Gilded Age
Letters from America's era of rapid economic growth, immigration, and stark social contrasts.
What treaty that the whites have kept has the red man broken? Not one. What treaty that the whites ever made with us have they kept? Not one.
October 1877 • Canada
We may differ in our methods, but I believe we share the same ultimate goal - the uplift and advancement of our race.
March 1903 • Tuskegee Institute
I have written a sonnet for the Bartholdi pedestal fund. It speaks of the statue not as a symbol of liberty enlightening the world, but as a mother welcoming the homeless and tempest-tossed to our shores.
November 2, 1883 • New York City
I have done it! Today I cast my ballot in the presidential election. If the Constitution says 'We the People,' then I am one of the people and I have the right to vote.
November 5, 1872 • Rochester, New York