Ragtime

NYCityCenter.org/RagtimeStudyGuide

ACTIVITY
"Who’s Who?": Comparing Ragtime to History

Learn about historical figures featured in Ragtime and compare with people today who share similar qualities.

NAME	DESCRIPTION	WHO ARE THEY TODAY?
Henry Ford	Pioneer for automobile technologies, especially the assembly line and mass production, which influenced many industries Inventions supported the middle class However, he was known to be racist and antisemetic Very wealthy; rumored to have a net worth of $200 billion (in US currency today)	Can you think of someone that is an innovator that works to change people’s lives?
JP Morgan	A banker, investor, and business tycoon He worked out deals to limit competition and protect the wealth of his partners Very wealthy; rumored to have a net worth of $2.5 billion dollars (in US currency today)	Can you think of someone with an entrepreneurial spirit?
Harry Houdini	A Hungarian Jewish American immigrant A vaudevillian escape artist, illusionist, stunt performer He toured internationally and went on to act in Hollywood silent films	Can you think of someone that is a high-risk performer either on stage or in film?

NAME	DESCRIPTION	WHO ARE THEY TODAY?
Emma Goldman	A Lithuanian Jewish American immigrant A revolutionary, political activist, and writer Constantly in trouble with the law due to her activism Wrote many essays and lectures on various liberal ideals, such as anarchism, labor rights, freedom of speech, gay rights, prison abolition, and the rejection of capitalism	Can you think of someone with an activist’s spirit?
Evelyn Nesbit	A model, Vaudeville chorus girl, and actress Her quick rise to fame is attributed to a murderous scandal, referred to as "The Crime of the Century" She toured Europe in a dance troupe and later starred in numerous Hollywood silent films	Can you think of someone with an entrepreneurial spirit?
Booker T. Washington	An educator, author, orator, and a member of the Black elite He founded Tuskegee University in 1881, a historically Black college, to increase opportunities for higher education for black Americans He is a historical Black leader, though controversial in his approach to raising the position of Blacks in American society.	Can you think of someone that works to create opportunities and build institutions for their community?