A Peek Into Samantha's World

Tomorrow, I'm going to start posting about an American Girl book once a week! I'm super excited about this - I haven't read many of these books since elementary school, so I can't wait to get back into these worlds.

Each time we start a new series, I'm going to set the scene the day before we start to give you all a peek into the doll's time period and setting. We're starting with Samantha, the original American Girl - I know Kirsten and Molly came out the same time, but Samantha is often considered the first, so we'll start with her.

Here's a bit about the world of Samantha - New York State in 1904:

• In 1904, the United States as a whole was in the Progressive Era. Progressive policies were being implemented in the government, President Theodore Roosevelt, who was once the Governor of New York, was advocating for better working conditions and taking down monopolies, and activists were fighting for bigger social change than they were getting.

• Women in particular had gotten more politically and socially active - and the woman's suffrage movement, which Samantha's Aunt Cornelia was apart of, was starting to gain traction. Women would gain the right to vote in 1920, when Samantha was 25 years old.

• New York was a safe haven for immigrants, especially Irish immigrants escaping famine. Nellie O'Malley, Samantha's best friend, was the daughter of two of these immigrants.

• New York was the richest and most populous state in the entire country in 1904. Skyscrapers and railroads were being built, and prosperity was abundant - for some.

• There was a lot of harsh working conditions in New York in 1904. Children were still working in factories and horrible conditions. However, in 1904, the National Child Labor Committee was founded, and it started to be seen as more of an issue.

I hope you all are able to read Meet Samantha by tomorrow so we can discuss it! Talk then!