Central Question: How did industrialism transform the American economy following the Civil War?
During the Civil War, the North began to rapidly industrialize: The nation’s railroad system and advanced weaponry were instrumental in the Union’s victory. Over the next 40 years, these innovations laid the groundwork for a period of industrialization in the United States. Railroads allowed goods to travel further than ever before, while new inventions, like steel and electricity, fueled the industrial boom. In addition, a few enterprising men paved the way for an explosion of industry, establishing trusts and monopolies to create the first era of big business. Altogether these factors paved the way for the industrial takeover of the American economy.
For more background, read “The Evolution of Corporate Empires” and “The Industrial Revolution” on the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History website (free login required).
Scholars understand and can fluently use the following Unit 4 Key Terms:
Scholars understand why the United States industrialized following the Civil War and can explain how this industrialization transformed the American economy.
Preparation
Launch (2 minutes)
Watch (10 minutes)
Discuss (3 minutes)
Homework
Central Question: To what extent were the industrialists of the 19th century “robber barons”?
Starting in the middle of the 19th century, the first truly large enterprises began to emerge. The rise of big business reshaped not only the economy but politics and culture as well. A few key individuals played a leading role in this process. Condemned as robber barons or praised as captains of industry, they helped invent the giant corporation and became the focus of the modern debate over opportunity and equality, the power of private enterprise, and the role of government regulation.
For more background, read “Robber Barons or Captains of Industry?” on the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History website (free login required).
Scholars understand and can fluently use the following Unit 4 Key Terms:
Scholars can apply their knowledge of American history to interpret original sources and use these sources to write clear, concise, and compelling claims about robber barons during the Gilded Age.
Read and Write (8 minutes)
Discuss (10 minutes)
Give scholars 2 minutes to revise their main ideas or claims based on the discussion.
Teacher Feedback Guidance
Central Question: To what extent were the industrialists of the 19th century “robber barons”?
Scholars can plan and draft clear and compelling written arguments that answer a historical question with strong theses and evidence that supports or proves their theses.
Outline (15 minutes)
Draft (15 minutes)
Teacher Feedback Guidance
Central Question: To what extent were the industrialists of the 19th century “robber barons”?
Scholars revise their essays based on individualized teacher feedback to make their essays stronger and clearer and to understand how to use their feedback to grow as writers.
Preparation
Homework
Teacher Feedback Guidance
Central Question: Why did American cities grow so rapidly in the late 19th century?
As the nation began to industrialize, new employment opportunities came to American cities, with factories in need of laborers. Furthermore, as Americans continued moving westward, the idyllic Western frontier was becoming settled and the continent was filling up. In 1893, historian Frederick Jackson Turner published his “Frontier Thesis,” arguing that the frontier of the United States was officially “closed” and that as a result, cities were the new American frontier, the new land of opportunity. Furthermore, word of these lands of opportunity was spreading beyond American shores; immigrants from all over the world came pouring into the United States during this era, further contributing to the growth of American cities.
For more background, read “America Moves to the City” on the Khan Academy website.
Scholars understand and can fluently use the following Unit 4 Key Terms:
Scholars understand the population growth that occurred in American cities in the late 19th century and can explain the factors that sparked this urbanization.
Launch (2 minutes)
Discuss (3 minutes)
Homework
Central Question: Did the opportunities for Americans in Gilded Age cities outweigh the hardships?
As cities and industries grew, life changed for Americans living in cities. On one hand, cities provided new opportunities in terms of entertainment and social life for Americans, and new innovations like skyscrapers made cities modern marvels. On the other hand, cities were overcrowded, and despite the availability of jobs, factory work paid little and required long, hard hours. Furthermore, political corruption meant that local politicians did not have the interests of laborers and immigrants in mind, focusing instead on enriching themselves.
For more background, read “The Underside of Urban Life” on Independence Hall’s U.S. History website and “Tammany Hall” on the History Channel website.
Scholars understand and can fluently use the following Unit 4 Key Terms:
Scholars understand the innovations, inequalities, and hardships of life in Gilded Age cities and can explain whether the opportunities of urban life outweighed the hardships.
Preparation
Launch (2 minutes)
Homework
Central Question: Did the opportunities for Americans in Gilded Age cities outweigh the hardships?
Scholars can explain whether the modern innovations and new opportunities for work, leisure, and entertainment outweighed the costs of poverty and corruption, and they can convincingly present their perspectives in a debate.
Preparation
Homework
Central Question: To what extent was the United States a land of opportunity for immigrants?
During the Gilded Age, immigrants from around the world came to the United States. In the East, immigrants came from much of Europe, countries like Russia and Italy. In the West, immigrants came mostly from China and Japan. Lured by the promise of jobs and opportunities, life was often very difficult for these new Americans.
For more background, read “The Immigrant Experience,” “The Chinese Question,” and “Ellis Island and NYC” on the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History website (free login required).
Scholars understand and can fluently use the following Unit 4 Key Terms:
Scholars understand the opportunities and struggles many immigrants faced in the United States during the Gilded Age and can explain the extent to which these opportunities outweighed the struggles.
Preparation
Launch (2 minutes)
Read (5 minutes)
Discuss (3 minutes)
Discuss — 5 minutes
Homework
Central Question: How successfully did labor unions fight for workers’ rights?
In response to long hours and difficult working conditions, American laborers decided to form unions. The first national union, the Knights of Labor, became a major force in the 1880s. They met with management and attempted to negotiate for better salaries and working conditions. The Knights of Labor, however, were disorganized and were replaced by the more successful American Federation of Labor, formed in 1886.
For more background, read “Labor Unions” on the History Channel website, listen to the podcast “A Brief History of the Labor Movement” on NPR, and browse the B&O Railroad Labor Negotiation Simulation on the B&O Railroad Museum website.
Scholars understand and can fluently use the following Unit 4 Key Terms:
Scholars can evaluate the role of labor unions by simulating a labor negotiation between laborers and management.
Preparation
Launch (2 minutes)
Discuss (3 minutes)
Investigate (10 minutes)
Planning (10 minutes)
Homework
Central Question: How successfully did labor unions fight for workers’ rights?
When unions and management couldn’t agree to a labor negotiation, workers went on strike. Three of the most famous — and contentious — labor conflicts were the Haymarket Affair in 1886, the Homestead Strike in 1892, and the Pullman Strike in 1894. All three conflicts resulted in massive violence, committed by both the strikers and management. While strikes sometimes successfully won workers more rights, often the violence that erupted was a setback for labor unions and workers.
For more background, read “The Pullman Strike” on the Encyclopedia Britannica website and “The Homestead Strike” and “The Haymarket Riot,” both on the History Channel website.
Scholars understand the goals and purpose of American labor unions and can explain the extent to which labor unions successfully promoted workers’ rights.
Preparation
Launch (2 minutes)
Watch (5 minutes)
Discuss (3 minutes)
Homework
Central Question: How did industrialism affect the lives of rural Americans?
Life on farms during the Gilded Age was difficult. While industrialism made farming more efficient, it also led to overproduction, driving down the prices of farm goods. Furthermore, to afford the new technologies necessary to be competitive with commercial farms, many farmers fell into debt, while railroads consistently took advantage of farmers trying to ship their products to factories. To make matters worse, harsh natural conditions coupled with social and political isolation made daily life on farms grueling. As a result, farmers, like their laborer counterparts in the cities, began to organize and search for an end to the hardships of farm life.
For more background, read “Populism and Agrarian Discontent” on the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History website (free login required).
Scholars understand and can fluently use the following Unit 4 Key Term:
Scholars understand the hardships of life on American farms during the Gilded Age and can explain how industrialism and the rise of big business worsened these farm conditions.
Launch (2 minutes)
Watch (3 minutes)
Discuss (5 minutes)
Homework
Central Question: Why did the Populist Party appeal to millions of Americans during the Gilded Age?
Throughout the 1880s, local political action groups known as Farmers Alliances sprang up among Middle Westerners and Southerners who were discontented because of crop failures and falling prices. Although they won some significant regional victories, the alliances generally proved politically ineffective on a national scale. Thus, in 1892, their leaders organized the Populist Party, or the People’s Party, and the Farmers Alliances melted away. The Populist Party attempted to broaden its appeal to working-class urban Americans. It demanded an increase in the circulating currency (to be achieved by the unlimited coinage of silver), a graduated income tax, government ownership of the railroads, a tariff for revenue only, the direct election of U.S. senators, and other measures designed to strengthen political democracy and give farmers economic parity with business and industry. In 1896, the Populists joined forces with the Democrats. The subsequent defeat of Democratic presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan signaled the collapse of one of the most challenging protest movements in the United States since the Civil War.
For more background, read “The Populist Movement” on the Encyclopedia Britannica website.
Scholars understand and can fluently use the following Unit 4 Key Terms:
Scholars understand the key goals of the Populist Party and its attacks on big business and can explain why populism appealed to millions of Americans— farmers and wage laborers alike— during the Gilded Age.
Launch (2 minutes)
Watch (4 minutes)
Discuss (4 minutes)
Homework
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