Tuesday, October 25th/ Wednesday October 26th

Advanced American History

Tuesday -- Hrs 3/4:  Complete reading of primary documents entitled Frederick Law Olmstead Accepts the Urban Challenge and Jacob Riis How the Other Half Lives.  Note their unique focus on urban development, and how many of the optimistic assumptions of Olmstead in 1870 are not realized by 1890 when Riis publishes his account of tenement life.

Hr 5:  Notes on immigration/urbanization 

Wednesday -- NHD Topic selection work.

American Studies

Monday -- Text assignment based on pages 160-68 (Westward Expansion and American Indians)
Tuesday -- Discussion of text assignment and analysis of changing federal policy directed at Native Americans in the 19th century.  You should understand the impact of changing policies from forced Removal, to Reservations, to Assimilation and Allotment.
Wednesday -- A&E Biography -- Sitting Bull

photo of Sitting Bull courtesy pbs.org

Monday October 24th

Advanced American History

After a brief discussion of topic selection for NHD, our attention returned to the Gilded Age, specifically the rapid urbanization and accelerating immigration during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.  15 million new immigrants flooded into America between 1890 and 1914, and this combined with the "closing of the frontier" in 1890 combined to produce a massive workforce and a steady supply of labor as well as a host of social problems.  This combination led to a period of nativist backlash and launched the progressive movement.

Assignment:  Read 212-19 (The Drive for Reform)


American History

Read text 160-68 and answer the five questions related to westward expansion and federal indian policy.   Be prepared for a quiz tomorrow!

Thursday, October 20th / Friday, October 21st

Advanced American History

Introduction to National History Day!  NHD is an extensive research project, where you will have the opportunity to select a topic of your choice that relates to a theme, research the context and topic utilizing a variety of primary and secondary sources, build an historical argument, and create a website, paper, documentary, performance or museum style exhibit.

Every year, over a half million students from around the country participate in NHD.  Regardless of your future plans, NHD will benefit you by making you a better researcher, reader, writer, and a more complex thinker.  Also, should you choose to enter competitions with your project, you may have the opportunity to meet and compete with students from around the region, state and country.  See the following sites for more details:

www.nhd.org
www.wisconsinhistory.org/teachers/historyday/


American Studies

Continue Muckraker project work (due Friday at the end of class)

Wednesday, October 19th

Advanced American Studies

Class today contained the following activities:
1.  Review of Federal Indian Policy as a consequence of westward expansion throughout the 19th century. The shift in policy from removal to reservations and finally the crushing failure of assimilation and allotment was discussed.
2.  QUIZ #2
3.  Introduction to immigration during the Gilded Age.

Assignment:  Read 128-142 in preparation for Monday


American Studies 

Muckrakers were investigative journalists who exposed societal problems in the Gilded Age era.  Alone or with a partner, we began an assignment today where you should assume the role of a muckraker from the era, research a problem area, and finally compose an article exposing the problem and advocating for reform.  Muckrakers include:

Nellie Bly
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAWbly.htm
http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/trianglefire/
http://newdeal.feri.org/library/d_4m.htm

Jacob Riis
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/1900/peopleevents/pande11.html
http://tenant.net/Community/LES/jacob4.html
http://www.masters-of-photography.com/R/riis/riis.html

Upton Sinclair
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Jupton.htm
http://www.boondocksnet.com/editions/jungle/jungle_060609.html

Ida Tarbell
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/rockefellers/peopleevents/p_tarbell.html
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/rockefellers/sfeature/sf_6.html
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/rockefellers/sfeature/sf_7.html

John Spargo
http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5571
http://www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/childlabor/index.html

Lincoln Steffens
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Jsteffens.htm
http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/database/article_display.cfm?HHID=211


These articles are due at the end of class Friday.

Tuesday, October 18th

Advanced American History

After a review of the populist movement in the 1890's, we shifted our focus to another issue during the Gilded Age, westward expansion and the impact on native people.  With the expansion of railroads, the desire for farmland, the discovery of gold and silver, and massive immigration, conflict arose between American Indians and white settlers during much of the 19th century.  Compounding difficulties for native people, the federal government established a series of ineffective policies to deal with this conflict, from a system of reservations midcentury, to allotment and assimilation in the later part of the 19th century.

Assignment:  Read 160-68 (questions).  Quiz Wednesday!

American History

Today we finished our summary of the populist movement and the Wizard of Oz as a political allegory for the events and people of the late 19th century.  There is out of class assignment today.

Monday October 17th

**NOTE**  Daily posts will return.  I mistakenly thought weekly updates would be sufficient.  If you have questions on the previous week, please see me.


Advanced American History


Our attention today turned away from the plight of the urban industrial worker during the Gilded Age to the rural farmer and the populist movement.  Be able to understand the following questions for upcoming quizzes and tests:

1.  What were the problems farmers were facing in the 1890's?
2.  Who were the populists and what were their demands?
3.  What was the outcome and significance of the election of 1896?


Moreover, as we have seen in current events from protests on Wall Street to political debates between modern Republicans and Democrats over tax policy, poverty, wealth distribution, etc., the legacy of the populist movement of 110 years ago can still be seen today.

image of William Jennings Bryan courtesy washington.edu

American History


Be able to answer the aforementioned questions.  Finally, we discussed the Wizard of Oz as a political allegory, written with the Populist movement in mind.  

Monday October 3rd - Friday October 7th

Andrew Carnegie (industrialist and philanthropist)
courtesy wisc.edu

Advanced American History

Monday:  Finish the film Glory.


Tuesday:   As we move from the Civil War and the period of Reconstruction to the later quarter of the 19th Century, the United States will be transformed at an unprecedented pace, as the country will rapidly urbanize and industrialize.  This massive transformation will create tremendous wealth and build modern America, but it will also generate massive political, social and economic challenges.  This contrast, led Mark Twain to coin the era the "Gilded Age."
Assignment:  Read Text 107-113

Wednesday:  To introduce the period of industrialization, we analyzed patent drawings from some notable inventions from the late 19th century.  This led to a discussion of what factors promoted this period of ingenuity and innovation in America (natural resources, immigrants, laissez-faire economic principles, etc.)

Thursday:  Industrialization led to new businesses (the rise of the corporation), new businessmen (titans like Carnegie and Rockefeller), and new challenges (as work moves from skilled to unskilled in a new industrial era).  Class today was devoted to this discussion, and there was a fairly substantial lecture/notes session today.  If absent, be sure to review Ch. 4, sec 1/2 in your text

Friday:  Assignment -- Andrew Carnegie's Gospel of Wealth and associated questions (due Monday).

Assembly line at Ford Rouge Plant courtesy wisc.edu

American Studies


Monday:  Finish Reconstruction assignments -- text 87-91 and webquest at www.pbs.org/reconstruction

Tuesday:  Exam Review.  Be sure to complete study guide for Extra Credit points!

Wednesday:  Civil War Exam

Thursday:  As we move from the Civil War and the period of Reconstruction to the later quarter of the 19th Century, the United States will be transformed at an unprecedented pace, as the country will rapidly urbanize and industrialize.  This massive transformation will create tremendous wealth and build modern America, but it will also generate massive political, social and economic challenges.  This contrast, led Mark Twain to coin the era the "Gilded Age."

Friday:  Review Civil War Exams

Monday Sept. 26th - Friday Sept. 30th

Camp Randall postcard courtesy 28thwisconsin.com

Advanced American History

Monday:  Today we analyzed a few primary sources from the Civil War era.  After a reading of the Gettysburg address, we also took a look at a poster from Milwaukee in 1863 identifying draft dodgers.  Finally, we viewed a clip from Ken Burns on Lincoln's Assassination.
Assignment:  Read text 87-91 (Reconstruction)

Tuesday:  In the decade following the Civil War, the nation needed to deal with the political challenges that arose from an assassinated president, the aftermath of war, and the liberation of 4 million slaves.  The period of Reconstruction was highlighted by political clashes between radicals and moderates, reconciliation between north and south, and also an unfortunate legacy of segregation and violence in the south.

Wednesday:  Civil War Exam

Thursday/Friday:  To culminate our study of the Civil War, we will view the film Glory.  This film highlights the exploits of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment, the first soldiers of color to see combat in the Civil War.

Lee and Grant at Appomattox courtesy nps.gov

American Studies

Monday/Tuesday:  Finish Glory.


Wednesday:  Today we will resume class presentations on turning points in the Civil War.  The focus today is on the year 1863, and key turning points like Gettysburg and Vicksburg.

Thursday:  No class -- Wisconsin Education Fair

Friday:  1864-65 Presentations / Assassination of President Lincoln.
Assignment:  Read text 87-91.  Complete Reconstruction Handout.