Famous Work (date)

Author(s)

Area Addressed

Impact on US History

(Two) Treatises of Government
(1688-1690)

John Locke

• Philosophy of the Enlightenment
• Natural Rights

• Social Contract

• Influence founding fathers

• The Bill of Rights (natural rights)

• "Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness"

• Checks and balances in Constitution

Common Sense
(1776)

Thomas Paine

• Expressed colonial discontent with English rule
• Encouraged revolution

• Claimed King George III had broken the 'Social Contract'

• Increased support for the American Revolution

The Wealth of Nations
(1776)

(Adam Smith)

Adam Smith

• "Laisse Faire" economic theory (little/no government involvement in economy)
• Proposed an "invisible hand" would regulate economies

• Lack of government regulation of economy up until late 1800's

• Resulted in monopolistic practices of the Gilded Age

• Increased regulation of Progressive Era as reaction to economic problems

Federalist Papers
(1787-1789)

(Alexander Hamilton)

Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay

• Printed in NY papers during ratification debates
• Encouraged ratification of the Constitution

• Constitution ratified with Bill of Rights added
• Clarify founding fathers "intent" in Constitution (especially used in Supreme Court interpretations) 

Uncle Tom’s Cabin
(1852)

(Harriet Beecher Stowe)

Harriet Beecher Stowe

• Abolition novel encouraging the end of slavery
• Depicted the harsh and cruel treatment of southern slaves

• Increased support for abolitionists' calls for the end of slavery
• Enraged southern leaders

• Widely read 'bestseller' of the era

“Rags to Riches” Stories (Ragged Dick, Luck and Pluck, Tattered Tom series)
(1868-1885)

(Alger's book "Facing the World")

Horatio Alger jr.

• Heroes of these novels were poor but honest, thrifty and hardworking, eventually becoming rich and successful
• Reinforced the 'Puritan Work Ethic'

• Encouraged immigrants to work for an 'American Dream'
• Reinforced the concept of Social Darwinism

How the Other Half Lives
(1890)

(NYC Tenement)

Jacob Riis

• Photographs and essays on the squalid, unsanitary conditions of NY City tenement housing
• Exposed the exploitation of recent immigrants

• Passage of building codes (such as maximum occupancy rules, fire escapes, ventilation shafts, etc..)

• Increased municipal services (such as garbage removal, sewage, water and housing inspections)

Up From Slavery: An Autobiography
(1901)

(Booker T. Washington)

Booker T. Washington

• Focused on the ability of African-Americans to increase their social status
• Called for the practical education of African-Americans in trades such as farming

• Served to highlight the capability of African-Americans to succeed despite discrimination and lack of opportunities
• Sparked debate over the best ways to achieve racial equality

The Souls of Black Folk
(1903)

(W.E.B. DuBois)

W.E.B. DuBois

• Argued for black access to higher education
• Criticism of Booker T. Washington’s “accommodation” policies
• Black Equality

• Formed the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) in 1909

• Sparked debate over the best ways to achieve racial equality and educate the African-American community

The Octopus
(1901)

(Norris's book "The Octopus")

Frank Norris

• Criticism of the railroad monopolies in the West

• Encouraged the strengthening of the ICC (Interstate Commerce Commission) via the Hepburn Act of 1906, further regulating RR
• Increased support for regulation or break-up of monopolies

The History of the Standard Oil Company
(1903)

(John D. Rockefeller)

Ida Tarbell

• Expose on the monopolistic business practices of the Standard Oil Co. and its president John D. Rockefeller (such as price-cutting and RR rebates)

• Encouraged the "trust-busting" case against Standard Oil (United States v. Standard Oil Co. of NJ)
• Standard Oil broken into 23 smaller companies in 1911
• Increased antitrust legislation passed in the Clayton Antitrust Act (1911)

The Shame of the Cities
(1904)

("The Boss")

Lincoln Steffens

• Focused on political corruption and graft in major US cities
• Exposed the corrupt workings of political machines

• Encouraged creation of independent, professional city commissioners and un-elected city managers to handle city affairs and finances

The Jungle
(1906)

(USDA Meat Inspector)

Upton Sinclair

• Exposed unsanitary conditions in meat packing plants
• Exposed poor working conditions of many recent immigrants

• Passage of the 1906 Meat Inspection Act, requiring government inspection of food processing facilities
• Passage of the 1906 Pure Food and Drug Act, requiring labeling of food products and limiting some ingredients

The Bitter Cry of the Children
(1906)

(Child coal miners)

John Spargo

• Detailed child labor in American coal mines, exposing hazardous conditions and long hours

• Passage of several child labor laws, limiting hours worked and types of work done

The Great Gatsby
(1925)

F. Scott Fitzgerald

• Expressed disillusion and discontent of the "Lost Generation" returning from World War I
• Displayed the futility of prohibition in limiting alcohol

• Prohibition (18th Amendment - 1919) repealed by the 21st Amendment in 1933

The Grapes of Wrath
(1939)

John Steinbeck

• Detailed conditions of mid-western farmers in the "Dust Bowl" drought and the Great Depression

• Highlighted the need for government intervention in economic problems and agricultural policy

Silent Spring
(1962)

(Seal of the E.P.A.)

Rachel Carson

• Environmental issues such as industrial pollution, pesticide use and water management

• Creation of the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) in 1971
• Banning of pesticides such as DDT
• Increased environmental legislation such as the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act

Feminine Mystique
(1963)

(Seal of N.O.W.)

Betty Friedan

• Expressed suburban women's discontent with being simply wives and mothers
• Encouraged women to achieve via meaningful work and education

• Formation of the National Organization of Women (NOW)
• Proposal of the failed Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to the Constitution detailing women's rights 

Unsafe At Any Speed
(1965)

(Airbags)

Ralph Nader

• Exposed lack of safety engineered into US automobiles

• Passage of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act (1966) establishing government regulation of automobile safety

• Examples such as: seatbelts, padded dash, collapsible steering columns, etc..

All the President’s Men
(1974)

(Pres. Richard M. Nixon)

Robert Woodward, Carl Bernstein

• Washington Post investigative reporting on the Watergate scandal surrounding President Nixon