Many people believe the United States has come a long way since the start of the twentieth century, but I do not believe we have. In the early 1900s, the American people believed that the world would be at peace by the 21st century, which it is not. In the words of Andrew Carnegie, “To kill a man will be considered as disgusting [in the twentieth century] as we in this day consider it disgusting to eat one.” I think what Andrew was trying to say was that he believes the world will be entirely at peace by the end of the twentieth century, and that he hopes that even the thought of killing another human being is disgusting in everyone’s eyes. I wish that this quote was true, but as any American knows, it is not. Our country has been through many battles since this quote was spoken in the late 1800s. Even now, in the year 2001, America is faced with hatred.
The morning of September 11th, I arose from my bed like I had every other morning. I entered the family room and heard news on the television of an attack on the World Trade Towers in New York City. I was astonished that someone would want to do such a horrible act to such a wonderful country. I went to school with a desire for the answers to my many questions. I soon realized the terrorists were angry with the United States’ government for the many freedoms it gives people. I could not believe that the terrorists would want to take hundreds of innocent lives just to get even with our government. Unlike what Andrew thought life would be, it seems as if a human life is worth nothing today. After the attack, President Bush was faced with a very difficult decision. This decision was to retaliate on the terrorists or to try to resolve our differences in peace. If President Bush made the decision to retaliate, it would be likely that innocent lives would be lost. If he tried to resolve it without fighting, Americans would be furious that he was not protecting us. The United States has suffered a great deal of pain, and even I would not wish any of this pain on any other country, I believe that President Bush made the right decision. He needs to show his country that he will take care of it.
Terrorism may be defined as the use of threatened or actual violence in the pursuit of political goals. Individuals or groups who engage in terrorism believe that intimidation and violence are legitimate and necessary tools to achieve their aims. Participants in terrorist group activities reject all of the standards of morality. Although terrorism runs counter to democratic political institutions, it is compatible with totalitarian governments. The frequency and intensity of terrorist attacks have been escalating at an alarming rate over the past decade. Members of terrorist groups around the world have kidnapped hundreds of business leaders and political figures, hijacked airliners, bombed embassies, and assassinated world leaders. These kinds of acts are nothing like what Andrew Carnegie meant in his quote.
Andrew Carnegie was born in 1835 in Dunfermline, Scotland. His father, Will Carnegie was a skilled weaver, and in 1848 the Carnegies immigrated to the United States. Four years later, Andrew took a job at Pennsylvania Railroad as a personal telegrapher for $35 per month. He learned the ins and outs of the railroad business, and in 1856, Andrew invested $217.50 in the Woodruff Sleeping Car Company. After about two years he began receiving a return of about $5000 annually. In 1865, Carnegie resigned from the railroad and founded the Keystone Telegraph Company. At the age of 35, Andrew resigned from business and lived on an income of $50,000 per year. In 1887, he married Louise Whitfield, and ten years later his daughter, Margaret, was born. Carnegie organized several of his steel companies together, and his annual profit soared to $40 million. By the turn of the century, the Carnegie Institution was established to provide research for American colleges and universities. In 1910, Andrew established the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, which donates money to advance the cause of peace. Andrew Carnegie died in Lenox, Massachusetts on August 11, 1919, five years after World War I began.
Andrew had only one belief. It was faith in the ability of individuals to better themselves and thus the society in which they live. If more people thought this same way, maybe we would not be in the predicament we are in today. If we, as a human race, would strive to better ourselves maybe we could live in a more peaceful world, a world that does not separate each country but tries to bring us together as one.