The Industrial Age

After the Civil War, the United States entered into a period of significant industrial growth. The first transcontinental railroad was completed. Many new inventions were

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Ellis Island and Immigration

The industrial growth was fueled by waves of immigration primarily from Europe and the Orient. Thirty one million people arrived in America between 1860 and

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Xenophobia

In an ironic contradiction, contrary to the inscription on the Statute of Liberty: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe

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Sacco and Vanzetti

After World War I and The Russian Revolution that brought the Bolsheviks (Communists) to power in Russia, there was a very strong “Red Scare” in

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The Rise of Labor Unions

As noted, economic conditions for immigrants and other workers in the late 1800s and early 1900s were very harsh. They worked 60-80 hours a week

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Famous Mine and Mill Strikes

The convict-lease system was a common practice in the South in the latter 1800s through the 1920s. The penal systems in the South would lease

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Labor in the Textile Mills

The mining industry was not the only sector of the economy that experienced labor unrest during the first half of the 20th century. Working conditions

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The Almanac Singers

The Almanac Singers was a New York City-based folk music group, active between 1940 and 1943. They were founded by Millard Lampell, Lee Hays, Pete

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