The 1900s began a century of advancement, invention, and progress in the United States. The automobile was just beginning to make what would become an indelible mark on the U.S. economy and way of life, and the Wright brothers made their first air flight. From federal regulations of the food industry to the advent of the first cartoon, the United States saw a wide spectrum of events and issues during the first decade of the twentieth century. The following documents are just a sampling of the offerings available in this volume:
Diary entry of December 17, 1903, by Orville Wright
"The Man with the Muck Rake, speech given by President Theodore Roosevelt, April 15, 1906
Fundamentals of Basketball, handbook written by James Naismith, creator of the game
"To the Person Sitting in Darkness," an article by Mark Twain
Ford Price List of Parts for Models "N," "R," "S" and "S" Roadster, manual written for Ford car dealers
Drawings by Charles Dana Gibson, creator of the "Gibson Girl"
"Lynch Law in America," an article by Ida B. Wells-Barnett, founding member of the NAACP
Letter to Commissioner of Indian Affairs Francis E. Leupp from Susan La Flesche Picotte, the first American Indian woman physician
"The Little Schoolboy," from The New McGuffey Second Reader
"Humorous Phases of Funny Faces," one of the first cartoons
Lecture by philosopher William James, "The Varieties of Religious Experience"
"The Memphis Blues," by W.C. Handy
Speech on "The Road Problem," by William Jennings Bryan
