Assignment
PART 1:
Sketch the context for, define, and tell the significance/after-effect of each, in terms of late-19th & early-20th-century American history & culture:
Write 4-6 sentences for each of the terms.
1. 1890s-1910s peak of the "second wave" of U.S. immigration
2. Socialist Party (1901+)/"wage slavery"
3. "Melting Pot" (1890s-1960s in its original meaning)
4. National Labor Relations Act (1935) & Fair Labor Standards Act (1938)
PART 2:
SHORT ESSAY: answer any 2 of these three essays:
Write 200 to 250 words per 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?
3. In what ways was the Progressive Era (1906-20) truly "progressive" or not; and the "New Deal" (1933-38) really "new" or not, especially in regards to the health, safety and daily lives of U.S. workers and consumers?