Social Gospel Movement: A Response to Immigration

As the cities of America became quickly overcrowded after the Civil War, there were two diverging responses to the growing crises.

Response One: Nativism
-Nativists essentially blamed the ills of America on the rising immigrant population. Anything "new and different" (i.e. skin color, ethnic background, languages, cultures, clothes, food, customs, religious practices, economic beliefs etc.) were automatically dismissed as not only bad...but dangerous and problematic.

Response Two: Social Gospel
-The Social Gospel Movement saw the immigrant crisis as an opportunity to help and serve. Citizens, both men and women, saw the needs of the poor in the cities and were moved with compassion.

Read this account of the origins of this movement. Answer TWO of the following questions for the comment section. Additional research may be necessary.

1) What role did Jane Addams play in this movement?

2) In what ways, specifically, did this movement seek to help in our urban centers?

3) Explain the "social survey movement" in regards to how it was used by the Social Gospel Movement.

4) What role did churches (and religion in general) play in the Social Gospel Movement?

5) How does the Social Gospel Movement differ from the Social Darwinism Movement (which was occurring at the same time incidentally)?

Gilded Age: College Football

During this Gilded Age era, one of the interesting modern developments we begin to notice is the onslaught for public entertainment. People, now moving to the cities in droves, needed stuff to do after they got off work (sound familiar?). Remember, this is the first time in American history where more people are living in cities than in rural/agricultural areas.

One of the "American inventions" of this age was college football. While not the money-making machine it is today, college football was certainly very popular...and very dangerous. The athletes back then certainly were not as fast and strong as they are today...but their equipment (pads, helmets etc.) certainly weren't as safe/protective as our modern versions.

Then, just like now, people questioned the brutality and popularity of this sport.


Watch this professor talk about the similarities between the Roman Gladiator system and our modern fascination with College Football. (Find the video link under "Chapter Five-Spectator Sports")

Read this article about Teddy Roosevelt's defense of college football in the early 20th century.

In the comment section, answer ALL THREE of these questions...

1) Based on the video, how does the Roman Gladiator system compare to college football today?

2) What were the complaints about football during Teddy Roosevelt's day and how did he intervene?

3) In your opinion, why does America seemed obsessed with football? Is this good or bad for our nation?

What's The Difference?: Explaining Capitalism, Socialism & Communism

I want to applaud this class for the impassioned response to Friday's reading about "Robber Barons". History should feel personal because, while it happened long ago in some cases, it is our history. We should disagree. In fact, I encourage respectful disagreement. It means we are thinking!

I thought it would be a good idea for everyone to solidify their content knowledge on what exactly the terms capitalism, socialism/communism mean.

For this week's blog, view this video and visit this website for some quality explanations on these different economic systems. You may want to Google other resources as well.

For the comment section, answer all three of the following questions...

1) Summarize, in your own words, the differences between capitalism and socialism/communism.

2) What are the pros/cons of capitalism and socialism/communism?

3) After learning more about these concepts this week, which system makes the most sense to you personally? Why?

Labor vs Ownership: The Pullman Palace Car Strike

The growth of industry led to many opportunities for those in control of capital and resources to makes LOTS of money. Unfortunately, human nature often gets the best of us and greed kicks into high gear.

One of the best examples of a successful business, in the face of hard times, exploiting its workers is George Pullman's Palace Car Company. His seemingly uncaring tactics led to a major strike run by the A.R.U. This type of episode signifies the struggle between the people who own companies (management) the people who run companies (labor).

Watch this 9:00 video to get a very clear understanding of what happened in the Pullman Strike. For the comments, answer ANY THREE of the following questions. Remember, your answer must be at least 200 words and you lose -15 points if the word count is not included.

Choose Three:
1-What was a Pullman Palace Car?

2-Why caused the workers to strike in 1894?

3-What response did the government, including President Cleveland, have to this strike?

4-What happened to some of the labor leaders after the strike ended? Did their appeal to the Supreme Court work?

5-What were some of the results of the strike?

Industrialism Embodied: The Brooklyn Bridge

The next few weeks we will turn our attentions to the growing rate of industrialism in America. Literally the landscape of our nation was changing.

One ubiquitous, but often overlooked evidence of industrialism at its finest is the Brooklyn Bridge.  Constructed in the last few decades of the 19th century, this bridge symbolizes the changes in America.

For this week's blog, read this account regarding the building of this bridge.

For the comments, reflect on what you have read. Answer these two questions...

1) What impressed you from the article you read?

2) What is the most impressive man-made creation you have ever personally seen (building, monument, vehicle etc. etc.)?

Remember, your post must be at least 200 words and the word count must be posted (or you lose 15 points automatically).

Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show: The Persistence of the "Mythical Wild, Wild West"

Another angle we can take on this chapter is the "myth of the wild, wild west". If you closed your eyes and repeated that phrase, undoubtedly a dozen images would immediately spring to mind.

Have you ever stopped to think...where did those images come from? Where, exactly, do Americans get their minds-eye view of the wild, wild west? Also, was it even all that wild?

An obvious answer is 20th century media. Everything from old-timey radio programs, to novels and movies perpetuate a certain perspective on the American West. Case in point, Hollywood is releasing a remake of a famous western called The Magnificent Seven with Denzel Washington and Chris Pratt. You've probably seen the previews.

One of the earliest players in the Old West theme was Buffalo Bill Cody. He led a incredibly successful Wild West Show which traveled around America...kind of a like a modern-day circus.

For this week's blog, visit this website to gain more information about Bill Cody, his friends and his show. You'll need to read the main article and then look at some of the links on the left side of the screen.

For the comments section, list the ten most interesting things you did not know about Buffalo Bill and His Show. After your Top Ten List, write a paragraph about why Americans love clinging to myths that we all (for the most part) know are not true.

Remember......each week's blog post must be at least 200 words and the word count should be included in parenthesis at the end of your comment section. From this point forward, blog's without the word count attached will lose 15 points.

The "Indian Problem": Assimilation of Native Americans

After the era of Reconstruction, America could again fully turn her attention to "The West". Having long been the subject of fascination, "moving west" again became the focal point of politics and the commoners' dream. But here again Americans faced an age-old problem: what to do with the natives?

We know that often violence was used to push off natives from their homeland and that practice was sure to continue. But for this week's blog, we are going to examine another method: Boarding Schools.

Watch this video about the attempt by the government to assimilate native tribes into a "mainstream American culture".

In the comments section, choose three of these questions to answer:
1) What motivation did Americans have for forcing native tribes into an agricultural lifestyle?

2) What does the word "assimilation" mean? Do you think there is one singular "American Culture" for people to be assimilated into?

3) Describe the Boarding School system. What shocked/saddened you in the video?

4) Do you think the Boarding School system wore down the native's desire to stand firm OR emboldened their pledge to defend their traditional way of life?

5) What was the Dawes Act? What were the consequences of this act?

6) Why do you think the Federal Government believed they had the right/authority to restrict native lifestyle the way they did?