Chapter 9: 1877-1898

7 Lessons

Overview

Chapter 9 of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness, BRI’s U.S. History Curriculum Resource, invites students to explore how a changing view of government’s responsibility during the Gilded Age affected American society.

Lessons

Lesson

The Annexation of Hawaii DBQ

100 Min

Use this Lesson with The Annexation of Hawaii Narrative to show how American policymakers and businesses looked outside U.S. borders to continue expanding American influence.

Lesson

Industry and Immigration in the Gilded Age

85 Min

Use this Lesson with the Cartoon Analysis: Immigration in the Gilded Age, 1882–1896 Primary Source to highlight the way immigrants were regarded and treated during the Gilded Age.

Lesson

Debating Industrial Progress: Andrew Carnegie vs. Henry George

65 Min

Use this Lesson with the Andrew Carnegie and the Creation of U.S. Steel Narrative and the Were the Titans of the Gilded Age "Robber Barons" or "Entrepreneurial Industrialists"? Point-Counterpoint to highlight the impact businessmen like Carnegie had on industry and philanthropy in the Gilded Age.

Lesson

Populists and Socialists in the Gilded Age

75 Min

Use this Lesson with the Ignatius Donnelly and the 1892 Populist Platform Narrative and the William Jennings Bryan, "Cross of Gold," speech 1896 speech Primary Source to give students a deeper understanding of Gilded Age political platforms.

Lesson

Debating Strategies for Change: Booker T. Washington vs. W.E.B. Du Bois

65 Min

Use this Lesson with the Booker T. Washington, "Speech to the Cotton States and International Exposition," 1895 Primary Source to allow students to analyze and compare arguments for the early African American civil rights movement.

Lesson

Unit 5 Civics Connection: Civil Rights and Economic Freedom

80 Min

If this is the first time your students have considered constitutional principles, have them use the Principles and Virtues Glossary and focus specifically on checks and balances, due process, federalism, freedom of contract, liberty, and private property.

Lesson

Unit 5 Essay Activity

This lesson should be used as the conclusion of the unit.

Activities

Activity

Were the Titans of the Gilded Age “Robber Barons” or “Entrepreneurial Industrialists”?

40 Min

Two scholars debate this question.

Activity

Were Urban Bosses Essential Service Providers or Corrupt Politicians?

40 Min

Two scholars debate this question.

Activity

Was Frederick Jackson Turner’s Frontier Thesis Myth or Reality?

40 Min

Two scholars debate this question.

Activity

Cartoon Analysis: Thomas Nast Takes on “Boss” Tweed, 1871

40 Min

Use this primary source imagery to analyze major events in history.

Activity

The Dawes Act, 1887

40 Min

Use this primary source text to explore key historical events.

Activity

Images from the Carlisle Indian School, 1880s

40 Min

Use this primary source imagery to analyze major events in history.

Activity

Grover Cleveland’s Veto of the Texas Seed Bill, 1887

40 Min

Use this primary source text to explore key historical events.

Activity

Edward Bellamy, Looking Backward, 2000–1887, 1888

40 Min

Use this primary source text to explore key historical events.

Activity

Ida B. Wells, “Lynch Law,” 1893

40 Min

Use this primary source text to explore key historical events.

Activity

Frederick Jackson Turner, “The Significance of the Frontier in American History,” 1893

40 Min

Use this primary source text to explore key historical events.

Activity

Booker T. Washington, “Speech to the Cotton States and International Exposition,” 1895

40 Min

Use this primary source text to explore key historical events.

Activity

Cartoon Analysis: Immigration in the Gilded Age, 1882–1896

40 Min

Use this primary source imagery to analyze major events in history.

Activity

William Jennings Bryan, “Cross of Gold” speech, 1896

40 Min

Use this primary source text to explore key historical events.

Essays

Essay

Chapter 9 Introductory Essay: 1877-1898

6849 Words

What impact did industrialization have on American society?

Essay

The Transcontinental Railroad

2622 Words

What were the societal impact of the transcontinental railroad?

Essay

The Brooklyn Bridge

2146 Words

By the end of this section, you will explain the causes and effects of the settlement of the West from 1877 to 1898.

Essay

George Custer, Sitting Bull, and the Battle of the Little Bighorn

3156 Words

By the end of this section, you will explain the causes and effects of the settlement of the West from 1877 to 1898.

Essay

William “Boss” Tweed and Political Machines

2160 Words

By the end of this section, you will explain the similarities and differences between the political parties during the Gilded Age.

Essay

Andrew Carnegie and the Creation of U.S. Steel

2348 Words

Explore how Carnegie became one of the richest men in the U.S.

Essay

Cowboys and Cattle Drives

2795 Words

Why do Americans romanticize the image of cowboys?

Essay

Ida B. Wells and the Campaign against Lynching

1848 Words

How did Ida Wells fight for justice for African Americans?

Essay

The Annexation of Hawaii

2523 Words

Was the annexation of Hawaii an act of imperialism?

Essay

Jane Addams, Hull House, and Immigration

2404 Words

How did Jane Addams help immigrants in the U.S.?

Essay

Ignatius Donnelly and the 1892 Populist Platform

2871 Words

What sparked the rise of the Populist movement?

Essay

The Homestead Strike

2602 Words

Why did unions and management battle each other in the 1890s?

Essay

Plessy v. Ferguson

2793 Words

How did Plessy v Ferguson affect segregation in the U.S.?

Essay

The Chinese Exclusion Act

2373 Words

By the end of this section, you will explain how cultural and economic factors affected migration patterns over time.

Educator Resources

Educator Resource

Chapter 9: 1877-1898 Inquiry Organizer

How did a changing view of government’s responsibility during the Gilded Age affect American society?

Educator Resource

Chapter 9 Answer Key

Answer Key for Chapter 9 of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness