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In this excerpt from her historically significant autobiography first published in 1889, American suffragette, educator, and president of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union Frances Willard gives us a deeper understanding of the ethos of the woman’s temperance movement, as well as the day to day struggles and triumphs of the movement in the US at the time.

Mary Harris "Mother" Jones (1836-1930) was a labor activist and fiery public speaker. Mother Jones delivered this 1912 speech to an audience in the courthouse square of Charleston, West Virginia, in 1912. She ridiculed the government and mine owners and encouraged the striking workers to demand their rights.

First published in 1889, in Wealth, more commonly known as The Gospel of Wealth, Scottish American business magnate, industrialist, and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie discusses the responsibilities and obligation all people of wealth have, particularly in terms of philanthropy.

The autobiography of Ma-Ka-Tai-Me-She-Kia-Kiak (Black Hawk’s birth name), first published in 1833, is the autobiography of the Native American Sauk leader Black Hawk. During his time in custody following clashes with European-American settlers on ceded tribal land, Black Hawk told his story to an interpreter and journalist. This story, what would become Life of Black Hawk, went on to become the first Native American autobiography and an instant best seller. Black Hawk not only traces his own history, but that of his people, and much more.

My Life on the Plains by General George Armstrong Custer (1839-1876) is a historical document chronicling the Indian Wars of 1867-1869. It provides an account of army life during the expeditions and includes a detailed account of the winter campaign of 1868 against the Cheyenne.

Two days before the US entered WWI on April 6, 1917, Senator Robert La Follette (R-Wis.) defended the right to free speech in times of war in a three-hour senate address. La Follette supported the constitutional right to free speech on ethical, historical, and textual grounds. He speculated that the cause of the war was imperial ambition and commercial rivalry between the European powers, and was proved correct by later historical research in government archives.

In 1919, the Republican senator Henry Cabot Lodge gave a speech opposing The Treaty of Versailles and the US joining the League of Nations without reservations. The failure of the Treaty, opposed by Lodge mainly because it would mean the US would be obligated to go to war without the approval of congress if the League saw fit, and his victory over President Woodrow Wilson, is considered by many to be the highlight of Lodge’s political career.

Charles Ball’s book (1836) was written with the help of a lawyer, Isaac Fischer. He recounts his experiences as a slave, including descriptions of the harsh and inhumane conditions under which he lived. He also points out how his well-being depended on the temperament of his slave masters.

The essay "The Destiny of Colored Americans" was first published in The North Star, the abolitionist newspaper of Frederick Douglass. It sets out the enduring relationship between Afro-Americans and the United States. Douglass is concerned not only with physical freedom but the right to education, work, and building a life.

A grandfather tells of the violence in Boston on March 5, 1770, which was a pivotal event in the lead-up to the American Revolution in this classic story by American writer Nathaniel Hawthorne.

In this article that appeared in the December 1866 issue of The Atlantic, Frederick Douglass states that no republic is safe that tolerates a privileged class or denies to any of its citizens equal rights and equal means to maintain them. The two main themes are Douglass’ criticism of President Jackson and his urgent call to extend voting rights to African Americans.

John Brown was an American abolitionist who believed the only way to emancipate the slaves was via violent revolution. Early in October 1859, Brown and a group of his followers seized an armory in Harper’s Ferry, Virginia, with a plan to use the armaments to further their cause. Brown was captured and, two months later, was sentenced to death. During the hearing, Brown made his final speech to the judge and jury; he defended his actions and righteous goal and highlighted the hypocritical justice system of the time.

The life story of Billy Dixon, a buffalo hunter and scout from the Texas Panhandle who was active as far as Colorado, Kansas and Oklahoma, offers a genuine depiction of life on the old western frontier. Billy helped found the town of Adobe Walls, ended a siege during the Second Battle of Adobe Walls with a long-distance shot, and received the US Medal of Honor for his bravery at the Buffalo Wallow Fight. Billy later served as postmaster at Adobe Walls, sheriff of Hutchinson County, Texas, and state land commissioner.

The chronicle of Theodore Adolphus “Dot” Babb is a factual and fascinating account of his and his younger sister’s 1865 capture by a Comanche band near what is today Decatur, Texas. They were taken to an area in what became the state of Oklahoma and adopted into the tribe, where Babb observed all facets of the tribe’s customs and participated in activities like horse taming, until both children were ransomed by their father in 1867. Babb kept in contact with the tribe and the next decade the family lived with the Comanche for a year before settling in Wichita Falls.

The abolitionist, essayist, teacher, and women’s rights activist Maria W. Stewart is thought to have been the first African American woman to raise matters of equality and justice in a US public forum, the New England Anti-Slavery Society in Boston. In her 1832 lecture, Why Sit Ye Here and Die?, she demanded equal rights for African American women while criticizing both the slavery of the South and the lack of opportunity and equality in the North. Her biblical style of oratory and fierce opposition to injustice still inspire today.

Jedediah Strong Smith (1799-1831) was an author, cartographer, frontiersman trader, and explorer of the Pacific Northwest, credited with discovering the South Pass, a natural crossing point of the Rocky Mountains for pioneers on the Oregon, California, and Mormon trails during the 19th century. The book covers his visits to and troubles with the authorities of then-Mexican California and his travels through Utah, Nevada, and the Oregon Country. Smith’s letters, maps, and journals played a major part in boosting US expansion toward the West.

Booker T. Washington’s 1901 autobiography can be read as a redemption story echoing many similar voices of its time. Starting from the humiliation he experienced as a slave, he ponders the meaning of identity in a situation that seeks to dehumanize. He furthers his story by expanding on his difficulties in obtaining an education and the need for change in our minds as well as societal structures.

As a former slave and abolitionist, Frederick Douglass was an outspoken leader for African Americans. He wrote this text in response to the American Colonization Society, who believed that black Americans should emigrate back to Africa. Douglass staunchly opposed this notion, saying it was nonsense to displace eight million Americans to a country they didn’t know. He insisted that all Americans - black, white, mixed, or other - were entitled to equal citizenship in the country they were born in.

Hardin was an average man - except for his above average gunlighting. A Texan sympathizer to slavery writes about his deeds during life. Some of these deeds are commendable, while some are downright deplorable - just like any other man.

Paul Jennings, a slave of James Madison's, recounts his experiences with the man. He provides insights into his relationship with President Madison, including the kindness he showed him. Jennings lived in the White House and was with President Madison until the day of his death.