The Giving Game: Andrew Carnegie and the Evils of Wealth

The Gilded Age was a time of unparalleled wealth and prosperity in America—but it was also a time of staggering inequality, corruption, and unchecked power. Among its richest figures was Andrew Carnegie, the steel magnate who built his fortune on the backs of low-paid workers, only to give it away—earning him the nickname the Godfather of American Philanthropy. He didn’t just fund libraries and universities, he championed a philosophy: that it was the duty of the ultra-wealthy to serve the public good. But, as it turns out, even philanthropy is a form of power. So, what exactly have wealthy philanthropists done with their power? We explore that question at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum , inside Carnegie’s former mansion. There, a board game called Philanthropy invites players to reimagine the connection between money and power—not by amassing wealth, but by giving it away. Produced by T he Smithsonian's Podcast — Sidedoor. With host and Senior Producer Lizzie Peabody. Featuring: Christina de León , Associate Curator of Latino Design at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum Tommy Mishima , artist and co-creator (with Liam Lee) of the installation Game Room in Cooper Hewitt's triennial Making Home David Nasaw , author of the biography Andrew Carnegie The Kitchen Sisters Present is produced by The Kitchen Sisters (Nikki Silva & Davia Nelson) with Nathan Dalton and Brandi Howell. Part of the Radiotopia network from PRX.

You can listen to The Giving Game: Andrew Carnegie and the Evils of Wealth online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

The Giving Game: Andrew Carnegie and the Evils of Wealth is an episode from The Kitchen Sisters Present by The Kitchen Sisters & Radiotopia.

This episode is 34:44 long.

This episode was published on Jan 20, 2026.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from The Kitchen Sisters Present when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.