In the early twentieth century, liberalism was in retreat. Competing totalitarian ideologies like National Socialism and Communism were on the rise, as many intellectuals became convinced of the benefits of a comprehensive role for the state in organizing both the economy and society. The horrors of World War One further ruptured any remaining sense of liberal optimism; and in the aftermath of the Great Depression, capitalism seemed like an abject failure, boosting support for large‐scale state economic intervention.
But even when liberal ideas were in retreat, one woman did not flinch in her support for laissez‐faire individualism. This woman, Rose Wilder Lane, was a journalist, writer, and eventually, a political activist. She began her political life as a communist but became a dogged opponent of communism, fascism, and the policies of the New Deal. Lane has rightly been dubbed one of the mothers of the libertarian movement for her tireless efforts to bring about a
Vicki Wood
Put this day trip on your spring list of places to see in 2021.
Some of America’s best loved stories were written at a small farm in Mansfield, Missouri.The farm in Missouri was a step up for Laura Ingalls Wilder and her husband Almonzo from their log cabin homestead in Minnesota.
Still standing beautiful on top of a hill, the stark white farmhouse is open to the public for tours where Ingalls Wilder wrote the timelessly popular Little House on the Prairie series of books that were later turned into a 1970s hit television series.
Laura, Almonzo, and their daughter Rose moved to Mansfield in 1894 and settled the 40 acre Rocky Ridge Farm, purchased with 100 dollars that they had hidden away on a six-week trek across the Midwest.
Joshua Moore // Getty Images
Some of our favorite historical figures were born in the month of February. We couldn t possibly name them all, so here are just a handful of lives we ll be celebrating.
1. February 1, 1902: Langston Hughes
Carl Van Vechten, Public Domain // Wikimedia Commons
Langston Hughes knew how to network: The poet was discovered after sneaking one of his works under the dinner plate of artist Vachel Lindsay, and went on to become one of the leaders of the Harlem Renaissance.
2. February 3, 1874: Gertrude Stein
Carl Van Vechten, Library of Congress // Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons
Gertrude Stein is considered one of the great American authors of the 20th century, and a key figure in the Modernism movement but not everyone adored her. In 1912, she sent a manuscript to a London publisher who challenged the work’s unconventional grammar and style with a mocking rejection letter. It’s fine though Stein probably shrugged it off by spending some quality time
The Real Little House Love Story of Laura Ingalls and Almanzo Wilder
Laura Ingalls Wilder opened up her personal life to the world when she wrote the autobiographical book series, the
Little House on the Prairie. The stories about the Ingalls family have since been turned into an iconic TV series starring
Michael Landon, following their years spent in Walnut Grove, Minnesota to Laura s marriage to Almanzo Wilder. While there are a few differences between the
Little House books and the TV show s adaptation of their relationship, one thing that was real was the 10 year age difference.
The Ingalls family first met Almanzo in the town of De Smet, South Dakota, at the time known as the Dakota territory. Almanzo had moved to the area with his brother and sister after leaving their farm in update New York. Laura even wrote a book chronicling Almanzo s childhood,
January 11, 2021
By Liz Fields
Laura Ingalls Wilder may have poured out her life story into the pages of her “Little House” books, but she was a woman who kept secrets. One of the biggest was her working partnership with daughter Rose Wilder Lane, which for whatever reason, the women chose to keep hidden from the world. The collaboration was only confirmed years later by historians combing through a trove of letters between the two. The correspondence not only revealed the extent of Lane’s hand in editing and structuring her mother’s writing, but also their shared political views. Those views invariably made their way into the eight-book series for children, although most young readers probably haven’t observed this subtle political messaging.