In Class

#604 Progressivism Research Exercise

2/24/2017

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Follow the link below to begin this exercise.

Research Exercise

Research Exercise Template

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#603 Women's Suffrage and its Opponents

2/20/2017

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Women's suffrage activists picketing the White House, 1918.

Preparation:

See assignment #603.

Discussion diagram:

Begin by reviewing discussion diagram (for sections: HH250-09, HH250-15) from last class:
- What observations might you make based on this chart?
- What tweaks can we make as a class to improve our discussion?

“The Women’s Era” (1890-1920)

Based on our homework last night, identify the new opportunities that emerged for women in the period.
Based on our homework last night, identify some of the important social and political causes that women were involved with during this period.
Explain the relationship between the opportunities and the activism mentioned above.
How do you think non-activist Americans responded to the causes presented by women activists during this period? Why?

Anti-Suffragists:

Together, read Document A (Google Doc).
Together, discuss:
- Sourcing:
  - Who wrote this?
  - When was it written?
  - What do you predict this person will say about suffrage?
- Close reading:
  - What is her argument?
  - What evidence does she use to support her argument?
  - What words does she use to make her point stronger?
- Contextualization:
  - What does this document suggest about the assumptions that people held about women in 1911?
Next, read individually Documents B and C (Google Doc) and begin prepare for our class discussion by reviewing the following questions with a partner:
- According to these documents, why were people opposed to woman suffrage?
- Try to see things from the anti-suffragist perspective—(assume that they’re not just mean-spirited)—why is woman suffrage scary to them?
- Are you surprised that many anti-suffragists were women? Why or why not?
- Do you think the reasons for opposing suffrage were political (men did not want to lose their political positions) or social reasons (ideas about women’s place in society)?
- What additional documents would you want to see to get a better picture of how people thought at that time?
- Finally: After reviewing these alternative perspectives, what advice might you give to pro-suffrage activists?

Homework: #604.

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#602 Sinclair's The Jungle

2/16/2017

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Preparation:

Homework #602.

Analyze initial inferences:

Take 3 minutes to start brainstorming to create a chart that identifies items that progressives supported, were divided on, or opposed.

Category:	Progressives supported:	Progressives were divided on:	Progressives opposed:
Examples:	Environmental conservation	Socialism	Child labor

Food industry today:

The clip above is from Food, Inc. (2008). For reference, you can watch the entire documentary on Netflix here or find it in the library: 338.4766 F73.

Discussion on Upton Sinclair, The Jungle (1905):

In the following discussion, my primary role will be to chart your discussion. I will ask the first question and intervene as needed. The specific items I will record are instances where students…
- Ask a provocative question.
- Refer specifically to the text.
- Make a notable insight.
- Advance the conversation
- Make a meaningful connection.
- Veer off-topic.
- Make inferences based only on conjecture.
- Dominate or disrespect.
Questions for discussion:
- Identify similarities you observe between Food, Inc. (2008) and The Jungle (1905). Differences?
- Most of the text we read is simply descriptive. What do you think are his key arguments? Identify particular points in the text to support your conclusions.
- Who was Sinclair's audience?
- President Theodore Roosevelt initially dismissed Sinclair as a “crackpot.” However, after reading book, he sent federal investigators to look into the Chicago meatpacking industry. The 1906 Neill-Reynolds Report confirmed allegations in Sinclair’s book, and the same year the Pure Food and Drug Act led to what is known today as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). How would you evaluate Roosevelt’s response? Which concerns raised by Sinclair did it address?
- Explain what Sinclair meant when he said “I aimed at the public’s heart, and by accident I hit it in the stomach.” Do you think his book was successful? Why or why not?
- Before Food, Inc., the book Fast Food Nation (2002) recounted:
  - "Lacerations are the most common injuries suffered by meatpackers, who often stab themselves or stab someone working nearby. Tendinitis and cumulative trauma disorders are also quite common. Meatpacking workers routinely develop back problems, shoulder problems, carpal tunnel syndrome, and 'trigger finger' (a syndrome in which a finger becomes frozen in a curled position); Indeed, the rate of these cumulative trauma injuries in the meatpacking industry is far higher than the rate in any other American industry. It is roughly thirty-three times higher than the national average in industry."
  - With so much public attention on these issues would you speculate that these issues have been addressed by legislation like they were at the turn of the last century? Why or why not?
- How would you recommend addressing the ongoing issues in the meatpacking industry today? What are the advantages and disadvantages of encouraging individual action (going vegetarian or researching industry practices) or passing federal legislation?

Homework: #603.

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#601 What is Progressivism?

2/15/2017

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Connecticut suffrage activists. Connecticut State Library.

Prepare:

Assignment #601.

Introduce unit:

This unit will introduce the period from the turn of the twentieth century to the beginning of the Second World War.
By the end of this unit, students will be able to articulate:
- (1) The main goals of ‒ and contradictions inherent in ‒ progressive reform.
- (2) The causes and consequences of the First World War.
- (3) Three competing global responses to the Great Depression.
Each of these sub-topics will be linked by a one-period “bridge.”
During this unit we will also continue to develop skills we have been working on throughout the year, including evidence-based discussion, written argumentation, and research skills.

Scavenger Hunt:

Work individually on Progressive Era Scavenger Hunt handout. Please note that your work is not complete until you have completed the three inferences.

Review inferences drawn from Scavenger Hunt:

Students share their best inference by writing it on the board.
Discuss and evaluate as a class.

Homework: #602.

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#508 DBQ

2/14/2017

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Click the "Submit" button below to submit your DBQ. Note that when sharing a Google Doc, you must first create a "Share" link and allow edit privileges.

Submit dBQ

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#506 The Spanish-American War and its Aftermath

2/8/2017

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"The British John Bull and the American Uncle Sam bear The White Man's Burden (Apologies to Rudyard Kipling), taking the coloured peoples of the world to civilisation" in Judge magazine, 1 April 1899. Wikimedia.

Preparation:

See #506 in unit 5 assignments

Background on Spanish-American War:

February 1898 U.S.S. Maine destroyed by mysterious explosion and sank; 266 U.S. sailors died; press blamed Spain and demanded war
20 April 1898 Congress declared war on Spain
Spanish forces were defeated in three months, in what John Hay, the American Secretary of State, later called a “splendid little war.”
Eventual result: U.S. annexed Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam; brief occupation of Cuba and then conditional independence (Platt amendment allowed U.S. to intervene freely in Cuba and U.S. navy granted permanent lease on base at Guantanamo Bay).

Poetry analysis: “White Man’s Burden”:

Introduction (from "History Matters" at George Mason University" – external link):
- In February 1899, British novelist and poet Rudyard Kipling wrote a poem entitled “The White Man’s Burden: The United States and The Philippine Islands.” In this poem, Kipling urged the U.S. to take up the “burden” of empire, as had Britain and other European nations. Theodore Roosevelt, soon to become vice-president and then president, copied the poem and sent it to his friend, Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, commenting that it was “rather poor poetry, but good sense from the expansion point of view.” Not everyone was as favorably impressed. Poet Ernest Crosby penned a parody of Kipling’s work, “The Real White Man’s Burden,” and published it in his 1902 collection of poems Swords and Plowshares. Crosby also wrote a satirical, anti-imperialist novel, Captain Jinks, Hero, that parodied the career of General Frederick Funston, the man who had captured Philippine leader Emilio Aguinaldo in 1901.
Read the document containing two poems Rudyard Kipling, “The White Man’s Burden” and Ernest Crosby, “The ‘Real’ White Man’s Burden” (PDF)
Consider the questions at the beginning of each page.

United States in the Philippines:

Background:
- U.S. took up Kipling’s challenge
- Instead of supporting Philippine independence activists, U.S. fought against revolutionaries to turn island chain into colony in a war that lasted from 1899 to 1902
Review timeline (PDF)
- Which events on this timeline reflect the “new imperialism” of the late nineteenth century?
- Identify and explain points on this timeline that reflect either the sentiments of the ideals expressed in Declaration of Independence and/or the functions of government described in the Constitution?
In the time that remains, begin on assignment #507.

Homework: #507

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#505 An American Empire

2/6/2017

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A Republican campaign poster from the election of 1900 links prosperity at home and benevolent imperialism abroad as achievements of William McKinley's first term in office. Caption from Foner, 540. Image source: Wikimedia.

“A lesson for anti-expansionists: showing how Uncle Sam has been an expansion first, last, and all the time,” Victor Gillam, Judge, 1899.

Preparation:

See assignment #505.

Brainstorm:

With a partner, consider possible answers to the question: "In what ways might industrialization have contributed to U.S. empire-building abroad?"

Brief background:

In some sense the American project had been “imperialist” since its inception.
- Early on European colonization necessitated gradually removing previous occupants of the land
- In 1780, Jefferson described the new nation as an “empire of liberty” that would stretch westward across the continent
- Much of the period until battle at Wounded Knee in 1890 (when the U.S. Census Bureau declared the Western frontier officially “closed”) was dedicated to the continental or “internal” frontier
But U.S. looked beyond abroad even earlier:
- 1823 Monroe Doctrine asserted U.S. sphere of influence in Latin America against future European colonization
- 1846-48 Mexican-American War transferred more than a third of Mexican territory to United States

U.S. expansion to 1853.

U.S. expansion after 1853

"New imperialism" in Africa and Asia, 1900

Partner activity:

U.S. State Department published record of U.S. involvement abroad showing 103 interventions between the years 1798 and 1895. Consider the follow sampling of record from 1852-1894 and identify any patterns you can observe:

1852-53 – Argentina – Marines were landed and maintained in Buenos Aires to protect American interests during a revolution.
1853 – Nicaragua – to protect American lives and interests during political disturbances.
1853-54 – Japan – The "Opening of Japan" and the Perry Expedition. [The State Department does not give more details, but this involved the use of warships to force Japan to open its ports to the United States].
1853-54 – Ryukyu and Bonin Islands – Commodore Perry on three visits before going to Japan and while waiting for a reply from Japan made a naval demonstration, landing marines twice, and secured a coaling concession from the ruler of Naha on Okinawa. He also demonstrated in the Bonin Islands. All to secure facilities for commerce.
1854 – Nicaragua – San Juan del Norte [Greytown was destroyed to avenge an insult to the American Minister to Nicaragua.]
1855 – Uruguay – U.S. and European naval forces landed to protect American interests during an attempted revolution in Montevideo.
1859 – China – For the protection of American interests in Shanghai.
1860 – Angola, Portuguese West Africa – To protect American lives and property at Kissembo when the natives became troublesome.
1893 – Hawaii – Ostensibly to protect American lives and property; actually to promote a provisional government under Sanford B. Dole. This action was disavowed by the United States.
1894 – Nicaragua – To protect American interests at Bluefields following a revolution.

Next, consider the following two quotes from the period immediately afterward. Answer the discussion questions that follow.

Selection A: Sen. Henry Cabot Lodge (Massachusetts), “The Business World vs. the Politicians” (1895):

In the interests of our commerce . . . we should build the Nicaragua canal, and for the protection of that canal and for the sake of our commercial supremacy in the Pacific we should control the Hawaiian islands and maintain our influence in Samoa . . . and when the Nicaraguan canal is built, the island of Cuba . . . will become a necessity. . . . The great nations are rapidly absorbing for their future expansion and their present defense all the waste places of the earth. It is a movement which makes for civilization and the advancement of the race. As one of the great nations of the world the United States must not fall out of the line of march.

Selection B: The Washington Post editorial on the eve of the Spanish-American War (1898):

A new consciousness seems to have come upon us -- the consciousness of strength -- and with it a new appetite, the yearning to show our strength. . . . Ambition, interest, land hunger, pride, the mere joy of fighting, whatever it may be, we are animated by a new sensation. We are face to face with a strange destiny. The taste of Empire is in the mouth of the people even as the taste of blood in the jungle. . . .

Discussion Questions:

Identify the key goals of pro-expansionist voices.
Are these arguments consistent with what you have read in the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution? Why or why not?

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#604 Progressivism Research Exercise

#603 Women's Suffrage and its Opponents

#602 Sinclair's The Jungle

#601 What is Progressivism?

#508 DBQ

#506 The Spanish-American War and its Aftermath

#505 An American Empire

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Categories

#604 Progressivism Research Exercise

#603 Women's Suffrage and its Opponents

#602 Sinclair's The Jungle

﻿#601 What is Progressivism?

#508 DBQ

#506 The Spanish-American War and its Aftermath

#505 An American Empire

Archives

Categories

#601 What is Progressivism?