discuss the trials and tribulations that immigrants faced upon arriving to the States. “For some immigrants, poverty and discrimination forced urban immigrants into ethic neighborhoods. These ethnic neighborhoods are called ghettos, and that term is still used to this day. In these ghettos, everyone had common languages, clothing, and customs.” (Lecture 3) As will soon be discussed, Carnegie’s immigration experience turned out to be quite different than most of the other immigrants during this time. “Factory workers typically labored under unsafe conditions, brought home paltry sums compared to their bosses, and enjoyed few modern-day benefits such as health insurance and paid time off.” (America Firsthand 59)

Now that background knowledge and information has been established for immigration, it can now be compared to the immigration experience that Andrew Carnegie and his family faced when they arrived to America. In many ways, Carnegie’s early immigration experience was rather different than most other immigrants, and it is a large part why his family was able to thrive in New York. “Unlike most immigrants who had to start from scratch and live in poverty, Carnegie and his family were lucky to have relatives that had already immigrated to the US.” (Andrew Carnegie 16) This is essentially like a head start that Carnegie’s family had that many other families were not provided. “The Carnegie family received vital assistance from relatives, former neighbors, and fellow countrymen from the day of their arrival in New York. Indeed, the Carnegies, like many of their fellow immigrants, counted from the outset on the help of their expatriated countrymen and planned their journey to take advantage of it.” (Andrew Carnegie 17) Even though a difference has been discussed, it is also important to include a similarity that Carnegie and his family shared with other immigrants. Carnegie was an incredibly hard working individual who, “got his first job as a bobbin boy in a local textile mill within two weeks of entering the United States.” (Andrew Carnegie 31) The fact that Carnegie chose to start working at such an early age show the level of drive and determination he had, and the fact that he was willing to start earning at such a young age. This hard-working attitude was shared by many Americans during this time, and it was a subset of the American Dream that had inspired so many immigrants.