Brommel 1

Ryan Brommel

Professor S. Loy

HIS 105

February 25, 2009

Written Assignment #2: Alternative #1   

Andrew Carnegie is best known for making a tremendous fortune with his monopoly

over the steel industry during America’s machine age.    Nevertheless, although his business

practices were questionable, he is considered by many to be one history’s greatest

philanthropists.    The text explains Carnegie preached a philosophy that was known as the

“Gospel of Wealth”, which meant that with such riches he felt it was his and other affluent

people’s responsibility to “serve society in humane ways.” (pg. 514)    Therefore, he gave a

considerable amount of his fortune to philanthropic causes.    In fact, according to the article

“Carnegie Libraries: The Future Made Bright”, Carnegie was remarkably charitable and donated

$350 million dollars to a variety of causes which amounted to roughly “90 percent of the fortune

he accumulated through the railroad and steel industries.” (par. 2)    Some of this money was

given to philanthropic causes founded by Carnegie himself, such as the Carnegie libraries.

From the year 1886 to 1919, Carnegie gave more than $40 million dollars to open 1,679

of these libraries throughout the country (“Carnegie Libraries: The Future Made Bright” par. 1).   

One of Carnegie’s libraries happens to be nearby in the small community of Arcola, Illinois.   

The website waymarking.com explains that construction for the Arcola Carnegie library first

began in 1904 after the town’s mayor sent a letter to Carnegie asking for the needed funds.   

Carnegie sent the town $10,000 to build the library and it was opened in October of 1905; after a

ten month hiatus spent collecting enough books for the building to open. (waymarking.com)   
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Today, unlike many of the other Carnegie libraries the one in Arcola still serves its original

purpose.   

The Lincoln Trail Libraries System says that the Carnegie library in Arcola “provides

services for all age groups and carries a wide range of materials…offers pre-school story hours…

a summer reading program” and much more. (ltls.org)    In addition, the library has recently

expanded to “more than double the original size” yet it retains some of its historic charm as it is

located on a brick street traveled frequently by the Amish. (waymarking.com)    Also, according

to wikipedia.org the Arcola Carnegie library has been on the “National Register of Historic

Places” since 2002, and is one of only two places in Douglas County on the register (par.1).   

However, although libraries are undoubtedly a good thing for any community, some questioned

Carnegie’s intentions and “criticized the methods he used to make the fortune that supported his

gifts.” (“Carnegie Libraries: The Future Made Bright” par. 2)   

One thing that is for sure is that Carnegie certainly did not spend his wealth improving

the lives and working conditions of his workers.    Therefore, some probably just saw his

philanthropy as an attempt to get society to forget his wrong doings and they were upset by that. 

Writer Chris Potter even describes a cartoon from the era in which one half of Carnegie is giving

a town a library, while the other half of him is demanding wage cuts from his already underpaid

employees.    Potter believes that the libraries “were a mixture of sincere generosity and naked

self-interest” and that Carnegie “made his millions by sweating out the labor of others whom he

paid a pittance” (andrewcarnegie.tripod.com).    Furthermore, people who worked for Carnegie

in towns where his libraries were built said they would rather have the money to spend

themselves instead of facing wage cuts for libraries they questioned the use and necessity of.

(andrewcarnegie.tripod.com)           
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Works Cited     

“Arcola Carnegie Public Library”.    Wikipedia.org.    22 Feb. 2009

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arcola_Carnegie_Public_Library>.

“Arcola Public Library - Arcola, IL”.      Waymarking.com.    5 May 2007.    22 Feb. 2009

<http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM1GKW>.       

“Arcola Public Library District”.    ltls.org.    2006.    Lincoln Trail Libraries System.    23 Feb. 2009

<http://www.ltls.org/aan.html>.       

“Carnegie Libraries: The Future Made Bright”.    nps.gov.    23 Feb. 2009

<http://www.nps.gov/history/Nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/50carnegie/50carnegie.htm>.       

Norton, Mary B., et al.    A People & A Nation.    Special Dolphin ed.    Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 2008     

Potter, Chris.    “You Had to Ask”.    andrewcarnegie.tripod.com.    23 Feb. 2009

<http://andrewcarnegie.tripod.com/hadtoask292000.html>.