The Politically Incorrect Guide to Real American Heroes by Brion McClanahan

Author:Brion McClanahan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Brisance Books Group LLC
Published: 2012-10-11T16:00:00+00:00

It’s Your Money, Not the Government’s!

“Upon the sacredness of property civilization itself depends—the right of the laborer to his hundred dollars in the savings bank, and equally the legal right of the millionaire to his millions.”

—Andrew Carnegie5

What made Carnegie a real American hero was not his massive wealth. Carnegie was heroic because of his dedication to humanity, the arts, and science. Carnegie was, in many respects, a man of letters. He was a fine example of self-determination, self-discipline, and the limitless possibilities that men with those personal traits can achieve. He was a self-described rags-to-riches story; in many ways he had lived the quintessential American dream.

But as Carnegie himself said, “No idol is more debasing than the worship of money.” He thus devoted his life after retiring in 1901 to philanthropy.

Carnegie had little or no formal education as a young man, but he decided in his twenties that reading and learning would comprise much of his daily routine. He had a genuine interest in books as a youth, but never had many. That changed as an adult. Carnegie is perhaps the most substantial benefactor to libraries in the history of the world. Between 1883 and 1929, over 2,500 Carnegie libraries were built around the world, including over 1,600 in the United States alone. They were revolutionary. Stacks had to be open, allowing patrons to browse and discover books. Carnegie libraries were free and open to the public—a novel concept—and the librarian had a central desk allowing users access to a knowledgeable person. Before Carnegie, libraries were often located in colleges and universities with restricted access. He opened the world of books to the American public.

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