The preamble to the Constitution lists the different roles of government, however, during the Gilded Age these things were very different than today. When it comes to promoting the “General Welfare” the government basically did three things. They issued tariffs to help US companies, it sold cheap land for development, and gave pensions to Union … Continue reading Class Notes →

After the Battle of Shiloh, General Braxton Bragg took over the southern armies in the west. Bragg devised a plan to clear Union troops out of Nashville. He moved his forces first to Chattanooga and joined up with Kirby Smith, then the two moved behind the Union lines into Kentucky. Bragg hoped for two outcomes. … Continue reading Class Notes →

The Gilded Age is often considered the boring part of political history. It is tempting to just treat all the presidents as the same person, they are all quite similar. I like to refer to them as the bearded presidents. During this time the elections were always close, even though the Republicans almost always won. … Continue reading Class Notes →

Lincoln had many difficulties when he took over the presidency. To begin with, 60% of the population had voted against him. His biggest problems came from the peace Democrats or so called “Copperheads.” They were against the war in every way and opposed everything Lincoln tried to do to win.

 No matter what you think about labor unions today, in the decades after the Civil War something was needed to help the growing labor force. Bosses held all the power and workers lived in conditions that were not fit for humans. Unions were needed. The first ones were regional or based on certain trades. The … Continue reading Class Notes →

After the Battle of Shiloh, General Braxton Bragg took over the southern armies in the west. Bragg devised a plan to clear Union troops out of Nashville. He moved his forces first to Chattanooga and joined up with Kirby Smith then the two moved behind the Union lines into Kentucky. Bragg hoped for two outcomes. … Continue reading Class Notes →

During the Gilded Age and the rise of Robber Barons, a growing criticism developed especially amongst farmers. Farmers had become dependent on railroads, but most towns only had one railroad run through it. With only one option, railroads could charge any rate and could even charge different rates to different customers. This issue would be … Continue reading Class Notes →

In 1903, two brothers from Ohio traveled to Kitty Hawk, NC to try something that seemed impossible. They flew a plane 120 feet in twelve seconds. It was not a long time or distance, but for the first time man flew.

When the Civil War began the basic structure of the infantry was as follows: I. 3 to 5 regiments formed a Brigade A. Commanded by a Brigade General II. 2 to 5 brigades made a division A. Commanded by a Major General III. 2 or more divisions made a Corps A. Commanded by a Lt. … Continue reading Class Notes →

As the nation moved into the 1880s it began to shift its Indian policy. In an effort to reform its years of mistreatment of natives, the new Progressive movements decided that instead of separating Indians it should help them by trying to make them more like themselves. The new idea was to education native children … Continue reading Class Notes →