Industrialization, the Gilded Age, and Reform
In 1873, Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner published a novel they called The Gilded Age. The title was an insult. Gilding is a thin layer of gold applied over something cheap, and the two writers were describing an America that glittered at the top while a great deal underneath was rotting. Keep building this […]
Comparing Sources and Evaluating Conclusions
Two accounts of the same 1913 strike sit side by side. One is a mill owner’s letter to his board describing “outside agitators” stirring up otherwise contented workers. The other is a striking weaver’s testimony to a congressional committee describing twelve-hour shifts and a wage cut. Both are primary sources. Both were written by people […]
