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Episodes from "America From Civil War to World Stage," Widener University (Fall 2010): 1 through 9 of 9

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  1. In this episode, a historical essay titled The Underground Railroad by Levi Coffin is described. Coffin was an active abolitionist who dedicated nearly 20 years to helping slaves escape to freedom. In his essay, he details his experience.
    date 1850map WAYNE, Indianatags Abolition, Slavery

    The Underground Railroad, a network of secret routes and safe houses, was established to lead slaves to freedom in Canada. In order to be successful, slaves needed the shelter, food, and safety of various abolitionists who were sympathetic to their cause. For the slaves, the long journey was anything but easy, but those who helped them along the way faced their own challenges. In his 1850 essay titled...

  2. The episode is about John brown and the raid at Harper's Ferry, virginia
    date October 26, 1859map JEFFERSON, Virginiatags Harper's Ferry Raid, Insurrection of Old Brown

    On October 26,1859, The Valley Spirit, the local newspaper of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, reported a story on John Brown and the raid on Harper’s Ferry, Virginia.  John Brown was a quiet man.  He was known to appear and disappear so no one knew quite how to locate him. He worked as a farmer, wool merchant, tanner, and land speculator; he never was a financially successful man. His financial woes...

  3. Episode is the on New York Court of Appeals case called The People of The State of New York against Jonathan Lemmon. The case was commonly known as the “Lemmon Slave Case”.
    date January, 1860 to March, 1860map NEW YORK, New Yorktags habeas corpus, Slavery, Lemmon Case

    On January 25, 1860, the New York Times reported on an important case before the New York Court of Appeals called The People of The State of New York against Jonathan Lemmon. The case was commonly known as the “Lemmon Slave Case”. The events that led to this appeal dated back to 1850. The court case brought up hard questions about slavery within the United States of America and challenged the slavery...

  4. Fighting Back, Lola Montez
    date July 15, 1852map NEW YORK, New Yorktags Nineteenth Century, Prostitution

    In July of 1852, Lola Montez opened a copy of the New York Daily Times and came face to face with column after column of slanderous comments directed at her. Defamation of character is probably one of the most challenging things that one person can go through. People expressing half-truths without actually knowing the real story is a battle most people will face at some point in their lives. In the...

  5. "Victor"  is the written account of Victor Hesier's story.  He was a survivor of the 1889 Johnstown Flood.
    date May 31, 1889map CAMBRIA, Pennsylvaniatags 1889 Johnstown Flood, Johnstown Flood Survivors

    Imagine being tossed around by the rush of floodwaters, hanging on to a rooftop for dear life while the thunderclap of a massive wave destroys your childhood home; or helplessly watching as those around you are carried off to a watery grave.   That is what Victor Heiser, a survivor of the 1889 Johnstown Flood endured.   Victor Heiser’s written description of the flood is a chilling account of...

  6. Principle of Prohibition
    date 1900 to 1919map Columbia, Washington, Warren, Ohiotags Principle of Prohibition, Prohibition

              The “Principle of Prohibition” by Doctor Ernest H. Cherrington was an educational pamphlet written in the early 1900’s. Dr. Cherrington questions the principles of prohibition. He was a general secretary with the World League against Alcohol; he raises questions about people who question prohibition. He doesn’t understand why the people who are against prohibition still wanted...

  7. Lynching: A Descriptive View in Song
    date 1939map Washington, New Yorktags Fruit, Billie Holiday, Lynching, Song, Crime, Café Society, Strange

    America’s need for change during the horrific time of lynching is suggested in “Blood at the Root: “Strange Fruit” as Historical Document and Pedagogical Tool” [1]. In 1930, a high school teacher named Abel Meeropol and also known as “Lewis Allen”-his two sons died in infancy- , wrote a poem after seeing a picture of the lynching of Tom Shipp and Abe Smith in Marion, Indiana. To hear...

  8. The Catastrophic Triangle Factory Fire: A Catalyst for Progressive Reform
    date March 25, 1911map New York, New Yorktags Catastrophic event, Labor Reform, Progressive Era

    The dreadful sounds of death hit the ground as smoke poured from the ten-story building.  William Shepherd, journalist for Milwaukee Journal, describes moment by moment the horrible events he witnessed on that tragic day in Washington Square, New York when fire engulfed the factory of the Triangle Shirtwaist Company.  It was Saturday, March 25, 1911 just around 4:30 PM, closing time, when fire broke...

  9. Chicago Fire
    date October 8, 1871 to October 10, 1871map COOK, Illinoistags destruction, fire, Chicago, Illinois, 1871

      On the evening of October 8 1871, a small bright spark quickly engulfed Chicago’s entire West Division. Elias Colbert an editor for the Chicago Tribune newspaper recounts the progress the fire made while peering through his telescope from the rooftop of the TribuneBuilding. Colbert attempts to gather statistical facts on the losses generated by the great conflagration in his article titled, The...