Exhibit:

Progress in America Through Literature and History

Preview of images

Progress has been one of the defining characteristics of U.S. history; from the Industrial Revolution to Westward Expansion to the Race to the Moon, America established itself as the nation of progress. In many regards, this notion of progress seeps into literature as well, which this exhibit will explore.

Images in this Exhibit

Outcome of the American Revolution and Rip Van Winkle

Following the establishment of colonies and settlements in America, tensions rapidly grew between the British and the American colonists, leading to the American Revolutionary War. Further context is described in the Encyclopedia Britannica, where it says, "The war followed more than a decade of growing estrangement between the British crown and a large and influential segment of its North American colonies" ("American Revolution"). This war resulted in the formation of a whole new, independent country, the United States of America, which operated under a democratic system free from its...
'The Oregon Trail' - Progress Through History

The Oregon Trail is a classic video game that has been ported, adapted, and remade on a variety of consoles and devices since its original release in 1971. The game, developed by Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium (MECC), was intended as a way to teach 8th grade students American history - specifically about the titular Trail. But what would these students learn from a video game? Well, about the settlers who travelled along the trail and the mass migration to the west. Encyclopedia Britannica says "[The Oregon Trail] was one of the two main emigrant routes to the American West in...
The Jungle and the Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution brought about wild changes to the economical and social infrastructure of the United States. With a sprouting of factories and industrial plants across the country, those regions of high work activity became the new hubs for living, such as in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. John P. Rafferty, for Encyclopedia Britannica, wrote,"[The] economic transformation changed not only how work was done and goods were produced, but it also altered how people related both to one another and to the planet at large. This wholesale change in societal organization continues today, and...
Newsies and Worker's Rights

During the hustle and bustle of the approaching 20th century, newsboys were responsible for distributing and selling newspapers across cities for a cut of the profit. However, prices to initially purchase newspapers to re-sell were astronomical, resulting in many boys nationwide unable to make money for themselves and their families. This was at a time in American history when child labor was still common practice. Though it would eventually be mitigated and abolished, the concern for the time was fair compensation and safety for their work.

In order to achieve the compensation,...
Gatsby and the Roaring Twenties

The Roaring Twenties are a period characterized by glitz, glamour, and prosperity in America, typified by lavish city lifestyles. Sarah Pruitt for History writes, "From 1920 to 1929, America enjoyed an economic boom, with a steady rise in income levels, business growth, construction and trading on the stock market." (Pruitt). No work of American literature best encapsulates the economic progress than F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. The novel...
Civil Rights, Race, and To Kill a Mockingbird

The United States, during the early to mid 20th-century, underwent a period of social progress as legislation developed to finally bring racial equality in a time when racial tension was at a high. Scholar Geraldine N. Phillips, in her article "Documenting the Struggle for Racial Equality in the Sixties," describes the cultural background of the era: "The struggle for racial equality in the United States of America in the 1960s extended across the nation and was waged from segregated lunch counters to the bar of the United States Supreme Court. It had an impact on every aspect of American...
'Oppenheimer' and the Emergence of the Atomic Age

In terms of progress, arguably no development has greater ramifications that J. Robert Oppenheimer's creation of the atomic bomb, which was the catalyst for further research into nuclear weaponry and nuclear technology. This discovery has been encapsulated in American Prometheus by Kai Bird, which has been adapted to the surprise summer blockbuster hit, Oppenheimer, directed by Christopher Nolan.

Oppenheimer, with his reputation as the father of the atomic bomb, became the catalyst for scientific developements to come. One historical account from Clarence Cross in...