Below is the rubric for the assignment.
This assigment can just be titled Assignment 2, since the topic is covering different events in history
The topic is stated in the rubric below is bold letters.
Please include at least one of the Extra credit assignments.
The rubric tells the sources needed to be cited (there is only 2)
Assignment 2
Over the course of the semester you will write a series of essays regarding the major themes of the course. You should write as much as appropriate but the majority of successful essays will be five to ten pages (5-10 pp) in length. It will be almost impossible to fully answer the question in less than five pages (typed, double-spaced, Times New Roman 12-point font recommended) but please try not to exceed twelve pages.
As a reminder, on the essays I provide numerous questions to guide you through each of the essays, but please do not simply answer the questions point for point. The ultimate goal is to write cohesive essays not compile a set of fragments. Please therefore provide an introduction and conclusion to each essay. You are strongly encouraged to write (or at least re-write) your introduction AT THE END, so that they actually introduce the essay you have completed. In addition, you will not cover all of the sub-themes equally but you will decide which are the most important points to cover IN ORDER TO make the most effective arguments.
You are expected to make arguments, which requires that all ideas are logically coherent and are supported with evidence. Without evidence you are only making assertions, which cannot be properly evaluated. Without logic and coherence, you are simply rambling. Any argument will be considered, as long it is coherent and supported by specific historical evidence. Deal with one topic per paragraph, use topic sentences and the active voice. See below for guidance:
http://www.bartleby.com/141/strunk5.html
You are expected to review all of the sources and all sections of the textbook in order to understand the issues, although for analytic clarity you will focus on some sections and but a few sources. The most successful essays will use sources from BOTH Yawp/Boyer AND Cobbs. That said, the greatest emphasis should be on the primary sources and interpretive essays from Major Problems.
No matter what, you are primarily answering the central question of the essay. This essay will answer for what did urban and rural workers fight, did US foreign policy promote democracy, providing specific historical evidence, and what did the Progressives accomplish.
Assignment II: Incorporation, WWI and
Progressivism
NOTE you can earn up to 110 points and most points are in Question #2
Remember, you will not address all parts of the question, but will focus on answering the question using the most relevant evidence
The Incorporation of America
Cobbs and Gjerde, Chapter 3, “Industrialization�
Introduction, Chew, O’Donnell, Immigrants, Gompers and Rudkus (3d Ed)
Introduction, Chew, Emma Lazarus, O’Donnell, Gompers and Rudkus, Polish Immigrant (4th Ed)
Cobbs and Gjerde, Chapter 5, “Progressive�
Washington and DuBois (both editions)
IF YAWP
Chapter 16, “Capital and Labor�
Chapter 18, “Life in Industrial America (mostly for extra credit)�
IF BOYER
Boyer, Chapter 18, “Rise of Industrial America, especially Factories and Labor Unions (575-589)�
Boyer, Chapter 19, “Immigration, Urbanization and Everyday Life (mostly for extra credit)�
Boyer, Chapter 20, “Politics and Expansion (skim)�
Boyer, Chapter 21, “Progressive Era (skim, mostly for optional question #3)�
1. What methods did urban and rural workers use to fight back against their exploitation (30%)?
Industrialization had many positive effects on the standard of living of people in the USA (Boyer) but also many costs for workers both urban and rural. What was the condition of late-nineteenth century U.S. industrial workers? Who were they? Discuss the lives of industrial workers such as Lee Chew, Thomas O’Donnell and the fictional Jurgis Rudkus. And what does the Polish Immigrant’s tale tell us about sex and gender relations?
The Yawp focuses on labor organization including the Great Railroad Strike of 1877, the 1910 “Uprising of the 20,000,� and the 1912 Lawrence Textile Strike. Explain what workers sought in these actions and what did they achieve? In addition, the Populist movement/Farmer’s Alliance combined self-help and political organization. What did they achieve?
What do poems like that of Emma Lazarus tell us about what immigrants were told would await them. Was that realistic?
What does Victor Greene say about the “trauma of immigration� (3d Edition)? What does Richard White argue about the power of railroads and the impact on workers and citizens?
How did industrial and urban laborers fight to improve their lives? Why did they need to fight? What was the condition of late-nineteenth century U.S. industrial workers (Boyer and Yawp)?
How did rural people fight back (Boyer and Yawp)?
EXTRA CREDIT
How does the experience of immigrants tell us about both the opportunities and challenges of industrial workers (Yawp and Boyer)?
Imperialism and the Great War (50%)
Cobbs and Gjerde, Chapter 4, “Imperialism�
Introduction, McKinley, Aguinaldo, Anti-Imperialist, Open Door, American Racism (4th edition)
Kramer, “Racial Imperialism�
Cobbs and Gjerde, Chapter 6, “World War I�
Introduction, Wilson, LaFollette, Fourteen Points, League of Nations, Negro Leader (4th edition)
IF YAWP
Chapter 19, “American Empire�
Chapter 21, “WWI and its Aftermaths�
IF BOYER
Boyer, Chapter 20, “Politics and Expansion�
Boyer, Chapter 22, “Global Involvements,�
Boyer Chapter 25, “World in Crisis,�
2. Did the US actually help make the world safe for democracy from the Spanish-American War through WWI?
You must address BOTH imperialism and WWI but will primarily focus on ONE
The US had years of foreign actions and interventions, but after 1898, US reach increased. Whether the US should be an empire was hotly debated.
How did US leaders like McKinley, Roosevelt and Beveridge defend imperialism? What ideals were supposedly promoted by US imperialism? Critics like Mark Twain, the Anti-Imperialist League, Emiliano Aguinaldo and even some US soldiers explain that the effect of these policies did not match or even opposed these ideals. What was the ultimate outcome of US imperialism in places like Cuba, the Philippines and Panama? Was democracy ever promoted in these places (hint: no)? Why not? What does this say about rhetoric and reality in foreign policy? And why would African Americans support the war effort, despite the fact that they did not have full citizenship rights at home? What does Kramer (Cobbs) argue about subjugating the Filipino insurrection was not about freedom of the Philippines?
Woodrow Wilson likewise used ideas of democracy to convince the US public and Congress to enter World War I and during peace negotiations. Clearly at the end of World War I, most agreed Wilson’s Progressivism had clearly failed, however. Many argued that the Allies had “won the war but lost the peace.� What happened? What impact had WWI on global politics? Why didn’t this war lead to democracy abroad?
Progressivism (30%)
Cobbs and Gjerde, Chapter 5, “Progressive Movement�
Introduction, WCTU, English Suffragist, Washington and DuBois (4th edition)
McGerr, “Progressivism
IF YAWP
Chapter 20, “The Progressive Era�
IF BOYER
Boyer, Chapter 19, “Immigration, Urbanization�
Boyer, Chapter 21, “Progressive Era�
3. What did Progressives accomplish? What were some of the issue with their vision and actions?
Progressives attempted to resolve what they saw as the problems generated by industrialization and urbanization. What did they see as the central issues facing US society? What did they achieve? Discuss and evaluate their political, economic and social reforms and discuss the dark side of Progressivism (moralism, racism, etc).
Be sure to discuss the particular role of women and the particular nature of U.S. Progressivism. See Yawp “Women’s Movements.� What was the positive legacy of Progressivism into World War I? Provide specific examples.
For Extra Credit, elaborate McGerr’s criticism of Progressive reformers (both editions) and discuss Jim Crow and African American life (Yawp).