“GOSPEL OF WEALTH”--if you finish early

“GOSPEL OF WEALTH”
Author: Andrew Carnegie; Source/Publisher: North American Review (Swarthmore); Date: June 1889
Text Notes: Considered one of the wealthiest and most charitable people in history, Andrew Carnegie retired in 1901 at age 66 with a net worth of nearly ten times that of Bill Gates. By the end of his life, he had given away 90% of his wealth. In this seminal argument, Carnegie proposes that the philanthropy of the ultra rich should be a thoughtful and careful redistribution of their wealth. He admonishes against bequests to heirs because they do not serve either the poor or the person receiving the unearned wealth, while at the same time contending that taxing the rich for the purposes of the poor simply keeps the poor in their condition and robs the wealthy of their duty and privilege to make a difference in the world with their wealth.

As you read think about the following questions:
What is the author’s personal relationship to the topic? How does this influence the author’s perspective?

Text-Dependent Questions:
1. How does Carnegie argue that socio-economic improvements for the rich have improved the lot of the poor? How have they harmed it?
2. How does paragraph 7 help establish a background for Carnegie’s argument? What does the paragraph tell the reader about Carnegie’s own perspective? To what economic system does he apply the word “civilization”?
3. Describe the three modes by which wealth can be disposed of. Which of these does Carnegie propose as “a reign of harmony?”
4. How does Carnegie’s view of “indiscriminate charity” support his position for wise philanthropy? How does this view support his claim that “the best means of benefiting the community is to place within its reach the ladders upon which the aspiring can rise?”