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Lesson 3
Social Darwinism and
Social Reform
Terms
• Individualism – the belief that no matter
what a person’s background is, he or she
can still become successful through effort
• Social Darwinism – a philosophy based
on Charles Darwin’s theories of evolution
and natural selection, asserting that
humans have developed through
competition and natural selection with only
the strongest surviving.
Terms
• Evolution – the scientific theory that
humans and other forms of life have
evolved over time.
• Philanthropy – providing money to
support humanitarian or social goods.
• Settlement houses – an institution
located in a poor neighborhood that
provided numerous community services
such as medical care, child care, libraries,
and classes in English.
Terms
• Americanization – the process of
acquiring or causing a person to acquire
American traits and characteristics.
• Publish – to make a document available
to the general public.
Progress Check - 123
• How did Horatio Alger’s books
demonstrate the idea of individualism?
• Alger’s books gave people
hope that they could
improve their lives by hard
work, as the characters in
his stories did.
Progress Check - 126
• Why were public schools important to the
success of immigrant children?
• Children learned
English, American
culture, and history, as
well as workplace skills.
Progress Check - 127
• Why was it possible to pursue more
leisure activities and popular
entertainment during this time period?
• An improving standard of living
provided more income to spend
on such activities, and a decrease
in work’s strenuousness
encouraged more sport and
exercise.
Taking Notes - 122
Theory or Movement
Social Darwinism
Laissez-Faire
Main Idea
Survival of the fittest
No government
interference in business
Gospel of Wealth
The wealthy use
philanthropy to create
conditions to help people
help themselves
Realism
Portray the world
realistically
Critical Thinking - 123
• Why might Spencer’s ideas have seemed
controversial at the time they were
written?
•His ideas went
against the traditional
religious beliefs of the
time.
Critical Thinking - 125
• Based on her involvement with Hull
House, how would you describe Jane
Adams as a person?
• Addams was a dedicated
social reformer who was
concerned about improving
the lives of others.
Critical Thinking - 127
• Why did Mark Twain write the Adventures
of Huckleberry Finn using local dialect?
• Twain used local dialect
because he wanted his
characters and the subject
of his book to seem as
realistic as possible.
Lesson 3 - Exit Quiz
1.Which philosophy was a
gentler version of Social
Darwinism, and what was
its intention?
2.What is the main idea of
individualism?