Samuel Hopkins Adams

Today, Samuel Hopkins Adams is commemorated for having been a successful American writer and an individual who publicly spoke out against health issues. He was born in Dunkirk, New York on January 26,1871. In 1887, at age sixteen, Samuel Hopkins Adams went to Hamilton College. He worked for the New York Sun, a politically conservative newspaper published between 1833 and 1950, for several years. He married his first wife, Elizabeth Ruffner Noyes in 1898, with whom he had two daughters. in the year 1900, Adams began to work with the McClure's Magazine. There he met Ray Stannard Baker, a journalist and muckraker. A muckraker is a "reform-minded journalists who wrote largely for popular magazines and continued a tradition of investigative journalism reporting”.

Samuel Hopkins Adams became a muckraker and began to speak out about public health issues in the United States. In 1905 Adams joined an American magazine founded by Peter Collier called Collier’s Weekly. During the span of time for which he was employed by this magazine, Adams published several articles focusing on the patent medicine market. Eleven articles to be exact. Patent medicine is defined as, “compounds promoted and sold as medical cures that do not work as promoted”. Samuel Hopkins Adams is credited for having contributed to the introduction of the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1806 in the UNited States. This act required labels containing ingredients on food, and it prevented the making and selling of poisonous food, liquids, or drugs.  

Despite the fact that the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1806 had been established, in 1911, the Supreme Court ruled that label falsification was unacceptable only when it came to medication. This decision made it easy for useless products to be sold once again. Adams, was determined to bring out the truth and once again published various articles on false advertisement by various companies.

Battle of Little Bighorn - Alison's Textbook

Battle of Little Bighorn

The Battle of Little Bighorn, also known as "Custer's Last Stand" was fought on June 25th and 26th of 1876. near the Little Bighorn River; hence, its name. The battle was fought between three native tribes and the 7th Cavalry Regiment (the U.S. Army). The tribes consisted of the Cheyenne, Lakota, and the Arapaho. Today, various ideas have been developed about the battle according to the perspective. 

According to the Treaty of Laramie of 1868, the Black Hills were rightfully within the Sioux's reservations borders. However; when gold was discovered by the Americans near the border of the Sioux reservation (the Black Hills), tension grew between the Natives and Americans. 1874 was when the Black Hills Gold Rush officially began. According to Kate Bighead, a Cheyenne Indian, the American Army attacked the CHeyenne campsite near the Washita River. Not only did they destroy their food, belongings and shelter, but they also killed Chief Black Kettle. Driven by hatred and ambition, the Americans broke their peace treaty with the natives ultimately resulting in the natives conducting raids against the whites. 

After the American settlers and gold-miners first attack on the Cheyenne, they were forced to seek help from other tribes. The Sioux, led by Sitting Bull,  aided the Cheyenne and they camped together. As time passed, and danger approached, more natives came together. In 1876, six tribes camped near the Little Bighorn river when American were seen south of their camp. The Battle of Little Bighorn officially started and the natives won. Not only did the natives victoriously win; but the battle resulted in 268 deaths and 55 injuries for the Americans.
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Chinese Immigration and Exclusion

Chinese Immigration and Exclusion

After the American Civil War (1861-1865) ended, immigrants from various nationalities came to the United States. From 1870-1880 most of the people migrating here came from Ireland, Germany and England. However, even prior to the Civil War, the California gold rush attracted copious immigrants, Chinese immigrants specifically. In 1848 gold was discovered at Sutter's Mill which was when the Chinese initially came to the United States. These Chinese immigrants came to the U.S. determined to work; unfortunately, they were eventually prohibited in 1882, when the Chinese Exclusion Act was enforced. Despite the hatred and racism they underwent, Chinese laborers worked as gold miners, railroad construction workers, industrial and agricultural workers, some were even able to develop their own small businesses such as laundries and restaurants.

According to Document A, an anti-Chinese play called "The Chinese Must Go" from 1879, the reason as to why the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was enforced was that they wanted to take over jobs that were rightfully for Americans. However, the script also implied that the Chinese wanted to get rid of or even kill the Americans. maybe they thought that the Chinese yearned to take over America. "White man no work, no money, die - sabee?" According to Document B, a political cartoon by Thomas Nast for Harper's Weekly in 1871, the reason as to why the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was enforced was because immigrants of other nationalities disliked the Chinese. The cartoon portrays several Irish and German "thugs" wanted to kill a man being protected by Columbia. In the background there is a noose hanging from a tree and there are various signs with explicit words expressing hatred toward the Chinese. "If our ballot will not top them from coming to our country, the bullet must."

According to Document C, a speech to the workingmen of San Francisco from August 1888, the reason as to why the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was enforced was similar to that of Document A. Document C also implies that American citizens wish to banish the Chinese because they are taking their jobs. "This state of thing brings about a terrible competition between our own people, who must live as civilized Americans, and the Chinese..."According to Document D, an excerpt from Lee Chew's autobiography from 1903 called "The Biography of a Chinaman, the reason as to why the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was enforced was similar to that of Document B: jealousy. Chinese labrers were known to be honest, sober, and even talented. Irishman, Germans, Englishman and Italians were not being hired simply because Chinese were a "better" option.