Background: Too much corporate influence in politics; the specter of socialist policies undermining capitalism and individual freedoms; a middle class in apparent decline; waves of immigration that threatened to alter the character of American society; new technologies that introduced new social problems as well as offering new opportunities; and a general sense that the common people had lost control of their government: To a sometimes surprising degree, the issues that troubled Americans in the last quarter of the nineteenth century resembled our own. The past often loses much of its vigor and tumult as it becomes codified as history, and it can be difficult at times to understand how truly revolutionary— transformative, disruptive, unprecedented, and divisive—an event such as the Industrial Revolution was for the people who lived through it. Resources: When composing your initial post and your responses to your classmates, draw from the material in AT LEAST TWO of the following primary sources: Bryan, W. J. (1896, July 8). Cross of gold speech . Retrieved from http://www.let.rug.nl/usa/documents/1876-1900/william-jennings-bryan-cross-of-gold-speech-july-8-1896.php Carnegie, A. (June 1889). Wealth . Retrieved from http://www.let.rug.nl/usa/documents/1876-1900/andrew-carnegie-wealth-june-1889.php  Chief Joseph. (1877-1879). Chief Joseph speaks: Selected statements and speeches by the Nez Percé chief . Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/resources/archives/six/jospeak.htm  Clark, F. E. (1912). Our immigrants at Ellis Island . Boston, MA: United Society of Christian Endeavor. Retrieved from the Library of Congress at http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/primarysourcesets/immigration/pdf/our_immigrants.pdf  Gompers, S. (Sept. 1894). Letter on labor in industrial society to Judge Peter Grosscup .  Retrieved from http://www.let.rug.nl/usa/documents/1876-1900/samuel-gompers-letter-on-labor-in-industrial-society-to-judge-peter-grosscup-september-1894.php United States Populist Party. (1892, July 4).   Populist Party platform . Retrieved from http://www.let.rug.nl/usa/documents/1876-1900/populist-party-platform-july-4-1892.php  White, A. W. (1896, Aug. 16).  What’s the matter with Kansas? .  Retrieved from http://www.let.rug.nl/usa/documents/1876-1900/william-allen-white-whats-the-matter-with-kansas-august-16-1896.php Also draw from the material in ONE of the following videos: Hawksworth, R. (Producer). (2001).  The American industrial revolution   [Video]. United States: Media Rich LLC. Retrieved from http://digital.films.com/OnDemandEmbed.aspx?Token=47596&aid=18596&Plt=FOD&loid=0&w=640&h=480&ref= Robbins, A. (Director). (2011).   Industrial New York .  [Television series episode]. In E. Hardy. (Executive producer), Filthy Cities: A History of Public Sanitation (or Lack Thereof). United Kingdom: BBC Productions. Retrieved from http://digital.films.com/OnDemandEmbed.aspx?Token=48012&aid=18596&Plt=FOD&loid=0&w=640.

1. Background:
Too much corporate influence in politics; the specter of
socialist policies undermining capitalism and individual
freedoms; a middle class in apparent decline; waves of
immigration that threatened to alter the character of American
society; new technologies that introduced new social problems
as well as offering new opportunities; and a general sense that
the common people had lost control of their government: To a
sometimes surprising degree, the issues that troubled Americans
in the last quarter of the nineteenth century resembled our own.
The past often loses much of its vigor and tumult as it becomes
codified as history, and it can be difficult at times to understand
how truly revolutionary— transformative, disruptive,
unprecedented, and divisive—an event such as the Industrial
Revolution was for the people who lived through it.
Resources:
When composing your initial post and your responses to your
classmates, draw from the material in
AT LEAST TWO
of the following primary sources:
Bryan, W. J. (1896, July 8).
Cross of gold speech
. Retrieved from http://www.let.rug.nl/usa/documents/1876-
1900/william-jennings-bryan-cross-of-gold-speech-july-8-
1896.php
Carnegie, A. (June 1889).
Wealth
. Retrieved from http://www.let.rug.nl/usa/documents/1876-
1900/andrew-carnegie-wealth-june-1889.php
Chief Joseph. (1877-1879).
Chief Joseph speaks: Selected statements and speeches by the
Nez Percé chief

2. . Retrieved from
http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/resources/archives/six/jospeak
.htm
Clark, F. E. (1912).
Our immigrants at Ellis Island
. Boston, MA: United Society of Christian Endeavor. Retrieved
from the Library of Congress at
http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/primarysources
ets/immigration/pdf/our_immigrants.pdf
Gompers, S. (Sept. 1894).
Letter on labor in industrial society to Judge Peter Grosscup
. Retrieved from http://www.let.rug.nl/usa/documents/1876-
1900/samuel-gompers-letter-on-labor-in-industrial-society-to-
judge-peter-grosscup-september-1894.php
United States Populist Party. (1892, July 4).
Populist Party platform
. Retrieved from http://www.let.rug.nl/usa/documents/1876-
1900/populist-party-platform-july-4-1892.php
White, A. W. (1896, Aug. 16).
What’s the matter with Kansas?
. Retrieved from http://www.let.rug.nl/usa/documents/1876-
1900/william-allen-white-whats-the-matter-with-kansas-august-
16-1896.php
Also draw from the material in
ONE
of the following videos:
Hawksworth, R. (Producer). (2001).
The American industrial revolution
[Video]. United States: Media Rich LLC. Retrieved from
http://digital.films.com/OnDemandEmbed.aspx?Token=47596&
aid=18596&Plt=FOD&loid=0&w=640&h=480&ref=

3. Robbins, A. (Director). (2011).
Industrial New York
. [Television series episode]. In E. Hardy. (Executive
producer),
Filthy Cities: A History of Public Sanitation (or Lack Thereof).
United Kingdom: BBC Productions. Retrieved from
http://digital.films.com/OnDemandEmbed.aspx?Token=48012&
aid=18596&Plt=FOD&loid=0&w=640&h=480&ref=
Instructions:
After reviewing your Instructor’s Guidance and completing the
weekly reading assignments (including those in the resource
section below), please post a substantive discussion post of at
least 200 words that analyzes how the revolutionary nature of
this period impacted either Native Americans, Immigrants or
Farmers, using the following questions as the basis of your
analysis:
What were the most revolutionary social and economic
developments of the last quarter of the nineteenth century?
How did different groups of Americans respond to those
changes and how effective were their responses?
What role did government play in these developments?
Your initial post should be no fewer than 200 words in length,
which does not include works cited or the questions being
answered. It should address all of the components of the
question in a way that demonstrates independent, critical
thought and command of the required material. It should not
merely repeat the material in the textbook or other sources, but
should use that material as the basis for an idiosyncratic
interpretation of the topic. All sources need to be cited using
proper APA format. If you borrow wording from a source, the
wording absolutely must be marked as a quotation.