Populism and the Gold Standard: Modern Day Connections

This week we discussed the Wizzard of Oz as an allegory for the Populism, a political movement that promoted an end to the gold standard, increased rights for farmers and industrial workers and a reduction in corporate influence in government structures. For your blog this week, I'd like you to chose one of the following assignments that is thematically related to our current unit. Of course, you may complete both assignments if you're seeking extra credit.

Article A is an editorial by political columnist Terry Slater that questions the effectiveness of political parties in making social changes in modern society using the symbolism in Oz:

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/columnists.nsf/terrysater/story/8F1FED77C60F2EE4862573E800028D5C?OpenDocument

OR

Article B by New York Times columnist Paul Krugman analyzes how a return to the gold standard would affect modern society:
http://www.pkarchive.org/cranks/goldbug.html

Summarize the article and explain how it relates to the historical information you learned in class. Be sure to reference the author's position on modern political, social and economic issues in the United States. What are your thoughts on his perspective?

This assignment should be at least 200 words and include a response to the post of one or more of your peers.

Due Saturday March 1 by 8:00 pm

Extra time for our last exam and upcoming text-based HW assignment

Many students did not finish the required THREE document question responses on our last exam. Students needing more time will have 30 minutes to finish up in class on Wednesday, 2/27. Students who have allready finished or complete that section in under 3o minutes will be completing a homework due for ALL students on Thursday 2/28.



Read pp. 548-555 "The Progressive Era: Section 1" in your text



Take copious notes to prepare for a reading quiz on 2/28.



Define/ identify the following terms and figures:

Progressivism, muckracker, Lincoln Steffens, Social Gospel, settlement house, Jane Addams, direct primary, initiative, refferendum, recall, Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, John Dewey, Seventeenth Amenment





For those students who are not in the country, keep up with the blog and upcoming Homeworks - feel free to email them to me sooner than later.

Election Study: Comparing turn of the 20th century politics with today's presidential race

1. Check out CNN's "Election Central" resources:
http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/candidates

2. Identify and summarize at least three key issues in the upcoming elections. Discuss the positions of any two politicians still in the running for Presidental nomination in the Democratic and Republican parties. What are the major differences in their political views? Who's politics do you support more? Why?

3. Then, read a recent New York Times editorial about the similarties between Senator Hillary Clinton and one of the Presidents covered in out latest unit, Grover Cleveland:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jon-wiener/nyts-krugman-hillary-_b_70643.html

And an article from US News and World Reports about a scandal that took place in the 1888 election:
http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/politics/2008/01/17/phony-letter-helped-unseat-a-president.html

Summarize the scandal of 1888 and explain why the author feels Hilliary Clinton might be "the next Grover Cleveland?" Evaluate his position using evidence from your candidate research.

For optional extra credit you may complete one or both of the following tasks:
a) Research two third party candidates and summarize and compare their views with the other candidates you read about for this blog

AND/OR

b)Identify summarize two "Great Moments in Campaign History" from US News' recent coverstory: http://www.usnews.com/features/news/politics/greatmoments.html

THIS BLOG MUST BE AT LEAST 400 words. Please remember to comment on at least one other post. Extra credits should be 200 words each. Due Monday 2/25 before class.

Read the article posted below (two formats available):http://www.vanells.com/125-22.pdf (with images, PDF requires Adobe Acrobat)

http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:vJ8_Q9ffkMgJ:www.vanells.com/125-22.pdf+gilded+age+and+immigration,+disease&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=8&gl=us(HTML/ will work on any computer)

(NOTE: You read pages 3-5 in class on a long handout Friday)

AND Chapter One of Jacub Riis' How the Other Half Lives:

http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/How_the_Other_Half_Lives/Chapter_I

A) Discuss how health, sanitation and scientific theory affected the lives of "old immigrants" in the Gilded Age.

B) Consider Riis' arguments for social reform and Herbert Spencer's theory of Social Darwinism.
In your opinion, was the government responsible for the health and safety of immigrant communities at the turn of the 20th Century?

Should undocumented (alien) immigrants recieve social services in modern US society?

How do your opinions on these issues relate to the Riis and Spencer's ?

http://teachers.ocps.net/hansens/AHH%20Documents/Beyond%20Books%20Immigration%20&%20Gilded%20Age%20Readings.pdf (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)

http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:MKfMHeHeAnAJ:teachers.ocps.net/hansens/AHH%2520Documents/Beyond%2520Books%2520Immigration%2520%26%2520Gilded%2520Age%2520Readings.pdf+gilded+age+and+immigration,+disease&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=13&gl=us
(HTML, viewable on any computer)

Read "The Underside of Urban Life" and "The Rush of Immigrants"

Term 2 Blog Assignment #1: Are we living in a new Gilded Age?

Term 2 Blog Assignment #1: Are we living in another Gilded Age?

The Gilded Age (1865-1900) was the period of rapid economic growth and industrialization in the immediate aftermath of the Civil War. For the first time corporations (not politicians) established themselves as the engines of economic growth and the United States became the most powerful industrial nation in the world. During this time, new technologies, abundant resources and the eager, cheap industrial workforce brought tremendous wealth to individuals like Andrew Carnegie (steel) and John Rockefeller (oil). Meanwhile, the working class suffered harsh working conditions and lived in extreme poverty in overpopulated industrial cities. Social Darwinism emerged as a theory to explain and justify the reasons why the rich got richer and the poor grew poorer, but unions and social reformers called on the government to become more actively involved in preserving worker’s rights.

Progressive economist Marty Jerzer commented recently on the similarities between the US in the Gilded Age and in modern times:

"Abraham Lincoln predicted the Gilded Age and would not be surprised to see how money continues to corrupt our political system. Noting that the North had become an industrial power during the Civil War, he said, "I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country. As a result of the war, corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed." We live in a new Gilded Age with bought politicians and greedy corporate managers. We no longer have a government by and for the people… we don’t even have honest debate… Honest Abe called it right. The corporate elite has been enriching itself at the expense of the rest of us for a good portion of the past 135 years.”(http://www.commondreams.org/views02/0208-02.htm)

1) Consider these comments and the comments of Democratic Presidential Candidate Barak Obama in the interview posted here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20826221/

2) Compose a summary of the interview with Barak Obama and respond to the following questions:

A)Are we living in a new Gilded Age? (provide evidence to support your answer)

B) Do you think corporations have too much power in modern society?

C) How and when should the government regulate the US economy?Your post should be at least 200 words and include a response to at least one classmate.

If you need further information on the Gilded Age as a historical period in order to thoughtfully respond to these questions, use your text and/or the resources at this site: http://lms.jefferson.k12.ky.us/WebQuests/GildedAge.htm