America at Last
Carnegie left Scotland in 1848 when he was 13. They arrived in America and settled in Allegheny, Pennsylvania. That's where Carnegie got his first job in a factory earning $1.20 a week. It wasn't long before he left the factory and got a job as a telegraph operator at the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1851. He soon was promoted to assistant and telegrapher to Thomas Scott. After 3 years, he was promoted to superintendent. He later left in 1865 for Keystone Bridge Company where he got his start in the steel business. It became know as Carnegie Steel Company in 1892. His business was going so well, that they were able to provide all the materials they needed to manufacture steel. By 1889, his company was the largest of its kind in the world. However, when they tried to lower the wages, the workers went on strike. Thats when the Homestead Strike of 1905 began. It ended up having Carnegie sell his company to J.P. Morgan who said,"Mr. Carnegie, I want to congratulate you on being the richest man in the world." Andrew Carnegie had a fortune of about $500 million. He donated most of it to charities and he helped build libraries around the world.