Post-Civil War America
by Dr. H - September 13th, 2010
There is a lot of reading this week: the second half of Chapter 19, and all of Chapters 20-22. This week is probably the fastest-paced of the entire semester. Remember to use the study resources on Norton Study Space to get more out of the textbook, and to keep up with the reading even though we cannot cover everything in class.
The week begins with a look at the region of the American West and at the profound social, political, economic, and physical transformations from 1865-1900. Then we’ll discuss the rise of big business and organized labor (labor unions), and the emergence of American cities and urban reform. On Friday, we’ll discuss national politics of the late 19th century and the rise of protest and populist movements.
This era is often called the “Gilded Age.” Consider why it got the nickname, and be looking for signs of not only incredible growth and prosperity, but also incredible destitution and suffering. How did the “American dream” fare during this period, and who was able to achieve it? You won’t catch every detail of all the reading and the primary documents, but see if you can glean big patterns, see commonalities among the primary sources, or see what kinds of issues they argue over. What were the fault lines in this turbulent era? And how can we use our sources to explore it?
