A brief chronicling of the life of a gilded age social movement in Chicago
Time Periods: Gilded Age
Chicago’s Eight-Hour Movement of 1886
The campaign for an eight-hour work day began in 1867 and continued into 1890. The movement leaders used social Christianity to different degrees to gain support form the working class, and adjusted their ideological framework as the campaign progressed.
Construction Techniques and Demand: A Firestorm in the Making Chicago’s Great Conflagration of 1871
Today, Chicago stands as a beacon of industry, a center of transportation, and a hub of international finance. One of the most magical cities in the country, Chicago evolved from a desolate trading post of some thirty souls to a city of more than three hundred thousand in 1871. The city of Chicago literally grew […]
Prohibition and the Rise of Organized Crime in Chicago
The 18th Amendment to the Constitution instated Prohibition throughout America. While it was rallied and put forth by puritanical values, its greatest profits would be the organized crime, corruption, and gangster culture that it created. While bootleggers, speakeasies, and organized crime would grow all throughout America during Prohibition, Chicago was a standout with its […]
Chicago’s Catholic Immigrants and Church Architecture, 1850s to 1924
While modern Catholic immigrants into Chicago are from Central and South America, Chicago’s Catholic churches, built from the 1850s to 1924, reflect the European immigrants who were their original parishes. The reasons behind the styles, though, are less straightforward.
Forged By Fire – Chicago’s Industrial Growth Following the Great Fire
Since the year 1871, the city of Chicago has never been the same. The fire that shook the entire world ushered Chicago into a new era. Due to the city’s detailed face-lift in architecture and new industrial perspective, Chicago rose above the ashes to take its position in the United States as the golden […]
H.H. Holmes and Chicago
Why did H.H. Holmes, America’s first attributed serial killer, choose Chicago?
