Progressive Era
Impact of the Individual
Assignment: For this project you will be developing a 750-1000 word paper
surrounding the topic of the individual and their ability to promote change. Your
task is to research an individual during the Progressive Era and, in your
paper, demonstrate how the person contributed to creating a larger change
within society.
For your research you MUST incorporate material from a primary document:
Examples of primary documents:
Speech
Written Literature (book/diary/letter)
Autobiography
If you are unsure what constitutes a primary document click the link below:
http://www.princeton.edu/~refdesk/primary2.html
Cite document correctly in MLA format. Feel free to use the following link to help
you:
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/
In writing your paper you should incorporate the following:
How did your individual contribute to change?
Contribution to Progressive Era
Information from a Primary Document (you must reference a primary
document)
Impact of Individual (what change did they promote; how was it achieved?)
Bibliography
Due date: Tuesday December 2
Sample topics:
Lincoln Steffens; Frank Norris; Upton Sinclair; Ida Tarbell; Theodore Dreiser;
Frances Ellen Watkins; Thomas Nast; Theodore Roosevelt; Woodrow Wilson; Jane
Addams; Jacob Riis; Walter Rauschenbusch; Florence Kelley; John Dewey; Robert M.
La Follette; Hiram Johnson; Carrie Chapman Catt; Alice Paul; Margaret Sanger; Ida B.
Wells; Booker T. Washington; W.E.B. Dubois; Louis D. Brandeis; Susan B. Anthony;
Elizabeth Cady Stanton; Nina Otero-Warren
(You may choose someone that is not on this list – please see Mr. Hobdell to confirm
your topic)
Research Paper
Requirements
General Guidelines
• Your paper's subject must be approved by Mr. Hobdell prior to submission.
• Research papers cannot contain errors of spelling, grammar, or punctuation.
Proofread carefully.
• Font should be Times New Roman and should be size 12pt. Text should be doublespaced.
• All research papers must use MLA citation.
• All research papers must be submitted in Microsoft Word format or as a Google
Document, with a .doc or .docx suffix. No other formats are acceptable.
• All research papers must include a number of sources, including printed and
internet sources. Number of sources and ratio of print/internet sources are
detailed below.
• Students may use Wikipedia to help choose a topic, or to find possible sources for
further research. However, Wikipedia may not be included as a reference in the
bibliography.
• Research papers should include images appropriate to the paper's content.
• All research papers will be evaluated for length by word count, rather than pages, to
account for differences in fonts, margins, pictures, etc. In Microsoft Word, you
can check your work count by selecting Tools>Word Count.
• All papers must be submitted electronically as well as printed. Save your finished
paper as "research_astudent.docx", only use your first initial and last name, rather
than "astudent." E-mail to: shobdell@rtmsd.net AND print a paper copy to be
submitted.