 A Woman on a Mission
September 6, 1860 -
Activist Jane Addams Was Born
As a young woman, Jane Addams did not know what she wanted
to do with her life. Born September 6, 1860, in Cedarville,
Illinois, Addams grew up in an era when women were expected
to marry and raise children. Addams knew she wanted to do
something different.
She found the inspiration that would lead her to fight for
the rights of children, help the poor, and become the first
American woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
After recovering from an illness, Addams went on a tour of
Europe in 1883-85 and 1887-88. She and her traveling
companion, Ellen Gates Starr, discovered Toynbee Hall in
London, the world's first settlement house, which is an
institution that provides community services. Toynbee helped
the poor by providing them with social services. Hoping to
do the same for poor immigrants in Chicago, Addams and Starr
returned to Illinois and rented the former Hull mansion in
Chicago.
At first, Hull House opened a kindergarten and provided
assistance to needy families, but so much more was needed.
What could two people do to tackle the enormous problems
brought on by poverty?
As more people, mostly women, came to help, Hull House
expanded to include a nursery, adult education classes,
social clubs, and a community kitchen.
At the center's first Christmas party, Addams was surprised
when several little girls refused the candy she offered
them. The girls, she discovered, worked long hours in a
candy factory. Soon, Addams, Starr, and others at Hull House
worked toward establishing child labor laws. They also
fought for equal rights for women and in international
peace.
Today, Hull House continues to build on Addams's work. Jane
Addams found her inspiration from London's Toynbee Hall.
Where will you discover your life's inspiration? |
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Education for All!
January 9, 1866 -
Fisk School Opens
Imagine what it would be like if you were not allowed to go
to school to learn while others around you were. After they
were freed from slavery when the Civil War ended in 1865,
African Americans thirsted for books and education, but were
not allowed to attend schools where white kids went. Guess
what happened.
The Fisk School, created for black students, opened its
doors for the first time on January 9, 1866, in former army
barracks in Nashville, Tennessee. The school was named after
General Clinton B. Fisk, who provided the building.
The idea for Fisk School was born soon after the Civil War.
A group called the American Missionary Association, formed
in 1846 from three antislavery societies, helped to found
Fisk School (later to become Fisk University), along with
other historically black colleges, including Atlanta,
Hampton, and Howard universities. The idea was to offer the
best education a university could offer an individual,
regardless of race. The first students at Fisk ranged in age
from 7 to 70, all ex-slaves eager to learn. These
historically black colleges still exist, and today African
Americans are welcome at all colleges. |
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Working 9 to 5
August 20, 1866 -
National Labor Union Requested an
Eight-Hour Workday
How many hours is a reasonable workday? On August 20, 1866,
the National Labor Union, made up of skilled and unskilled
workers, farmers, and reformers, called on Congress to order
an eight-hour workday.
The National Labor Union was created to pressure Congress to
make labor law reforms. The Union failed to persuade
Congress to shorten the workday and the labor organization
itself dissolved in 1873. However, its efforts heightened
public awareness of labor issues and increased public
support for labor reform in the 1870s and 1880s.
In this film, turn-of-the-century factory workers keep track
of the hours they worked by punching a time clock. Do you
know anyone who punches a time clock?
In the 1870s and early 1880s, a group called the Knights of
Labor was more successful with its efforts to reform labor
laws. In 1886, the Knights of Labor included 700,000
laborers, shopkeepers, and farmers. The union discouraged
strikes and instead promoted changing society.
But in 1886, a series of violent strikes waged by railroad
workers hurt the union's reputation. In May, police were
called in when fighting broke out between striking workers
and strikebreakers at the McCormick Harvesting Machine
Company in Haymarket, Illinois. Two union men were shot by
police, and an explosion killed seven policemen. The
outbreak became known as the Haymarket Riot.
The result of the Haymarket Riot was that the
eight-hour-workday movement came to be seen as "radical."
Therefore, popular support for organized labor decreased. As
the Knights of Labor declined, the American Federation of
Labor rose. The Federation focused on protecting the
independence and established privileges of individual
unions.
Little progress was made in establishing an eight-hour
workday until 1933. During this year, Congress passed the
National Industrial Recovery Act, an emergency measure taken
by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in response to the
Great Depression. The Act provided for the establishment of
maximum hours, minimum wages, and the right to collective
bargaining (allowing unions to represent their members in
negotiations with an employer). The Recovery Act was soon
replaced by the Wagner Act, which assured workers the right
to form unions. It was not until the 1950s that most workers
gained the eight-hour workday. Do you know anyone who
belongs to a union? |
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Robbery On the Rails
October 6, 1866 -
The First Known Train Robbery in the
U.S.
On October 6, 1866, one of the first train robberies in
America took place when the Reno brothers boarded an
eastbound train in Indiana wearing masks and toting guns.
After emptying one safe and tossing the other out the
window, the robbers jumped off the train and made an easy
getaway.
A wave of train robberies followed the Reno brothers'
startling hold-up. Within two weeks, two trains were
derailed and their safes were robbed. During another robbery
in Indiana, an expressman aboard the train was thrown out
the window before safes were emptied of $40,000.
Train robberies reached a peak in the 1890s, and robbers
tended to stick to certain territories. The Reno brothers
operated in southern Indiana. The Farringtons terrorized
trains in Kentucky and Tennessee, and the infamous Jesse
James gang wreaked havoc along the rails in the Midwestern
states.
One witness to a train robbery in the late 1880s described
the experience this way: "I decided to come home
Thanksgiving to be with my family at Silver City. I boarded
the train at Wilcox. There was a large shipment of gold on
the train. Just out of Steins Pass we could see a large
bon-fire. One of the train-men remarked, 'Wonder what the
big fire is. I hope we don't run into any trouble.' ...Then,
as today, curiosity got the best of some of us so we had to
find out why the train came to an abrupt stop, and why the
bon-fire was put on the track. We found ourselves looking
into the barrel of guns."
Private detectives placed onboard trains, along with
soldiers and other lawmen were brought in to protect the
trains. By the turn of the 20th century, most of the famous
train robbers, including Butch Cassidy, the Sundance Kid and
the other members of the Wild Bunch gang, had been captured,
killed or were no longer operating in the United States. |
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 Accusing a President
May 16, 1868 -
Vote to Impeach Andrew Johnson
It's no small decision for Congress to impeach (accuse of a
crime or misdemeanor) the president, but in 1868 that's
exactly what happened. In February, the House of
Representatives voted to impeach President Andrew Johnson.
His trial, with the chief justice of the Supreme Court
presiding, began on March 30 with the Senate serving as
jury. Johnson was accused of having broken the law, but on
May 16, 1868, the U.S. Senate failed to convict him by one
vote. A second vote taken 10 days later had the same result:
one vote short of the two-thirds majority required to
convict. What did Johnson do that led to his impeachment and
near arrest?
After becoming president following the assassination of
Abraham Lincoln, Johnson wanted to complete Lincoln's plan
to reunite the country swiftly. The Civil War (1861-1865)
had just ended. His plan was to promote passage of an
amendment outlawing slavery, then allow the Confederate
states to once again send representatives to Congress and
govern themselves. Johnson, however, lacked Lincoln's good
judgment. While Congress was in recess, the newly powerful
Southern states passed "Black Codes," limiting the rights of
freed slaves. An angry Congress proposed a law that would
repress those codes; Johnson vetoed it. Congress in return,
on April 9, 1866, passed the first override in U.S. history,
protecting the civil rights legislation. And on it went.
That same day, Congress passed a law that limited the power
of the president. The Tenure of Office Act prohibited the
president from removing any government official, including
his own cabinet members, without the Senate's approval.
Johnson maintained the law was unconstitutional and thus
invalid. He fired Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton, a
political enemy, in open defiance of the law.
The House of Representatives then decided to impeach the
president, charging him with "high crimes and misdemeanors"
as required by the Constitution. Johnson was charged with
breaking the law, among other things. During his trial
before the Senate (where impeachment hearings are held,
according to the Constitution), the charges were shown to be
so weak that seven Republicans refused to convict the
Democratic president. The votes thus fell one short of the
two-thirds necessary for conviction.
Johnson did not attend his trial. When he heard the results,
the president broke into tears. |
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Remembering Our Soldiers With
Flowers and Parades
May 30, 1868 -
The First Official Memorial Day
Do you celebrate Memorial Day? In 1868, Commander in Chief
John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic issued what
was called General Order Number 11, designating May 30 as a
memorial day. He declared it to be "for the purpose of
strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of
comrades who died in defense of their country during the
late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every
city, village, and hamlet churchyard in the land." Where do
you suppose that first Memorial Day took place?
The first national celebration of Memorial Day (originally
Decoration Day) took place May 30, 1868, at Arlington
National Cemetery. The national observance of Memorial Day
still takes place there today, with the placing of a wreath
on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the decoration of
each grave with a small American flag. The holiday has
changed a bit since it first began, which some argue was
even earlier than Logan's dedication.
Southern women decorated the graves of soldiers even before
the end of the Civil War. After the war, a women's memorial
association in Columbus, Mississippi, put flowers on the
graves of both Confederate and Union soldiers in 1866, an
act of generosity that inspired the poem by Francis Miles
Finch, "The Blue and the Grey," published in the Atlantic
Monthly. In 1971, federal law changed the observance of the
holiday to the last Monday in May and extended it to honor
all those who died in American wars. People pay tribute not
only with flowers but also with speeches and parades. Whom
do you honor on Memorial Day? |
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The "Reconstruction Amendment"
July 28, 1868 -
14th Amendment to the Constitution
Was Ratified
On July 28, 1868, the 14th Amendment to the United States
Constitution was ratified. The amendment grants citizenship
to "all persons born or naturalized in the United States"
which included former slaves who had just been freed after
the Civil War. The amendment had been rejected by most
Southern states but was ratified by the required
three-fourths of the states. Known as the "Reconstruction
Amendment," it forbids any state to deny any person "life,
liberty or property, without due process of law" or to "deny
to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection
of the laws."
Other groups tried to use the 14th Amendment to further
their causes. Women attempted to use it to proclaim their
right to vote, and African Americans tried to use it as
well. On May 18, 1896, the Supreme Court ruled in the case
of Plessy v. Ferguson that "separate but equal" facilities
were considered sufficient to satisfy the 14th Amendment. It
wasn't until May 17, 1954, however, that the Court reversed
the Plessy decision, bringing the era of
government-sanctioned segregation to an end.
It was the 15th Amendment, ratified in 1870, which finally
gave African Americans the right to vote. It states that
"the right of citizens of the United States to vote shall
not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any
state on account of race, color, or previous condition of
servitude." In practice, however, it took almost 100 more
years and the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to
remove barriers such as poll taxes, literacy tests, and
intimidation that prevented African Americans and other
people of color from freely exercising their right to vote.
Note that the 15th amendment makes no mention of sex. It was
not until the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920 that
women were explicitly given the vote. |
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Ziegfeld and His Follies
March 21, 1869 -
Showman Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr. Was
Born
A charming French-born actress named Anna Held suggested the
idea for the Ziegfeld Follies. Held inspired Ziegfeld to
create a musical revue like the ones she had seen in Paris,
featuring pretty chorus girls, chic costumes, and comedy.
Why not? American girls were "the most beautiful girls in
the world," she said. In New York, Ziegfeld produced the
first of the spectacular Follies, the Follies of 1907,
starring--who other than?--Anna Held. It was a hit! The
popular Follies continued, updated each year until the Great
Depression. Here's a hit from the Follies of 1913.
The Great Sandow, a 23-year old muscle man, performed with
only moderate success in New York, until Ziegfeld became his
manager. He whisked the young man off to the World's
Columbian Exposition (a world's fair) in 1893 and created a
sensation by inviting members of Chicago's high society
backstage to touch Sandow's mighty muscles. Revenues soared.
Ziegfeld's great triumph, the Follies, came soon after.
A charming French-born actress named Anna Held suggested the
idea for the Ziegfeld Follies. Held inspired Ziegfeld to
create a musical revue like the ones she had seen in Paris,
featuring pretty chorus girls, chic costumes, and comedy.
Why not? American girls were "the most beautiful girls in
the world," she said. In New York, Ziegfeld produced the
first of the spectacular Follies, the Follies of 1907,
starring--who other than?--Anna Held. It was a hit! The
popular Follies continued, updated each year until the Great
Depression. Here's a hit from the Follies of 1913.
Anna Held became one of the first big "stars," of the era,
thanks to Ziegfeld's great publicity. Ziegfeld went on to
create other stars like Will Rogers and, in 1927, produced
the musical Show Boat. Some of the traditions of Ziegfeld
and the vaudeville era are still alive in theater today.
Have you seen or been in a musical revue or a musical? Ask
your family if they have heard of the Ziegfeld Follies. They
might enjoy listening with you to this tune from The Follies
of 1922. |
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Sleeping in the Great Outdoors
July 19, 1869 -
John Muir and the Sierras
What's the first thing you see when you wake up? What would
you see if you slept outside? Would you wake up when the sun
rises? For John Muir, a naturalist who traveled the country
and observed his surroundings, sleeping outside was one of
life's great pleasures. He kept track of his experiences by
recording them in a journal. Here's what he wrote on July
19, 1869, when he woke up in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of
California:
"Watching the daybreak and sunrise. The pale rose and purple
sky changing softly to daffodil yellow and white, sunbeams
pouring through the passes between the peaks and over the
Yosemite domes, making their edges burn; the silver firs in
the middle ground catching the glow on their spiry tops, and
our camp grove fills and thrills with the glorious light."
From the start, Muir was an early defender of the
environment. In 1876 he supported the adoption of a federal
forest conservation program. From 1892 to 1914 he was the
Sierra Club's first president. The Sierra Club is an
environmental organization. His articles and books
describing Yosemite's natural wonders inspired public
support for establishment of Yosemite National Park in 1890
and expansion of the park in 1905. Next time you visit a
park, take a good look around. How do you think someone who
was seeing it for the first time would feel? How would you
describe it? |
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By The Boardwalk
June 26, 1870 -
The Atlantic City Boardwalk
Pull on a wool flannel bathing suit or hop on a rolling
chair, it's time to go to Atlantic City, New Jersey, in the
1800s.
Atlantic City grew from Dr. Jonathan Pitney's idea to make
the New Jersey shore into a health resort. Development began
in 1850. Atlantic City, with its beautiful beaches and
luxurious hotels, soon became a popular summer resort and
winter health spa.
What kind of suit would you wear to the beach in the late
1800s? Women beach goers at that time wore bathing dresses
of wool flannel with stockings, canvas shoes, and large
straw hats. Censors roamed the beach looking for bathers who
showed too much flesh.
What could you do in Atlantic City after your day at the
beach?
You could stroll down the famous boardwalk and shop, eat
saltwater taffy, or sit in an elegant restaurant. Alexander
Boardman, a railroad conductor, thought up the idea of
constructing a wooden walkway from the beach into town as a
means of keeping sand out of the hotels. On June 26, 1870,
the first section of the Atlantic City boardwalk opened
along the New Jersey beach. It was eight feet wide and one
mile long. Soon the walkway was extended and stretched to
five miles long. By 1884, if you didn't want to walk, you
could travel along the boardwalk in a rolling chair. The
rolling chair was the only vehicle allowed on the boardwalk.
Can you think of an event that happens each year in Atlantic
City today?
The Miss America pageant has been held in Atlantic City
since 1940. Have you ever watched it? Atlantic City hosted
beauty contests for years before the Miss America pageant,
like the contest for the 1926 Golden Mermaid trophy. Which
of these bathing beauties do you think could win a contest
today? |
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The Other San Francisco Treat!
January 17, 1871 -
San Franciscan Andrew Smith Hallidie
Patented the First Cable Car
Maybe he got the idea watching poor panting horses pull
carriages full of people up San Francisco's steep hills.
Whatever motivated him, Andrew Smith Hallidie patented his
design for a "horseless streetcar" on January 17, 1871, and
soon arranged financial backing to make a cable car system a
reality.
It is called a cable car because the car is moved along by a
loop of metal cable running continuously in a slot beneath
the ground, powered by a steam-driven engine in a
powerhouse. You can hear it moving if you are standing near
a line. The cable car's first run started at the top of a
307-foot hill. A few nervous men climbed aboard the cable
car, and with Hallidie at the controls, the car descended,
arriving safely at the bottom.
With the success of the San Francisco line, other cities
began putting in cable railway systems. But it is in San
Francisco where they are most famous, where "little cable
cars climb halfway to the stars," according to the famous
song "I Left My Heart in San Francisco." Have you ridden a
cable car? |
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A Song Full of Hope
June 17, 1871 -
James Weldon Johnson Was Born
Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught
us,
Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought
us;
Facing the rising sun of our new day begun,
Let us march on till victory is won.
This is part of the song, "Lift Every Voice and Sing." Its
lyrics were written by James Weldon Johnson to commemorate
Abraham Lincoln's birthday. Johnson was born on June 17,
1871, in Jacksonville, Florida. He was a poet, diplomat,
songwriter, and anthologist (compiler) of African American
culture. During his lifetime, Johnson faced many a new day
and sang his song in many different ways.
Johnson started his career as principal of a black high
school in Jacksonville. He began practicing law in 1898,
when he was admitted to the Florida bar. In 1901, he moved
to New York City with his brother, composer John Rosamond
Johnson, who put "Lift Every Voice and Sing" to music.
There, the two brothers wrote some 200 songs for Broadway
productions. Then President Theodore Roosevelt appointed
James W. Johnson United States consul to Venezuela in 1906.
Some years later, Johnson took on another important
leadership role.
In 1920, Johnson became the secretary of the National
Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
Through the NAACP, he was able to further the opportunities
and careers of other African Americans. Throughout his life,
Johnson wrote poetry, for which he is best known. He is also
well known for his anthologies of African American poetry,
which provided inspiration, encouragement, and recognition
to the new generation of artists who would create the
"Harlem Renaissance" of the 1920s and 1930s. Johnson did
indeed "march on till victory [was] won!" |
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The Fires of 1871
October 8, 1871 -
Fire in the Midwest
Sitting in front of a fireplace or around a campfire can be
a lot of fun, but when a fire grows out of control, it
becomes a frightening event. Today, with smoke alarms, fire
hydrants and well-funded fire departments, most city fires
can be stopped within hours. However, when conditions are
right, a fire can burn for days, destroying everything in
its path.
On Sunday, October 8, 1871, conditions in the Midwest were
exactly right to create a devastating fire. The long dry
summer had carried into October, and the winds were strong.
A deadly fire spread that night through the states of
Michigan and Wisconsin. Vast tracts of forest burned for a
week. When the wind increased and shifted direction, fire
fighters were unable to control the flames any longer.
Many of the towns in the Midwest were built from the
surrounding woods. Within hours, several cities and towns,
including Peshtigo, Holland, Manistee and Port Huron burned
to the ground. At least 1,200 people died as a result of the
fire. Nearly half the fatalities occurred in Peshtigo,
Wisconsin. That same night, the Great Chicago Fire erupted
in nearby Illinois.
What are some precautions you have been taught that prevent
fires? |
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Mrs. O'Leary's Cow
October 9, 1871 -
The Great Chicago Fire
If you woke up and your house was on fire, what would you
take with you before getting out? You might be surprised at
some of the things you might grab in the middle of the
night.
On October 8, 1871, a huge fire started near Chicago's
downtown area and burned four square miles to the ground
before it was extinguished. The blaze burned homes and shops
and left 300 people dead and 500,000 people homeless. As the
fire spread, people ran out of their homes, taking with them
whatever they could grab. One woman carried a big frame that
held her wedding veil, while another carried a pot of soup!
Can you imagine how a cow could set such a huge fire? No one
is sure how the Chicago blaze began, but one eyewitness saw
the first flames leaping out of Mr. And Mrs. O'Leary's barn.
Rumor, and now legend, has it that their cow kicked over an
oil lamp, setting straw on fire. Mrs. O'Leary's cow may well
be the most infamous cow in American history!
Firefighters brought the fire under control the next day, on
October 9, 1871, but only with the help of a rainstorm. It
had been unusually warm and dry that year, and the city's
wood buildings burned like matches until finally the rain
came down.
One Chicago resident described jumping out of bed as the
fire approached. "Everybody in the house was trying to save
as much as possible. I tied my clothes in a sheet. With my
clothes under my arm and my pack on my back, I left the
house with the rest of the family. Everybody was running
north. People were carrying all kinds of crazy things . . .
cats, dogs and goats. In the great excitement people saved
worthless things and left behind good things." It's easy to
panic and not think clearly in a fire. Most possessions can
be replaced, so it is very important to leave a burning
building as quickly as possible. |
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Hug a Tree
April 10, 1872 -
First Arbor Day
Go out and plant a tree today--a pine, an elm, an oak, a
mimosa--it doesn't matter what kind.
On April 10, 1872, Nebraskans celebrated the first Arbor Day
by planting more than a million trees. Julius Sterling
Morton, a newspaper editor and former governor, saw his
dream fulfilled after years of asking Congress to designate
a day to encourage the planting of trees. In 1885, the
Nebraskans moved the date to April 22 in honor of Morton's
birthday. Today people celebrate Arbor Day worldwide on the
last Friday in April. Do you celebrate Arbor Day? Where did
you first hear of this holiday?
You may have heard of Arbor Day at school. Observed by all
the states by 1907, schoolchildren helped out the most to
keep the day alive and growing. Arbor Day programs urged
children to plant a tree as a patriotic act, as a good
investment for the future, and as a way to beautify the
community. Conservationists (people who work to protect
nature) today would encourage you to plant a willow, a
redwood, a birch, or a palm to help in the battle against
deforestation (the clearing of trees from a location). Can
you imagine a world without trees? Celebrate Arbor Day! |
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The Mask that Grins and Lies
June 27, 1872 -
Paul Laurence Dunbar Was Born
We wear the mask that grins and lies,
It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes
Paul Laurence Dunbar
Do you like writing stories or poetry? If you enjoy writing
at all, you and Paul Laurence Dunbar have something in
common. Dunbar was born on June 27, 1872, in Dayton, Ohio,
and was the child of former slaves. He grew up to be an
internationally acclaimed poet, short story writer,
novelist, dramatist, and lyricist. By the turn of the
century, Dunbar was the most famous black writer in America.
When Dunbar was young, his mother told him stories of the
South. Then, later on in life, Dunbar wrote his own stories
about African Americans in the South. One of his best
friends was his classmate Orville Wright. (Orville and his
brother Wilbur invented the airplane.) The two friends
published a newspaper called The Dayton Tattler.
Unfortunately, their money ran out after just three issues,
but Dunbar did not give up writing. In 1893, while working
as an elevator operator, Dunbar published his first book of
poetry, Oak and Ivy.
After two more of Dunbar's books were published, his poetry
became very popular. Dunbar read his poems to audiences in
the United States and in England. When he returned from
England, Dunbar took a job as an assistant librarian at the
Library of Congress.
Have you ever tried to write a song? In 1902, Booker T.
Washington commissioned Dunbar to write the school song for
the Tuskegee Institute. However, Washington was not pleased
with Dunbar's "Tuskegee Song." Dunbar wrote back to
Washington this letter to defend his work.
Dunbar published 22 books and many poems before his death in
1906. He was just 33 years old when he died. What would you
like to write a story or poem about? |
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A Woman's Right to Vote
April 4, 1873 -
Carrie Burnham Argued for the Right
to Vote
Can you imagine not being allowed to vote once you reach
eighteen years of age? Because she was a woman in the 19th
century, teacher and physician Carrie S. Burnham (later
Kilgore) was denied that right. Burnham took her argument to
the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania on April 4, 1873, asking
this simple question: "Have women citizens the right of
suffrage (to vote) under the Constitution of the United
States and of this particular State of Pennsylvania?" She
told the court that she believed a woman should have that
right and presented a thoughtful case to support her
argument. By this time, Burnham's protest had been going on
for several years.
In October 1871, Carrie Burnham went to the polls in her
home city of Philadelphia to vote. When officials rejected
her ballot, Burnham took her case to the Court of Common
Pleas and petitioned for her right to vote on the grounds
that she met the legal definition of a "freeman" and a
citizen of the United States. With no success there, she
went before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. What was its
verdict?
The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania disagreed with Carrie
Burnham, and she was denied the right to vote. But she was
not the only woman fighting for her right. The woman
suffrage movement started in the mid-19th century and
progressed with leaders such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton and
Susan B. Anthony. The movement continued until 1920, when
women of the U.S. finally won the right to vote after World
War I. Do you know the names of other women who fought for
this cause? As for Carrie Burnham, she died before gaining
the right to vote, but not before becoming an attorney and
winning admission to the Pennsylvania State Supreme Court
and the United States Supreme Court. |
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A Vogue Way of Life
March 26, 1874 -
Conde Nast Was Born
What do magazines like Vogue, House and Garden, and Vanity
Fair say about our culture? Conde Nast, born in New York
City on March 26, 1874, owned all these popular magazines.
He acquired them between 1909 and 1914.
While other publishers simply focused on increasing the
number of magazines in circulation, Nast targeted groups of
readers by income level or common interest. Think of all the
magazines today based on a common interest, focusing on
everything from politics to skateboarding. Nast started that
whole trend.
Nast called his magazines "class publications." They
explored trends in fashion, the arts, politics, and
entertainment. How influential do you think magazines are in
the way people think, act, and look? Even back in 1900,
readers looked to Vogue for fashion possibilities, though
few could afford to buy the clothes on display, and that is
still true today. Next time you read a magazine, think about
what it says about our world, what group the magazine is
trying to reach, and if it influences you. Try this out on
your family, too. |
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Derby Day!
May 17, 1875 -
The First Kentucky Derby
On May 17, 1875, the horse, Aristides, and his rider, Oliver
Lewis, crossed the finish line ahead of the rest of the
field at the first ever Kentucky Derby. The horse's owner,
H.P. McGrath, and a roaring crowd in the stands looked on.
What would you have seen in Louisville that first race day?
You might have seen well-groomed Thoroughbreds--a cross
between Arabian stallions and European mares--along with 15
fine jockeys, 13 of whom, including Oliver Lewis, were
African American. You also would have seen cheering crowds
sitting anxiously in the bleachers around the track built in
1874 by Meriweather Lewis Clark. |
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Armchair Explorer
October 28, 1875 -
National Geographic President Gilbert
H. Grosvenor Was Born
When you look at the exotic photographs in a National
Geographic magazine, do they make you wonder about the
world?
The magazine was a plain-covered journal when it first
started. The beautiful photographs became part of the
journal after Gilbert H. Grosvenor (pronounced "GROVE-nor")
became editor-in-chief for the publication in 1904. In 1920,
Grosvenor took on a second role as president of the National
Geographic Society, which publishes the magazine. Born in
Turkey on October 28, 1875, Grosvenor is credited with
transforming National Geographic into a world-renowned
monthly magazine.
With the money earned from the magazine, the society was
able to explore previously unknown worlds, then introduce
them to millions of people. Where did the society go on its
explorations?
Under Grosvenor's guidance, scientific expeditions and
research projects traveled as far as the North Pole with
Commodore Robert Peary in 1909, and as deep as the ocean
when William Beebe made his record-setting undersea descent
in 1934.
Today, the National Geographic Society is the largest
nonprofit scientific and educational organization of its
kind. Grosvenor cared a great deal about conservation and
the protection of wildlife, and both causes are the subject
of many of the current programs and educational materials
offered by the society.
Next time you pick up a National Geographic, see if you can
find a world that you never knew existed. Happy exploring! |
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Boss Tweed Escaped!
December 4, 1875 -
Boss Tweed Escaped From Prison
On December 4, 1875, William Marcy Tweed, better known as
Boss Tweed, escaped from prison and fled to Europe. How he
landed in prison in the first place is a story of American
politics and corruption.
Tweed started out as a bookkeeper and volunteer fireman in
New York City. He was elected alderman (a member of a city's
legislative body) in 1851, and later he was also elected to
a term in Congress. By 1870, he was so powerful and had so
many of his friends (known as his "Tweed Ring" cronies) in
political positions that he was able to pass a new city
charter allowing him and his friends to control the city
treasury. Between 1865 and 1871, Tweed and his associates
stole between $30 million and $200 million from the city.
The "Tweed Ring" managed to steal the money by faking
leases, padding bills with false changes and paying for
unnecessary repairs and overpriced goods and services bought
from suppliers controlled by the ring. A growing movement
was determined to expose and overthrow Tweed, led by George
Jones, the publisher of The New York Times, and reform
lawyer Samuel J. Tilden. Cartoonist Thomas Nast also helped
spark public outrage against Tweed by creating wicked
caricatures of him in Harper's Weekly magazine.
Tweed unsuccessfully attempted to bribe both Nast and Jones
to leave him alone, but on November 19, 1873, Tweed was
tried and convicted on charges of forgery and larceny. He
was released in January 1875, but was immediately
rearrested. The state sued him for $6 million, and he was
held in a debtor's jail until he could come up with half
that amount for bail. In the debtor's prison, he was allowed
daily trips, accompanied by the jailer, to see his family.
On one of these trips, in December 1875, he escaped and fled
to Spain. He was a fugitive there for a year, working as a
common seaman on a Spanish ship until he was recognized by
his likeness to a Nast cartoon and captured. He died in a
debtor's prison on April 12, 1878. |
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The Bell is Ringing!
March 10, 1876 -
The First Telephone Call
What were the first words ever spoken on the telephone? They
were spoken by Alexander Graham Bell, inventor of the
telephone, when he made the first call on March 10, 1876, to
his assistant, Thomas Watson: "Mr. Watson--come here--I want
to see you." What would you have said?
Born in 1847 in Edinburgh, Scotland, Bell became an expert
in sound and public speaking. His understanding of sound
helped him to teach the deaf and then invent the telephone.
Bell was a man of vision. After the telephone's success, he
wrote to his father about a future when "friends converse
with each other without leaving home." How often do you talk
with your friends on the phone? Can you imagine how life
would be different without it?
Inspired by his scientific curiosity, Bell went on to create
other new inventions, including the photophone in 1880. This
first wireless telephone transmitted sound on a beam of
light instead of electrical wires. It is the forefather of
the cordless phone and 80% of today's telephone systems that
use fiber optics.
Bell's first telephone call was so famous, he repeated the
phrase in 1915 in the formal opening of the completed
transcontinental telephone lines connecting America's East
and West coasts. Picking up the phone in New York, Mr. Bell
said, "Mr. Watson, come here, I want you." But this time
Watson replied that it would take him a week; he was on the
other end of the line in San Francisco. |
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Custer's Last Stand
June 25, 1876 -
Custer's Last Stand
What do you know about the Battle of Little Big Horn? You
might know the story better as Custer's Last Stand.
On the morning of June 25, 1876, Lieutenant Colonel George
A. Custer and the 7th Cavalry charged into battle against
Lakota Sioux and Northern Cheyenne Indians. Custer's orders
were to wait for reinforcements at the mouth of the Little
Big Horn River before attacking the Indians, but Chief
Sitting Bull had been spotted nearby, and Custer was
impatient to attack.
A treaty had given the Sioux exclusive rights to the Black
Hills, but when gold was later discovered in the area, white
miners flocked to the territory. Despite the treaty, the
U.S. government ordered the Indians away from the invading
settlers and back to their reservations.
Custer's job was to force the Indians back to their
reservations. Some of the Indians refused to leave their
sacred land, and other hunters were camped in remote places
and never learned of the order. The U.S. Army prepared for
battle anyway.
Custer planned to attack the Indian camp from three sides,
but Chief Sitting Bull was ready for them. The first two
groups, led by Captain Benteen and Major Reno, were
immediately forced to retreat to one side of the river,
where they continued to fight as best they could. Custer was
not as lucky.
Custer's troops charged the Indians from the north. Quickly
encircled by their enemy, Custer and 265 of his soldiers
were killed in less than an hour. The Indians retreated two
days later when the troops Custer had been ordered to wait
for arrived.
The Battle of Little Big Horn was a short-lived victory for
the Native Americans. Federal troops soon poured into the
Black Hills. While many Native Americans surrendered,
Sitting Bull escaped to Canada. |
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Home of Cliff Dwellers and Gold
Miners
August 1, 1876 -
Colorado Became a State
Welcome to the state of Colorado. It's a land with a history
of cliff dwellers, gold miners, railroad travelers, and
homesteaders. It's a place associated with outdoor
adventure, ski resorts, and many successful businesses.
Entering the Union on August 1, 1876, the year the U.S.
celebrated its 100th birthday, the 38th state is known as
the Centennial State. Do you know anyone who lives in
Colorado? Do you know who lived there 900 years ago?
Among the early inhabitants were Native Americans, the
Anasazi (the "ancient ones," pronounced a-ne-'sa-ze) cliff
dwellers. They lived high on the mountainous stone plateaus
of Mesa Verde until the late 1200s. Most people believe the
Anasazi left because of drought and other extreme
conditions, some of which are still mysteries. You can visit
the remains of these cliff dwellings today. The Spanish and
the French explored the area before the U.S. combined
property into the Colorado Territory in 1861. By that time
the population of settlers was already growing rapidly. Why?
Gold! The 1858 discovery of gold caused a population boom,
just like it did in California 10 years earlier. The miners
found other profitable minerals as well and continued to
mine for many years. As late as the 1940s, mountain streams
in Ouray County ran yellow because of the residue (tailings)
from the gold mills. You can see the golden river in this
photo. Settlers also discovered Colorado's exquisite natural
beauty.
Railroads brought ever more travelers and settlers to
Colorado, where many stayed because of the richness of the
state's agricultural production and its physical beauty.
They rode trains like this one through the Rocky Mountains.
Have you visited Colorado? What else do you know about the
Centennial State? |
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The Brooding Midwest?
September 13, 1876 -
Writer Sherwood Anderson Was Born
Have you ever written a story about your hometown? Maybe you
think it's too "boring" to write about. If so, take a look
at American writer Sherwood Anderson. Born on September 13,
1876, in Camden, Ohio, he is best known for his short
stories that reflect his small-town, Midwestern past.
Described as "brooding Midwest tales," they reveal "their
author's sympathetic insight into the thwarted lives of
ordinary people." This third child of a harness maker and
sometime house painter had a fondness for storytelling.
As a young man, Anderson was intent on establishing his
financial independence. He married, had three children and
worked, with growing dissatisfaction, in the corporate world
until 1912, when he suffered a brief nervous breakdown. He
began to write fiction that year while working as a
copywriter at a Chicago advertising agency. In Chicago, he
met other thriving writers such as Carl Sandburg and
Theodore Dreiser, who formed a sort of Chicago literary
renaissance. Many of them, like Anderson, had grown up in
small Midwestern towns.
Sherwood Anderson had an important influence upon American
writing between World War I and World War II. He is credited
with capturing the real sound of everyday speech in his
writing and experimenting with new forms and styles,
breaking down tired, old formulas. He influenced a whole
generation of writers, most notably Ernest Hemingway and
William Faulkner. Many experienced writers have stressed
that a young writer should write about what he or she knows
best. While in New Orleans in 1924, Anderson encouraged
Faulkner to write about his home county in Mississippi.
Anderson's 1919 collection of short stories, Winesburg,
Ohio, is widely considered his best work. Try writing a
story about your hometown; you may be surprised. |
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The Real Uncle Sam
June 18, 1877 -
Illustrator James Montgomery Flagg
Was Born
Chances are, you've seen this poster before. Its creator was
illustrator James Montgomery Flagg, who was born on June 18,
1877, in Pelham Manor, New York. He claimed it was at one
time the most famous poster in the world. Certainly this
image of a pointing Uncle Sam has become an American icon.
Though he is best known for his commercial art, Flagg
created 46 works in support of the war effort during World
War I. This image first appeared on the cover of a magazine
called Leslie's Weekly with the title, "What Are You Doing
for Preparedness?"
More than 4 million copies of the poster were printed
between 1917 and 1918. The image was also used extensively
in World War II. You may have seen it with the caption, "I
Want You for U.S. Army," used for recruiting soldiers. Did
you know there really was an Uncle Sam? In 1961, Congress
recognized meat packer Samuel Wilson (1766-1854), who
supplied meat to the Army during the War of 1812, as Uncle
Sam's namesake. People said Wilson was fair, reliable,
honest, and devoted to his country. |
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The Wizard of Menlo Park
August 12, 1877 -
Thomas Edison and the First
Phonograph
The next time you listen to a favorite album, you can thank
Thomas Edison for discovering the secret to recording sound.
Before there were CD players and tape decks, there was the
phonograph. August 12, 1877 is the date popularly given for
Thomas Edison's completion of the model for the first
phonograph.
Edison was trying to improve the telegraph transmitter when
he noticed that the movement of the paper tape through the
machine produced a noise resembling spoken words when played
at a high speed. Experimenting with a stylus (hard-pointed
instrument like a large needle) on a tinfoil cylinder,
Edison spoke into the machine. Do you know the first words
ever recorded?
To Edison's surprise, the cylinder recorded his message,
"Mary had a little lamb." People had a hard time believing
his discovery at first, but soon doubt turned into awe as
Edison became known as "The Wizard of Menlo Park," after the
name of the city in New Jersey where he did his work. Sound
recording was rapidly becoming an American industry.
As a young boy growing up in the late 19th century, Harry
Reece remembered the invention of the phonograph as one in a
series of technological marvels: "Electric lights were
something to marvel at . . . the old Edison phonograph with
its wax cylinder records and earphones was positively
ghostly . . ." Here you can listen to one of the early
musical recordings. |
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Thunder Rolling Down the Mountain
October 5, 1877 -
Chief Joseph Surrenders
Chief Joseph loved his homeland, his people, and peace, but
he was tired of running from the U.S. Army. "Hear me, my
chiefs! I am tired. My heart is sick and sad. From where the
sun now stands, I will fight no more forever." On October 5,
1877, Chief Joseph spoke these words during his surrender in
the Bear Paw Mountains of Montana. After a harrowing journey
of more than 1,000 miles across Oregon, Washington, Idaho,
and Montana, pursued by the federal army, he and his
followers surrendered to the troops. They were 40 miles from
the Canadian border and freedom.
Believing in peace, Chief Joseph had been trying to secure
his homeland for his tribe, the Nez Percé, without fighting.
To Chief Joseph and his tribe, their homeland was sacred,
like a cathedral. At first, the government allowed them to
stay in their home regions, then some years later, forced
them out. As they began their journey from their ancestral
home in the Wallowa Valley of Oregon to a reservation in
Idaho, the chief learned that three young Nez Percé men,
enraged at their loss, had committed a brutal act.
The three young Indians had massacred a band of white
settlers. Chief Joseph feared retaliation by the government
and tried to take his people to safety. After their capture,
the Nez Percé were moved to Kansas, but the fearless leader
never gave up. He went to Washington D.C. to meet with the
president. Finally, in 1885, Chief Joseph and his followers
were allowed to return to the Pacific Northwest, close to
their old home, thanks to the persistence and courage of
Chief Joseph. His Indian name reflected his strength:
Thunder Rolling Down the Mountain. |
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