History Matters: Book Recommendations for May

ARLINGTON, Va. - EntSun -- by Michael F. Bishop for David Bruce Smith's Grateful American Book Prize

The Dedication of the Empire State Building

The construction of the Empire State Building—in New York–commenced on March 17, 1930, and ended May 1, 1931. The 102-story skyscraper was completed in 13 and a half months—45 days ahead of schedule—at a cost of approximately $41 million. Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt, his predecessor, Al Smith, and two of his grandchildren, attended the public ribbon cutting on Fifth Avenue.

For more information, the Grateful American Book Prize recommends John Taurnac's The Empire State Building: The Making of a Landmark.
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The Homestead Act

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The 1862 Homestead Act, signed into law by President Lincoln, was intended to buttress westward expansion by offering 160 acres of public lands—in the Great Plains and/or the western territories—to any adult citizen, or prospective citizen, who was the head of a household, paid a small filing fee, occupied land five years, and cultivated crops. The "campaign" was part of a broader effort to populate the frontier with independent farmers, repel large speculative landholding, and discourage Confederate sympathizers from owning property.

For more information, the Grateful American Book Prize recommends Free Homesteads for All Americans: The Homestead Act of 1862 by Paul Wallace Gates.
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History Matters is a feature courtesy of the Grateful American Book Prize. For more book recommendations, information about the annual award, or to submit a book for the 2026 Grateful American Book Prize, visit https://gratefulamericanbookprize.org/.