Progressive Era and Imperialism Assignment
Introduction:
The Progressive Era in the United States was a period of reform that lasted from the 1890s to the 1920s. The Gilded Age guided America from an agricultural nation to a nation booming with industry. However such success came at the expense of many. Hidden underneath the surface of economic success, the United States was riddled with corruption, poverty, and many wondering if they would ever achieve the American dream. Inspired by movements such as the Social Gospel movement and the photography of Jacob Riis, many Americans, called Progressives, advocated a wide range of middle class economic, political, social, and moral reforms to clean up the problems that plagued the United States.
Overlapping with the Progressive Era was the Age of Imperialism. During the later part of the 19th and early 20th centuries, the United States pursued a forceful policy of expansion. One of the biggest motivators for expansion was the need for resources and markets for our industrial products. The United States for the first time exerted its political and economic muscles around the globe.
Continuing to expand her boundaries the United States soon realized that it had to become a major player in the global empire to continue prospering. The concept of overseas expansion erupted, war broke out, and the US found itself owning new land and ruling many subjects.
Task:
America is in a state of turmoil. The changes brought by industrialization have corrupted American politics, overcrowded American cities, and led to big business controlling the country. The conditions worsen with each day, and the public needs to know about these atrocities. Furthermore the United States has decided to pursue forceful expansion policies, exerting its political muscle around the globe. You have been asked to assemble a team of experts to expose these issues to society. As a team of investigators you will bring the issues of the Progressive Era to life and capture the achievements of imperialism right before the public eye.
Process:
In order to achieve these goals your group will complete the following.
1. Each day, you will be given a problem/situation involving the Progressive Era or Age of Imperialism.
2. Your group can using any source to complete the tasks (text, web, etc).
3. You may report your findings in writing or orally to Mr. Grayson.
4. In the process of reporting your findings, you must show the source(s) of your information. This can be done by listing the source(s) in MLA format.
5. There are six tasks. At least two of the task presentations must be oral. All members of the group must contribute to the presentations, including the oral presentations.
6. You will be given your next task upon the successful completion of the preceding task, until all six tasks are completed.
7. There is a deadline…..to be announced later.
Task 1: Government Reform
1.Using specific examples (you’ll need at least three) from the Gilded Age, explain why government reform is needed.
a.Find and interpret a political cartoon to help support your answer.
2.For every example you gave, explain how the Progressives proposed to reform the government.
3.For one of the examples, explain how the reform was considered a success.
Some terms related to your topic (use at least three):
Political Machine
Robert M. La Follette
Election Reform (ex. initiative, referendum and recall, 17th Amendment)
Civil Service Reform
Roosevelt and the modern presidency
Square deal
President Taft
Election of 1912
Task 2. African-American Rights
a. What were the ways African-Americans were segregated and discriminated against after the Civil War?
Terms to include in your presentation:
i. Voting restrictions
ii. Jim Crow laws
ii. Plessy v. Ferguson
b. In what ways did African-Americans combat segregation and discrimination after the Civil War?
Terms to include in your presentation:
i. Booker T. Washington
ii. W.E.B. Du Bois
iii. NAACP
c.Find three pictures to help support your presentation
Task 3. Women’s Rights Experts
a.Discuss the traditional role of women before the Progressive Era.
b. What strides to women make toward political equality during the Progressive Era?
Terms to include in your presentation:
i. Suffrage
ii. NAWSA
iii. Susan B. Anthony
iv. Carrie Chapman Catt
c. Explain the role of women played to inspire social changes during the Progressive Era?
Terms to include in your presentation:
i. Women in the workplace
ii. Settlement House
iii. role of women in social change (ex. prohibition, consumer protection, etc.)
d.Find three quotes from a suffragist and/or Progressive worker to help support your presentation.
Task 4. Economic Reform experts:
a.Describe the working conditions for factory employees during the Gilded Age.
1.Use an excerpt from Upton Sinclair’s “The Jungle” to support your answer.
b.How did reformers seek to change child labor laws and working conditions during the Progressive Era?
c. What economic reforms were made during the Progressive Era?
Terms to include in your presentation:
i. Federal trade commission
ii. Federal Reserve system
iii. Trust-busting
d.Find and interpret a political cartoon to support your answer.
Task 5. American imperialism—Spanish Front:
a. Why and how did the United States begin to expand its borders in the late 19th century-early 20th century time period?
i. Spanish-American War
ii. imperialism
iii.Treaty of Paris
b. What role did Progressive journalists play in the Spanish-American War?
i. Remember the Maine
ii. William Randolph Hearst
iii. Joseph Pulitzer
iv. Muckraker
c.Support your answer using a political cartoon and/or newspaper headline involving the Spanish-American War.
Task 6. American imperialism—Pacific/Asian Fronts:
a. Why and how did the United States begin to expand its borders in the Pacific/Asia in the late 19th century-early 20th century time period?
i. The Great White Fleet
ii. Hawaii
iii. The Open Door Policy
b. Why was American imperialism a divisive topic during the Age or Imperialism?
i. Anti-Imperialist League
c.Support your presentation with a map AND a quote.