American studies
Book: Sinclair book (the jungle)
Sketch the context for, define, and tell the significance/after-effect of each, in terms of late-19th & early-20th-century American history & culture:
Short essay:
"second wave" of U.S. immigration (1840s-1921)
Taylorism vs. "speeding-up the gang" & pacemakers (1880s-1930s)
"embalmed beef", "potato flour" & "patent medicines"
Socialist Party (1901+)/"wage slavery"
"Melting Pot" (1890s-1960s in its original meaning)
National Labor Relations Act (1935) & Fair Labor Standards Act (1938)
Long essay
1. Years after the publication of his Socialist novel The Jungle, Upton Sinclair ironically noted the chiefly Progressive impact of his book, stating that he "had taken aim at America's heart and hit instead its stomach." Compare & contrast the two, major, early-20th-century reform-minded ideologies of Progressivism and Socialism.
2. Why was Socialism considered a "radical" ideology and why didn't it flourish in early 20th century America?