The Idea of Progress in 19th-Century America *Please note: This workshop is currently full. To join a waiting list or for more information please contact Caryn Koplik (919) 406-0111, or ckoplik@nationalhumanitiescenter.org.

Date: Thursday, Feb. 18, 2010 Time: 7:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m. (EST) Registration Deadline: Feb. 11, 2010

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The United States marked its 100th anniversary in 1876 with the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia, a birthday party that celebrated mechanical progress. But in late nineteenth-century America, progress did not simply mean generating more horsepower. It meant cleaning up cities, reforming government, improving the efficiency of workers, and professionalizing endeavors like playing baseball and studying history. The idea of progress reached into every corner of American life. How did Americans define progress at that time? How did progress manifest itself? And how did it shape America? Leader: Henry Binford, Associate Professor of History, Northwestern University, National Humanities Center Fellow