Early 20th Century

Before the Industrial Revolution, most people were born, lived, and died within a fairly small geographical area (with the exception of pioneers and homesteaders). The Industrial Revolution drew people away from rural communities to work in cities. Then, two major inventions made it even easier for people to travel: airplanes…

New inventions, such as the telephone, electric lights, trolleys, and the first movie cameras, created a sense of optimism and trust in the power of engineering and scientific discovery. Architects built towering skyscrapers and opulent public buildings; engineers built automobiles, airplanes, and cruise liners. This sense of limitless possibilities was…

Most of the Founding Fathers believed in a government that gave states and communities the power to make decisions on local issues. They worried that a powerful Federal government had the potential to become corrupt. The Constitution was written with the goal of limiting Federal power and protecting individual liberty.…

The U.S. Constitution didn’t prohibit women’s right to vote, but it didn’t guarantee it either. Until 1920, when the Nineteenth Amendment was ratified, states were allowed to decide the issue. Interestingly, it wasn’t the “progressive” states of New England and the East Coast that first gave women the vote, but…

The Industrial Revolution of the 1800s changed life in America forever. Urban areas grew quickly and, for the first time, a small percentage of Americans (one percent) controlled 70 percent of America’s wealth. People began seeking change. Many Americans began fighting to solve the problems of widespread poverty, unfair working…

The late 1800s to early 1900s were a time of hope and optimism as the middle class enjoyed greater prosperity and comfort than ever before. Yet, immigrant factory workers in New York City worked in dismal conditions just blocks from the mansions of wealthy factory owners, never taking part in…