It is widely known that Andrew Carnegie donated many millions of dollars for charitable purposes, including the construction of more than 2,500 free public libraries. What is no longer so well understood is that many communities hotly debated whether to accept a Carnegie gift, and that many chose not to do so on a variety of grounds, not the least of which was moral indignation.
Was Carnegie, as he claimed, a social reformer assisting his fellow citizens, or was he simply a remorseful robber-baron seeking to assuage a guilty conscience for a career filled with ruthless exploitation of his workers? Referred to as both the Gilded-age and the Progressive-era, Andrew Carnegie’s lifetime was a period social upheaval and transformation, and he was a central figure in that turmoil.
Join Jim Faulkner in the Culver Union Township Public Library’s large meeting room at 10:30 AM on Saturday, September 12th to learn about Carnegie’s career and motives, and how the people of his time responded to his unusual offer. This program is free and open to the public.
