Politics in the Gilded Age: New York, NY

It’s 1888 and the Gilded Age as we call it.  It’s so brilliant right now!  There are new inventions and so many new ideas for even more inventions!  Our President is awful right now unfortunately, there is no power or influence in the Presidency.  Even worse I got to find out that one of our Presidents, James Garfield was assassinated.  Since then, our President became Chester Arthur, Garfield’s Vice President.  One President impeached, one President drowning in corruption, one President elected by possible fraud, one President assassinated, and one disgraced by his own party for doing what he thought was right.  The politics right now are just flat out awful.

Immigration and Backlash: New York, NY

It’s 1887 in New York, NY right now and I am currently witnessing prohibition, and I have met an interesting woman named Josephine Shaw Lowell.  She’s a widow who moved back to Staten Island and became leader of the Progressive Reform.  Even before that, she was Vice President of the Anti-Imperialist League.  There’s no end to her qualities!  Prohibition was very much supported, mainly by women.  This is because many of them would get beat by their husbands because they are drunk and don’t know what they’re doing and have no control over themselves.  The women feel that having prohibition take place would help them stay healthy with their husbands.

KKK Parade: Pulaski, Mississippi

Six veterans of the Confederate Army founded the first Ku Klux Klan.  I never would’ve thought that a group of hate against African Americans would ever form.  I thought slavery was enough but now they’re really expressing the hate they have.  They are going to bury the blacks into the ground at this rate!  Lucky for the African Americans, the Force Acts were passed by the government to prosecute Klan crimes. These acts suppressed Klan activity.  I for one am not for or against the blacks, I just don’t like to see anyone treated the way they are, it’s just not right at all. Unfortunately new paramilitary organizations were formed like the White League and the Red Shirts.  They too, like the KKK aimed their violence at the blacks and their rights.  This is complete insanity, this doesn’t seem like a reality to me.

Menlo Park, NJ - 1879

My name is Thomas Edison, and I am an innovator.  My first great invention was the tin foil phonograph, a more advanced form of a telegraph transmitter.  This machine was a type of recording device.  My first recording was “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” which, if I do say so myself, was quite a success.  However, my greatest achievement was the creation of light bulbs and electricity.  This was also my greatest challenge.  Contrary to popular belief, I did not in fact create the light bulb.  I just simply improved a previous model from 50 years earlier.  In 1879, using lower current electricity, a small carbonized filament, and an improved vacuum inside the globe, I was able to produce a reliable, long-lasting source of light. Numerous people have attempted to perfect the idea of electricity, but none before me had ever succeeded.  After a year and a half of hard work and dedication, I “saw the light” (pun intended) when an incandescent lamp burned for 13 and a half hours.  My achievements have brought me great success and wealth, and for that I am grateful. 

Promontory Point, Utah - 1880

The first transcontinental railroad has been built! Finally, a giant step in the connection between the states.  This railroad was first known as the Pacific Railroad, but was later better known as the Overland Route.  This route served as an extremely vital link to the trading system, as well as commerce and travel.  I mean, we joined two halves of the country, how much better can it get!  We were also able to get rid of most of the slower and more hazardous stagecoach railways and wagon trails.  Now, the transcontinental railroad was in their place!  This new route was a much faster and safer way to travel from each end of our country.  Not to mention is was cheaper!

Cody, Wyoming - 1876

We were attacked.  George Custer and his army invaded our land.  We, the Lakota and the Cheyenne Indians, could not stand for this type of attack.  We had to retaliate in return which turned out to be a devastating loss for the 7^th Cavalry Regiment.  On June 25^th, 1876 the invasion began, although we were prepared.  Sitting Bull had a vision of “soldiers falling into his camp like grasshoppers from the sky.”  When the soldiers came at us, we came back full force.  Custer directed his cavalry into the Medicine Trail Coulee, which we knew gave him a major disadvantage.  We used our bow and arrows to penetrate the American troops, and what a success it was.  Any surviving soldiers we pounded and beaten by any Indian wielding a war club.  Not only did Custer’s men suffer greatly, but many men from different American regiments suffered as well.  We made sure to take no prisoners.  Our land was invaded, and we could never take that lightly.  We were attacked, but we were surely not defeated.