Economic and social power became concentrated in late seventeenth-century Virginia, leaving laborers …
Economic and social power became concentrated in late seventeenth-century Virginia, leaving laborers and servants with restricted economic independence. Governor William Berkeley feared rebellion: "six parts of Seven at least are Poore, Indebted, Discontented and Armed." Planter Nathaniel Bacon focused inland colonists' anger at local Indians, who they felt were holding back settlement, and at a distant government unwilling to aid them. In the summer and fall of 1676, Bacon and his supporters rose up and plundered the elite's estates and slaughtered nearby Indians. Bacon's Declaration challenged the economic and political privileges of the governor's circle of favorites, while announcing the principle of the consent of the people. Bacon's death and the arrival of a British fleet quelled this rebellion, but Virginia's planters long remembered the spectacle of white and black acting together to challenge authority.
The Haymarket bombing in 1886 marked a major turning point in the …
The Haymarket bombing in 1886 marked a major turning point in the history of nineteenth-century labor. Used by capitalists as an excuse for a crackdown on labor organizations, the bombing also splintered what up had been until then the strongest labor organization in the United States--the Knights of Labor. The anti-labor reaction that followed in the wake of the bombing helped precipitate a rapid decline in membership in the Knights which was eventually supplanted by the American Federation of Labor. In this excerpt from his autobiography, Oscar Ameringer, a Knight himself in 1886, recalled receiving the news about the Haymarket bombing while on strike in Cincinnati.
In 1888 Plains Indians enacted a religious ritual seeking delivery from white …
In 1888 Plains Indians enacted a religious ritual seeking delivery from white domination, which took the form of a five-night dance (dubbed the "Ghost Dance" by whites). Two years later, the U.S. Army extinguished this vision of hope and defiance at the battle at Wounded Knee Creek on December 29, 1890. W. H. Prather, an African-American private in the Ninth Cavalry and the regimental poet, wrote "The Indian Ghost Dance and War," which recounted in ballad form the military's perspective on the massacre at Wounded Knee. Prather's song, which became a favorite among the troops, celebrated an event that American Indians would long view as a great tragedy and injustice.
In 1910, an international consortium of banks refinanced Haiti's international debt and …
In 1910, an international consortium of banks refinanced Haiti's international debt and took control of the country's treasury. In 1914, the bank refused to issue gold payments to the Haitian government and asked the U.S. military to protect the gold reserves. On December 17, 1914, U.S. marines landed in Haiti and moved the gold to the bank's New York vaults. Eight months later, the marines again landed in Port au Prince, Haiti's capital, this time claiming the need to protect foreign lives and property. They placed Port au Prince under martial law, ruthlessly subdued armed resistance in rural areas, and began training a new Haitian militia. Charlemagne Pralte led a resistance movement. In this "call to arms" and letter to the French minister, Pralte attacked President Wilson as a hypocrite for claiming to respect the sovereignty of small nations of Europe while occupying Haiti and urged Haitians to resist the Americans. (An English translation of the letter follows the French version.)
The beaded bandolier bag is a distinctive form created by American Indians …
The beaded bandolier bag is a distinctive form created by American Indians in the Great Lakes and Plains regions beginning in the mid-19th century. These large, vividly colored and intricately beaded bags were a central element of men’s formal dress for dances and ceremonies.
You may recall the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) from the …
You may recall the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) from the 1992 film, A League of Their Own starring Geena Davis and Tom Hanks. Who will ever forget that “there’s no crying in baseball!” But did you know the AAGPBL has deep roots in the upper Midwest, including Wisconsin? This online exhibit pairs research and primary sources, documenting the AAGPBL in Wisconsin.
(From the Stanford History Education Website) In the decades following the Civil …
(From the Stanford History Education Website) In the decades following the Civil War, the US military clashed with Native Americans in the West. The Battle of Little Bighorn was one of the Native Americans most famous victories. In this lesson, students explore causes of the battle by comparing two primary documents with a textbook account.
Find the right vehicles for a new movie from the America on …
Find the right vehicles for a new movie from the America on the Move collection, then watch the movie that you’ve created on the big screen. See how much you know about the history of transportation with the interactive games in this online collection. You can find information, artifacts and photographs in the collection as well.
During the late-18th century, many southerners headed west, leaving older areas such …
During the late-18th century, many southerners headed west, leaving older areas such as the Carolinas and Georgia; by 1790 more than 100,000 had moved into Kentucky and Tennessee. David Crockett was born in 1786 in East Tennessee. He fashioned a career as an Indian fighter, politician, and frontier humorist, using his mastery of the vernacular to spin tales on the campaign stump or in print. Crockett had many supposed life stories, but A Narrative of the Life of David Crockett of the State of Tennessee, published in 1834, is believed to be Crockett's actual work (edited by Thomas Chilton). These excerpts about bear hunting in Tennessee emphasized Crockett's reputation as a great hunter and contributed to his legendary status even before his death at the Alamo in 1836.
The National Humanities center presents reading guides with primary source materials for …
The National Humanities center presents reading guides with primary source materials for the study of the British Atlantic Colonies 1690-1763: Becoming American. Primary source materials include letters, pamphlets, journals, newspapers, maps, paintings, poems, and more. Resources are divided into the topics: Growth, Peoples, Economies, Ideas, and American.
By studying young George Washington’s writings as a 16-year-old surveyor and writings …
By studying young George Washington’s writings as a 16-year-old surveyor and writings from his first military trip five years later students will learn about his character and ambitions. The lesson will also help dispel some of the myths and misconceptions about Washington. Students will be introduced to a young man who is strong, brave and ready to make a name for himself.
Young George Washington Grades 4-6, has a 6 page lesson plan for the teachers and the following additional material: Additional Sources, Resource Pages 1-6, Images 1-5 and an answer key. The lesson uses Washington's own words, images and maps to show his character and ambitions and how he matures over time. The lesson highlights two of young Washington's adventures, his 1748 trip as a surveyor and his 1753 military trip to ask the French to leave the area.
In 1904, socialist writer Upton Sinclair spent two months in Chicago's "Packingtown" …
In 1904, socialist writer Upton Sinclair spent two months in Chicago's "Packingtown" observing a bitter stockyard strike. He turned the wealth of material he found there into his best-selling 1905 novel, The Jungle. The book is best known for revealing the unsanitary process by which animals became meat products, and its revelations were an important factor in the 1906 passage of the federal Pure Food and Drug and Meat Inspection Act. Yet Sinclair's primary concern was not with the goods that were produced but with the workers who produced them. He described, with great accuracy, the horrifying physical conditions under which immigrant packing plant workers and their families worked and lived, portraying the collapse of immigrant culture under the relentless pressure of industrial capitalism. Despite his sympathies, as a middle-class reformer Sinclair was oblivious to the vibrancy of immigrant communities beyond the reach of bosses, where immigrants found solidarity and hope. In the opening chapter of The Jungle, the immigrant hero and heroine, Juris and Ona Rudkus, celebrate their nuptials and the start of their new lives in Chicago.
The American Red Cross (officially named The American National Red Cross) was …
The American Red Cross (officially named The American National Red Cross) was founded in 1881 by Clara Barton, an American humanitarian and civil rights activist. Barton modeled the American Red Cross (ARC) after the International Red Cross, based in Geneva, Switzerland, which she encountered while volunteering in Europe during the late 1800s. She envisioned an organization that would provide humanitarian aid during wartime and in the event of national calamities.
At the close of the twentieth century, 93 percent of the U.S. …
At the close of the twentieth century, 93 percent of the U.S. population professed to believe in angels, 49 percent were sure that the federal government was hiding information about the existence of unidentified flying objects, and 25 percent thought they could communicate with the dead. Many Americans chose mystical options over the grimmer aspects of millennial life, but popular interest in the fantastic also signaled a love of creative fabrication dating back into U.S. history (linking, for example, the contemporary antics of the more outrageous tabloid press with the mid-nineteenth century showmanship of P. T. Barnum).
Responding to questions from Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson …
Responding to questions from Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson discusses the 4th Amendment's provisions for privacy and for unreasonable searches and seizures during her confirmation hearing to be a Supreme Court justice.
A cross-section of the Lawrence, Massachusetts, workforce as presented to the readers …
A cross-section of the Lawrence, Massachusetts, workforce as presented to the readers of Harper's Weekly in 1868. Winslow Homer sketched women, men, and children as they emerged from the city's textile factories at the end of a workday.
The All-American Girls' Professional Baseball League lasted from 1943 to 1954. During …
The All-American Girls' Professional Baseball League lasted from 1943 to 1954. During its peak attendance year, the League attracted close to a million fans--three of whom wrote letters, included below, to correct factual misrepresentations about the objects of their affection printed in the following Collier's article. The League inspired a hit motion picture of 1992 (A League of Their Own) and continues to hold interest for many, as demonstrated by numerous websites featuring leading players. Formed during World War II when major league owners feared that the military draft might lead to suspension of play, the All-American League thrived. In the early 1950s, however, it reproduced a pattern found elsewhere in American society: women encouraged to fill jobs (previously open only to men) during the war years faced restrictions as traditional norms were reestablished. The following look at the League from the perspective of its "harried" male managers, however, offers only minimal insight into the reasons for such high ticket sales and the devotion of fans cheering players who challenged the gender barriers of their day.
This website provides brief informational articles about the US government for young …
This website provides brief informational articles about the US government for young citizens around the ages of 4-8. Articles include information about the following topics: 1. Branches of Government 2. How Laws are Made 3. Symbols, Songs, and Structures 4. The Election Process 5. Historical Documents 6. Federal vs. State Government 7. Federally Recognized Tribes
This website provides brief informational articles about the US government for young …
This website provides brief informational articles about the US government for young citizens between the ages of 9-13. Articles include information about the following topics: 1. Branches of Government 2. How Laws are Made 3. Symbols, Songs, and Structures 4. The Election Process 5. Historical Documents 6. Federal vs. State Government 7. Federally Recognized Tribes
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