1>>>> For this discussion board I would like you to answer the following question:
Imagine you are tasked with delivering a single lecture based upon only ONE of the following Video Lessons for this Unit:
Lesson 3: Moving to the City
Lesson 4: A Dream Deferred
Lesson 5: Labor’s Struggles
Lesson 8: The Progressive Paradox
Lesson 9: The War to End All Wars
Which of these specific lessons do you believe to be the most important to
teach a class about American History in the second-half of the
Nineteenth Century and early Twentieth Century? Why do you believe this
is the most critical information for students to learn?
Please
make your initial post at least two (2) paragraphs long and include
specific historical details, processes, and/or people to support your
arguments.
2>>>> ASSIGNMENT
(Please select ONE set of documents
to complete the PDA #1 Assignment. You will choose whether you wish to
read the documents and answer the related essay prompts for either the
document on Gilded Age politics or the major Progressive Era platforms
of Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson.)
Document Set #1: Plunkitt of Tammany Hall (1905)
This
document sheds an unfiltered light on politics in the Gilded Age by
detailing the famous / infamous career of a New York City politician.
Plunkitt’s views provide a window into this era and the fundamental
transformations reshaping the country and redefining what it meant to be
an American.
Answer the following three (3) questions in an essay a MINIMUM length of Two (2) FULL Pages.
1. What does this document reveal about the nature of American politics in the Gilded Age? Please be specific.
2. What major aspects of Mr. Plunkitt’s approach to politics do you approve of and/or disapprove of? Why? Please be specific.
3.
Are there parallels with this primary document from the early 1900s and
the nature of politics and role of politicians in modern society today?
In what specific ways?
Please remember to use specific evidence from these documents to support your arguments.
Document Set #2: The New Nationalism vs. The New Freedom
The
1912 Presidential Election was easily one of the most dynamic if not
consequential elections in the 20th century. While incumbent Republican
President William Howard Taft faced opposition from the Democratic Party
nominee Woodrow Wilson, he also faced arguably the greatest third party
challenge in the Progressive candidate, former President Theodore
Roosevelt. If that wasn’t interesting enough, the Socialist Party of
America ran Eugene V. Debs who received over 900,000 popular votes. The
race very quickly evolved into a contest between Theodore Roosevelt
(“New Nationalism”) and Woodrow Wilson (“New Freedom”) who both espoused
progressive values but articulated fundamentally different approaches
to leading the country and government’s role in a modern democracy.
Answer the following three (3) questions in an essay a MINIMUM length of Two (2) FULL Pages.
1. What are the major arguments contained within these two political platforms? Please be specific.
2. Which platform (New Nationalism or New Freedom) do you agree with most and why? Please be specific.
3. Are there modern day parallels regarding debates about the role of government in our society today? In what specific ways?
Please remember to use specific evidence from these documents to support your arguments.
