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Completion of the Pacific Railroad, Promontory Summit, UT
Before the invention of the steam engine, people have to travel across America by wagon, or via waterways. The completion of the Pacific Railroad connected the Western Frontier with the rest of America. (Corbett, U.S. History, Chapter 17, Section 17.1). Europeans and blacks were now all able to pursue their dreams of prosperity. (Corbett, Chapter 17.1). The photo shows the ads that encouraged immigration out west (Nebraska Land Advertisement, 1869. Accessed 6/23/17, http://chnm.gmu.edu). -
The Tuskegee Institute opens in Tuskegee, Alabama
Booker T. Washington felt that black people could achieve their Dream simply through hard work (Booker T. Washington, 1895, “The Atlanta Compromise Speech”). To this effect, he founded the Tuskegee Institute. The college trained teachers, and also taught vocational skills with the idea that the students would then take these skills back to their communities. Photo ( Library at the Tuskegee Institute, early 1900’s, accessed June 23, 2017, www.eduscapes.com) -
Westinghouse installs AC , Great Barrington, MA
Prior to alternating current, factories needed to be near a power source. Now, industrialization was possible everywhere. This meant factories could run every day. This created thousands of jobs. New immigrants came to the cities, hoping to achieve prosperity through hard work (Corbett, U.S. History, Chapter 18, Section 18.3). This photo shows a cigar factory (Cigar factory workers, 1800’s. Special Collections Department, University of South Florida, accessed 6/23/17, fcit.usf.edu) -
Formation of the Populist Party, Omaha Nebraska
The Populist party emerged from Alliance groups. Initially called the Grange, it was a social organization that turned to politics. Farmers realized that they could not achieve their American dream if government policies failed to address things like railroad prices. They also wanted a direct voice in government. They had established the Omaha Platform to address their concerns ( Ignatius Donnelly, “ National People’s Party Platform”, July 4, 1892. Photo:(bing.com, accessed 6/24/17) -
President Roosevelt intervenes in labor dispute, Washington D.C.
Prior to Roosevelt, there was a lot of labor unrest. There were many strikes, some of them violent. Workers struck for fair pay, shorter work hours, and safer conditions. The government always sided with management. In 1902, he intervened on a labor strike on the side of labor. This indicated a change in government attitude towards labor (Corbett, U.S. History, Chapter 21, Section 21.4). Photo (Theodore Roosevelt, untitled. Accessed June 24, 2017, theodoreroosevelt.com). -
Formation of the NAACP, New York City
Some black leaders felt blacks could achieve the American Dream simply through hard work. Others disagreed. W.E Dubois wrote that blacks needed 3 things to achieve that dream. He wrote that they need the right to vote, civil equality, and education of youth (W.E. Dubois, “Of Mr. Booker T. Washington and Others”, 1903). The NAACP was former as a vehicle for this agenda. Photo ( Founders of the NAACP, accessed June 23, 2017, vsunaacp.blogspot.com) -
Women's sufferage, Washington D.C.
Women could not participate in the American dream without the right to vote. Starting in 1917, the National Women’s Party started picketing the White House. Some of them were jailed, leading to support from President Wilson. This pressure finally led to the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment (Corbett, U.S. History, Chapter 21, Section 21.3). Photo (Women’s Suffrage Headquarters, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print). -
The Harlem Renaissance, Harlem, New York City
Part of the American dream is being true to one’s culture. Harlem was the epicenter of the Black Rights movement, and the NAACP was headquartered there. It made sense that blacks who came north to work would rediscover their heritage there. Harlem gave rise to a rich collection of art, music and literature (Corbett, U.S. History, Chapter 24, Section 24.3). Photo (Harlem Renaissance, 1997. Smithsonian Institute, courtesy of National Portrait Gallery, Washington D.C., accessed June 24, 2017) -
Model T automobile becomes affordable, USA
The car can be said to symbolize the American Dream. Initially, only the wealthy could afford a car. Henry Ford thought cars should be available to all. His innovations allowed him to lower the price of a safe automobile to 300 dollars. The low price led to the development of suburbia. Now Americans could enjoy their Dream on the move (Douglas Brinkley, “Prime Mover”. 2003, American Heritage, Vol.54, Issue 3, p 44). Photo ( Early Ford Ad, 1923, accessed June 23, 2017, fordmodelt.net)
