2Unit II Reflection PaperUnit II Reflectio.docx

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Unit II: Reflection Paper
Unit II: Reflection Paper
Catherine Richardson
Columbia Southern University
Awaken by the sounds of others talking and in amazement
of what they are seeing of what is known to be the “Land of
Opportunity” or America. We sail through the New York harbor

passing a statue in which they call the statue of liberty standing
tall as she is a symbol of strength reading “Give me your tired,
your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe
free”(Lazarus, n.d.). I could only hope this message was true
but I also questioned myself if this was a true illustration of the
America I would soon enter. Many of us “Germans” came on
this journey to America to escape the civil unrest of Germany in
hope to get away from having to live in poverty, oppression,
and political danger. I needed a better job to provide for my
family to offer the younger generation a better future. Arriving
at Ellis Island I am filled with many thoughts and hopes, but as
we enter I feel the mistrust and prejudice from the Americans.
After I went through the in-processing requirements at Ellis
Island where many factors that made me who I am was
scrutinized I knew America was going to be the land of
opportunity I hoped for. My family and I lived in tenement
buildings because they was cheaper and what we could afford
Background: Community and worksite health promotion
programs have a critical role in improving health and increasing
physical activity within their target populations. The CDC has
assessed a number of successful worksite wellness and obesity
prevention programs as part of their National Healthy Worksite
Program. The complete list of toolkits can be found here:

http://www.cdc.gov/workplacehealthpromotion/.
In the Assignment you will review and critique one of the CDC
Case Studies for its effectiveness and outcomes. Instructions:
This is a team Assignment. Your instructor will assign you to a
group (see: Announcements for group members). As a group,
choose one of the National Healthy Worksite Program Case
Studies to review and critique (find the link of all case studies
below). Answer the questions below about the program. Choose
any CDC National Healthy Worksite Case Study found here:
http://www.cdc.gov/workplacehealthpromotion/tools-
resources/employers-in-action/index.html
In your Assignment, discuss the effectiveness of the selected
program. Your paper should follow the format below and
address all of the following questions:
A brief description of the toolkit you selected.
According to the toolkit that you selected, why is it important
to address obesity in the workplace or community? Provide
specific examples if offered in the selected toolkit. You are
encouraged to utilize additional sources beyond the toolkit.
How does the toolkit that you selected incorporate other
community stakeholders such as healthcare providers, schools,
retail outlets, or public health departments to develop effective
interventions targeting obesity or healthy changes? Provide
examples offered in your selected toolkit.
How could or how does the toolkit you selected address
childhood obesity? Provide examples from the toolkit. If the
toolkit does not specifically address childhood obesity, discuss
why this issue is important to address.
How does the toolkit you selected address motivational
strategies for better health choices for its target audience? For
example, incentives for participating in employer weight loss
programs. Use specific examples from the toolkit.
How does the toolkit you selected support overweight/obese
individuals who face barriers to change? How does the program
offer support to its target audience? Use specific examples from
the toolkit

Requirement
The analysis should be at least 2 pages in length (not including
title and reference page)
Follow APA 6th edition guidelines.
Follow the conventions of Standard American English (correct
grammar, punctuation, etc.).
Writing should be well ordered, logical and unified, as well as
original and insightful.
Work should display superior content, organization, style, and
mechanic
Instructions
Create a Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC) checklist
that provides three to five basic questions about records
management and recordkeeping for each phase (systems
analysis, design, implementation, evaluation, and maintenance)
of the SDLC process. Once you have completed your checklist
questions, write a critique of the SDLC by evaluating each
phase to determine that the records management and
recordkeeping requirements are identified appropriately for
each phase.
Requirements
Your checklist must have at least 15 questions that cover all
SDLC phases (systems analysis, design, implementation,
evaluation, and maintenance), and your critique of the SDLC
should be 2–3 pages in length.
HY 1120, American History II 1
Course Learning Outcomes for Unit II

Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:
1. Describe the impact of industrial expansion on the evolution
of big business in the United States.
2. Identify the influences toward urban blight in the 19th
century America, including immigration, political
machines, and government corruption.
3. Compare and contrast the turn of the century values of
Twain’s Gilded Age and the Progressive Era.
3.1 Compare the rise of leisure, both private and public, in
America in its most common forms and
its impact on society, including issues like segregation and
access to opportunity.
Reading Assignment
To gain further knowledge of the material, please view the
PowerPoint presentations below. These will help
you identify key people discussed in this unit, important details
not covered within the lesson, and political
cartoons from the time period to have a view into the mindset of
people towards key topics.
For the Unit II PowerPoint, please click here. For a PDF version
please click here.
Lazarus, E. (n.d.). The new Colossus. Retrieved from
http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/new-colossus

Unit Lesson
In Unit I our focus was introducing the realities of Twain’s
Gilded Age. The issues of greatest note
reverberated around the need and opportunities for reforming
the changing populations and attitudes of post-
Reconstruction, and also the widening economic gap, which
thrived on the theory of Social Darwinism. As the
U.S. steamrolled towards the 20th century, again the nation
would attempt to build a truly Progressive Era.
This last quarter of the 19th century witnessed a renewed
industrial age and a rebuilding of America as a
global culture.
First person, Anachronism, and Bias
Continuing our introduction to the purpose of historical study,
this era provides us the opportunity to embrace
the first-person perspectives, a key part of observing intention
and effect separate from our modern views,
morals, and expectations. When working with first-person
perspectives in history, it is most common to find
individual accounts, immediate reports, and incomplete
investigations. However, when beginning this type of
research, it is necessary to be aware of two common issues that
share the potential for misrepresentation:
anachronism and bias.
Anachronism and bias, though often linked, are significantly
different from one another and have separate
roles. A quick comparison would be that anachronism is
unintentionally studying based on modern morals,
whereas bias is the more conscious intention to argue a

perspective and may be present during or after the
event or issue.
When we put today’s values or perspective on the past, it can be
called anachronistic. An anachronism can
be loosely defined as a biased observation of past events
clouded by modern morality and perspective. This
is all too commonly a practice at all levels of study and writing.
It is an issue that historians, especially, have
to carefully watch for when reading and researching. This unit
will challenge you with the introduction of
UNIT II STUDY GUIDE
Progressive Era
https://online.columbiasouthern.edu/CSU_Content/courses/Gene
ral_Studies/HY/HY1120/15J/Unit_II_PPT.ppsx
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UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
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multiple morally taxing situations, and it is important to accept
this early opportunity to build a strong
foundation for what will be studied in the remaining units.

Bias is not necessarily a bad thing, as it is essential for
argument and warranting the fairness for all sides.
However, for the unknown reader, bias can be akin to falling for
a one-sided or incomplete opinion. We accept
and expect bias to be on display everywhere today—from news
networks to car sales. This was no different in
earlier centuries, and it is vital that this be taken into account
when looking at documents such as first-person
accounts, newspaper clippings, and political writings. To
prepare for this, always be sure to ask the following
when researching and reviewing: who is speaking, what
perspective would most benefit them, and who is
their target audience? When these answers are clear, then bias
can be a wonderful tool for researching an
argument and preparing a defense, which is a necessary skill for
many professions.
Urban Sprawl
With the era of Reconstruction now fading as a distant memory,
the urban sprawl that America had
experienced leading into and during the Civil War was once
again on the rise—this time with greater needs
for integration and new levels of poverty as well as a more
spread out opportunity.
During America’s first mass migration and industry, the
majority of opportunities were limited to the East
Coast cities of Baltimore, Boston, and New York. However,
with the vast majority of its infrastructure
(including roads, waterways, and railroads) still intact after the
war, business was able to continue booming.
Those who could afford to move inland did; new centers of
industry thrived in Chicago, Cleveland, and
Pittsburg by welcoming the world’s migrants to compete with
the coastal monsters. Immigrants from all across

Europe now jumped at the American promise they heard and
dreamed about, but little did they know about
the truth behind these rumors.
For the migrant family, the move to the U.S. was a way to
escape poverty, oppression, or political dangers.
Some came as families, others as individuals, but all came with
a dream of a better life for the younger
generations. What many found, however, were feelings
reminiscent of much of the anti-abolition sentiment
heard throughout the country prior to the Civil War.
What was unique about these voices was that they often came
from those who had only migrated two to three
decades earlier. One of the most unique outcomes was that light
skin color was no longer a guarantee of a
better situation. Still, the reemergence of Jim Crow laws (so
named after a popular old minstrel song) and
attitudes impacted African Americans during this time. Many
cultures met together, and all needed to
assimilate to the American stereotype to find any success.
While America has often been called a melting pot,
many liken it more to a tossed salad. This feeling was not
unique to industrial hubs, either. The West Coast,
which had once received large populations during the Gold
Rush, now housed the oppressed. Lessons
learned from the war about freedom and equality were quickly
forgotten.
Mexican workers hired by the railroad in the late 1800s made
less than other ethnic groups. By 1880, there
were more than 100,000 Chinese in the United States, and they
as well as other ethnic groups would often
live in segregated neighborhoods and go to segregated schools.
Anti-immigration laws severely limiting the
number of Asians allowed into the country began to be passed.

These conditions were not lost on the world stage. Foreign
ministers in the U.S. saw and spoke out against
the violence and horrific conditions. However, around this same
time (specifically 1886), a message to the
contrary would debut in the New York Harbor in the Statue of
Liberty. She stood in full view, ready to receive
the world’s most desperate into her guidance. Inspired by her
predecessor, the Colossus of Rhodes, she was
a wonder to behold and a symbol of strength for those who
needed it most. Her inscription and purpose was a
clear welcome for these weary travelers: “Give me your tired,
your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to
breathe free” (Lazarus, n.d.). However, many would come to
question if this was a true representation of the
America they were about to enter. (For more information see
http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/new-
colossus).
Tarnished Dream
After passing Liberty Island came the first real introduction to
this land of opportunity: Ellis Island. As a center
for the processing and recording of the vast majority of
immigrants who came to the U.S. during this period,
Ellis Island was an essential trial for entrance into the nation. It
was also a place of uncertain welcome for

UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
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many–names were shortened and Anglicized, measurements and
health were scrutinized. For a significant
population, it was the first glimpse of their future as a cog in
the political machine.
For the lower class, what they expected was simple yet all too
often unfulfilled. Tenement buildings were
cheap housing for the entire family, with barely the minimum
necessities provided (see PowerPoint). Sickness
was common due to poor sanitation and malnourishment, jobs
were difficult to find, and often the entire family
would have to work in sweatshops, factories, or mills in order to
afford basic needs.
There were some champions of the poor, however. The machine
was a political entity which, for the promise
of their vote, would promise to support, feed, employ, or grant
other benefits to supporters who were often
fresh immigrants from the same area as their assigned recruiter
(a good look at this is provided in the movie
Far and Away with Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise).
As well-intentioned as this sounds, however, these actions were
often quite unscrupulous. Grafters, the
leaders of these machines, would be professional thieves. Even
the most successful machine politicians,
such as the leader of New York’s Tammany Hall, “Boss”
Tweed, would end up with lengthy prison sentences.
These bosses knew whom they needed to keep happy and how to
guarantee those votes. Their work with the
struggling migrants put them in a historically complex position,

somewhere between the hero Robin Hood and
the master criminal Al Capone. These machines popped up in
almost every major American city near the turn
of the century and drew questions about how progressive this
time really was.
Increased Leisure Time—for Some
For the upper class, expectations could not be more different.
These elite few lived in posh suburban or rural
houses with the latest amenities. For those who had to venture
to the city, they found use in public
transportation to limit their time there and enjoyed the growing
leisure scene in their free time. For example,
amusement Parks such as Coney Island began to spring up.
These were also the people who had the time to
go bicycling and play tennis. While the wealthy were having fun
in their leisure time, the working masses had
little to no free time.
Some characteristics of labor of the time would include a
workweek consisting of more than 84 hours.
Workers would often work 12-hour days, seven days a week.
The average weekly wage was six to seven
dollars, or approximately $490 per year. There was no workers’
compensation for on-the-job injuries, no
health insurance, and no social security. If anything happened to
the wage earner, the family often lost all,
starved, and fell apart (a good look at this is in the 1906 novel
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair).
What would emerge from this disparity would help lead to many
of the reforms we have today: unionization.
The two primary union groups before the 20th century, the
American Federation of Labor (AFL) and Knights
of Labor (KOL), would find ways to gain support from

experienced and skilled workers and sometimes even
laborers. Together, they would strike with their refusal to work
until conditions were better. All too often, this
benefitted the middle-class workers more than lower classes,
which could be easily replaced. However, this
was a step toward a safer and a more lucrative environment. A
good example of this early unionization is the
Great Railroad Strike of 1877. As well-intentioned as these
organizations were, however, they sometimes
failed. Where they failed, others would jump on these
opportunities to make a statement, though these
gatherings were usually less organized and all too often ended
in disaster or violence.
With many in the upper class able to employ house servants,
and with the required time in the cities now
limited, new amusements became more common across
America. Dances, social clubs, and other such
leisurely pursuits were not new, but became a more common
staple, as well as a more attractive way to look
for a family. Such leisure was not only for the rich, however;
the Progressive Era would introduce a new kind
of attraction that provided leisure opportunities for all classes
to enjoy together. Professional and individual
sports motivated leisure time, most significantly baseball, but
with significant interest also being given to horse
racing and boxing. Travel, too, became more common, though
with limited infrastructure in place, this was still
a growing trend.
Reform and Political Upheaval
Another growing trend was the resurgence of many reform
movements (See PowerPoint). The goal of
women’s suffrage had not lost any steam through these
changing atmospheres. Instead, it gained an ally in

Wyoming, which was the first state to allow women to vote. It
saw the rise of a new banner: the National
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American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA), under the
leadership of the charismatic and politically
connected Frances Willard, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Susan
B. Anthony. Though their times as reform
leaders were quickly dwindling due to their age, there continued
to be success in the West, which was
desperate to attract women to ensure the population. It would be
successes in states such as Idaho,
Colorado, and eventually other Western states, that would
provide the necessary support to take the suffrage
debate to the national scene.
The 19th century, though, would end on a sour note. A stock
market crash in 1893 put America in the grips of
a depression that led to the resurgence of class warfare,
violence, and the destruction of what had once been
welcome atmospheres, such as the Chicago World’s Fair.
Depression was not new to American workers, but
this was the first such time with the advantage of unionization
tactics. However, as the Homestead lockout
showed, this did not mean that the wealthy industrialists were
going to back down, either. From another

aggressive protest, the Pullman boycott of 1894, a new
American political figure would emerge who will be
more of a focus in a later unit: Eugene V. Debs. Once a union
leader, he would become a political contender
early in the following century.
In the wake of these economic changes, there was also a
significant political upheaval. New alliances were
created based on like minds, the strongest of which would be
the Farmers’ Alliance, which would become the
People’s (Populist) Party. The elections of 1892 and 1896 would
see an upsurge in support for the Populist
platform, and an eventual merger with the Democratic Party.
However, with the majority of support coming
from individuals, and not seasoned politicians, what looked like
a growing political movement was soon shut
down before gaining significant national influence. The U.S.
remained a two-party nation with the comfortable
election of Republican candidate William McKinley.
The last role of the U.S. in the 18th century was that of a rising
world power. Though it would not be deemed
a superpower for another two decades, war would be the means
towards securing the U.S. as an imperial
force and expanding its influence beyond its natural borders.
The near annexation of Hawai’i in 1893 was only
the first action taken; the U.S. would next make its way to
China in hopes of gaining traction in the lucrative
trade market that had long been dominated by Western European
powers.
The setting for this entrance would be based in offering support
during a civil conflict named the Boxer
Rebellion. This exercise produced two doctrines of great
significance. The first was the 1823 Monroe
Doctrine, which had threatened war against any European power

who attempted to colonize the Western
Hemisphere, which involved the promise that the U.S. would
not invade the Eastern Hemisphere. The second
was the Open Door Policy, which positioned a place for U.S.
trade in China. By forcing its way into China, the
U.S. essentially negated its own isolation doctrine and became a
truly international force.
The U.S. had set up battle lines in the wake of previous
occupation, but now felt it had enough strength to
ward off any potential further threats to its claimed property
and neighbors. With various U.S. interests now
being claimed within Mesoamerica, the first chance to defend
this new international position would come in
1898. Spain occupied Cuba, and the U.S. wanted to extend its
reach into the Philippines. With the aid of
some creative stories and pictures, known today as yellow
journalism, politicians convinced the American
people of the horrors of Cuba’s situation, even when the few
American financial interests in Cuba were
forfeited in fear of full-scale conflict.
On the night of February 15, 1898, the Maine, a battleship that
had been sent to stress a U.S. presence in the
situation, mysteriously blew up, and the U.S. had its war. Spain
would prove to be less than a challenge, and
the U.S. would gain its presence in Southeast Asia with power
over the Philippines. However, demanding this
continued presence turned Filipino allies against the U.S., and
the U.S. would lose almost all progress it had
gained in the Eastern Pacific.
At the close of the 19th century, the U.S. looked significantly
different than it had even 30 years earlier.
Growing business successes and populations provided the once
isolationist nation a feeling of superiority and

a lust for expansion into new regions to monopolize its trade
interests and for military positioning throughout
the world. The next century would again challenge this
isolationist policy when the U.S. would be
unexpectedly thrust into the Great War. This was the first
modern war and the beginning of its role as a true
world superpower.
Using this understanding, it is highly suggested to look again at
the different political and nationalistic groups.
What kind of society was desired in the U.S., and were the
differences that divided these political factions
UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
Title
really so different from one another? Was division inevitable
due to the widening economic differences, or
could stronger management have appeased all sides? These are
questions that will lead directly into the
brewing conflict in the next unit.
Reference
Lazarus, E. (n.d.). The new Colossus. Retrieved from

Suggested Reading
To enhance your understanding of pivotal moments in history
from World War I, specifically about the role of
the Canadians and the significance of Passchenaele, a Belgian
village, see the following:
It’s History. (2015, August 26). The Boxer Rebellion I history
of China. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0l4C3vZudZI
To view the layout for tenement housings that were common
throughout large cities, please see the page
below.
Columbia University. (n.d.). Two so-called dumbbell
tenements—types built on a 50-foot lot under the old law.
Retrieved from
http://ci.columbia.edu/0240s/0243_2/slides/0243_2_104265.htm
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Learning Activities (Non-Graded)
Power Point
For a review of the key terms of the unit, click here to access
the interactive Unit II Flashcards in PowerPoint
form. (Click here to access a PDF version.)

Non-graded Learning Activities are provided to aid students in
their course of study. You do not have to
submit them. If you have questions, contact your instructor for
further guidance and information.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0l4C3vZudZI
http://ci.columbia.edu/0240s/0243_2/slides/0243_2_104265.htm
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ral_Studies/HY/HY1120/15J/Unit_II_Flashcards.ppsx
ral_Studies/HY/HY1120/15J/Unit_II_Flashcards.pdf

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