#601 What is Progressivism?

Connecticut suffrage activists. Connecticut State Library.

Introduce unit:

• Scope:
  • We will be chiefly concerned with “progressivism,” a loose and sometimes contradictory concept that focused on efforts to “bring about significant change in American social and political life”—and eventually the wider world (Foner, 544).
  • From this point forward in our course, we will be placing U.S. history firmly within a global context, thus in addition to early twentieth-century social reform, we will look at World War I, the Great Depression, and compare the American experience during the 1930s to that of Germany, Italy, Japan, and the Soviet Union.
• Guiding questions:
  • What were the origins of progressive reform? In what sense were they responding to the political and socioeconomic challenges facing the United States—both at home and abroad?
  • What was the promise of progressivism? What were some of the main goals of the movement? What did different groups of progressives have in common? In what respects did they disagree?
  • How did progressive idealism give way to disillusionment? What role did the Great War and the Great Depression play in this process?
  • How did American progressives—particularly President Franklin Roosevelt—respond to the Great Depression? How did their response differ from the laissez faire response at home and the German, Japanese, and Soviet responses abroad?
• Assessment:
  • A small-group presentation will assess your understanding of the context, your ability to engage in focused research, analysis of evidence, and communicate effectively to a group of your peers.

Scavenger Hunt

• You will be given a printed copy of the Progressive Era Scavenger Hunt, which focuses on our first two guiding questions.
• Use Foner and any reputable online resources to track down information to fill in the blanks.
• Once you have correctly filled in the blanks, then move to drawing three inferences about the Progressive Era based on the information you have collected. An inference is “a conclusion reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning” (Google Definitions). Remember that our key question today is “What is progressivism?”

Your inferences: "What is progressivism?"

• Pair up to compare your inference with a partner. Once you have identified your strongest inference, write it up on the board.
• Discuss and evaluate as a class.

Homework: Assignment #602