Final answer:
b) He thinks it would discourage self-reliance
Andrew Carnegie opposed giving a small amount of money to a large group of people because he believed it would discourage self-reliance and was in favor of using wealth to promote long-term societal improvement rather than immediate handouts.
Step-by-step explanation:
Andrew Carnegie opposed giving a small amount of money to a large group of people because he thought it would discourage self-reliance. In his essay, "The Gospel of Wealth," Carnegie makes clear that he supports charitable giving that helps those who will help themselves, suggesting a focus on enabling individuals to improve their own circumstances, rather than simple handouts.
This idea reflects Carnegie’s belief in the role of the wealthy to act as stewards of their fortunes by investing in long-term, impactful projects such as libraries, schools, and institutions of higher education, in order to enrich society.
Carnegie's philanthropic philosophy was heavily influenced by his personal experience, as he rose from humble origins to become a leading industrialist. Therefore, while he advocated for the idea that wealth should be used to foster the greater good, he emphasized doing so in a way that encouraged hard work and personal responsibility, rather than creating dependency or fostering economic inequality.
Carnegie held a strong belief in the power of opportunity in American capitalism and believed that those who succeeded had a moral obligation to give back in a responsible manner, thereby reinforcing aspects of what he considered to be the American identity.