INTRODUCTION he era explored in this collection of biographies the late 19th and early 20th centuries represents the matural tion of the United States into a world power Moving on from the divisions that plagued the nation during the Civil War and Reconstruction the United States transformed itself politically economi cally culturally and socially Many of these changes are embodied in the lives of the fig ures profiled here Marking the beginning of this era was the decision by President Rutherford B Hayes to remove the last federal troops from the South in 1877 ending the bitter Reconstruction period Under the leader shipofthe 25thpresident William McKinley the United States extended its influence overseas by making territorial acquisi tions following the Spanish American War in 1898 Following McKinley President Theodore Roosevelt continued the momentum of American internationalism by using what he called the bully pulpit of the presidency to promote the nation's role and responsibilities in politics beyond 8
INTRODUCTION its borders Speak softly and carry a big stick Roosevelt said of his policy on rela tions with other countries which displayed the new maturity and resolve of the nation Yet with its expanding influence and growing fortunes the United States suf fered from new economic disparities John D Rockefeller Andrew Carnegie and Jay Gould amassed great dynastic wealth from oil steel and railroads respectively and other industrialists and financiers found similar success often at the expense of workers Because of their fortunes and the growing gap between rich and poor Roosevelt would later brand these capital ists male factors of great wealth inspiring a new age of activism for the lower classes Labor leaders social workers novelists and journalists such as Samuel Gompers Jane Addams Upton Sinclair and Jacob Riis shone a light on the plight of the poor figuratively and in the case of Riis's pho tography literally Using the newly invented flashbulb Riis photographed the New York slums of the late 19th century exposing the city and the nation to shocking scenes
BIOGRAPHIES OF THE NEW WORLD POWER RuTHERFORD B HAYES Thomas An Eoson Manager of poverty existing alongside such great fortune While these activists advocated for the economically disadvantaged others took up the causes of historically oppressed groups Women's rights advocates such as Margaret Sanger and Susan B Anthony gave women a voice on issues such as birth control and suf frage African Americans were championed by the journalist Ida B Wells Barnett who spearheaded an antilynching campaign and other initiatives aimed at racial justice And in 1909 just 46 years after the Emancipation Proclamation the African American editor historian and sociologist W E B Du Bois helped found the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People NAACP Another individual who contributed to the discussion of race in the United States was Mark Twain whose classic and controversial novel Huckleberry Finn addressed the shame ful legacy of slavery in the antebellum South and the persistent racial discrimination and violence After the end of the Reconstruction period the United States began to grow into a world power of unprecedented wealth and 10
INTRODUCTION cultural and social awareness It would con tinue to build power and prestige until by the end of World War II it was the strongest nation in the world The social reform move ments that took root in the late 19th and early 20th centuries also would endure with the strengthening of the labor movement and the reemergence of the civil rights and women s movements in the 1960s and 70s The individuals profiled in this volume are just a sample of the great leaders who helped shape the nation during this formative period of American history 11
