The Gilded Age
Mark Twain coined the term "The Gilded Age" to describe conditions in the late 1800s, when a new class of very rich people reveled in ostentatious displays of wealth while downtrodden workers organized for fair wages and safe factory conditions. The American south languished in the racist Jim Crow period, and the urban poor were chronicled by writers such as journalist Jacob Riis.
Great Swindles of the 19th Century
The 19th century was marked by a number of notorious swindles, including one involving a fictitious county, one connected to the transcontinental railroad, and a number of bank and stock market frauds.
Tammany Hall
Tammany Hall was political machine that ran New York City through a system of political patronage, and it was the epitome of corrupt politics in the 1800s. Started in the 1780s as a patriotic and social club, the organization evolved into a power center and was the political home of such figures as Martin Van Buren, William Marcy "Boss" Tweed, and Richard "Boss" Croker.
Tammany Hall was political machine that ran New York City through a system of political patronage, and it was the epitome of corrupt politics in the 1800s. Started in the 1780s as a patriotic and social club, the organization evolved into a power center and was the political home of such figures as Martin Van Buren, William Marcy "Boss" Tweed, and Richard "Boss" Croker.
Financial Panics of the 19th Century
Financial panics gripped the American economy periodically in the 19th century. Some created major depressions, causing widespread failures of banks, businesses, and even farms.
Financial panics gripped the American economy periodically in the 19th century. Some created major depressions, causing widespread failures of banks, businesses, and even farms.
The Johnstown Flood Shocked America and the World in 1889
Heavy rainfall caused water to rise in the streets of Johnstown, Pennsylvania in late May 1889. But nothing could prepare the townspeople for what was about to happen.
Heavy rainfall caused water to rise in the streets of Johnstown, Pennsylvania in late May 1889. But nothing could prepare the townspeople for what was about to happen.
A dam on a hill 14 miles away burst. A wall of water sped toward the town, slamming into it like a gigantic bulldozer.
Johnstown was caught by surprise. Many citizens were drowned, crushed by debris, or simply swept away.