Robber Barons OR Captains of Industry?

At the turn of the century, industry was booming in the United States. Many individuals took advantage of the new technological and economic opportunities. However, there was controversy over their success. Some would call them captains of industry while others deemed them robber barons. In this activity you will decide for yourself…

1. Conduct research on your choice of THREE different industrialists.

Use the graphic organizer (on the class website) to gather information for each of the industrialists. Choose from the following:

a.  John D. Rockefeller

b.  Andrew Carnegie

c.  George Pullman

d.  JP Morgan

e.  C. Vanderbilt

f.  Jay Gould

g.  Henry Frick

h.  Leland Stanford

2. Once all of the information has been collected you will need to create one poster. Your options are:

a. Wanted (Robber Baron)

b.  TIME Person of the Year (Captain of Industry)

You only need to pick ONE industrialist to focus on, and the poster should contain information (at least 5 facts) from your research. It should be in color and can be created by hand or on the computer.

3. Write one fully developed paragraph answering the questions: To what extent were the industrialists captains of industry or robber barons? Include:

a. Thesis that answers the above question

b. Cite at least TWO pieces of evidence within your paragraph.

Due: Monday 12/18 –

o  Hard Copy: Poster – to share with the class

o  Turnitin.com: Research and paragraph

Assessment: 30 points culminating

o  Paragraph 10 points on Humanities Department Rubric

o  Research and poster 20 points

Weak / Good / Excellent
Content of research and poster
10 Points / Information is inaccurate or incomplete. Ideas are not very developed and not supported with specific details. / Information is mostly accurate and explained in some detail, shows an understanding of the topic / Information is accurate, and thoroughly explained with specific detail to show a clear understanding of the topic
4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Creativity and Presentation
10 Points / Project does not meet given criteria and shows very little effort in creative thinking or little evidence of effort in preparation and design. / Project meets all of the given criteria, shows evidence of preparation and makes a creative attempt to apply researched information. Product is neat. / Project meets and exceeds expectations. Information is applied in a very neat, creative manner. Product is well-polished and error free.
4 5 6 7 8 9 10