The Auburn system, named after the Auburn prison in New York, was a variation on the Quaker-run Pennsylvania penitentiaries of the 19th century. Combining hard labor with solitary confinement, the prison system sought to rehabilitate criminals while using them to…
The phenomenon of upper and middle class whites moving out of cities and into the suburbs is known as white flight. The opposite of white flight is gentrification, a process in which wealthy whites move back into an urban area,…
The Appalachian region of the United States has a unique culture centered on a rich history and a combination of northern European ancestries that makes the area distinct. The area stretches from southern New York State down to the northern…
Tin Pan Alley was an area of New York City in the United States (U.S.), near 5th Avenue and 28th Street. Many music producers, publishers and singer-songwriters set up shop in that area, and the entire group became known as…
The Works Progress Administration (WPA) was a United States government agency established during the New Deal era of the late 1930s. It was funded by Congressional mandate and ordered by President Franklin Roosevelt as an effort to hire millions of…
The term Wild West refers to area of the United States west of the Mississippi river, specifically during the latter part of the 19th century and into the early 20th century. Also sometimes called the Old West, the parts of…
The War of Northern Aggression is one of the alternate names for the military conflict that took place in the United States between 1861-1865. The generally accepted term for this conflict is the Civil War, and this is the term…
Once upon a time, the region between the Midwest and mid-Atlantic states, roughly from Wisconsin to New Jersey, enjoyed booming economic growth because of an abundance of coal, iron ore, and other important natural resources. These states also had the…
The Meat Inspection Act is a U.S. food law that requires animals raised for human consumption be inspected prior to slaughter. It also allows veterinarians to look at the carcasses of animals after they have been killed. This bill also…
The Mason-Dixon Line has two definitions. One relates to the surveying of land by Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon from 1763-1767. The other definition refers to separation between US states by states that allowed slavery, and states which did not,…