Tag: Gilded Age

The Gilded Age Republican Power Grab: The Gift That Keeps On Giving

By Erik Loomis

In General

On September 22, 2019

We often complain about the unfair Senate and how all the big empty states in the middle of the country give Republicans an inherent advantage that is impossible to overcome. As Heather Cox Richardson reminds us, this was a very intentional play by Republicans in the Gilded Age. The Republicans had won every presidential election […]

General

Erik Visits an American Grave, Part 510

By Erik Loomis

On July 16, 2019

This is the grave of Horatio Alger. Born in 1832 in Chelsea, Massachusetts, Alger grew up in relative comfort. His father was a fairly prominent Unitarian minister and the family had roots deep into t

General

Erik Visits an American Grave, Part 497

By Erik Loomis

On June 28, 2019

This is the grave of Philip Armour. Born in 1832 in Stockbridge, New York, Armour went to school at Cazenovia Academy in New York until he committed the unpardonable sin of taking a ride in buggy with

This Day in Labor History: June 9, 1880

By Erik Loomis

In General

On June 9, 2019

On June 9, 1880, the Greenback Party’s political convention began in Chicago. While the Greenbackers would not make a long-term impact on American political life, they were indicative of the great dissatisfaction millions of Americans had over the Gilded Age, which was a slap in the face to them of the promises that capitalism had […]

General

Erik Visits an American Grave, Part 362

By Erik Loomis

On December 4, 2018

This is the grave of Joseph Choate. Born in Salem, Massachusetts in 1832 to a well-off and well-connected family, Choate went to Harvard, graduating in 1852 and then from Harvard Law in 1854. He was i

General

Erik Visits an American Grave, Part 352

By Erik Loomis

On November 19, 2018

This is the grave of Henry James. Born in 1843 to old New York money, Henry grew up in luxury. He and his family, which of course included his brother, the philosopher William James, and his sister, t

This Day in Labor History: November 12, 1892

By Erik Loomis

In General

On November 12, 2018

On November 12, 1892, the New Orleans General Strike ended with a major victory for workers. One of the few true general strikes in American history, it demonstrated the potential power of workers, even in the face of race-baiting and military opposition in the Gilded Age. In early 1892, New Orleans’ streetcar drivers won a […]

General

Erik Visits an American Grave, Part 323

By Erik Loomis

On September 5, 2018

This is the grave of Stephen Field. Born in 1816 in Haddam, Connecticut to a Congregationalist minister and a larger family who would produce many leading 19th century figures, including Cyrus Field,

General

Erik Visits an American Grave, Part 317

By Erik Loomis

On August 29, 2018

This is the grave of the odious Gilded Age lawyer and capitalist George Baer. Born in 1842 in Lavansville, Pennsylvania, Baer dropped out of school at the age of 13 and started working in a printer

Erik Visits an American Grave, Part 299

By Erik Loomis

In General

On August 6, 2018

This is the grave of Henry Adams. Born in 1838 into one of the nation’s most elite families, if not the single most elite, young Henry was the son of Charles Francis Adams, grandson of John Quincy Adams, and great-grandson of John Adams. Like all of them, he attended Harvard, graduating in 1858. He then […]

General

Erik Visits an American Grave, Part 235

By Erik Loomis

On April 23, 2018

This is the grave of John Altgeld. Born in 1847 in what is today Germany, Altgeld’s parents immigrated to Ohio when he was an infant, settling on a farm near Mansfield. He grew up there, lied ab

General

The Huge PBS Failure on The Gilded Age

By Erik Loomis

On February 7, 2018

Above: The student body at Carlisle Indian School, 1885, which evidently was not part of the Gilded Age I was pretty excited last night. PBS’ American Experience was premiering its new two-hour

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