The Chicago World's Fair

The World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 was an event of immense cultural importance to America and the World nearing the turn of the century. From May 1 to October 31, 1893, Chicago and the Exposition were host to 27 million visitors--nearly one quarter of the country's population at the time. Fairs encompassed the spectrum of experience and interest of the 1800s--from sport to entertainment to high culture. To understand their importance and draw in modern terms, they could be seen as a combination of the Olympics, DisneyWorld, the Superbowl, and the National Gallery--an international entertainment and cultural event with lasting social importance.

Particularly amazing was the fact that this futuristic view of what urban life could be grew out of the ashes of the Chicago fire just 22 years before. The fair produced a number of firsts. Among the well-loved commercial products that made their debut at the Chicago World’s Fair were Cream of Wheat, Juicy Fruit gum and Pabst Blue Ribbon beer. Technological products that would soon find their way into homes nationwide, such as the dishwasher and fluorescent light bulbs, had early prototype versions on display in Chicago as well. The U.S. government also got in on the act, issuing the country’s first postcards and commemorative stamps and two new commemorative coins: a quarter and half dollar. The half dollar featured Christopher Columbus, in whose honor the fair had been staged, while the quarter depicted Queen Isabella of Spain, who had funded Columbus’ voyages—making it the first U.S. coin to honor a woman.A Ferris wheel saved the fair from financial ruin.

Click here to begin your tour. How did the fair show America was the best?

Like the 'Gilded Age' the Columbian Exposition suspended reality. It was a fantasy.  None of it was real. The buildings of the fair were designed to be temporary and unfortunately, most of them were destroyed. The exceptions being the replica Statue of the Republic (above) and the old Palace of Fine Arts. It's since been converted into the city of  Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry. The rest of the Columbian Exposition is long gone. So what happened to all the other buildings you ask? 

Like most World’s Fairs, the storied “White City” of Chicago’s 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition was mostly destroyed after the end of the Fair, and little evidence remains today. I’ve often wondered what it would have been like to experience the fairgrounds in person. Thanks to the Urban Simulation Team at UCLA, and through the wonders of technology we can, however, still take a 'virtual' stroll through the grounds by clicking here.

What was the LEGACY of the Chicago World's Fair?

Who was the 'Devil In The White City?'

When was the last time you wrote or received a letter?  Send a postcard.  Here is how.

Listen to the band of John Phillip Sousa as you explore the fairgrounds.

Everything I know about the Chicago World's Fair I learned from Marvel Comics.

Buffalo Soldiers

The Buffalo Soldiers were a segregated regiment of black cavalry fighters during the American campaign to rid the West of "Indians" so that "civilized" white people could gain the lands used by Native Americans. They were given their name by the Native Americans who called them Buffalo Soldiers because their short & curly hair was like the hair on the back of a buffalo's neck. They were compared with the buffalo's strength and tenacity. Duties were settling railroad disputes, building telegraph lines, repairing and building forts, helping settlers find a place to live and protecting the settlers from Indian attacks.

… I mean it, when I analyze the stench

To me, it makes a lot of sense

How the Dreadlock Rasta was the Buffalo Soldier

And he was taken from Africa, brought to America

Fighting on arrival, fighting for survival3…

The song is about some of the black regiments that served in the United States Army, specifically the 9th, 10th, 24th, and 25th regiments. The ninth and tenth cavalries spent their time in the west, providing protection against the Native Americans. The twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth infantries were part of a fighting Corp that went to Cuba under Theodore Roosevelt to fight an uprising on San Juan Hill.

The Buffalo Soldiers fought to help with the expansion of our country. They were inspirational figures to other African Americans. They provided protection for settlers, spurring the western movement. If it weren’t for their bravery, we probably wouldn’t have our fifty states. However, they were also involved in what was one of the most immoral acts of ethnic cleansing ever.

The song speaks about the fourteen Buffalo Soldiers who received the Medals of Honor. This was an attempt by the United States government to "justify and glorify" the killing of Native Americans, underlining the United States government’s policy of manifest destiny.  The Buffalo Soldiers were used as a tool for the white man’s greed.

The black soldiers were once Africans, and they had been plucked from their homeland only to work on the white man’s behalf. They needed to fight to survive. What Bob Marley is trying to say is that often the black man gets the bad wrap. The white men used the Buffalo Soldiers as a way to cover up the genocide of the Native American people.

1) Who were the Buffalo Soldiers?

2) What was is the great IRONY of the Buffalo Soldier?

3) Who were America's forgotten cowboys?

4) Why would they want to be a cowboy?  Would you?

5) Who was Bass Reeves? Why haven't we ever heard his true story?

Bully! A Splendid Little War

Taking the Heights at San Juan Hill

The charge up an obscure Cuban hill on July, 1 1898 was a pivotal point in Theodore Roosevelt's political career. When war broke with Spain in April of that year, Roosevelt was serving as Assistant Secretary of the Navy. He immediately quit his position and helped form a regiment of volunteers. The "Rough Riders" enlisted cowboys and college men led by Roosevelt under the command of Leonard Wood. They arrived in Cuba in time to take part in the Battle of San Juan Hill.

Read the actual account of the battle of San Juan Hill and compare it to the video.

1) How was Teddy Roosevelt shown as the 'hero' in the movie?

2) What differences can you find in the reading?

3) What is the 'bias' of each account?  What information was intentionally left out?  Why?

4) Who were the real heroes of San Juan Hill?  Why aren't they included in the accounts?

5) Should Teddy Roosevelt have received the Medal of Honor?  Why or why not?

Crucible of Empire

Teddy Roosevelt charging up the San Juan Heights, the Rough Riders and the sinking of the battleship, the U.S.S. Maine---these are what people commonly know about the United States' war with Spain in 1898. What they may not remember is that this was the war that steered the United States to center stage as a world power. Victorious over Spain in Cuba and the Philippines, the United States, a nation founded in opposition to imperialism, grappled with its new role as an imperial power.

Read more...

Remember the Maine!

"All war is based on deception." -- Sun Tzu, The Art of War

On February 15, 1898 an explosion ripped through the hull of the USS Maine. President McKinley told the American people that the USS Maine had been sunk in Havana Harbor by a Spanish mine and the sailors were given a hero's burial in Arlington National cemetery. The American people, outraged by this apparent unprovoked attack, supported the Spanish American War in large numbers.

But was this the Truth?

 Conspiracy theorists and historians have offered some other possible explanations over the years:

1) A covert operation by the US government blew up the ship (It was not a front line battleship) to make a case for war.

2) A fire in a coal bunker accidentally lit off an adjacent ammo magazine.

3) William Randolph Hearst arranged to have the ship explode so as to profit from selling his newspapers.

Get into groups of 3.  Assign one of the reports below to each member of your group and use it to fill out the document analysis worksheet.  When you are done come back together and share, choosing one of the theories above best supported by the facts.

Shameful Treachery

Disaster to the Battleship Maine

Analysis Of The Destruction Of The U.S.S. Maine

What really happened?

The Yellow Kid

How did yellow journalism turn into fake news during a period of competition between Pulitzer and Hearst in coverage of the Spanish American War?

One of the best-known New Yorkers in the late 1800s was not a person at all. He was a character in a wildly popular newspaper comic, known as the Yellow Kid. For a time, the Yellow Kid appeared in two newspapers simultaneously, the New York World and the New York Journal, which competed to own the comic.

The struggle over the Yellow Kid was part of a larger "newspaper war" in New York City during the 1890s. Joseph Pulitzer, publisher of the World, faced off against William Randolph Hearst, publisher of the Journal, in a battle to dominate the city's newspaper market. Their struggle over newspaper sales would provoke a real war: the Spanish-American War.

How to Write a Yellow Kid Nightshirt Caption 

Who wore it better?

How would each character feel differently about US imperialism and the justifications for going to war?

Washington's Farewell Address

 

In 1796, Mr. Washington's "warnings of a parting friend" cautioned Americans about the "wiles of foreign influence." Daily Beast editor-in-chief John Avlon, who explores the history and legacy of the address in his new book, joins "CBS This Morning" to discuss "Washington's Farewell: The Founding Father's Warning to Future Generations."

While Washington focused mainly on domestic issues in the address, he ended with a discussion of foreign affairs. “It is our true policy,” he declared, “to steer clear of permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world,” a statement that would shape American foreign policy for more than a century to come.

In his Farewell Address, Washington took neutrality a step further. “The great rule of conduct for us in regard to foreign nations is,” he advised, “. . . to have with them as little political connection as possible.” This advice was translated by the presidents who followed Washington into a policy of unilateralism. Under this policy, the United States “went it alone” in its relations with other countries, and did not seek either military or political alliances with foreign powers.

Was Washington more of a 'Realist' or 'Idealist?' 

How did Washington's foreign policy influence the War of 1812 and the Monroe Doctrine?

How does the Monroe Doctrine still influence foreign policy today?

REMEMBER THE ALAMO!

(doesn't have a basement)