Nineteenth Century Life Chapters

What made the 19th century an interesting but tumultuous time? What technological, cultural and social changes influenced life then? Explore those issues in this story collection.

Key watches the flag fly from the British ship as the battle continues, then wonders why the shelling stops.

To get rid of all the evidence, Webster cuts up Parkman's body and burns the pieces in his Harvard lab.

Examine the author's observations about Beatrix Potter and her life.

Who is responsible for Santa Claus being fat and jolly? Author Clement Moore and illustrator Thomas Nast get the credit for creating that image of San...

During late November, 1820, the Essex was attacked by a whale. The real-life story inspired the tale of "Moby Dick."

In an unbelievable turn of events, a sperm whale attacks a whaleship called the Essex on November 20, 1820.

Needing more men to fight for the North, Congress passes draft laws but wealthy people are able to buy their way out.

Creating his famous character, Ebenezer Scrooge, Charles Dickens walks the streets of London during the fall of 1843. He ponders the best way to tell...

Though African Americans were free, after the Civil War, the U.S. federal government (including the federal courts) allows the practice of racial segr...

The Catholic Church laws, in 19th-century Italy, legally allow baptized Jewish children to be taken from their families.

Risking his own life, Bass agrees to write letters for Platt (Solomon Northup), alerting people in the North that he is wrongfully being held as a sla...

Although he is little-celebrated in the 21st century, Baas Reeves was a giant of the late-19th and early-20th centuries. An African-American U.S. Depu...

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