"The Reconstruction era was about uniting a country and its people after a terrible war. It was a turbulent time. There was violence, racism, and injustice. But, there were also steps taken toward equality. Barriers were broken and dreams were realized. It was both a frustrating and an exciting time in American history"--Back cover.
Urged at the age of eighteen to marry a man she doesn' t want, Nell delays the event by working on a quilt, slowly starving herself, and observing the unhappy lot of many women in turn-of-the century Massachusetts before arriving at a decision to rescue herself from the brink of death and take charge of her life.
Standing at Armageddon is a comprehensive and lively historical account of America's shift from a rural and agrarian society to an urban and industrial society. Nell Irvin Painter will be featured in the PBS multipart series The Progressive Era with Bill Moyers, which coincides with the release of the updated edition of this acclaimed work.
Topics include the Progressive Movement, Child labor, Women's suffrage, strikes, the 1919 World Series, the sinking of the Lusitania, Eugene V. Debs, the League of Nations, the 1919 Red Scare, the Ku Klux Klan, Prohibition, etc.
