The AP® United States History exam covers hundreds of topics, all of which you need to be familiar with in order to get a high score. This might sound impossible, but success on the APUSH test is really all about studying smarter. The most vital things to review about a particular event, policy, or movement are the answers to the following questions: What is it? What else was happening at the time? Why is theGospel of Wealth important to United States history?
In this AP® US History crash course, we will give you the answers to all these questions about one frequently-tested topic: the Gospel of Wealth.
The Gospel of Wealth: What is It?
The term “gospel of wealth” refers to the 1889 article of the same name by Scottish immigrant Andrew Carnegie. Carnegie became the second-richest man in American history (after John D. Rockefeller) by dominating the growing steel industry.
In “The Gospel of Wealth,” Carnegie argued that extremely wealthy Americans like himself had a responsibility to spend their money in order to benefit the greater good. In other words, the richest Americans should actively engage in philanthropy and charity in order to close the widening gap between rich and poor.
Carnegie explained that the common trend of leaving all of one’s money to their heirs was disgraceful, and that instead the wealthy should use their money to benefit society while they were still alive. He embodied this philosophy thoroughly, giving away about 90% of his wealth during his lifetime. One of his main channels of wealth into the public was the creation of Carnegie libraries. These buildings were simply modeled,but provided the public with the tools they needed to expand their own knowledge, skills, and suitability in society.
Historical Context
Cultural and economic context is especially important to understanding the Gospel of Wealth for the AP® US History exam. There are three main concepts that help contextualize Andrew Carnegie’s work: the Gilded Age, industrialization, and Social Darwinism.
The Gilded Age
The Gilded Age is the period of United States history spanning roughly the 1870’s until 1900 (It is important to understand different time periods on the APUSH test, so make sure you know this). The name was coined by author Mark Twain, and refers to the glamourized “gilded” layer of wealth that tried to hide America’s serious social problems.
The Gilded Age was an era of rapid economic growth. At this time, wealthy “captains of industry” and “robber barons” manipulated the growing steel, railroad, and gold markets and became astronomically rich. However, despite the economic growth and illusion of Americans becoming wealthier, serious labor problems arose, and society was cut through with corruption. The visibility of the extremely wealthy created an image of a thriving United States painted in gold, but looking beyond the surface revealed a state of social chaos and exploitation of the working class.
Industrialization
The Second Industrial Revolution, beginning between 1840 and 1860 and continuing until World War I, created a rapidly growing set of industries in America including steel, rail, and coal mining. The growth of factories changed the dynamic of the American work force and created a need for the rise of labor unions and other forms of organized labor. For the first time, the need for skilled labor decreased as the popularity of unskilled factory work soared. However, jobs were created for both skilled and unskilled workers, and the wages of both groups grew. A new middle class began to form, but nevertheless the gap between the rich and poor was enormous.
Andrew Carnegie played a key role in the industrialization of America as he dominated the steel industry. The wealth he gained from his work and the images of the gap between rich and poor inspired him to sell his steel company to financier JP Morgan and devote his life to philanthropy.
Social Darwinism
In the Gospel of Wealth, Carnegie describes the wealthy as being especially skilled, intelligent, and prepared with the tools needed to responsibly and efficiently distribute money. This idea implies that poverty is a kind of character flaw of those Americans who are less hardworking.
This argument draws on a popular idea of the time known as Social Darwinism. This societal theory from the 1870’s argues that the economically “strong” (in other words, the very wealthy) will rise to positions of power while the “weak” (the poor) will occupy the lowest, least powerful positions in society. Many Social Darwinists embraces laissez-faire capitalism, in which there is unregulated economic competition among individuals, much like Charles Darwin’s theory of biological competition that leads to evolution.
Why is the Gospel of Wealth Important?
Andrew Carnegie’s philosophy embodied the incredible wealth of a handful of individuals in the Gilded Age, and influenced many other captains of industry in their own philanthropy, including John D. Rockefeller. His charitable legacy continues into the present day, with hundreds of Carnegie libraries still operating and the Carnegie Foundation still distributing the family’s wealth.
However, despite the benefits of Carnegie’s philanthropy, the Gospel of Wealth had some setbacks. Some captains of industry used the theory to excuse their own massive accumulation of wealth, and to, in a sense, make themselves feel better about being so far “above” the poor and middle classes.
What You Need to Know for the APUSH Exam – Multiple Choice
The multiple choice section of the AP® US History exam will ask you more fact-based questions, unlike the APUSH DBQ and FRQs that are broader. For questions about the gospel of wealth, you should be familiar with the key figures, especially Andrew Carnegie. Be familiar with other “captains of industry” such as John D. Rockefeller and Cornelius Vanderbilt. You should know that the theory emphasized distribution of wealth while one was still alive, as opposed to bequests in one’s will either to his heirs or in donations after his death.
What You Need to Know for the APUSH Exam – Essays and Document Based Questions
The written section of the AP® US History exam will ask more concept and connection-based questions. Many AP® US History DBQs and FRQs ask about the Gilded Age and its key players, like Andrew Carnegie. You should be able to connect the Gospel of Wealth and Andrew Carnegie to the broader characteristics of the Gilded Age. You should also be able to contrast the experiences of the very wealthy against those of the growing industrial classes.
Several AP® US History free response questions in previous years have asked about the Gilded Age. For example, a recent essay question asked:
“Explain how TWO of the following individuals responded to the economic and social problems created by industrialization during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.Jane Addams, Andrew Carnegie, Samuel Gompers, Upton Sinclair”
In this FRQ, you could discuss the value that Andrew Carnegie placed on philanthropy in order to solve the massive social problems created by industrialization and the widening of the socioeconomic gap. Then, you could compare Carnegie’s ideas to those of Samuel Gompers, president of the American Federation of Labor, who played a more active and personal role in labor reform. Gompers encouraged the “defeat” of the wealthy (like Andrew Carnegie himself), whom he called the “enemies” of everyday workers.
With this AP® US History crash course in hand, you have all the tools you need to master questions about the Gospel of Wealth on the exam. If you can make the connections between Andrew Carnegie’s ideas and the rapidly changing America during the Gilded Age, you’ll be well on your way to a 5 on exam day.
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