In this assignment, you are writing as a historian or scholar tasked with analyzing and interpreting historical sources to construct an argument about the impact of industrialization on American identity. Your audience consists of an academic readership, such as your instructor and peers, who are familiar with the historical period but are looking for insightful, well-supported analysis. Your goal is to persuade your audience of your thesis through careful examination of the provided sources and by situating your argument within the broader historical context.
This assignment falls within the genre of an argumentative essay. As such, your essay should include a clear thesis statement, well-organized supporting arguments, and evidence drawn from primary and secondary sources. Your writing should be formal, analytical, and persuasive, adhering to academic conventions and demonstrating critical engagement with the material.
Essay Prompt: How did industrialization between 1877 and 1929 reshape what it meant to be American, particularly in terms of social status, cultural values, and economic opportunities? What conflicts and challenges did these changes create in American society?
Essay Structure:
Introduction: Provide an overview of the period and introduce your thesis, focusing on how industrialization redefined American identity in terms of social status, cultural values, and economic opportunities.
Body Paragraphs: Organize your essay into sections that address social, cultural, and economic changes. Use evidence from the primary and secondary sources to support each section, ensuring that you critically engage with the material to develop your argument.
Counterarguments: Address alternative perspectives or potential counterarguments regarding the benefits or drawbacks of industrialization’s impact on what it meant to be American.
Conclusion: Summarize your argument, restate your thesis, and reflect on the broader implications of these changes for American society during this period.
STAGE 1: publish Submission
Submit a publish of your essay (800-1,000 words) by the due date. This publish should include your thesis, body paragraphs with evidence, and a preliminary conclusion.
Primary Sources: (Choose at least 4)
Henry George, Progress and Poverty, Selections (1879)
Andrew Carnegie’s “Gospel of Wealth” (1889)
Jacob Riis’s “How the Other Half Lives” (1890)
Testimony from John Morrison, a Machinist, before the U.S. Senate Committee on Labor and Capital (1883)
Rose Cohen on the World Beyond her Immigrant Neighborhood (ca.1897)
Sears, Roebuck, & Co. Catalog (1902) The Internet Archive. Accessed August 8, 2024.
Upton Sinclair, Excerpts from The Jungle (1906)
Frederick Winslow Taylor, Excerpts from Chapter two of The Principles of Scientific Management (1910), National Humanities Center, Research Triangle Park, NC. 2005. https://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/pds/gilded/progress/text3/taylor.pdf
“Henry Ford’s Five-Day Week”, The Literary Digest, 1922.
Secondary Sources: (Choose 1)
Barrett, James R. “Americanization from the Bottom Up: Immigration and the Remaking of the Working Class in the United States, 1880-1930 .” The Journal of American History 79, no. 3 (1992): 996-1020. doi:10.2307/2080796.
Schulman, Bruce J. “Brand Name America,” in Making the American Century: Essays on the Political Culture of Twentieth Century America, (New York: Oxford University Press), 2014.
A minimum of four primary sources and one secondary source from the above list must be used and properly cited in the essay.
Formatting Requirements:
Text Format: Double-spaced with one-inch margins.
Structure: Introduction with thesis, body paragraphs, and conclusion.
Perspective: Write in formal third-person.
Cover Page: Include your name, instructor’s name, class title, paper title, and the primary source’s full citation.
Citations: Use Chicago Style footnotes for quotes and paraphrased content. See the tutorials in the resources section below if you are not sure how to use footnotes. All direct quotes must be inside quotation marks and must have a corresponding footnote. Paraphrased text should not be inside quotation marks but should have a footnote.
Important Notes:
Academic Integrity: All submissions must adhere to our academic honesty policies. Any work suspected of breaching the FIU honor code will be reported.
AI Usage: Microsoft Copilot, ChatGPT or similar AI tools may be utilized for brainstorming, outlining, and revising your publish. However, YOU are ultimately responsible for the final product. We should be able to hear your authentic voice in this paper, and you are ultimately responsible for the paper you submit, so be sure to verify your information to catch inaccuracies, citations, etc.