The Gilded Age & Progressive Era
Dr. P. Beisel
HIST-448-001
History Department
Spring 2016
Office: Dugas L.A. 305
Ferguson 472
Hours: 10:00-11:00 MWF, 1:00-3:00 MW, and by appointment
MWF 9:00-9:50 PM
Phone: 936-468-2093; Email: [email protected]
1
2
3
Course Description:
A study of American political, social, and economic history from the Gilded Age through the
Progressive Era (1877-1921).
Program Learning Outcomes:
The SFA History Department has identified the following Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs) for all
SFA students earning a B.A. degree in History:
1. The student will evaluate the role of the historian in society.
2. The student will assess the significance of historical events/phenomena and analyze their
historical contexts.
3. The student will locate, identify and critically analyze primary and secondary sources appropriate
for historical research.
4. The student will interpret evidence found within primary sources and place those sources within
their appropriate historical context.
5. The student will effectively communicate historical arguments in support of a central thesis,
including the proper citation of sources using the most recent edition of the Chicago Manual of
Style.
This section of this course will focus on PLOs 2, 3, 4, and 5.
Student Learning Outcomes:
The more specific outcomes for this particular course are as follows:
1. The student will develop the ability to read, to comprehend, and to analyze primary sources,
scholarly surveys, and specialized studies about the Gilded Age and Progressive Era.
2. The student will be able to explain the significant specific political, diplomatic, economic,
technological, social, and cultural changes of the time period within their historical context.
3. The student will be able to explain the special problems of the time period that shaped the
development of modern America.
1
Walker Evans, “Bethlehem graveyard and steel mill. Pennsylvania,” Nov. 1935, Library of Congress.
Bain News Service, “Thomas Hitchcock Jr. & Flora Whitney,” c. 1911, Library of Congress.
3
Bain News Service, “Maine Monument Unveiled 5/30/1913,” Library of Congress.
2
2
Texts and Materials:
Calhoun, Charles ed. The Gilded Age: Perspectives on the Origins of Modern America. 2nd Edition.
Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9780742550384
Fink, Leon. Major Problems in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era. 3rd Edition. Cengage.
9781285433424
Piott, Steven L. American Reformers 1870-1920: Progressives in Word & Deed. Rowman &
Littlefield. ISBN 9780742527638
Turabian, Kate L. A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, & Dissertations. Chicago Style for
Students and Researchers. 8th Edition. Revised by Wayne Booth et al. University of Chicago
Press. ISBN 9780226816388
Articles as noted on calendar and provided in class, on D2L, or on reserve. Copies of Calhoun and Piott
are on reserve in the library.
Course Requirements:
~ Exams – Students will take three exams during the course of the semester to ensure full
knowledge of the significant specific political, diplomatic, economic, technological, social, and cultural
changes of the time period. 45% of the final grade (15% each).
~ Book Reviews – Each student will review two books: 1) an approved non-fiction narrative
history or a fiction-source (book or movie) and 2) an approved biography. The student should incorporate
at least five relevant primary sources when analyzing each work. All reports must be double-spaced, 12
pt., 1-inch margin, four-page analyses of the topic’s historic context and significance, incorporating the
primary sources, and, if fiction, analyzing its accuracy. 15% of the final grade (7.5% each).
~ Research project - Students will submit a research project, which meets relevant professional
standards. The projects will be selected and developed in consultation with the professor of this course
following the detailed outline of criteria distributed separately. 30% of the final grade (several sub-parts).
~ Class participation - Courses are only as valuable as the effort put into their preparation. To
encourage every student to share his or her thoughts and interpretations, individual preparedness and
willingness to contribute to the class’s advancement as a whole, participation is 10% of the final grade.
Each student will lead the discussion of a specific article in a designated week.
Record
your
points
on each
line and
add for
final
grade
progress
Grading Policy:
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
Exam 1, 150 points, 15% of final grade
Exam 2, 150 points, 15% of final grade
Exam 3, 150 points, 15% of final grade
Book Reviews, 150 points total, 15% of final grade
Research Paper, 300 points, 30% of final grade
Class Participation, 100 points, 10% of final grade
A = 100%-90.00% (1000-900 points)
B = 89.99%-80.00% (899-800 points)
C = 79.99%-70.00% (799-700 points)
D = 69.99%-60.00% (699-600 points)
F = 59.99%-0.00% (599-0 points)
The final grade in the course is determined by the total number of points earned. Students are responsible
for reading all notices, handouts, instructions, study guides, and relevant information posted on D2L or
provided in class. Successful participation in this course includes, but is not limited to, advance reading,
timely submission of assignments, contributions to small group and class-wide discussions of videos,
handouts, and occasional outside readings in addition to the assigned books. The participation grade is at
the full discretion of the professor. Final grades will be posted by the deadline provided by the registrar
(May 18th) – do not ask for them prior to this date.
3
Attendance Policy:
Regular and punctual attendance is expected. Attendance comprises not only physical presence and
prompt arrival but also mental alertness – listening to your iPod, text messaging, working puzzles, and
speaking with others will not be considered as full participation. Each student is expected to contribute to
small group and class-wide discussions of lectures, videos, handouts, and occasional outside readings in
addition to the two assigned reading books. Students should strive to regularly communicate their
understanding of the material in class and immediately seek additional help if needed. Students are
responsible for providing timely documentation satisfactory to the instructor for each absence. Regardless
of the reason, a student is still responsible for all course content and assignments.
Makeup Policy:
Makeup times for the exams should be made in advance and are subject to instructor’s approval if you are
sick, injured, broken car, death in the family, etc. Usually a makeup exam must be completed by 5:00
p.m. of the next class day. There is no makeup of the third (final) exam. Please do not ask to take an
exam early to leave before a university break.
Student Academic Dishonesty (4.1-July 29, 2014):
Abiding by university policy on academic integrity is a responsibility of all university faculty and
students. Faculty members must promote the components of academic integrity in their instruction, and
course syllabi are required to provide information about penalties for cheating and plagiarism. (Note: In
this course, if you cheat or plagiarize you will receive a zero for the assignment and will possibly be
expelled from the course.)
Definition of Academic Dishonesty
Academic dishonesty includes both cheating and plagiarism. Cheating includes, but is not limited to
 using or attempting to use unauthorized materials on any class assignment or exam;
 falsifying or inventing of any information, including citations, on an assignment; and/or;
 helping or attempting to help another in an act of cheating or plagiarism.
Plagiarism is presenting the words or ideas of another person as if they were one’s own. Examples of
plagiarism include, but are not limited to:
 submitting an assignment as one’s own work when it is at least partly the work of another person;
 submitting a work that has been purchased or otherwise obtained from an Internet source or
another source; and/or
 incorporating the words or ideas of an author into one's paper or presentation without giving the
author credit.
Please read the complete policy at http://www.sfasu.edu/policies/student_academic_dishonesty.pdf
Withheld Grades (Course Grades, 5.5-July 16, 2013):
At the discretion of the instructor of record and with the approval of the academic unit head, a grade of
WH will be assigned only if the student cannot complete the course work because of unavoidable
circumstances. Students must complete the work within one calendar year from the end of the semester in
which they receive a WH, or the grade automatically becomes an F, except as allowed through policy
[i.e., Active Military Service (6.14)]. If students register for the same course in future terms the WH will
automatically become an F and will be counted as a repeated course for the purpose of computing the
grade point average.
4
Academic Accommodation for Students with Disabilities (6.1-April 14, 2015):
It is the policy of Stephen F. Austin State University to comply with the fundamental principles of
nondiscrimination and accommodation in academic programs set forth in the implementing regulations
for Section 504 for the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
(ADA, as amended by the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments of Act of 2008 (ADAAA).
Please read the complete policy at http://www.sfasu.edu/policies/academic-accommodation-for-studentswith-disabilities.pdf. For additional information please go to http://www.sfasu.edu/disabilityservices/.
Discrimination Complaints/Sexual Harassment (2.11-July 28, 2015):
It is the policy of Stephen F. Austin State University, in accordance with federal and state law, to prohibit
unlawful discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, genetic
information, citizenship, and veteran status. Unlawful discrimination based on sex includes discrimination
defined as sexual harassment. Stephen F. Austin State University is committed to the principles of Equal
Employment Opportunity (EEO) law. An employee who violates this policy is subject to disciplinary
action up to and including termination. A student that violates this policy is subject to disciplinary action
up to and including expulsion.
Course Calendar:
The usual routine…
Monday
Lecture
Wednesday
Friday
Presentations/Discussions
Exams, Research Projects, Videos, et al
Specific Readings:
Week 1. January 18-22: Introduction
NO CLASS MONDAY JAN. 18th
Charles Calhoun, Perspectives on the Origins of Modern America, Preface & Intro.
Steven Piott, American Reformers 1870-1920, Introduction.
Leon Fink, Major Problems in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, Chapter 1.
Walter Nugent, “Welcome to the Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era,”
Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era 1:1 (January 2002): 7-9. (D2L)
Week 2. January 25-29: Politics, 1877-1896 (The Parties & The Presidency)
Charles Calhoun, Perspectives on the Origins of Modern America, Chapters 11 and 12.
Leon Fink, Major Problems in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, Chapter 3 (Documents
1, 2, 3, and 4 and Summers Essay).
Charles W. Calhoun, “Reimagining the “Lost Men” of the Gilded Age: Perspectives
on the Late Nineteenth Century Presidents,” Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive
Era 1:3 (July 2002): 225-257.
Week 3. February 1-5: Big Business, Government, and Law, 1877-1896
Charles Calhoun, Perspectives on the Origins of Modern America, Chapters 1, 15, & 16.
Steven Piott, American Reformers 1870-1920, Chapters 2 and 8.
Leon Fink, Major Problems in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, Chapter 2 (Documents
1, 2, 3, and 4 and Nasaw Essay).
5
Week 4. February 8-12: Industry and Labor, 1877-1896 (Unions: Internal/External Clashes)
Charles Calhoun, Perspectives on the Origins of Modern America, Chapter 3.
Steven Piott, American Reformers 1870-1920, Chapter 7.
Leon Fink, Major Problems in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, Chapter 2 (Documents 5
and 6 and Kazin Essay) and Chapter 4.
Edward Slavishak, “Working-Class Muscle: Homestead and Bodily Disorder in the Gilded
Age,” Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era 3:4 (October 2004): 339-368. (D2L)
Week 5. February 15-19: Politics, 1896-1912 (National Politics & Populists)
Charles Calhoun, Perspectives on the Origins of Modern America, Chapter 13.
Steven Piott, American Reformers 1870-1920, Chapters 3 and 11.
Leon Fink, Major Problems in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, Chapter 7.
Walter Nugent, “Comments on Wyatt Wells, ‘Rhetoric of the Standards: The Debate over
Gold and Silver in the 1890s,’” Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era 14:1
(January 2015): 69-76.
Wyatt Wells, “Rhetoric of the Standards: The Debate over Gold and Silver in the 1890s,”
Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era 14:1 (January 2015): 49-68 and “Reply to
Walter Nugent,” 77-79.
February 19 – Exam 1 (Includes all materials Weeks 1-5)
Week 6. February 22-26: Progressivism, 1896-1912 (Professionalization, Religion, and
Idealization)
Steven Piott, American Reformers 1870-1920, Chapters 1, 5 and 9.
Leon Fink, Major Problems in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, Chapters 10 and 12
(All documents and Rodgers).
Katherine D. Moran, “Catholicism and the Making of the U.S. Pacific,” Journal of the
Gilded Age and Progressive Era 12:4 (October 2013): 434-474.
Benjamin Wetzel, “A Church Divided: Roman Catholicism, Americanization, and the
Spanish-American War,” Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era 14:3 (July 2015):
348-366.
Jeremy C. Young, “Transformation in the Tabernacle: Billy Sunday’s Coverts and
Emotional Experience in the Progressive Era,” Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive
Era 14:3 (July 2015): 367-385.
February 26 – Biography Review Due
Week 7. February 29-March 4: Diplomacy, 1865-1912
Charles Calhoun, Perspectives on the Origins of Modern America, Chapter 14.
Leon Fink, Major Problems in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, Chapter 9.
Andrew Wender Cohen, “Smuggling, Globalization, and America’s Outward State, 18701909,” The Journal of American History 97:2 (September 2010): 371-398.
Brian Rouleau, “Childhood’s Imperial Imagination: Edward Stratemeyer’s Fiction
Factory and the Valorization of American Empire,” Journal of the Gilded Age and
Progressive Era 7:4 (October 2008): 479-512. (D2L)
6
Week 8. March 7-11: Native Americans & the West, 1877-1920
Charles Calhoun, Perspectives on the Origins of Modern America, Chapter 8.
Leon Fink, Major Problems in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, Chapter 3.
Philip J. Deloria, “American Master Narratives and the Problem of Indian Citizenship in the
Gilded Age and Progressive Era,” Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era 14:1
(January 2015): 3-12.
C. Joseph Genetin-Pilawa, “‘Friends’ and Fistfights: Federal Indian Policy Debates and Late
Nineteenth-Century State Development,” Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era
14:4 (October 2015): 512-520.
Chantal Norrgard, “Welfare State, Settler State: Ojibwes, Social Citizenship, and Disaster
Relief in the Great Fire of 1918,” Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era 14:4
(October 2015): 521-530.
March 11 – Research Paper Preliminary Bibliography and Outline Due
Week 9. March 14-18: SPRING BREAK
Week 10. March 21-24: Immigration, 1877-1920 (Becoming American?)
Charles Calhoun, Perspectives on the Origins of Modern America, Chapter 4.
Steven Piott, American Reformers 1870-1920, Chapter 6.
Leon Fink, Major Problems in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, Chapter 5.
Paul A. Kramer, “Imperial Openings: Civilization, Exemption, and the Geopolitics of
Mobility in the History of Chinese Exclusion, 1868-1910,” Journal of the Gilded Age and
Progressive Era 14:3 (July 2015): 317-347.
Robert C. McGreevey, “Empire and Migration: Coastwise Shipping, National Status, and the
Colonial Legal Origins of Puerto Rican Migration to the United States,” Journal of the
Gilded Age and Progressive Era 11:4 (October 2012): 553-573.
NO CLASS FRIDAY MARCH 24th
Week 11. March 28-April 1: Progressivism, 1896-1920 (Government and Reform)
NO CLASS MONDAY MARCH 28th
Steven Piott, American Reformers 1870-1920, Chapter 10.
Leon Fink, Major Problems in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, Chapter 13.
Ballard Campbell, “Economic Causes of Progressivism,” Journal of the Gilded Age and
Progressive Era 4:1 (January 2005): 7-22. (D2L)
April 1 – Exam 2 (Includes all materials Weeks 6-11)
Week 12. April 4-8: Women, 1877-1920 (Role in Society & the Vote)
Charles Calhoun, Perspectives on the Origins of Modern America, Chapter 6.
Steven Piott, American Reformers 1870-1920, Chapter 12.
Leon Fink, Major Problems in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, Chapter 6 (Docs. 5 & 6
and Edwards Essay) and Chapter 12 (May Essay).
Kyle E. Ciani, “Hidden Laborers: Female Day Workers in Detroit, 1870-1920,” Journal
of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era 4:1 (January 2005): 23-51. (D2L)
Jessica H. Foy & Karal Ann Marling, The Arts and the American Home, Chapter 5. (reserve)
7
Lisa Tetrault, “The Incorporation of American Feminism: Suffragists and the Postbellum
Lyceum,” The Journal of American History 96:4 (March 2010): 1027-1056.
April 8 – Fiction/Non-Fiction Review Due
Week 13. April 11-15: African Americans, 1877-1920 (The New South and Jim Crow)
Charles Calhoun, Perspectives on the Origins of Modern America, Chapter 7.
Steven Piott, American Reformers 1870-1920, Chapter 4.
Leon Fink, Major Problems in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, Chapter 8.
Reiko Hillyer, “Relics of Reconciliation: The Confederate Museum and Civil War Memory
in the New South,” The Public Historian 33:4 (November 2011): 35-62
April 15 – Research Paper First Submission Due
Week 14. April 18-22: Culture and Consumerism, 1877-1920
Charles Calhoun, Perspectives on the Origins of Modern America, Chapters 2, 9, and 10.
Leon Fink, Major Problems in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, Chapter 11.
Jessica H. Foy & Karal Ann Marling, The Arts and the American Home, Chapters 2 and 4.
(reserve)
Krystyn R. Moon. “On a Temporary Basis: Immigration, Labor Unions, and the American
Entertainment Industry, 1880s-1930s,” The Journal of American History, Vol. 99, No. 3
(Dec. 2012): 771-792.
Week 15. April 25-29: Urbanization & Nature, 1877-1920
Charles Calhoun, Perspectives on the Origins of Modern America, Chapter 5.
Leon Fink, Major Problems in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, Chapter 14.
Dolores Hayden, Building Suburbia: Green Fields and Urban Growth, 1820-2000, Chapters
1, 4, 5, and 6. (reserve)
Ann-Marie Szymanski, “Regulatory Transformations in a Changing City: The Anti-Smoke
Movement in Baltimore, 1895-1931,” Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era 13:3
(July 2014): 336-376.
Week 16. May 2-6: Diplomacy, 1912-1920
Leon Fink, Major Problems in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, Chapter 15.
Lloyd E. Ambrosius, “Woodrow Wilson, Alliances, and the League of Nations,” Journal
of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era 5:2 (April 2006): 139-165. (D2L)
David Kennedy, Over Here: The First World War and American Society, Prologue:
Spring 1917, Chapters 3 and 4. (reserve)
May 6 – Research Paper Final Submission Due
Week 17. May 11, 8:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m. Exam 3 (Includes all materials Weeks 12-16)
May 14: Commencement
May 18: Grades Due