Unit+2

Growth of an Urban, Industrial United States The period of American history from the end of Reconstruction to the dawning of a new century can be characterized by significant economic and social changes in America. In 1870, the United States was still predominately a rural nation, facing the challenges of reconstructing itself and forging a new post-Civil War national identity. Fueled by an interconnected railroad system, technical innovations and mechanization, and the ingenuity of inventors and entrepreneurs, the national economy exploded and became much more integrated than ever before. During the next several decades, cities and the industries that developed there became increasingly central to American life. The rapid expansion of big business, large-scale agriculture, and the rise of national labor unions generated new challenges involving industrial and social conflict. A few industrialists obtained tremendous wealth, the middle class began to expand, but many workers remained impoverished.
 * Unit Historical Overview **

Opportunities in the cities spurred mass migrations throughout the country as people moved from south to north and from east to west, as well as from other lands. Migrating Americans and immigrants flooded urban centers with hopes of improving their lives. However, increasing ethnic diversity and growing poverty in these urban centers created significant social problems. As a result, workers banded together transforming social and economic challenges into political issues. Similarly, American farmers organized as never before in response to economic strife. As family farms sought to modernize, they assumed debt that eventually threatened their way of life. At the end of this period, the economic and social turmoil experienced by rural and urban Americans gave rise to third-party political movements. Yet, these same economic and social transformations helped forge a new national identity.

Students ended the previous unit with an examination of economic and demographic data about the United States from Reconstruction to the turn of the century. In this unit, students focus on how technical and organizational innovations, entrepreneurs, migration and immigration led to the transformation of the national economy. They investigate entrepreneurs and engage in small group discussions evaluating whether these individuals were Captains of Industry or Robber Barons. Students also explore the immigrant experience, analyzing primary sources to determine how issues of freedom and equality affected the lives of immigrants. Using primary and secondary sources students analyze the consequences of industrialization, including its effects on both rural and urban America. In doing so, students explore the growth of Populism and the labor movement. After students examine and reflect upon how American concepts of freedom and equality were affected by industrialization, immigration, and urbanization, they record their thoughts in their TLH Notebook. Students then compare the attributes of writing arguments and narratives, and consider the role of evidence in both. After analyzing a variety of sources related to industrialization, students use evidence to develop a historical narrative about the consequences of industrialization. Throughout the unit, students use their TLH Notebook to reflect on how the ideas of freedom and equality shaped industrial and urban America during this period.
 * Unit Abstract **

How and why did the meaning of freedom and equality in the United States change as a result of industrialization?
 * Essential Question: **


 * Focus Questions **
 * How did geography, technology, people, and government cause the growth of industrial and urban America?
 * How did industrialization transform life in late 19th and early 20th century America?
 * How did the growth of an industrial and urban America help shape the meaning of freedom and equality?