"Centennial - The Great Fair of 1876 and the Invention of America's Future" by Fergus M. Bordewich

The Great Centennial Exhibition of 1876 was a celebration of America’s hundredth birthday, a showcase for new inventions, and a preview of the nation’s vision for the future. But outside of the exhibition, America was country divided over race, power, technology, and democracy —raising questions that still feel remarkably current. Ahead I’ll talk with the author of “Centennial – The Great Fair of 1876 and the Invention of America’s Future.” -- Hi, I’m Dan Skinner and this is “Some Books Considered.” – Fergus M. Bordewich has been an independent historian and writer since the early 1970s. He’s the author of 10 nonfiction books, including “Congress at War,” “The First Congress,” and “America’s Great Debate,” among others. He joins us to talk about “Centennial.” -------------------------- Here is a link to purchase "Centennial - The Great Fair of 1876 and the Invention of America's Future" by Fergus M. Bordewich - https://www.amazon.com/Centennial-Gre... -------------------------- Book Description (From Amazon Listing) "Centennial - The Great Fair of 1876 and the Invention of America's Future" by Fergus M. Bordewich The spectacular story of America’s hundredth birthday bash—the country's first world's fair and a moment of reckoning for a nation barreling toward the Gilded Age. “Those who were there felt that the wheel of history itself had turned before their eyes.” Held at Fairmount Park, in Philadelphia, the Great Centennial Exhibition of 1876 attracted 10 million Americans—nearly 20 percent of the population, among them P. T. Barnum, Frederick Douglass, and Mark Twain—and visitors from around the world, including the emperor of Brazil, Dom Pedro (who couldn’t get enough of the exhibition). On display were inventions that signaled the changing landscape of American life, from the typewriter to the telephone to Heinz Tomato Ketchup. This celebration of America’s first century came at a moment when its future seemed more precarious than ever—as big money threatened to overwhelm the government, underpaid workers waged the first national labor strike, feminists demanded rights for women, Native tribes went to war to repel the advancing settlement in the West, and Black Americans struggled to exercise their hard-won freedom. Looming over the fair was the presidential race of 1876—a highly contested election that would determine the fate of Reconstruction and permanently shape the Republican party as we know it today. Fergus Bordewich animates these converging crises through the lives of four protagonists—Rutherford B. Hayes, Alexander Graham Bell, railroad magnate Tom Scott, and sculptor Edmonia Lewis—revealing a country striving to live up to the promise of its founders while bracing for the tidal wave of the twentieth century. -------------------------- Chapters: "Centennial - The Great Fair of 1876 and the Invention of America's Future" by Fergus M. Bordewich 00:00 Introduction to "Centennial - The Great Fair of 1876 and the Invention of America's Future" by Fergus M. Bordewich 01:00 Why Did the Author Become Interested in the 1876 Exhibition? 03:16 What Was Happening in the Nation Outside of the 1876 Centennial Fair? 06:13 The Four People That the Book Spotlights in 1876 12:15 The Similarity between Issues from 1876 and Today 18:15 What Lessons Can 1876 Teach Us About Today's Issues 27:33 Closing Comments & Two More Books You Might Find Interesting -------------------------- Hi! I'm Dan Skinner. Thanks for watching this edition of "Some Books Considered." I requested and was provided with a copy of the book, but this video is not sponsored. -------------------------- Looking for books for young readers? If you have children in your life, please visit "The Kids' Bookshelf" where you'll find information about picture books, chapter books, and middle-grade books. Here is the link:    / @thekidsbookshelf   -------------------------- #america #america250 #history #americanhistory #1876 #historyofamerica #american #1876exhibition #booktube #somebooksconsidered