Hamilton Wang

04/22/2024 · Middle School

One of a group of talented, and sometimes ruthless, entrepreneurs, Andrew Carnegie, a Scottish immigrant, worked his way up from modest beginnings to become one of the richest people in \( 19^{\text {th }} \) century America. In 1873 he organized his own steel company in Pittsburg, and it soon dominated the industry. In 1901 he sold his holdings in the company for \( \$ 480 \) million to banker J. P. Morgan. Carnegie believed that the wealthy are merely trustees of their money and are obligated to use their resources for the benefit of society. Convinced that the best way to improve the lives of others was to provide them with access to knowledge, Carnegie funded thousands of public libraries. By the time of his death in 1919 , he had given away most of his fortune to support a variety of philanthropic causes. Which of the following phrases best characterizes the tone of this passage? A envious of entrepreneurs who achieved great fortunes B skeptical about the ability of libraries to educate the public D admiring of Carnegie for donating a large part of his wealth