Andrew Carnegie contributed to the industrial development of the United States by his work in the steel industry, and by using vertical integration to decrease cost and increase profits. Vertical integration means combining in one company two or more stages of production that would otherwise be handled by separate companies. Carnegie worked to gain control not only over steel production, but also over coal and iron ore fields (the raw resources) as well as barge shipping and railroads (transport of his materials and finished product).
Biographical detail:
Andrew Carnegie was born in 1835 in Dunfermline, Scotland. His family moved to America in 1848. He established the Carnegie Steel Company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which he later sold (and it became known as U.S. Steel). In later life, he became known for his philanthropy, giving of his wealth to various causes. The famous Carnegie Hall in New York City is just one example of something the wealth of Andrew Carnegie built for the benefit of others.
