The Gilded Age:  Politics/Industrialism/Society

Essay questions:

  1. Create a political cartoon of the Reconstruction Period to analyze the major periods of Reconstruction and assess their success.  Example:  Humpty Dumpty in class.

  2. How did freed slaves respond to Reconstruction?  How did freedom affect the economic, social, and political life of former slaves?

  3. Compare and contrast the Democratic and Republican parties of the late 1800s in terms of
      1. their leadership.
      2. their position on issues.
      3. the constituencies to whom they appealed

       

  1. Compare and contrast the National Labor Union, Knights of Labor, and American Federation of Labor in regard to their origins, goals, and leadership.  Account for the failure of the first two and for the success of the AFL.

  2. Business leaders of the late nineteenth century have been characterized both as greedy and unscrupulous “robber barons” and as great “captains of industry” whose entrepreneurial skill and tactics produced economic growth.  Which view do you find more persuasive.  Why?

  3. What do you think were the three most significant consequences of the industrialization of the American economy after the Civil War?  Explain your choices.

  4. Cite at least one figure in each of the following categories and describe the major theme of his or her work.  Then tell why you think your choice reflects the reality of life in the late nineteenth century in each case:
      1. journalism and popular writing
      2. serious novels and poetry
      3. sculpture and architecture

       

  1. Do you think that the United States needed laws restricting immigration in the nineteenth century?  List the kinds of restrictions actually imposed and state whether you agree with each restriction.  Why or why not?

  2. In what way did the mining, ranching, and farming frontiers respond to the industrial revolution in the same way as entrepreneurs and laborers?

  3. If you had lived at the time, what would you have proposed as a solution to the “Indian problem”?  What would have been your view on “concentration,” the Dawes Severalty Act, and the savagery of Indian warfare?

Internet-based assignment:

Immigration to America

Documenting Industry in America

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