The Gilded Age: America's Growing Pains

In the late 19th century, the most effective way to reach people was in newspapers and magazines. One of the most creative ways to critique the government and point out issues in America was using cartoons.

The term for this era is the "Gilded Age"-coined by author Mark Twain. "Gilded" refers to something that looks shiny and nice on the outside but on the inside is a mess. Twain used this phrase to refer to America because, on the outside, America was expanding and business was booming. Large cities were being built and new technologies developed. But...at what cost? Immigrants, poor city folk and rural farmers, Native Americans and African Americans were all being treated very harshly at this time.

For this week's blog, do a Google search on "Gilded Age Political Cartoons". Find one you think is interesting and do some research on it. Figure out who drew it, when it was drawn and what it means.

For the comment section, answer the following prompts.

1-Who drew your cartoon?
2-Which magazine/newspaper published it?
3-When was it published?
4-Which Gilded Age issue did it address? (Business, Immigration, Politics etc.)
5-Describe what is in the cartoon and what it mean.

You need to post the image in your comments OR paste a link so I can look up the cartoon.

Remember to reach at least 200 words as you are answering the prompts.

America Industrializes: We're Not In Kansas Anymore

Perhaps the single greatest change to American life in the 19th century, besides the ending of slavery, was the growth of business. We used to be a largely agrarian (farming) society, but that slowly began to change.

When factories and machines began to produce steel and mine coal at record speeds, cities became more modern and jobs became more plentiful.

With more jobs came a need to fill those jobs. Where would the workers come from?

Well...often these jobs were filled with immigrants from Europe. Most of those immigrants entered America through a processing station in New York harbor called Ellis Island.

This week, take some time to explore this fun website. There is a lot of great info and old pictures from this immigration age. Click "start the tour" to begin and follow it all the way to the end.

For the comments....

1) Create a list of the 10 most interesting things you learned from this "Ellis Island Tour".

2) Write a paragraph detailing what you think was the most difficult part of being an immigrant at Ellis Island.

Each part should be at least 100 words.

America Moves West: We'll Never Be The Same

This week we are looking in depth at America's experience as it progressed westward across the nation. There were technological innovations that proved how far we had come (i.e. Transcontinental Railroad) but also many terrible social interactions (natives vs. army).

Take a look at this website this week. Choose any story, beginning with the Pony Express story, and explain in the comment section what it taught you about the "old west".

Make sure your post is at least 200 words and the word count is included.

Battle of Little Bighorn: A Win for the Natives

As we approach this chapter about America moving westward, we will encounter some ugly truths about our past. The most obvious is the blatant disregard for the well-being of the Native Americans "in our way".

Many famous battles (aka massacres) were fought in this period. One that stands out as unique, because America lost, was the Battle of Little Bighorn (aka Custer's Last Stand).

For this week's blog...
1) Watch this brief video
2) Read this first hand account

For the comment section, write 100 words for each of the following two questions.
A-Why were the natives victorious in this battle?
B-Why do you think they were largely unsuccessful in every other major skirmish with the US Army during this period?