ALEX Resources

   View Standards     Standard(s): [SS2010] US10 (10) 16 :

16 ) Explain the transition of the United States from an agrarian society to an industrial nation prior to World War I. [A.1.a., A.1.b., A.1.c., A.1.d., A.1.e., A.1.h., A.1.i., A.1.k.]

•  Describing the impact of Manifest Destiny on the economic and technological development of the post-Civil War West, including mining, the cattle industry, and the transcontinental railroad

•  Identifying the changing role of the American farmer, including the establishment of the Granger movement and the Populist Party and agrarian rebellion over currency issues

•  Evaluating the Dawes Act for its effect on tribal identity, land ownership, and assimilation of American Indians between Reconstruction and World War I

•  Comparing population percentages, motives, and settlement patterns of immigrants from Asia, Africa, Europe, and Latin America, including the Chinese Exclusion Act regarding immigration quotas

This lesson explores the reasons for the development of the tenant farming and sharecropping system in the post-Civil War era. Using primary sources (pictures and labor contracts), the lesson presents some of the situations that caused the system to develop. It covers the lifestyle of the farmers and investigates the reasons for the decrease in the system of tenant farming and sharecropping after the Depression and World War II.

This lesson was created as a part of the Alabama History Education Initiative, funded by a generous grant from the Malone Family Foundation in 2009.

Author Information: Vicki Looser (Cohort 1: 2009-2010); Lanett High School; Lanett City Schools Lanett, AL

   View Standards     Standard(s): [SS2010] USS5 (5) 13 :

13 ) Describe social and economic influences on United States' expansion prior to World War I.

•  Explaining how the development of transcontinental railroads helped the United States achieve its Manifest Destiny

•  Locating on a map states, capitals, and important geographic features west of the Mississippi River

•  Explaining how the United States acquired Alaska and Hawaii

•  Identifying major groups and individuals involved with the Westward Expansion, including farmers, ranchers, Jewish merchants, Mormons, and Hispanics

•  Analyzing the impact of closing the frontier on American Indians' way of life

•  Explaining how the Spanish-American War led to the emergence of the United States as a world power

[SS2010] US10 (10) 16 :

16 ) Explain the transition of the United States from an agrarian society to an industrial nation prior to World War I. [A.1.a., A.1.b., A.1.c., A.1.d., A.1.e., A.1.h., A.1.i., A.1.k.]

•  Describing the impact of Manifest Destiny on the economic and technological development of the post-Civil War West, including mining, the cattle industry, and the transcontinental railroad

•  Identifying the changing role of the American farmer, including the establishment of the Granger movement and the Populist Party and agrarian rebellion over currency issues

•  Evaluating the Dawes Act for its effect on tribal identity, land ownership, and assimilation of American Indians between Reconstruction and World War I

•  Comparing population percentages, motives, and settlement patterns of immigrants from Asia, Africa, Europe, and Latin America, including the Chinese Exclusion Act regarding immigration quotas

 A brief explanation of the origin of the term manifest destiny and the goal of expansionists.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [SS2010] US10 (10) 16 :

16 ) Explain the transition of the United States from an agrarian society to an industrial nation prior to World War I. [A.1.a., A.1.b., A.1.c., A.1.d., A.1.e., A.1.h., A.1.i., A.1.k.]

•  Describing the impact of Manifest Destiny on the economic and technological development of the post-Civil War West, including mining, the cattle industry, and the transcontinental railroad

•  Identifying the changing role of the American farmer, including the establishment of the Granger movement and the Populist Party and agrarian rebellion over currency issues

•  Evaluating the Dawes Act for its effect on tribal identity, land ownership, and assimilation of American Indians between Reconstruction and World War I

•  Comparing population percentages, motives, and settlement patterns of immigrants from Asia, Africa, Europe, and Latin America, including the Chinese Exclusion Act regarding immigration quotas

In this video from PBSLearningMedia, John Green teaches students about the Industrial Economy that arose in the United States after the Civil War. After the Civil War, many of the changes in technology and ideas gave rise to this new industrialism. You'll learn about the rise of Captains of Industry (or Robber Barons) like Cornelius Vanderbilt, Andrew Carnegie, John D Rockefeller, and JP Morgan. You'll learn about trusts, combinations, and how the government responded to these new business practices.

**Sensitive: This resource contains material that may be sensitive for some students. Teachers should exercise discretion in evaluating whether this resource is suitable for their class.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [SS2010] US10 (10) 16 :

16 ) Explain the transition of the United States from an agrarian society to an industrial nation prior to World War I. [A.1.a., A.1.b., A.1.c., A.1.d., A.1.e., A.1.h., A.1.i., A.1.k.]

•  Describing the impact of Manifest Destiny on the economic and technological development of the post-Civil War West, including mining, the cattle industry, and the transcontinental railroad

•  Identifying the changing role of the American farmer, including the establishment of the Granger movement and the Populist Party and agrarian rebellion over currency issues

•  Evaluating the Dawes Act for its effect on tribal identity, land ownership, and assimilation of American Indians between Reconstruction and World War I

•  Comparing population percentages, motives, and settlement patterns of immigrants from Asia, Africa, Europe, and Latin America, including the Chinese Exclusion Act regarding immigration quotas

In this video from PBSLearningMedia, John Green teaches students about the massive immigration to the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Immigrants flocked to the US from all over the world in this time period. Millions of Europeans moved to the US where they drove the growth of cities and manned the rapid industrialization that was taking place. In the western US, many Chinese immigrants arrived to work on the railroad and in mines. As is often the case in the United States, the people who already lived in the US reacted kind of badly to this flood of immigrants. Some legislators tried to stem the flow of new arrivals, with mixed success. Grover Cleveland vetoed a general ban on immigration, but the leadership at the time did manage to get together to pass an anti-Chinese immigration law. Immigrants did win some important Supreme Court decisions upholding their rights, but in many ways, immigrants were treated as second-class citizens. At the same time, the country was rapidly urbanizing. Cities were growing rapidly and industrial technology was developing new wonders all the time. John will cover all this upheaval and change and hearken back to a time when racial profiling did in fact boil down to analyzing the side of someone's face.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [SS2010] US10 (10) 16 :

16 ) Explain the transition of the United States from an agrarian society to an industrial nation prior to World War I. [A.1.a., A.1.b., A.1.c., A.1.d., A.1.e., A.1.h., A.1.i., A.1.k.]

•  Describing the impact of Manifest Destiny on the economic and technological development of the post-Civil War West, including mining, the cattle industry, and the transcontinental railroad

•  Identifying the changing role of the American farmer, including the establishment of the Granger movement and the Populist Party and agrarian rebellion over currency issues

•  Evaluating the Dawes Act for its effect on tribal identity, land ownership, and assimilation of American Indians between Reconstruction and World War I

•  Comparing population percentages, motives, and settlement patterns of immigrants from Asia, Africa, Europe, and Latin America, including the Chinese Exclusion Act regarding immigration quotas

In this video from PBSLearningMedia, John Green teaches students about the Gilded Age and its politics. The Gilded Age started in the 1870s and continued until the turn of the 20th century. The era is called Gilded because of the massive inequality that existed in the United States. Gilded Age politics were marked by a number of phenomenons, most of them having to do with corruption. On the local and state level, political machines wielded enormous power. John gets into details about the most famous political machine, Tammany Hall. Tammany Hall ran New York City for a long, long time, notably under Boss Tweed. Graft, kickbacks, and voter fraud were rampant, but not just at the local level. Ulysses S. Grant ran one of the most scandalous presidential administrations in U.S. history, and John will tell you about two of the best-known scandals, the Credit Mobilier scandal, and the Whiskey Ring. There were a few attempts at reform during this time, notably the Civil Service Act of 1883 and the Sherman Anti-trust act of 1890. 

   View Standards     Standard(s): [SS2010] US10 (10) 16 :

16 ) Explain the transition of the United States from an agrarian society to an industrial nation prior to World War I. [A.1.a., A.1.b., A.1.c., A.1.d., A.1.e., A.1.h., A.1.i., A.1.k.]

•  Describing the impact of Manifest Destiny on the economic and technological development of the post-Civil War West, including mining, the cattle industry, and the transcontinental railroad

•  Identifying the changing role of the American farmer, including the establishment of the Granger movement and the Populist Party and agrarian rebellion over currency issues

•  Evaluating the Dawes Act for its effect on tribal identity, land ownership, and assimilation of American Indians between Reconstruction and World War I

•  Comparing population percentages, motives, and settlement patterns of immigrants from Asia, Africa, Europe, and Latin America, including the Chinese Exclusion Act regarding immigration quotas

In this interactive game from WNET Thirteen, “A Cheyenne Odyssey,” players become Little Fox, a Northern Cheyenne boy whose life is changed by the encroachment of white settlers, railroads, and U.S. military expeditions.  As buffalo diminish and the U.S. expands westward, players experience the Cheyenne's persistence through conflict and national transformation. Teachers will need to register for a free account.  The game can be played in a whole group setting or individually.