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See Washington Grow!
The development of the national capital was of major importance in the early years of the Republic. But just as our nation grew, so did the city of Washington, D.C. The mid-nineteenth century was a period of unprecedented growth for the city.
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Thomas Edison and His Inventions
Thomas Edison is often acknowledged as America’s most prolific inventor, holding nearly 1100 patents. However, he was labeled as “addled” by his elementary school teachers (his mother removed him from school and taught him reading, writing, and basic math at home) and suffered partial deafness from his early teens until his death. His life story is one of determination to overcome all odds. His lifetime coincides with that of Caroline Harrison and it was while she was First Lady that the White House was wired for electricity
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Great States: Exploring Ohio
Caroline Harrison was one of eight First Ladies born in Ohio. Each had a somewhat different background representing Ohio's broad ethnic heritage.
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Who Wants to be a Pioneer?
Caroline Harrison, First Lady to President Benjamin Harrison, was a witness to the late 19th century mass movement of pioneers to the West using. among other routes, the Oregon Trail. The image of a wagon train reminds people of these brave souls, and of their journeys, which were filled with danger as they participated in a quest for a better future.
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Shall We Abandon the Bill of Rights?
After the Civil War, as Americans increasingly moved to settle the west, the effort to win the land from Native Americans was ongoing and often brutal; in most cases, the belief was that Native Americans had no rights at all. In addition, African Americans and women were continuing their struggle for equal rights. To her credit, Caroline Harrison served as a progressive First Lady; one of her accomplishments was to see that the new medical school at The Johns Hopkins University would admit women. Many of the rights that all Americans now share are contained in the Bill of Rights. What would it be like if we didn’t have those rights?
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The State of the States
During Caroline Harrison’s lifetime, a great many states were added to the Union. Indeed, according to her biography, in 1891 shortly before she died, she and President Harrison traveled to California (which became a state in 1850).
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Dreams for Sale: The California Gold Rush
The Gold Rush of 1949 was a period of time in American history where unimaginable dreams of prosperity flourished. When news of gold reached the newspapers, dreams of ‘striking it rich’ was heard at nearly every dinner table. Caroline Harrison was 17 years old when the ‘49-er’s’ began their travels West. There is little doubt that the fathers or brothers of some of her friends joined the crowds in search of that shining treasure.
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"You Ought To Be In School!" Child Labor and Compulsory Education
During the last two or three decades of the 19th century, the United States transformed itself from an agricultural society to an industrial one. The work of children was also transformed, from activities that could be done on the farm to help out, to work outside the home in sometimes very dangerous industries. As the nation gradually substituted the idea that children should be in school for the idea that children should do their part to support the family, child labor came under increasing public scrutiny, and laws making schooling compulsory were entertained. In 1892, the year of Caroline Harrison's death, one of the first state laws (in Illinois) against child labor was passed (only to be repealed in 1895!).
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The Civil War Revisited
The American Civil War disrupted life in both the North and the South. Armies strode across the landscape, Sherman marched to the sea, and thousands of men died. Although the War occurred prior to Harrison’s administration, it left its imprint on the lives of all who were alive during those bloody years. Caroline Harrison was no exception.
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Mark Twain's America
It seems that most everyone has heard of Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn. What is interesting, besides the book, is that Huck Finn’s experiences represent a period in United States history during the time of First Lady Caroline Harrison.
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The Gilded Age
Caroline Harrison was First Lady during a period of time in United States history where its people were greatly divided economically and socially. Because there was great prosperity in some segments of society, Mark Twain named the period "the gilded age," a name which continues to describe the era.
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Learning to Be Consumers: The Emergence of Catalogs and Advertising
The idea of having one store to buy the basic needs of life is no longer commonplace in the United States. Shopping Malls have come to replace the ‘General Store’ that was in each town in the 19th century. For people in rural areas, or in very small towns, catalog shopping, largely from Sears and Montgomery Ward, revolutionized the way many people purchased what they needed and wanted. In addition, most Americans were very frugal and used things up or until they really wore out. What was needed in the blossoming industrial age was a way to encourage people to buy the things our industries produced. And the answer was advertising.
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