locate a primary source, explain it, and analyze its significance. In order to help you locate a primary source I have included links to relevant websites at the bottom of this post. However, you are not limited to the sites I suggest; if you want to search a round for other relevant primary sources and share one, that will be fine with me. Remember, primary sources can be just about anything: a diary by a coal miner, a photograph of child labor, a political cartoon, an essay defending the practices of big business, etc.
There is one caution, however. If you choose to find something on your own that does not come from the links below, make certain that it comes from the late nineteenth or early twentieth century. I do not want any images from the Great Depression–or any other period for that matter–as that is a separate topic, and you will have an opportunity to discuss the Great Depression later this semester. Plagiarizing the assignment or using manufactured quotes will result in a 0
Directions:
Locate a primary source pertaining to the industrialization of the United States and/or its impact on the American people or society during the closing decades of the nineteenth century or the first twenty years or so of the twentieth century (roughly 1870-1920)
Explain what the source is and write about what the source means/represents. In other words, why is it significant? You might also think about what the person who created it wanted to accomplish. For example, if someone took a picture of children working in a mine, it is unlikely that person was a supporter of child labor. Your explanation of the primary source should be at least 250 words and make specific references to the source for you to earn full points. Do not just make the post a general discussion of the Gilded Age and/or the industrialization of the United States. Your focus should be on the source you found. So, if you selected a photograph, for example, analyze what you see in that photograph. If you provide more of a summary/overview of the period, you will only receive partial credit.
