Progressive Era, The: Women and Reform
By the end of the 19th century, the home is not the all-consuming place it once was. Families are getting smaller, and growing numbers of middle-class women are identifying with activities outside the home such as women'..
Progressive Era, The: Women in the Workforce
It is rare for a woman to hold public office in the early 20th century much less enter professions dominated by men. When women engage in "women's jobs" there is not much controversy. It is in higher earning and more pre..
Property and Land Speculation (Part One)
Historian and author Bernard Bailyn talks about land companies and the rampant speculation that went on during the colonial period.
Property and Land Speculation (Part Two)
Historian and author Bernard Bailyn continues his discussion of land speculation during the colonial period. Professor Bailyn explains that there were land speculation syndicates of all sizes. Benjamin Franklin was one o..
Public Response to the Louisiana Purchase
Historian Peter Onuf talks about the reaction of the American public to the Louisiana Purchase. Most Americans were very enthusiastic about the transaction, Professor Onuf explains, because it provided commercial and tra..
Race and Ethnicity: Who's Who and What's What?
Professor of American studies and history Matthew Frye Jacobson explains that there are differences of opinion as to what constitutes "whiteness." Individual anthropologists or other social scientists do not always agree..
Race in America
Professor of American studies and history Matthew Frye Jacobson argues that race and democracy have been intertwined since the earliest days of the United States. Professor Jacobson contends that, "...race is the most si..
Racial Comparisons in Literature
Professor of American studies and history Matthew Frye Jacobson explains that eugenics was a popular topic in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, often referred to by politicians in the discussion of America..
Racial Politics and War
Professor of American studies and history Matthew Frye Jacobson talks about the evolution of attitudes towards African-Americans in the United States, as well as the growth of the civil rights movement. Professor Jacobso..
Racializing of Immigrants, The
Professor of American studies and history Matthew Frye Jacobson talks about the racial labels applied to immigrants in the mid to late nineteenth century. Professor Jacobson explains that Irish immigrants, along with Eas..