John D Rockefeller by Ida Tarbell
Broken Spirits: Letters on the Pullman Strike
The Crédit Mobilier - Union Pacific Railroad
"A Complete and Graphic Account of the Crédit Mobilier Investigation" from "Behind the Scenes in Washington" (1873)
Centennial Exhibition Digital Collection
Silver albumen photographs of the Centennial Exhibition of 1876
Who is credited as inventing the telephone? Was it Alexander Graham Bell, Elisha Gray, or Antonio Meucci?
Another example of a ".gov" site with a validity problem - Although this site claims that "of course" Bell is the father of the telephone, it describes how two other men could be credited. This is the think slice of history - look to Tim Wu to provide a deeper explanation. (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/12/books/review/excerpt-the-master-switch.html?_r=0)
Of course, Alexander Graham Bell is the father of the telephone.
On the Lower East Side: Primary Documents
Chinese American History Curriculum - Immigrant History Initiative - Immigrant History Initiative
Collection of lessons on the Chinese American experience
The Chinese in California, 1850-1925
The Chinese in California, 1850-1925 illustrates nineteenth and early twentieth century Chinese immigration to California through about 8,000 images and pages of primary source materials. Included are photographs, original art, cartoons and other illustrations; letters, excerpts from diaries, business records, and legal documents; as well as pamphlets, broadsides, speeches, sheet music, and other printed matter. These documents describe the experiences of Chinese immigrants in California, including the nature of inter-ethnic tensions. They also document the specific contributions of Chinese immigrants to commerce and business, architecture and art, agriculture and other industries, and cultural and social life in California. From the Library of Congress
radicalcartography
1870 Census of the United States in infographics. Wonderful primary source
United States v. E.C. Knight Co. (1895)
Munn v. Illinois, U.S. Supreme Court Case Summary & Oral Argument
Lochner v. New York, U.S. Supreme Court Case Summary & Oral Argument
Andrew Carnegie: Gospel of Wealth
To resolve what might seem to be contradictions between the creation of wealth, which he saw as proceeding from immutable social laws, and social provision he came up with the notion of the "gospel of wealth". He lived up to his word, and gave away his fortune to socially beneficial projects, most famously by funding libraries.
New York City Subway History, Photos & More
Best resource of primary documents and evidence from New York City's subway system
Dawes Act (1887)
Approved on February 8, 1887, "An Act to Provide for the Allotment of Lands in Severalty to Indians on the Various Reservations," known as the Dawes Act, emphasized severalty, the treatment of Native Americans as individuals rather than as members of tribes.
USS Samuel Gompers
Would he have ever believed that a US Navy boat would have been named for him?
The Samuel Gompers Papers
Letters and articles collected by the University of Maryland
Pryamid of the capitalist system
Political Cartoon that is not unlike those of the French Revolution except with this one there are not three estates, but rather several levels with "capitalism" rather than the king at the top. Just the same, it is the workers at the bottom, just like the peasants of the Third Estate
Veblen: The Theory of the Leisure Class (book)
The Theory of the Leisure Class is considered one of the great works of economics as well as the first detailed critique of consumerism. In the book, Veblen argues that economic life is driven not by notions of utility, but by social vestiges from pre-historic times. Drawing examples from the contemporary period and anthropology, he held that much of today's society is a variation on early tribal life.This may have relevance for the digital age when facebook "tribes" are branded for marketeers.
Variety Stage: Vaudeville and Popular Entertainment, 1870-1920
The American Variety Stage is a multimedia anthology selected from various Library of Congress holdings. This collection illustrates the vibrant and diverse forms of popular entertainment, especially vaudeville, that thrived from 1870-1920. Included are 334 English- and Yiddish-language playscripts, 146 theater playbills and programs, 61 motion pictures, 10 sound recordings and 143 photographs and 29 memorabilia items documenting the life and career of Harry Houdini. From the Library of Congress
Ragtime Vaudeville Show
History of Vaudeville, some information about performers from a personal site
Edward Bellamy
Collection of resources, excerpts, and original essays dedicated to the author of the most celebrated utopian novel of the nineteenth century: Looking Backward.
Who was Henry George?
Biographical article and other information from progress.org
Charles Loring Brace, - Life of the Street Rats
Excerpt from 1872 book describing German and Irish immigrants in the city
The History of the Standard Oil Company
Full text of book by Ira Tarbell from the University of Rochester. Exposé of the Standard Oil Company, run at that time by oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller, the richest figure in America's history. Originally serialized in 19 parts in McClure's magazine, the book was a seminal example of muckraking, and inspired many other journalists to write about trusts, large businesses that (in the absence of strong antitrust law in the 19th century) attempted to gain monopolies in various industries.
Open Collections Program: Women Working - , 1800-1930
Women Working, 1800-1930 explores women's roles in the US economy between 1800 and the Great Depression and includes documentation of working conditions, conditions in the home, costs of living, recreation, health and hygiene, conduct of life, policies and regulations governing the workplace, and social issues Check the menu on the left for digitized diaries and links to corporate and organizational records.
Carnegie.Gospel of Wealth
Excerpt from Carnegie's book republished in North American Review
Henry George - Progress and Poverty
The association of poverty with progress is the great enigma of our times. It is the source of our industrial, social and political difficulties. Our statesmen, philanthropists, and educators grapple with it in vain. This riddle, if not answered, will eventually topple our entire civilization. To solve the riddle, we must research the immutable laws governing the science of economics
Pacific Railway Act (1862)
This act, passed on July 1, 1862, provided Federal subsidies in land and loans for the construction of a transcontinental railroad across the United States.
Wabash vs. Illinois
The Supreme Court Strikes Down Railroad Regulation, 1886