During the Progressive Era, from the 1890s through the 1920s, the idea of progress manifested itself in a variety of ways from cleaning up slums to eliminating government corruption to Americanizing immigrants to standardizing industrial practices. Such initiatives often sought to improve life by applying insights derived from the newly emerging social sciences—disciplines like sociology, … Continued
As a strict constructionist of the US Constitution, supporting only those powers specifically granted by the document, Thomas Jefferson questioned his executive authority to purchase the Louisiana Territory from France. However, the economic and national security benefits offered by the Louisiana Purchase to the fledgling nation outweighed the potential political risks of the land deal.
Some European attempts to colonize the New World failed not only because of physical hardships and deprivation but also because of cultural misunderstandings on the part of both the colonizers and the native inhabitants.
Lindbergh’s daring flight — and his modest response to global fame — reassured Americans that their nation’s traditional values remained strong despite the tumultuous changes of the Roaring Twenties that were reflected in wild youth, rampant consumerism, celebrity worship, and political corruption.
In 1775 American independence was not a foregone conclusion. While there had been unrest and resistance in Massachusetts with scattered acts of support from other areas, no organized movement toward revolution existed across the Colonies. Virginia ranked among the largest, wealthiest, and most populous colonies in 1775, and her political and military support for independence … Continued
Between the 1820s and 1850, as more white males won the right to vote and political parties became more organized, the character of American democracy changed. It became more partisan and more raucous, a turn that bred ambivalence and even discontent with politics and the dominant parties.
Many people in the eighteenth century, especially the educated elite in Europe and America, believed that truth was discovered through reason, through the application of principles discovered through science, observation, and experimentation. In “A Witch Trial at Mount Holly” Benjamin Franklin asserts the primacy of reason by satirizing the efforts of those who would seek … Continued
In the first days of the Constitution the United States faced multiple difficulties as it moved to negotiate with the Indian tribes of the Southeast. These independent nations resisted white invasions into their lands, and a patchwork of former treaties and agreements, multiple tribes and leaders, foreign threats on US borders, invading settlers and land … Continued
Christianity was a central feature of nineteenth-century American life for both slaveholders and anti-slavery activists. To argue persuasively against slavery, abolitionists had to find ways to use the Bible and Christian tradition, along with American patriotic and domestic ideals, to make their case.
The Bill of Rights, considered today a foundation of our liberties, was highly contested at the time of its creation. Some legislators saw a bill of rights as unneeded or unworkable while others saw it as an absolute necessity. Questions of states’ rights, federal rights, and the rights of individuals were all part of the … Continued