The Gilded Age and Progressive Era

The Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era published a roundtable called "What Came Next?: Reflections on the Aftermath(s) of the 1918-19 Flu Pandemic in the Age of COVID." Three of the participants join me to discuss how pandemics end, if they end, what lessons they teach (if any), and how they contribute to the history of a given era. The answers might surprise you! Essential Reading : Ch...

The African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME) is one of the most important African American Churches in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, and Christina Dickerson-Cousin shares how the AME worked in Indian Territory. The story is one of shared issues and common interests that helps add nuance to our understanding of the period. Essential Reading : Christina Dickerson-Cousin, Black Indians & Fr...

The United States and Brazil share the distinction of being the last places in the Americas to emancipate slaves. The Emancipation Proclamation (1863) and Fourteenth Amendment (1865) accomplished this in the U.S. and the Golden Law in Brazil did the same in 1888, although emancipation occurred gradually there over three decades. Roberto Saba calls the experience "the American Mirror" and argues th...

Megan Kate Nelson takes us on a journey to Yellowstone, the first national park and a site of iconic western beauty. From the scientific surveys that explored the park's geysers, to the railroad expansion through Native American territory, Dr. Nelson's book paints a vivid portrait of the place. Join us for a conversation about the American environment, economic panics, landscape photography, and h...

When you think of the artists of the Gilded Age, you might recall John Singer Sargent or James Abbott McNeill Whistler. But have you heard of Amalia Küssner? She painted royalty and robber barons, and became one of the era's most sought after artists. This week is an extra special treat as Kathleen Langone takes over the show. Kathleen is host of the People Hidden In History podcast, and Amalia Kü...

Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, and Jane Addams take center state in Neil Lanctot's latest book The Approaching Storm , an intimate look at America's decision to enter World War I. Lanctot's character-driven narrative takes the reader on transatlantic peace missions and a deep introspective about American values. Essential Reading : Neil Lanctot, The Approaching Storm: Roosevelt, Wilson, Addam...

Disaster relief became an instrument of U.S. foreign policy in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era. The "progressive presidents" particularly utilized aid for American interests, sparking a trend. Prof. Julia Irwin joins me to discuss her upcoming book on this very topic. Essential Reading : Julia Irwin, Making the World Safe: The American Red Cross and a Nation's Humanitarian Awakening (2013). Jul...

I spoke with Prof. Nelson the very day Russia invaded Ukraine and we talk about the history of the black paths that fed the world with bushels of grain, but also became the most fought over space in Eastern Europe. Scott's new book Oceans of Grain (Basic Books) is out this week and it couldn't have come at a better time to help us understand our world today. Essential Reading : Scott Reynolds Nels...

European imperialism had an influence on American policy makers, changing the way they thought about overseas colonization and building a new world order. Prof. Andrew Priest joins the show to discuss his latest book Designs on Empire: America's Rise to Power in the Age of European Imperialism . Essential Reading : Andrew Priest, Designs on Empire: America's Rise to Power in the Age of European Im...

Professor Clive Webb tells the story of Lord Gordon Gordon, a impostor and fraud that stole millions from railroad tycoon Jay Gould. The theft also sparked a diplomatic row between the United States and Canada that nearly led to war. This story first appeared in Canada's History and the publishers have kindly allowed us to reproduce the story with Clive as the narrator. Please visit their website:...

This week we hear from early career scholars about cutting-edge research and research. Aroop Mukharji will talk with me about the War of 1898 and presidential decision-making; Chelsea Gibson will share teaching innovations and her work on Russian-American activism; and Alex Bryne discusses the birth of aviation and its effect on Pan-Americanism. Please take some time to read their publications! Es...

Prospector, tycoon, westerner, politician, father, and husband, George Hearst was a man of his time and as Matthew Bernstein relates, an part of the Gilded Age. In his biography, Bernstein traces Hearst's life from his Missouri childhood to the booms and busts of his mining career. As the father of William Randolph Hearst, George left quite a legacy. Essential Reading : Matthew Bernstein, George H...

Over the last five years, many confederate statues have come down. Professor Ashleigh Lawrence-Sanders joins the show to explain why they went up in the first place. Commemoration of the confederacy offers a great insight into the politics of race in the American South and the enduring myth of the Lost Cause. So many statues go up in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era that we could (with tongues-i...

It had to happen: an episode about Theodore Roosevelt. I'm surprised it took ten episodes to get here! Prof. Benjamin Wetzel and I double as interviewer and interviewee in a conversation about our recent books about Roosevelt. Ben's explores TR's religiousity, a new vein of research that has been overlooked. My book shares new sources for the first time. Both depict TR in unique treatments. Essent...

How did Americans celebrate Christmas in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era? This episode has a festive feel as I ask Thomas Ruys Smith about his new book Christmas Past: An Anthology of Seasonal Stories from Nineteenth Century America. We'll talk about household names such as Charles Dickens, Louisa May Alcott, and Harriet Beecher Stowe, as well as stories you may have never heard from slaves, im...

What is a Rotary Club? Who is a Rotarian? The answer might surprise you. This club has over 35,000 offices around the world, in almost every country. It began in 1905 in Chicago, and its history tells the story of American capitalism, racism, gender bias, and class identity. Independent scholar Brendan Goff talks with me about his new book Rotary International and the Selling of American Capitalis...

The Philippine Revolution is a seminal moment in global history that we too often view through the lens of American expansion and racial ideologies. Dr. Nicole CuUnjieng Aboitiz, author of Asian Place, Filipino Nation, offers a new way to think about the revolution in the context of Japanese ascendancy and Asian ideas of race. In doing so, we see how the Philippine Revolution became central to Sou...

After the Civil War, citizenship increased, and yet voter turnout decreased. Why? Jon Grinspan joins the show to discuss his latest book The Age of Acrimony: How American Fought to Fix Their Democracy . As a curator at the National Museum of American History (Smithsonian), Jon is uniquely placed to discuss the historical parallels to American politics today. Essential Reading : Jon Grinspan, The A...

No industry is more central to the Gilded Age than the railroads. It transformed commerce. It shaped the contours of cities and maps. It created leisure and luxury in ways not known before. Best-selling author John Sedgwick talks about his latest book, From the River to the Sea , a tale of warring railroad tycoons. Essential Reading : John Sedgwick, From the River to the Sea (2021). Additional Rea...

Additional Reading : Daniel T. Rogers, Atlantic Crossings: Social Politics in a Progressive Age (1998). Rebecca Edwards, New Spirits: Americans in the Gilded Age: 1865-1905 (2005). Maureen Flanagan, America Reformed: Progressives and Progressivisms, 1890s-1920s (2006). Jackson Lears, Rebirth of a Nation: The Making of Modern America, 1877-1920 (2010). Glenda Gilmore, Who Were the Progressives? (20...

It had to be done: we need to talk about the title and periodization. What is the Gilded Age? What is the Progressive Era? When is it? With Christopher McKnight Nichols and Nancy Unger we set out to define the period we study. Essential Reading : Christopher McKnight Nichols and Nancy Unger (eds.), A Companion to the Gilded Age and Progressive Era (2017). Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner, The...

Additional Reading : David Roediger, Working Toward Whiteness: How America's Immigrants Became White: The Strange Journey from Ellis Island to the Suburbs (2018). Michael Gomez, Reversing Sail: A History of the African Diaspora (2005) Paul Gilroy, The Black Atlantic: Modernity and Double-Consciousness (1993). David Levering Lewis, W. E. B. Du Bois, 1868-1919: Biography of a Race (1994). Benjamin Q...

W. E. B. Du Bois made an indelible contribution to American thought and culture, an is an essential figure to those that study the Gilded Age and Progressive Era. With Professor Reiland Rabaka, this show explores the writings, influence, and internationalism of Du Bois. Essential Reading : Reiland Rabaka, Du Bois: A Critical Introduction (2021). Additional Reading : Reiland Rabaka, W.E.B. Du Bois...

Additional Reading : Maxine Sheets-Johnstone, The Roots of Power: Animate Form and Gendered Bodies (1999). Jennifer Karnes Alexander, The Mantra of Efficiency: From Waterwheel to Social Control (2008). Daniel Kevles, In the Name of Eugenics: Genetics and the Uses of Human Heredity (1985). Host Suggestion : JoAnn Yates and Craig Murphy, Engineering Rules: Global Standard Setting since 1880 (2019)....

Additional Reading (cocktails ) : David Wondrich, Imbibe: From Absinthe Cocktail to Whiskey Smash, a Salute in Stories and Drinks to "Professor" Jerry Thomas, Pioneer of the American Bar (2015). Wayne Curtis, And a Bottle of Rum: A History of the New World in Ten Cocktails (2007). Daniel Okrent, Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition (2011) . Adam Elmegirab, Book of Bitters (2017). Iain Gatel...