"I was not born with a silver spoon in my mouth but a laundry basket practically on my head."
- Maggie L. Walker, in "Stumbling Blocks," a speech delivered at the Second Baptist Church, Richmond, Virginia on February 17, 1907
Developing the American Economy includes the stories about the ways Americans have worked, including slavery, servitude, and non-wage as well as paid labor. It also includes extraction, agriculture, production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services.
Vital aspects of economic history are frequently manifested in regional centers, for example, Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site in Montana illustrates ranching on the Great Plains. Lowell National Historical Park in Massachusetts represents both the lives of workers and technological innovations.
Stories of the diverse working experiences of the American people touch on the activities of farmers, workers, entrepreneurs, and managers, as well as the technology around them. It also takes into account the historical "layering" of economic society, including class formation and changing standards of living in diverse sectors of the nation. Knowledge of both the Irish laborer and the banker, for example, are important in understanding the economy of the 1840s. Read more...
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Developing the American EconomyPlacesFeaturing parks and places that tell the stories of the American economy.
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Developing the American EconomyPeopleLearn about the people who drive the American economy.
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Developing the American EconomyEducation ResourcesEducation resources that explore the United States economy and the people and forces that drive it.
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Developing the American EconomyTheme StudyTheme studies that explore aspects of the development of the American economy.
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Developing The American EconomyLabor HistoryExplore more NPS stories of the labor movement.
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Developing the American EconomyAdditional ResourcesAdditional resources about the history of the American economy.
Last updated: June 10, 2021