Assignment 2: Industrialization and the Rise of a Regulated Economy
For History 105: Dr. Stansbury’s classes
Due Week 6 and worth 120 points. The formal deadline is on Monday morning at 9am Eastern Time; this is the next day after Week 6 ends. Watch announcements, emails, and postings for exact dates and any holiday notes that sometimes arise.
[NOTE ON ECREE: The university is adopting a tool called ecree for helping and doing writing assignments in many classes. In our History 105 class, we will be using the ecree program only for EXTRA CREDIT as a tool for doing work on your rough draft of the paper. We hope this approach encourages more rough drafting and revision work by students as well as makes students familiar with this useful new tool. For Assignment 2, in the Week 6 unit, you will see the link “EXTRA CREDIT: ROUGH DRAFT….”—that is where you can get up to 5 points of extra credit. Instructions will be posted there in the early days of the summer course. If you try this option, you will be able to use the file developed in ecree as a rough draft; you will then download that draft and edit it further. Then, once your paper is fully polished and finished as you see fit, you will then submit it at the next link in the Week 6 unit, which says “SUBMIT ASSIGNMENT 2: INDUSTRIALIZATION AND THE RISE ……”. ]
BACKGROUND FOR THE PAPER: This is a 5-paragraph paper based on research in designated sources. It is a position paper in which you support a thesis statement by reason and historical examples. The United States went through dramatic economic change after the Civil War, as industrialization spread rapidly and changed society. This transformation and some of the apparent abuses that developed (monopolistic practices, work conditions, low wages, arbitrary and oppressive expectations) led to an increased role of the government in regulating businesses and society. Government might intervene on the side of business owners for a variety of reasons. Or it might intervene on the side of workers. Or it might intervene for more general reasons. This role was heightened as government was viewed as the arbiter between business and organized labor. One can explore these developments from 1865 on through to the end of the 1930s. Examine the two statements below and drawing from provided sources, present a paper with specific examples and arguments to demonstrate the validity of your position. [Don’t use this background paragraph in your paper.]
Topic and Thesis Statement—choose one of the following as your Thesis Statement:
THESIS STATEMENT 1. From the late 1800s to the end of the 1930s, increasing government interventions and regulations of business tended to help the overall economy and the common workers.
THESIS STATEMENT 2. From the late 1800s to the end of the 1930s, increasing government interventions and regulations of business tended to hurt the overall economy and the common workers.
- Plan to make that thesis statement the last sentence in your introductory paragraph. The general subject is GOVERNMENT ECONOMIC INTERVENTIONS and regulations in that period of history. You may moderate the wording slightly to fit more precisely the position you wish to take. This is NOT a simple statement of a topic; it is a statement of a position you are taking about that topic. p.s.—Valid arguments and “A” papers can be made with either thesis. So, you choose the one you think is the stronger position.
After giving general consideration to your readings so far and any research (using sources listed on this sheet), select one of the positions above as your position—your thesis. (Sometimes after doing more thorough research, you might choose the reverse position. This happens with critical thinking and inquiry. Your final paper might end up taking a different position than you originally envisioned.) Organize your paper as follows, handling these issues with this FOUR-PART organization (see TEMPLATE also):
- Part One—one paragraph. INTRODUCTION AND THESIS STATEMENT. The position you choose will be the thesis statement in your opening paragraph; make it the last sentence of the paragraph.
- Part Two—two paragraphs normally. FOUR EXAMPLES. To support your thesis, use four specific examples from different decades between 1865 and 1940. However, one of your four examples must be from the 1930s. The examples should be specific and clearly support your thesis. These should be examples of actual government intervention (not just the hope for it). In these paragraphs one generally must have in-text citations to support your specific examples and to show where the information was found. Spread out the examples—different decades. Make the examples SPECIFIC. The FORMAT SAMPLE paper can also help on this part.
- Part Three—one paragraph normally. DEALING WITH THE OPPOSING VIEW. The opposing view is the thesis statement you did NOT choose. Identify the opposing view and explain why the opposing view is weak in comparison to yours. No new research needed; just one paragraph of critical thinking suggesting why your thesis/position is stronger than that different view. Approach it this way: You adopted a thesis statement. The opposing view is the thesis statement you did NOT adopt. You might start this paragraph by saying “Some may disagree with my thesis and argue that ——- .” THEN—you spend 3 or 4 sentences giving a reasoned argument why your thesis is stronger than the opposing view.
- Part Four—one paragraph: LEGACY TODAY AND CONCLUSION: Consider your life and work today in relation to issues of government involvement and regulation of business and the economy. Also consider your major. Many of these types of government economic programs, laws, and regulations from this period (late 1800s to the 1930s) became a normative part of our economic structure. In what way does the history you have shown shape or impact issues in your workplace or desired profession? This will work as the conclusion paragraph. Be succinct. Keep your thesis statement in mind. The FORMAT SAMPLE paper has good suggestions for this part also.
After the fourth part concluding the paper, be sure you have the numbered list of sources at the end. And be sure each source listed is also used and cited clearly in the body of the paper. The FORMAT SAMPLE paper illustrates this.
Length: The paper should be 500-to-750 words in length. 500 is a minimum. 750 is a guideline as a maximum. This word-count does not include any title page or sources list.
Research and References: You must use a MINIMUM of three sources; the Schultz textbook must be one of them. Your other two sources must be drawn from the list provided below on this instruction sheet. This is guided research, not Googling.
Source list for Assignment 2: Most primary sources listed below can be accessed via direct link on the list. For others on the list, they are accessible through the permalink at the end of the source entry. Those sources (listed below) have libdatab.strayer.edu as part of the URL—this is the permalink to that source in our university’s online library. (The link takes you to the library log-in; you then log in, and then the source appears for you right away). Each source below is shown in SWS form, so if you use it, you may easily copy the entire entry onto your paper’s sources list. (On a paper, never list an item as URL link only.)
SWS Form for the textbook:
Kevin M. Schultz. 2018. HIST: Volume 2: U.S. History since 1865. 5th ed.
Choose sources relevant to the topic government economic interventions and the position you are taking:
D. P. Del Mar. 1998. Region and Nation: New Studies in Western U.S. History. http://libdatab.strayer.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=957156&site=eds-live&scope=site
S. Gompers. 1914. The American Labor Movement: Its Makeup, Achievements, and Aspirations. http://wwphs.sharpschool.com/UserFiles/Servers/Server_10640642/File/bugge/Chapter%2021/Gompers.pdf
S. M. Jacoby. Oct., 1983. Union Management Cooperation in the United States: Lessons from the 1920s. http://libdatab.strayer.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=4462675&site=eds-live&scope=site
R. La Follette. 1924. La Follette’s Progressive Platform. http://college.cengage.com/history/wadsworth_9781133309888/unprotected/ps/follette.html
T. C. Leonard. Spring, 2009. American Economic Reform in the Progressive Era: Its Foundational Beliefs and their Relation to Eugenics. http://libdatab.strayer.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=36656984&site=eds-live&scope=site
H. D. Lloyd. June, 1884. The Lords of Industry from North American Review, 331. In Modern History Sourcebook. https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/mod/1884hdlloyd.asp
E. Rauchway. 2008. The Great Depression and the New Deal: A Very Short Introduction. eBook. http://libdatab.strayer.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=218056&site=eds-live&scope=site
Populist Party Platform. 1896.
http://college.cengage.com/history/wadsworth_9781133309888/unprotected/ps/populist_partyplatform_1896.htm
Kevin M. Schultz. 2018. HIST: Volume 2: U.S. History since 1865. 5th ed.
Upton Sinclair. 1906. Attack on the Meatpackers.
http://college.cengage.com/history/wadsworth_9781133309888/unprotected/ps/attack_meatpackers.htm
L. Steffens. 1904. The Shame of the Cities.
http://college.cengage.com/history/wadsworth_9781133309888/unprotected/ps/steffens.html
F. W. Taylor. 1911. The Principles of Scientific Management.
http://college.cengage.com/history/wadsworth_9781133309888/courseware/ps/taylor.html
S. Vaheesan. Jan-Mar, 2019. The Progressives’ Secret Weapon. http://libdatab.strayer.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=133679932&site=eds-live&scope=site
J. Whitaker. 1871. The Impact of the Factory on Worker Health. Retrieved from
http://college.cengage.com/history/wadsworth_9781133309888/unprotected/ps/impact_factory.htm
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Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements below:
- This course requires use of new Strayer Writing Standards (SWS). The format is different than other Strayer University courses. Please take a moment to review the SWS documentation for details.
- If you use ECREE as a rough draft tool, the document of the rough draft that you download will be single-spaced. Once you download and save that, use your Word or other program to double space between lines and to make other edits and additions as necessary.
- Your final Assignment 1 paper must be typed, double spaced between lines, and use one of these font styles: Arial, Courier, Times New Roman, or Calibri. Font size must be between 10 and 12. Try to use one-inch margins on all sides, but don’t justify the right margin. In-text citations (in the body of the paper) and a numbered Sources list at the end are required, and they should follow SWS format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
- Include a title page containing the title of the assignment, your name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date you completed the paper. (Please—on the title page—keep it fairly plain, no fancy colors, boxes, etc.)
- The title page and the Sources list are not included in the required assignment length.
The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:
- Specify ways that women and minorities have responded to challenges and made contributions to American culture.
- Examine how changes in social and economic conditions and technology can cause corresponding changes in the attitudes of the people and policies of the government.
- Summarize and discuss the ways that formal policies of government have influenced the direction of historical and social development in the United States.
- Recognize the major turning points in American history since the Civil War.
- Use technology and information resources to research issues in contemporary U.S. history.
- Write clearly and concisely about contemporary U.S. history using proper writing mechanics.
Click here to view the grading rubric.
