Unit Outline
 
 

Day One	The Farmers' Grievances: The Rise of the Populist Movement  Divine, pages 600, 601-602 and 606-610 Supplement: Bryan, "Cross of Gold" Write out answers to questions 7 and 9   What factors led to the rise of the Populist Party during the last decades of the 19th century?  What does agrarian discontent indicate about American culture during the late 19th century?   Identifications: Populism, deflation, hayseed, the Grange, farmers' alliance, Ocala Demands, Populist Party (People's Party), Election of 1892, William Jennings Bryan, "Cross of Gold", free coinage (of silver), bimetalism, gold standard     Homework Questions:   1. What principles did the Democratic Party support during the last decades of the 19th century?  What principles did the Republican Party support?  What policies did each party promote?  What groups of people tended to vote Democratic? Republican?      2. What were the sources of agrarian discontent during the late 19th century?  In what sense was their discontent based on economic factors?  In what sense was their discontent as much the result of cultural changes in American society during the late 19th century as it was the result of economic concerns?   3. What were the initial purposes of the Grange and the farmersí alliances of the late 19th century?  How did they evolve into a political movement?   4. What role did blacks play in farmer alliances and in the emerging Populist movement?  How did whites in these organizations view blacks?   5. How did the Populists fair in the election of 1892?  In what sense were election results disappointing to Populists?  In what sense were the Populists successful?   6. In his "Cross of Gold" speech, how does Bryan (a Populist-Democrat) depict the Democratic party? What critique of his political opponents is implicit in Bryanís speech?     7. In his "Cross of Gold" speech, how does Bryan characterize cities?  How does he characterize farming? What does this indicate about the cultural concerns of the Populist movement?    8. In the "Cross of Gold,"  what does Bryan mean when he says that "It is the issue of 1776 all over again."?   9. In the "Cross of Gold," how does Bryan depict the gold and the gold standard?  How does he depict silver?
Day Two	The "Cross of Gold": Bryan, Silver, and the Decline of the Populists   Supplement: Populist Party Platform 1892 Divine, pages 619, 622-624, and 620-621 Supplement: Bryan, "Cross of Gold Speech" (Review) What reforms did the Populists seek?  What factors contributed to the decline of the Populist movement? To what extent did the movement succeed? Identifications: Populist Party Platform, free coinage (of silver), bimetalism, gold standard, William Jennings Bryan, Populist-Democrat, Election of 1896, "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz",   Homework Questions:   1. What demands do the Populists make in the Populist Party Platform?   2. How do the Populists depict American society in the Populist Party Platform?  How do they depict government?  Big business?    3. For what economic reasons did Southern and Western ruralites favor the free coinage of silver?  For what non-economic reasons did they favor free coinage of silver?    4. What types of Americans favored the gold standard?  How did Populists view the gold standard and its supporters?   5. How did Populists come to dominate the Democratic party in 1896? What impact did this have on the Democratic party? What impact did this have on the Populist party?   6. What types of people voted for Bryan (Democratic-Populist) in the election of 1896?  What types of people voted for McKinley (Republican)?  What did Bryanís loss   indicate about the weaknesses of the Populist movement?   7. What is an allegory?  In what sense is "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz," a Populist allegory?
Day Three	Progressivism: The Spirit of Reform Divine, pages 658-659, 691-692, and 693-694 (middle) Write out answers to homework question 1 and 2   What factors gave rise to progressivism in the late 19th and early 20th    century?  In what sense was it a response to changes in American society brought about by industrialization?   What were the main characteristics of progressive reform? Identifications: Lincoln Steffens, Upton Sinclair, muckrakers, progressivism, progressive reform, evangelical Protestantism, social science, scientific method, social-justice movement, Jacob Riis.    Homework Questions:   1. What are muckrakers? What subjects did they address?  What was the relationship between muckrakers and the progressive movement?   2. What were the main characteristics of progressivism?    3. Though diverse and far reaching in their goals and methods, what did progressives have in common?   4. What is the relationship between progressivism and populism?   5. In what sense are the methods of social justice reformers of the late 19th century representative of progressivism?
Day Four	Purifying the Cities ­ From the Saloon to City Hall Divine, pages 694 (on Temperance) and 575-576 (review on political machines) and 699 and 702-704 Supplement: Primary Sources on Temperance and Urban Reform Write out answer to homework question 5   Why did progressives favor Temperance and other urban reforms?  To what extent was progressivism a conservative movement? Identifications: Anti-Saloon League, temperance, 18th Amendment, Prohibition, Mann Act, political   machine, boss, Tammany Hall, William "Boss" Tweed, initiative, referendum, recall, 17th Amendment,   Homework Questions:   1. Why was Temperance a major goal of progressive reformers?  What arguments did reformers make against the evils of alcohol and in support of Prohibition?     2. In what ways was the Temperance movement representative of progressive reform?   3. What were political machines?  Why did urban voters support political bosses?   4. What might political machines be a target for progressive reformers?   5. What steps did cities and states take to reform their governments?  In what sense did these reforms reflect progressive ideals?
Day Five	The Peopleís Park?  Central Park: A Case Study in Progressive Reform   Supplement: Olmsted, On Central Park Supplement: Martin, "Before Park, Black Village" from the New York Times   In what way might the park movement and the creation of Central Park be seen as an example of progressive reform? In what sense was the park an attempt to temper the ills of industrialization?  To what extent did parks truly uplift New Yorkers?   Identifications: Frederick Law Olmsted, Central Park, Seneca Village,    Homework Questions:   1. What does Frederick Law Olmsted see as the social benefits of Central Park?   2. In the Rosenzweig and Blackmar article, what do park supporters see as the benefits of Central Park?   3. In what sense did the park break down class barriers?  In what sense did it reaffirm class barriers?   4. How did the construction of Central Park impact the residents of Seneca Village?
Day Six	Extending Domestic Virtue: The Movement for Womenís Suffrage   Divine, pages 694-696 and 700-701 Supplement: Owen, Speech Supporting Womenís Suffrage   What arguments did progressive reformers make in support of womenís    suffrage?  Did the acceptance of womenís suffrage represent a fundamental shift    in Americansí views of women and their role in society?  Why were some women    ambivalent about womenís suffrage?   Identifications: Seneca Falls, Carrie Chapman Catt, womenís suffrage, 19th Amendment, Margaret Sanger, Comstock Law,    Homework Questions:   1. How did womenís involvement in social reform movements of the Progressive Era lead to resurgence of the womenís suffrage movement?   2. How did the arguments used by modern suffrage movement leaders like Carrie Chapman Catt differ from those used by earlier suffragists?  How do these arguments   reflect the spirit of progressivism?    3. What was the Comstock Law?  In what sense was it a progressive reform?  Who is Margaret Sanger?  In what sense was her birth control movement a progressive reform? How can these two seemingly contradictory measures both be seen as progressive?   4. In Senator Owenís speech in favor of womenís suffrage, what benefits does he argue will result from womenís suffrage?   5. What ideas about the nature of womanhood underlie Owenís argument?
Day Seven	Limits of Progressivism: Blacks During the Late 19th and Early 20th Century Divine, pages 588-89 and 670-672 (on B.T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois only) Supplement: Washington, "Atlanta Exposition Address" Supplement: DuBois, from The Souls of Black Folk   What strategies do Washington and DuBois offer for dealing with the problems of poverty and discrimination faced by black Americans at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries?  What does the failure of progressive reformers to substantially address the problems of African Americans indicate about progressive reform? Identifications: Tuskegee Institute, Booker T. Washington, "Atlanta Exposition Address" (Atlanta Compromise"), W.E.B. DuBois, The Souls of Black Folk, talented tenth, Niagara   Movement, NAACP   Homework Questions:   1. What strategies did Booker T. Washington advocate for addressing the problems faced by African-Americans in the late 19th and early 20th centuries?     2. How does Washington depict the relationship between whites and blacks in the South?    3. What does Washington think about agitation as a strategy for achieving social equality? What might this indicate about Washingtonís view of the role of    government intervention in promoting black equality?   4. What strategies did W.E.B. DuBois advocate for addressing the problems faced by African-Americans in the late 19th and early 20th centuries? Why does DuBois reject   Washingtonís "self-help" approach?   5. What does DuBois see as the role of government in promoting the rights of blacks?
Day Eight	Busting Trusts and Regulating Business: T. R. and Taft   Divine, pages 704-712 Write out answers ONE of the following homework questions: 1-11 What steps did TR and William Taft take to regulate business? What is their view of the capitalist system and the appropriate relationship between government and the economy?  Identifications: William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, bully pulpit, good trusts/ bad trusts, Northern Securities Company, trust busting, Anthracite Coal Strike, Square Deal,   Elkins Act, Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC), Hepburn Act, Upton Sinclairís The   Jungle, Meat Inspection Act, Pure Food and Drug Act, Newlands Conservation Act,   William Taft, Payne-Aldrich Tariff, Ballinger-Pinchot affair, Mann-Elkins Act, progressive Republicans/conservative Republicans, 16th Amendment (income tax)   Homework Questions:   1. What was Theodore Rooseveltís stance on racial equality?  What might his views   indicate about the reforms of the progressive era?   2.  In what sense was Teddy Roosevelt a trustbuster?  In what sense was he not?  How did he distinguish between "good" and "bad" trusts?  Why did he make this distinction?   3. Can Teddy Roosevelt be accurately described as a trustbuster? What actions did he take to bust trusts?  How significant were such actions?   4. What was Teddy Rooseveltís stance on the Anthracite Coal Strike of 1902?  What does this indicate about his view of the proper relationship between government and   business? government and labor? business and labor?   5. What were the Elkins Act and Hepburn Act? What impact did they have on the   relationship between the government and the railroad industry?    6. What were the Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act?  What impact did they have on the relationship between the government and the food and drug   industry?  In what sense might these be seen as an extension of the goals of progressive   reformers?   7. How might Teddy Rooseveltís commitment to conservation be seen as an extension of   progressive reforms?   8. In what sense did the problems of William Taftís presidency reflect fundamental   differences between the conservative and progressive wings of the Republican party? Was Taft ultimately a conservative Republican or a progressive Republican?   9. What was the Mann-Elkins Act?  What impact did it have on the relationship between government and the railroad industry?  What does it indicate about Taftís   relationship to the conservative and progressive wings of the Republican party?   10. What was the Sixteenth Amendment?  In what sense was it an extension of progressive reforms?   11. What was the Seventeenth Amendment?  In what sense was it an extension of progressive reforms?
Day Nine	Woodrow Wilsonís New Freedom   Divine, pages 713-718 Write out answers to ONE of the following homework questions: 2-8 What steps does Wilson take to regulate the economy?  What is his view of the capitalist system and the appropriate relationship between the government and the economy? Identifications: William Taft, Theodore Roosevelt, Progressive Party (Bull Moose Party), New   Nationalism, Woodrow Wilson, New Freedom, Underwood Tariff, 16th    Amendment/income tax, Federal Reserve Act, Clayton Antitrust Act, Federal Trade Commission, Federal Farm Loan Board, Adamson Act, Keating-Owen Act    Homework Questions:   1. In what sense did the three candidates in the election of 1912 ­ Taft, Roosevelt, and Wilson ­ represent three distinct views on the federal governmentís role in progressive   reform?    2. What was the Underwood Tariff and why was it so significant?  In what sense was it a progressive reform?   3. What was the Federal Reserve Act?  In what sense was it progressive in its structure?  In what sense was it progressive in its function?   4. What was the Clayton Antitrust Act?  In what ways was it an extension of the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890?    5. What was the Federal Trade Commission?  In what sense was it progressive in its structure?  In what sense was it progressive in its function?   6. What was Wilsonís record on racial equality?  What does this indicate about the reforms of the progressive era?   7. How did Woodrow respond to the threatened railroad strike of 1916?  What was the Adamson Act?  What did it indicate about Wilsonís view of the proper relationship   government and business?  government and labor?  business and labor?   8. What was the Keating-Owen Act?  In what sense was it a progressive reform?    9. How fundamentally did the reforms of Teddy Roosevelt, William Taft and Woodrow Wilson challenge the structure of the American capitalist economy?  Did these reforms constitute a revolution?
Day Ten	Capitalism and the Constitution: The Baker, The Miner, and The Laundress   Divine,  560 (on Lochner) Supplement:  Lochner v. New York, Holden v. Hardy, and Muller v. Oregon What do the Supreme Court rulings at the turn of the century suggest about the way the Supreme Court and the American people view the impact of progressive reform on economic liberty? What does this indicate about the way Americans feel about the role of government in restraining business?   Identifications: Lochner v. New York, 14th Amendment (due process clause), economic liberty (liberty to contract), police powers, Holmes' Dissent in Lochner Case, Holden v. Hardy, Muller v. Oregon   Homework Questions:   1. How does the Supreme Court rule in the Lochner case?  What reasoning does the court   use to justify its ruling?    2. Why does Justice Holmes dissent in the Lochner case?  What does he mean when he says the Fourteenth Amendment does not enact the theories of Mr. Herbert Spencer (a Social Darwinist)?   3. How does the Supreme Court rule in Holden v. Hardy?  What reasoning does the court give to justify its ruling?   4. How can one account for the apparent contradiction between the courtís ruling in Holden v. Hardy and the courtís ruling in Lochner?   5. How does the Supreme Court rule in the Muller case? What reasoning does the court give to justify its ruling?   6. How can one account for the apparent contradiction between the courtís ruling in the Muller case and the courtís ruling in Lochner?
Day Eleven	Test on Unit Eight

 
 

[Back to the Main Page]