United States History- Honors
Responses to Industrialism
Your name is Seymour Gump and you are going to write a diary for the period 1865-1914.
What You Need to Know:
1. Due Date : ________________________
2. You DO NOT need to have an entry for every day or every year
3. You may include letters from relatives or friends (It would be a good idea to place them all
around the country or do a lot of moving yourself.)
4. If you fancy yourself an artist, feel free to draw pictures. You can also insert images from the
web.
5. Use a variety of sources, such as books, websites, videos, etc.
6. Include a bibliography at the end of your journal. Be sure to cite throughout when required.
Seymour Gump is born on December 3, 1858 in Philadelphia, PA. He is a smart child so he
starts keeping a diary in 1865. He dies on December 18, 1914. You get to decide where and
how he dies.
Topic A – American Cities and Towns
1. In the course of the diary, Seymour or a relative or a friend must live in at least 2 different towns
or cities in 2 different regions in America. You should decide where to live and describe each
locale and standard of living in detail. What does the area look like? Is it upper, middle or lower
class? What region of the country is it in? etc.
2. Choose a specific city that was growing at the time. Discuss the problems of that city. There
should be a description of various problems (population, disease, tenements, crime, pollution,
etc.)
Topic B – Work in America
1. You or a friend or relative are a laborer in a factory of some type (textiles, meat packing, etc).
What conditions and problems does this person face on a daily basis? Describe the working
conditions (pay, hours, safety, etc.).
2. The unions come to town. Explain this workers reaction to the unions, his decision to join or not,
and the town’s reaction to the Union. Include at least 1 specific union, its founder, goals and
strategies.
3. Your sister is still unmarried at age 20. Since she is not independently wealthy, she must work
for a living. What opportunities and problems does she encounter? Describe her experiences in
the workplace. Remember, life for a female is much different than for a male. It is also much
different based on which social class she belongs to.
Topic C – Technology/Business
1. What changes do you see as a result of the increased use of technology and new
inventions/innovations? Are these changes beneficial or harmful to society? Describe at least
two technologies in the workplace and two in the home.
2. How has the structure of business changed in America? (think Carnegie and Rockefeller)
Describe the types of business organizations and give historical examples of corporations.
Discuss the business practices being used by large companies. Give your opinion on whether
these businessmen are Captains of Industry or Robber barons. Describe the government’s
attitude towards business.
Topic D – Immigration
1. You get to meet immigrants from (Choose 2): Italy, Russia, Poland, and China. Why have these
people come to America? What problems do they face and how successful are they in their new
environment? Describe your reaction to them.
Topic E – Indians (Do not use the term Native Americans, as that was not used at the time)
1. You or a relative or friend move out West and become involved in the Indian controversies of
the late 1800s. Describe the problems Indians face in America. How did westward expansion
impact them? Describe the government’s changing policies toward the Indians. Describe your
personal feelings and reactions. Be sure to include specific events.
Topic F – Farmers
1. You or a relative or friend decides to be a farmer. Describe the multitude of problems farmers
faced in the late 1800s (weather, prices, railroads, etc.). What solutions were proposed?
Describe any advances/technology made in farming at this time. Describe at least 1 organization
formed to help farmers and their goals and achievements.
Topic G – Politics
1. Your uncle has served as a congressman in Washington, DC for a long time. He is very popular
with the hometown folks and gets re-elected every two years through 1914. You write often and
are fascinated by his replies containing the inside scoop on current issues. Record several of his
letters and your reactions to his letters. Be sure to include at least 5 of the following laws in the
letters to him. These laws should be in bold or underlined.
Chinese Exclusion Act
Sherman Antitrust Act
Pure Food and Drug Act
16th amendment
Interstate Commerce Act
initiative
secret ballot
17th amendment
referendum
recall
Dawes Act
2. Discuss political machines. What are they? What effects do they have on government and
society? How did they help and hurt communities? Discuss at least 1 historical political machine.
Topic H – Significant Events
1. Since you read the newspapers avidly and at times have found yourself in the center of conflict,
you have strong feelings about major events of the period. Discuss any 3 of the following
throughout your journal. Place them in bold or underline them.
Haymarket Riot
Railroad Strikes of 1877
Sand Creek Massacre
Pullman Strike
Wounded Knee
McKinley’s assassination
Election of 1896
Homestead Steel Strike
Triangle Shirtwaist Fire
Topic I – Famous People
During the course of your life, you, a relative or friend meet or read about a number of extraordinarily
interesting people. Discuss 10 of them throughout your journal entries. Include them where they make
the most logical sense. Place them in bold or underline them.
Mark Twain
William Jennings Bryan
Andrew Carnegie
George Pullman
Margaret Sanger
Terrence Powderly
John D. Rockefeller
Thomas Edison
Sitting Bull
Mary Elizabeth Lease
Eugene V. Debs
Upton Sinclair
Florence Kelly
Jay Gould
Jacob Riis
Samuel Gompers
Grover Cleveland
Joseph Pulitzer
John Muir
Gifford Pinchot
Josiah Strong
Jane Addams
Robert Lafollette
Theodore Roosevelt
Benjamin Harrison
Lincoln Steffens
J.P Morgan
Alexander Graham Bell
Helen Hunt Jackson
Elizabeth Cady Stanton
On December 18, 1914 you die (in any way that you wish, just avoid being too morbid)
Format
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
All entries should be typed in a legible font. You do not need to double-space.
Every law/event/person in entries G1, H, and I should be in bold or underlined.
Each entry should be labeled with the topic letter and number (Ex. B2, C1, etc.)
The journal should be bound. There should be no loose pages.
Include a cover page with your name and a visual.
Be creative, but DO NOT change history.
Grading Rubric
Criteria
Historical
Information
(each entry
is scored on
the rubric)
5
4
3
2
1
The topic is
covered with an
abundance of
factual support.
Project includes
more than six
detailed facts
about the topic.
The topic is
covered with
sufficient factual
support. Project
includes at least
six detailed facts
about the topic.
Mechanics
4 points is the
highest score
on this part of
the rubric
Evident control
of grammar,
mechanics,
spelling, usage,
and sentence
formation
The topic is
covered with
adequate
factual support.
Project includes
at least five
detailed facts
about the topic
Sufficient
control of
grammar,
mechanics,
spelling, usage,
and sentence
formation
The topic is
covered with
minimal factual
support. Project
includes at least
four detailed
facts about the
topic
Limited control
of grammar,
mechanics,
spelling, usage,
and sentence
formation
The topic is
covered with
little to no
factual support.
Project includes
less than four
detailed facts
about the topic
Minimal control
of grammar,
mechanics,
spelling, usage,
and sentence
formation.
Appearance
and
Organization
4 points is the
highest score
on this part of
the rubric
* Project shows
professional
appearance
* It is typed.
* Organization
of project is
well-planned
* Project shows
quality
appearance
* It is typed.
* Organization
of project shows
some planning
* Project’s
appearance is
satisfactory
* It is typed.
* Organization
of project shows
little planning
* Project lacks
neatness
* It is not typed.
* Organization is
poorly planned
Bibliography
4 points is the
highest score
on this part of
the rubric
* Contains at
least 4 sources
and is in proper
MLA format
.
* There are no
errors.
* Contains at
least 3 sources
and is in proper
MLA format.
* Contains at
least 2 sources.
* Contains at
least 1 source.
*There is an
attempt to use
proper MLA
format, but
there are
significant
errors.
*It is not in
correct MLA
format
*There may be
minor errors.