Test Prep- Key

the answers to my questions are as follows:

#1 C

#2 D

#3 A

Progressive Era Topics Thesis

Today in class we shared the thesis and conclusion that we created in groups from the previous class period. We then made note of the overview of them on the board and were told to now create another thesis statement that encompassed all of them.

Here is what I came up with......

In the progressive era, people turned to the government at all levels for their protection and wellbeing while the people would accept any extra help the government would provide. As the people tried to move forward and better society, they were also being held back. Because of the government's involvement, the people were given a leg up and were able to take many steps forward while taking just as many back at the same time. However not all movements, both positive and negative, were the result of government intervention or creation, many of the movements are backed by the people themselves.

Test Prep- Progressivism

Our assignment was as follows....

Write 3 good multiple choice questions that could be used to measure someone’s understanding of important facts, ideas, and concepts related to the history of Progressivism in the United States. 

My questions are: 

#1 When thinking about the progressive era all were goals of the progressives except…. 
A) better education
B) increase in women's rights
C) pay people more to work
D) cleaner factories
E) reduce drinking amounts (prohibition) 

#2 While the progressive era was meant to help it actually caused…. 

A) worse factory conditions
B)  more segregation between men and women
C) a worse education system
D)  increase in poverty rates

E) the U.S. to lack in the field of inventions 

#3 All of the following can be considered progressivism except… 

A) the sinking of the titanic
B) the invention of the lightbulb
C) the invention of fast food
D) the invention of ready made clothing
E) the story of Annie Oakley and Buffalo Bill 

Living Essays

Today in history, we met in groups to discuss our latest project. My group included Haley, Patrick, and Evan. Our task was to create a thesis statement, introduction paragraph, and a conclusion as if we were writing a separate essay combining each individual topic.

During the Progressive Era America was able to take many steps forward and just as many backward. Several of these steps were inventions, rules, and many drastic changes. Due to the Progressive Era, Americans were able to see how fast and easy life could be through the creation of the light bulb, radio, fast food, and ready-made clothing while also seeing how these could hold the nation back.


In conclusion, while the Progressive Era had many positive effects, there were also many negative ones. Poverty gaps were expanded, many people lost their lives, wars were more violent than necessary, and the food was extremely bad for them.

Invention of the Lightbulb

So, as I have talked about previously, we are currently studying progressivism. We were recently asked to pick a topic and discuss how it relates to the topic. Our two major questions were... What were you able to discover, learn, and understand about ______ by examining primary source evidence in the newspaper archive? and What did this topic have to do with Progressivism as a movement in late 19th-century/early 20th-century America? For my topic I chop to look I not the development of the lightbulb. Here is what I found.... 

Thomas A. Edison was a well known inventor during this time. He is most commonly known for inventing the lightbulb. But, did you know he might not have been the first one with the idea? Yeah I know... Shocking. The man who is very rarely acknowledged for playing a part in providing light to the world is Joseph W. Swan. Swan actually petitioned for a patent on April 12,1880. It is said that he originally had the idea around March 1 of that same year. A few months later he was given the patent on October 19, 1880. A year later Edison filed for a patent on May 27, 1881. Edison claims to have come up with the idea during August of 1879 and made progress toward perfecting the idea during the months of October and November of that same year. He claims to have been planning to file for the patent however he just hadn't gotten around to it yet. Luckily, Edison knew the importance of keeping a record of his work and progress so he is able to claim a big part in the development of the electric lightbulb. This being said, there was never enough information on either side to say who did and who didn't have the idea first. 

So, what does that mean about how the lightbulb came to be? Well, simple as this... In the head 1882 on September 4 and 8 p.m. Thomas Edison flipped the switch that lit up New York like never before. The electric light became known as a "philosophical toy" and can be counted as an addition to the progress of discovery to the physical comforts of life. Edison's electric lightbulb was called one of the greatest single advances in the department of artificial light. 

Prior to this, there is actually evidence that Edison's light had been impacting the world elsewhere. Welcome aboard the S.S. Columbia, a shop considered by most to be the finest steamship in the world. Picture this; you have just boarded upon one of the biggest ships you've ever seen. The walls are shining with a coat of fresh paint. The wood under your feet sparkles without a scratch on its newly finished surface. The elevator to your room runs faster and smoother then ever before. Now, look up. There's a circular object in the ceiling emitting a bright, white light. You've just been told each room has its own set of electric lights that you can control and that you will no longer have to only eat by candle light in the dining room. To save the electricity aboard the ship, each passenger and steward can control all the lights of the ships rooms (individual and some public) and there is a special team of mechanical engineers to turn on the lights in the dining room. To you, as well as many others, this is probably nothing new however for Edison's time, it was a whole new world. 

As time went on, a divide began to form between the upper and lower classes. While at first, the lightbulb benefitted all walks of life, the cost to keep up with the times became too much for most to afford. When electric light became popular, there was a brief period of time that the light disappeared and this was counted as a great loss to all who experienced it. Sadly, the number of people who were actually able to have lights in their homes grew shorter and shorter. This invention important to the progressive era because the purpose of this movement was to close the gab between the social classes and move the nation forward as a whole. Because of the lightbulb it actually put the country further from its goal. This is because more money means more privileges. However it also helped move the nation closer to its goal because by inventing the electric light and lightbulb there was now a new level of excitement and actual progress being made. The light now allowed more work to be done in a day as well as open doors for new advances for the people of this time. 

Joseph W. Swan 

Thomas A. Edison 

the original lightbulb 

In order to find my primary sources for completing my research, I used this website.


The newspapers I used in the process of completing my research are...

• "The Electric Light at Last"
• New York Herald - New York, New York, December 21, 1879

• "Edison Turns on His Light"
• Cincinnati Daily Gazette - Ohio, Cincinnati, September 05, 1882

• Electric Lights a Hit with the Wealthy
• Worcester Daily Spy - Massachusetts, Worcester, February 27, 1883 

• Electric Lights Aboard the S.S. Columbia
• New York Herald - New York, New York, April 28, 1880 

• "Swan Declared to Be the Original Inventor of an Electric Light Carbon"
• New York Herald - New York, New York, July 12, 1892

How I Feel Second Semester Is Going So Far......

So far I feel that this semester has definitely challenged me as a learner. We are doing a lot more reading based analysis and have already had a test. I didn't feel that I did too well on the test however I was wrong. It is just hard because we have been on a project based history course since the eighth grade and all of a sudden we are taking tests. No one has really taught us how to study or take a history test so it all feels like a shot in the dark. Now I am struggling with the new homework setup. Even though they took forever, I honestly liked the reading questions where we made the answers better than the multiple choice ones. I really enjoyed the Eddie Aikau video because it made his story come to life and we learned what made it so trustworthy and convincing... It was also helpful because I am an auditory and visual leaner so it helped solidify the information. My favorite thing so far was the political cartoons. I liked to see how different people saw the situations taking place and how many interpretations could be made off the same cartoon. It was also cool getting to research what people thought life would be like today and how reality differed from those ideas. I do feel that this course will continue to be one that I have to really work for but I am already better off then when school started in August.

Progressive Era

How would you define “progress”?

• I would define progress as anything that moves you closer to your goal

What period in time is referred to as the Progressive Era? Why?

• 1890-1920
• it was a period of widespread activism and political reform across the U.S. 

What types of issues and actions, and achievements are associated with the Progressive Era? (Minimum:  5-6)  (You can also use your text for research)

• Destruction of wilderness during expansion 
• Increased levels of poverty 
• Laws passed to protect public health 
• Education began to improve 
• Limit on number of hours children could work 
• Women's rights 
• Banning of alcohol

Progressives had lots of goals. Analyze the list you've made and determine:  What do progressive reforms seem to have in common?

• Make the U.S. better 
• Fix America's "flaws"

Evaluate the major goals of Progressives and sort them into these 4 categories: (Or make your own categories or ranking system), such as best to worst.


Essential goals worth striving for/ Necessary changes

• Limits on children working 
• not good for the kids 
• shouldn't be their job

Good Goals – not strictly necessary but could really improve life

• Better education 
• leads to better jobs 
• gets people off the street
• makes the overall view of America seem better
• Women's rights
• the women work just as hard as the men
• women are a part of the nation too 

Strange Goals

• keep everyone healthy 
• its hard to keep everyone healthy all the time 
• not a goal I expected

Not a good idea

• Economic equality 
• not everyone works the same amount 
• not fair to pay someone that sits on the side of the road the same amount a doctor is paid
• this could cause tensions

a young girl standing in a row in a factory 

Sources:

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/progress

https://quizlet.com/13862423/four-goals-of-progressive-era-flash-cards/ 

http://www.american-historama.org/1881-1913-maturation-era/progressive-movement.htm

http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/timeline/progress/cities/reforms.html

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressive_Era

http://public.wsu.edu/~campbelld/powerpoint/Social_Issues.ppt

http://public.wsu.edu/~campbelld/powerpoint/Social_Issues.ppt

https://www.gwu.edu/~erpapers/teachinger/glossary/progressive-era.cfm