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Progressivism: An Introduction
David Cason
America at the end of the 19th century was a nation of contradictions. On the one hand, it had managed to survive and thrive as a unified nation after a terrible Civil War. On the other hand, millions of citizens lived in squalor and abject poverty. Social, political and economic upheaval had radically changed America in a single generation. In spite of this tumultuous upheaval, America was on the cusp of becoming a true world power both militarily and economically. Most of the Presidents of this period were a progression of fairly weak leaders who deferred to the will of Congress. A new generation of leaders was needed, a generation that looked forward into the promises of the 20th century, not backward toward the traditions of the 19th.
Using excerpts from How the Other Half Lived and other Internet resources, students will analyze primary sources and glean information on the historical background of notable Progressives.
1.Photos from How The Other Half Liveby Jacob Riis available at:
http://www.cis.yale.edu/amstud/inforev/riis/title.html
2. Ida Tarbell document: http://tarbell.alleg.edu/archives/jdr.html
3. Upton Sinclair document: http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/Literature/Sinclair/TheJungle/
4. Lincoln Steffens document: http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Jsteffens.htm
5. Excerpts from Sinclair and Steffens: See Linked Files.
90 Minutes
1
What issues present in late 19th century America contributed to the need for social, economic, and political reform?
Students will generate a list of three long term results of the Gilded Age. You could ask students what are today's social problems, and are they any different from those at the beginning of the 20th century?
Discuss the students' responses and make a master list of them. Students will brainstorm both positive and negative outcomes for each response. Shape the students' responses toward the conclusion that American society needed reform. What problems do we have in today's society that were not a part of early 20th century society?
Introduce and discuss the terms Progressivism and Muckrakers. Introduce the names and give a brief historical sketch of each of the following noted Muckrakers: Jacob Reis, Lincoln Steffens, Ida Tarbell, and Sinclair Lewis.
Show images from the Internet on Jacob Riis's How the Other Half Lives, which can be accessed at http://www.cis.yale.edu/amstud/inforev/riis/title.html. Students could also briefly role play various scenes from the photos in order to speculate as to the feelings and emotions of the people in the photos. Teacher may want to point out similar photos in the textbook or ask students (a week ahead of time) to bring in a photograph or cartoon of a current social, economic problem and compare with Riis' photos.
Divide class into four groups. Give each group a different excerpt from the writings of one of the following: Reis, Steffens, Tarbell, Lewis. These can be accessed through the Internet at sites listed in materials or from linked file, How the Other Half Lives. Groups will take a few minutes to summarize the document assigned to their group. Groups will then share their findings with the class as to the implications of each document on the course of Progressive reform. Some guided questions you might ask the students are:1) What is the point of view of each author? 2) Who was the intended audience for each document? 3) How realistic are the expectations of each author?
Have a class discussion concerning the importance of social, political, and economic conditions and the impact of the Muckrakers on the development of the Progressive movement.
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Lincoln Steffens_Cason LP1
How the Other Half Lives_Cason LP1
Upton Sinclair_Cason LP1