Political Stalemate: Pendleton Act, The
The federal government's bureaucracy is growing larger and the old method of selecting people for public office has not grown with it. The Pendleton Act, passed early in 1883 attempts to remedy the situation, but it only..
Political Stalemate: Political Stalemate
For several decades after Congress ceases to battle over Reconstruction there is political equilibrium between Democrats and Republicans. The outcome of presidential elections generally pivots on who can win four states:..
Political Stalemate: Stalwarts and Half-Breeds Compete for Control of Republican Party
As president, Rutherford B. Hayes attempts to institute civil service reforms, declaring himself a one-term president who would not be making strategic political appointments just to win reelection. By the end of Hayes' ..
Post World War II Housing Segregation
Professor of history Gary Gerstle talks about the racial fallout that ensued as many African-Americans moved from the rural south to the urban north in the 1940's and beyond. "These Blacks are coming into urban centers p..
Post World War II Labor Market, The
Professor of history Gary Gerstle talks about the shifting labor market in the years following World War II. "Most of the servicemen who had gone abroad...if they had had jobs in the private sector before they left were,..
Pre-Civil War Working Conditions
American history professor Alice Kessler-Harris talks about working conditions during the pre-Civil War years. "A twelve-hour working day in the pre-Civil War period in factory labor would be more or less common, and bot..
Pre-Revolutionary War Surge of Immigration
Historian and author Bernard Bailyn talks about the two major forces at work during the fifteen years preceding the American Revolution. "One, of course, was the constitutional struggle with Britain was building up," Pro..
Precarious Experiment, A: African American and Native American Viewpoints
The institution of slavery is undermined by the Revolutionary War. Many slaves run away, serving in the Continental Army and eventually gaining their freedom. There is widespread belief that slavery will come to an end b..
Precarious Experiment, A: Articles of Confederation Need Revamping
For most of the 1780s U. S. leaders try to come up with modifications to the Articles of Confederation that will strengthen the nation without creating a tyranny. They call for a meeting in Annapolis to discuss their ide..
Precarious Experiment, A: Building Government Structures
At the same time that Americans are struggling to win their independence on the battlefield, they are also struggling to create new institutions of government for themselves. Although each state employs its own method of..