American Storyboards Guidelines and Grading
From the end of the Civil War in 1865 until the turn of the century in 1900, America underwent significant changes that
transformed it into a modern industrial nation. Your assignment will be to tell one part of the story of this transformation
through words and visuals in storyboard form. Storyboards are used by filmmakers to plan out the shots that they will use
in their movies. In many ways, they are similar to graphic novels in comic strips. This approach will also give us the
ability to cover a significant amount of material (four chapters from your textbook) in a short amount of time. The
directions below provide you with information on what you will need to be successful in producing your assigned
storyboard.
Directions
1. Topic selection/research: On February 12, you and your partner will be asked to commit to working with one of
the subtopics from the list provided on the reverse side of this page. Once you have selected your subtopic, you
will need to consult the textbook for information on your topic. You'll want to pay special attention to the terms
listed next to your subtopics. These terms need to appear and be fully explained in the storyboard that you
produce.
2. Storyboard design/production: You and your partner will have significant class time during the week to design
and produce your final storyboard. Storyboards must include the following elements:
1. relevant title
2. 5-7 panels with both visuals and text captions/banners
3. inclusion and explanation of all terms listed for the assigned textbook section
terms should be written in bold and/or a different color from other text
4. title and panels fill an 18 x 24 sheet of construction paper
3. Storyboard gallery: Completed storyboards must be ready for viewing at the beginning of class on February 19th.
Students will then be given an opportunity to view/read all storyboards and completed guide that will help to
prepare them for the unit test.
Grading
The completed storyboard constitutes both a classwork and a project grade, as it will require both class time and at home
preparation to be successfully completed. Your grade will be based on the rubric below.
1. Students produce a superior quality storyboard that has all required elements, including substantive details and
creative artwork, clearly describes required terms, all visuals and text are relevant, comprehensive, and
informative. ---100%
2. As above, but could use additional substantive details for clarity/comprehension.
---90%
3. Good effort; final product shows quality and attention to detail but may need further explanation of terms and
context; visuals could use more creativity/attention to detail.
---80%
4. As above, may be missing up to one required term and/or panel.
---75%
5. May need more substantive detail and/or attention to visuals; product provides an adequate treatment of the
assigned topic area, but may be missing more than one panel/term.
---70%
6. Submitted late (after start of class on due date) but not after the second date of viewing; final product may be
missing significant elements/details.
---65%
page 2
Approved Storyboard Topics
Topic (required terms listed below)
Textbook Chapter/Section(s)
*The Plight of Native Americans
Ch. 17, (pp. 511-523)
Terms: “Buffalo Bill” Cody/buffalo slaughter, Sand Creek Massacre, Battle of Little Bighorn/Custer’s Last Stand/Red Cloud/Sitting
Bull, Red River War, Treaty of Fort Laramie, Helen Hunt Jackson/A Century of Dishonor, Dawes Severalty Act, Carlisle Indian
School, Ghost Dance/Wounded Knee
*Settling the West
Ch. 17, (pp. 523-539)
Terms: Pacific Railroad Act/Transcontinental Railroad, Munn -v- Illinois, Interstate Commerce Commission, Homestead
Act/homesteaders, Comstock Lode/Klondike gold rush/Joseph McCoy/Chisholm Trail/cowboys, Bonanza farms/Oklahoma land rush,
Frederick Jackson Turner, Conservation/Yellowstone National Park/John Muir/Sierra Club
*Rise of Corporate America
Ch. 18, (pp. 544-557)
Terms: Features of Industrial Manufacturing, Vanderbilt/Railroads, Carnegie/Bessemer/Steel, Rockefeller/Standard Oil, Edwin L.
Drake, Interstate Commerce Act, Sherman Anti-Trust Act, Vertical/Horizontal Integration, US -v- E.C. Knight Company, Alexander
Graham Bell, Thomas Edison, J.P. Morgan/G.E/Westinghouse
*Factories and the Work Force
Ch. 18, (pp. 560-573)
terms: The Grange, Farmers’ Alliances, Populism, Panic of 1893, bimetallism, gold standard,
Gold Bugs, Silverites, William Jennings Bryan, Election of 1896
*Life in the City
Ch. 19, (pp. 576-582, 591-596)
terms: Edwin L. Drake, oil, Bessemer process, steel, Brooklyn Bridge, skyscrapers,
Thomas Edison, electricity, typewriter, Alexander Graham Bell, telephone
*Working Class Politics and Reform
Ch. 19, (pp. 583-591, 596-604)
terms: Transcontinental Railroad, time zones, George M. Pullman, Credit Mobilier scandal,
Granger laws, Munn v. Illinois, Interstate Commerce Act
*Political and Economic Upheaval
Ch. 20, (pp. 609-617, 627-629)
*The Populists and Time for the People
Ch. 19, (pp. 617-629)
AMERICAN STORYBOARDS: GALLERY NOTES
Name: _____________________________
Please use the time provided in class today and during the next class period (half of the block) to take notes on
the storyboards produced by your classmates. Pay special attention to terms in bold (the same ones listed on
your American Storyboards assignment sheet). You might even want to summarize your own storyboard since
you will be able to use this set of notes on the upcoming “Industrial America” unit test. The completed gallery
notes will be turned in with the unit test and will constitute a class work credit.
The Plight of Native Americans
Who is Sitting Bull? Leader of the Hunkpapa Sioux tribe, he led his people during years of resistance to
US gov’t policies, he defeated Custer and US troops at the battle of Little Bighorn
Who was killed at the Battle of Little Big Horn? George A. Custer
What happened at Sand Creek? Led by John Chivington, a group of white men attacked a peaceful
Cheyenne village and killed 150 men, women and children
What is the Dawes Act? Divided American Indian tribal land into allotments for Native Americans, those
who accepted the land could become citizens, the act was an attempt to “Americanize” Indians
What is the idea of blending Native Americans into American culture? Assimilation
Cattle Trails & Cowboys
What was the type of cattle used on the long drives? Cows, Longhorns
Where did the term cowboys originate from? Spanish word “vaquero”, meaning “a boy who tends cows”
What did Joseph McCoy do? A famous longhorn farmer, he is best known for promoting transport of
longhorns from Texas to the east coast
Who invented barbed wire? Joseph Glidden
Homesteaders
What act provided farmers with free land from the Federal Government? Homestead Act
What are Homesteaders? Small farmers living off the land; self-sufficient
What is the term for African-Americans who left the south to settle and farm in the Great Plains?
Exodusters
What act created agricultural colleges in the mid-west? Morrill Act of 1862
The Populist Movement
What group of people are most closely associated with the Grange Movement? Farmers
What is the main focus of Populism? Movement of the people; established People’s Party 1892; goal was
to give the people greater voice in government
What is the idea of backing paper money with both silver and gold? Bimetallism
What is the Gold standard? Backing dollars solely with gold; “gold bugs” strongly supported the gold
standard
Who is William Jennings Bryan? Known as “The Great Commoner”, he was a dominant force in populist
wing of Democratic party; anti-gold standard
Inventions & Industry
Who perfected a means to retrieve oil from the ground? Edwin L. Drake
The Bessemer process is used for what? Making iron into steel
What did the stronger steel help build (it helped with the growth of cities)? Skyscrapers, bridges,
railroads, etc.
Who invented the light bulb Thomas Edison
Who invented the typewriter? Christopher Sholes
Alexander Graham Bell is most closely associated with which invention? Telephone
The Age of Railroads
What was the Transcontinental Railroad? First railroad built that crossed the nation from Atlantic to
Pacific
Time zones were introduced to benefit which group? Train travelers and railroad companies
Who was George M. Pullman? American engineer and industrialist; founder of the sleeping car (railway
passenger cars with beds for passengers)
What was the Credit Mobilier scandal? Scandal involving railroads, Congressmen distributed cash bribes
and discounted Crédit Mobilier shares of stock to other congressmen, in exchange for votes and actions
favorable to the Union Pacific; the scandal caused public distrust of Congress and federal government
Big Business
Andrew Carnegie is most closely associated with which industry? Steel industry
What business strategy did Andrew Carnegie use? Horizontal integration – merging of companies that
make similar products to make one larger, more powerful company
John D. Rockefeller is most closely associated with which industry? Oil industry
What is a “Robber baron”? Businessmen (such as Carnegie and Rockefeller) who engaged in unethical
and monopolistic practices
What act outlawed the formation of trusts? Sherman Antitrust Act
What is Social Darwinism? Natural selection in society; the rich were meant to be rich and the poor were
meant to be poor
The Labor Movement
National Labor Union (NLU) was formed by which group? Skilled workers
Who is Samuel Gompers? President of American Federation of Labor
What is the Haymarket Riot? Protesting of police brutality; many killed
What is the Homestead Strike? Labor unions on strike; Carnegie’s plant; though Unions were defeated,
this was one of the first times the public gave support to the workers, rather than big businesses
The New Immigrants
A new immigrant coming in from Europe would go through which place? Ellis Island, New York
A new immigrant coming in from Asia would go through which place? Angel Island, San Francisco
What does the term Melting pot mean? Mixture of different races and cultures living together
What is the idea that America is better than everyone else and there should be a limit on immigration?
Nativism, Nationalism
What is the Gentlemen’s Agreement? Restricted Japanese Immigration
Urbanization
What is the idea of Urbanization? Rapid growth in construction, cities growing
What is the process of assimilating people into a dominant culture? Cultural Assimilation
What were some of the problems w/ Urbanization? Insufficient water supply, smoke, sewage, crowded
and unsanitary living conditions, etc.
What is a Settlement house? Community center in the slums that provided assistance to poor
Who created Hull House? Jane Adams
What was the Social Gospel Movement fighting for? Poor families
Science, Urban Life, and Mass Culture
Who invented the first airplane? The Wright Brothers
What did George Eastman invent? Kodak Camera
What different recreational activities were available to people living in the cities? Amusement parks,
baseball games, theater, vaudeville shows, etc.
What did Mark Twain write? Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Adventures of Tom Sawyer
African-Americans
Who was the founder of the Tuskegee institute? Booker T. Washington
What did W.E.B. Du Bois do? Created the Niagara Movement, a civil rights organization est. 1905
Who was the women that became a civil rights activist and fought against lynching in the South? Ida B.
Wells
What is Segregation? Separation of races
What laws were created to separate the races? Jim Crow Laws
What court case established the idea of separate but equal? Plessy v. Ferguson