U.S. History: Progressive Era Group Project: Home

Make a great movie with these tips from film educator Tom Barrance and his website Learnaboutfilm.com. 

Focus Question: How effectively did Progressivism address problems exposed by the Gilded Age? 

In groups, you will create a 3-5 minute video on one of the topics below. You will research your topic from the Gilded Age, explain how it led to Progressive Era reforms, and assess the success of said reforms. Mandatory components are the same as an essay: thesis, assertions, evidence, and analysis.

The product for submission is a video. There are few parameters for the format, but it must include relevant pictures, political cartoons, graphs, and/or video clips. Find options below:

• Create a Slides presentation and screen record.
• Create a Crash Course or Khan Academy style video.
• Create a video in which you and your group are the actors.
• Propose another idea and get it approved by me.

Regardless of format, each group member is responsible for researching and speaking during the video.

TOPICS

Please address both the prompt (above) and the focus question (below) that accompanies your topic.

• Industrialization

  • Choose two industrialists. How did they impact American society—as “titans of industry” or “robber barons”—and how did the federal government respond to the power of those capitalists during the Progressive Era?

• Labor Movements

  • What labor problems did industrialization create, and to what extent did labor movements succeed in generating workplace change during the Progressive Era?

• Political Corruption

  • Using Tammany Hall and a Presidential administration of your choice (1880–1912), give examples of political corruption. What happened and what changes did it result in?

• Immigration

  • Explain the challenges (racial, ethnic, religious, class divides) immigrants (1880–1920) faced upon entering the United States. In spite of these challenges, how did immigrants contribute to the success of the US?

• Women’s Movements

  • In what ways did women’s activism shape the Progressive movement, and how, in turn, did Progressivism affect the situation of American women?

SOURCE REQUIREMENTS

Utilizing NoodleTools for your bibliography, you should have at least six sources, NOT INCLUDING THE TEXTBOOK.

• Two Reference Sources
• Two Secondary Sources
• Two Primary Sources