History 2710 Hybrid

Discussion Topics and Projects
 

 

Discussion 1

A. Work with Jacob Riis, How the Other Half Lives. 1890--illustrations. How does Riis' work confirm Mark Twain's characterization of the post Civil War period as a "Gilded Age." Cite specific images.

B. Create a persona for yourself --either a laborer or a farmer. What is the nature of your work? What is your relation to corporate America? What tactics are you using to make business more responsible for the adverse effects on you? Are you joining a union? or the Farmers' Alliance? Cite sources.

Response Paper 1

Explore "Challenge of the Arid West by Donald Worster for the National Humanities Center. Respond to at least 2 of the questions listed as part of section on leading student discussions

Discussion 2

A. Explore Illinois During the Gilded Age Choose one of the topics. Summarize and comment.
  • Economic Development
  • Labor
  • Law and Society
  • Political Development
  • Race and Ethnicity
  • Religion and Culture
  • Settlement and Immigration
  • Women's Experience and Gender Roles

Response paper 2

Research how a piece of progressive legislation works today. You may start with Wikipedia, but also use .gov and/or .edu domains in your research. Cite at least 3 sources.   
Progressive Legislation 
1901  New York State Tenement House Law Requires fire escapes, lights in dark hallways, a window in each room
1902  Maryland Workmen's Compensation Law   Provides benefits for workers injured on the job 
Wisconsin Direct Primary Law Allows voters to select candidates 
Oregon Initiative and Referendum laws Gives voters power to initiate legislation and vote on important issues
Newlands Act  Funds irrigation projects in West 
1903  Oregon women's labor law Limits work for women in industry to 10 hours a day 
Elkins Act  Strengthens Interstate Commerce Act 
 1906  Hepburn Act  Authorizes Interstate Commerce Commission to set maximum railroad rates
Pure Food and Drug Act  Prohibits sale of adulterated or fraudulently labeled foods and drugs
Meat Inspection Act  Enforces sanitary conditions in meatpacking plants 
1910  Mann Act  Prohibits interstate transportation of women for immoral purposes 
1913  16th Amendment 

17th Amendment

 Authorizes federal income tax 

Provides for direct election of senators
1915  Seaman's Act  Regulates conditions of maritime workers 
 1916  Federal Farm Loan Act  Provides          farmers with low interest loans 
Federal Child Labor Law  Bars products produced by children from interstate commerce (declared unconstitutional in 1918)  
1919  18th Amendment  Prohibits sale and production of intoxicating liquors 
1920  19th Amendment  Gives women the right to vote 

Discussion 3

A. Focus on 2 of the persons described in the text. What intrigues you about these people? Be specific.
One reviewer noted: "'Triangle'" by David Von Drehle, a Washington Post reporter, creates a detailed, nuanced account of the tragic events of 1911. It is one in which the evil — the factory owners, the moneyed interests, the corruption of Tammany Hall — appears a bit less than sinister, while the good — the union organizers, the society matrons, the political reformers, and the workers themselves — teems with the natural divisions and tensions that make the story less a melodrama and a much more human tale." How does Von Drehle help you understand these people in less stereotypic ways?

 B. Von Drehle ends his text with "As for the mostly nameless young women and men who went on strike in 1909 and bravely walked those relentless picket lines through a freezing winter--and especially those remarkable young people who later died at the Triangle--their memory grows. Their individual lives are mostly lost to us, but their monument and legacy are stitched into our world." Do you think Von Drehle has made his case? how?

Response Paper 3

Choose one:

  1. Explore the web site: The Dramas of Haymarket. How does the site help you understand some of the concerns of labor during the Gilded Age? What issues in American society made this situation so "dramatic"?
  2. The American Federation of Labor posts a web page Unite Here. What are concerns  workers are expressing on that site? How do they compare to the concerns of workers during he Gilded Age?
  3. View the video from Bill Moyer's Journal in which Moyer interviews scholars talking about comparisons between the recent economic boom and the 1890s Gilded Age. Comment. PBS Bill Moyers' Journal

Discussion 4

A. Study the political cartoons Civilization Begins at Home and What the U.S. Has Fought For. What is the cartoonist saying about American foreign policy? What attitudes toward foreign nations does the cartoonist think are wrong? What aspects of American history and society are criticized in the cartoon? Do you agree with the ideas expressed by the cartoon?

B. How is World War I a war of empires and not a war for democracy? What are the new weapons of war in WWI? What differences did they make in the nature of warfare? Review some of the posters created by the U.S. government to promote public support for World War I.  to promote public support for World War I. Who is the audience? What is the message? Effectiveness?

Response Paper 4

Choose one:

  • Review the PBS site in support of the documentary series The Great War.Consider particularly the section "The Shaping of the 21st century."  How do you understand the evaluations presented by the scholars?
  • Read "Lessons From The Philippines Insurrection and Our Overthrow of Mossadegh," posted by  Lawrence R. Velvel, Dean of the Massachusetts School of Law, own his blog, 2007,  and comment based on your understanding of the issues in the rise of the American Empire, 1890s-1910.

Discussion 5

 A. Work with  Understanding Advertising.  How are Americans being turned into consumers during the 1920s? What are the ads actually selling? Be specific.

B. Explore the New York Times Topics on the Great Depression. Summarize and comment on at least 2 of the sources.

Response Paper 5

Choose one of the following:
  1. Explore the BBC site: World War Two.The links are a series of articles written by various scholars. Work with at least one of  the 11 categories. Which specific essays were helpful to you? How?
  2. One of the dynamics of the Cold War was McCarthyism Consider this article comparing McCarthyism to our current suspension of due process of law as part of the war on terrorism. What do you think of Rothschild's argument? 

Discussion 6

 A. Choose one of the following categories, summarize and comment about one aspect of the impact of the war on American society:

B. Report what you have learned from one of the videos on the the CNN site. Video results for cnn cold war

Response Paper 6

Interview someone who grew up in the 1950s or the 1960s (in high school during the decade) for about 30 minutes; focus on they concerns about the world changing around them? Did they feel hopeful? worried? excited? Did they get involved in efforts to bring about changes--political/social/economic? Report.

Discussion 7

A. How does the Civil Rights movement try to fulfill the promise of Reconstruction? Cite specific actions, court case, legislation.

B. How does the civil rights movement ripple out to involve women, students, various ethnic groups? Be specific.

Response Paper 7

Choose one:

  • Peruse the web site Race and Place: An African American Community in the Jim Crow South. The project intends to connect race with place by understanding what it was like to live, work, pray, learn, and play in the segregated South. Does the site fulfill those intentions for you? How?
  • Interview a recent immigrant to the U.S. for about 30 minutes. Have they become a U.S. citizen? What issues do they face as an immigrant? Has life in the U.S. been worth the difficulties of immigration? Report.

Discussion 8

A. Summarize and comment on one of the "listenings" from OHA. Link = back to module which links to the "listenings."

B. Answer 2 of the 8 questions listed in Facts and Figures for the New Century

Response Paper 8

Choose one: