From:
Kenneth Toppell
Question: I am researching Georgia politics
and I am curious if you have any information on Eugene Talmadge and Thomas
E. Watson. Watson died the year that Talmadge first ran for office, and
Talmadge urged his son to study the speeches of Watson, but I am looking
for anything closer, if possible, even other references from Talmadge
about Watson. I have access to Rice University libraries here in Texas.
Thanks,
Kenneth Toppell
Answer: Dear Mr. Toppell:
You're in good shape. The Rice libraries will have everything you need.
If you can, use the database called "America: History and Life"
which indexes abstracts of journal articles dealing with American history.
The online version of this resource now stretches back to the 1950s, which
should be all that you need. This is a fee-based database, so you may
need the help of a Rice librarian to sneak into it, but it will be well
worth the trouble.
Mary-Jo Kline
From:
Gail Dezendorf
Question: Dear
Ms. Kline,
I've been given an assignment to write a research
paper discussing why the textile industry was essential to both the development
of the American nation and the Industrial Revolution.
I was very happy to come across the History Now site during my Internet searching. The article by Thomas Dublin is a great start. I was wondering if you could direct me to other public websites that would be good sources of information.
Thank you so much for our assistance.
Regards,
Geri Dezendorf
Answer: Dear Ms. Dezendorf:
Thank you for your question. Your topic—the textile industry’s role in American history and the industrial revolution—is quite broad, but there are lots of resources out there for you to choose from. I’m not sure what level you’re writing this at—are you a high school or college student? Either way you can start with some of the resources below and if you have any more questions, or once you focus your topic further, you can go from there.
It is almost impossible to write about the history of the American textile industry without looking at the history of Lowell, Massachusetts, which is really the industry’s birthplace. You might start at the resource page that goes with the Thomas Dublin article in History Now.
Lowell is also home to the American Textile History Museum, which has a searchable online catalogue of books, articles and textile collections that touch on many facets of the industry.
The University of Massachusetts at Lowell’s Center for Lowell History maintains a great website dealing with mill life in Lowell between 1820 and 1880, and places the city and the industry in a larger context of American history. The online archive includes pictures of mills and mill workers, letters from workers, diaries, newspapers, travel accounts, maps, and even bank records from that era. The site also has a good bibliography.
http://library.uml.edu/clh/mo.htm
The National Park Service maintains Lowell National Historic Park, and has a non-circulating library of over 3000 volumes. I’m not sure where you are located, but if Lowell is within a convenient traveling distance, a trip to the park library might be worthwhile.
Hope this helps, Geri. Please do write back if you have any further questions or would like assistance locating more resources.
Sincerely,
Mary-Jo Kline
