Unit 1: ​The Gilded Age

Unit 1 Guide
​The Gilded Age Inquiry Activity
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​Critical Vocabulary: Forty-Niners, Transcontinental Railroad, Homestead Act, Exodusters, Battle of Little Bighorn, Dawes Act, Assimilation, Carlisle Indian Industrial School, Ghost Dance, Wounded Knee Massacre, Laissez Faire Economics, Vertical Integration, Horizontal Integration, Social Darwinism, A Gospel of Wealth, Labor Union, Strike, Lockout, Blacklist, Homestead Strike, Pullman Strike, Imperialism, Great White Fleet, Annexation of Hawaii, Cuban War of Independence, Reconcentration Policy, Yellow Journalism, De Lome Letter, U.S.S. Maine, Treaty of Paris of 1898, Anti-Imperialist League, Philippine-American War, Open Door Policy, Boxer Rebellion, Push Factors, Pull Factors, Ellis Island, Americanization Movement, Nativism, Chinese Exclusion Act, Angel Island, Urbanization, Tenements, Political Machine, Muckrakers

Lesson 1: The Great West
I can describe the changes that took place as Americans moved west at the turn of the century.
  • This means I can explain why 1000s of settlers began to move west after the Civil War, and I can describe the challenges they faced as a result.
  • It also means that I can explain how western expansion impacted the lives of Native Americans living on the Great Plains.
Class Materials: 
  • America: The Story of Us Heartland Questions
  • ​Manifest Destiny Activity
  • Where the Buffalo Roamed Activity
  • Native American Writing Activity
Additional Resources:

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Lesson 2: The Growth of Industry

I can describe the growth of industry in the United States, and I can assess its impact on American society.
  • This means I can explain laissez faire economics, and I can describe how it shaped business practices during the Gilded Age.
  • It also means I can describe working conditions during the Gilded Age, and I can analyze the degree to which the Labor Movement was able to improve upon them.
Class Materials: 
Additional Resources:

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Lesson 3: American Imperialism

I can explain the political, economic, & cultural factors that fueled the growth of American imperialism.
  • This means I can explain the reasons the U.S. sought to build an empire at the turn of the century.
  • It also means I can describe the reasons the U.S. went to war in 1898, and I can analyze whether or not that decision was justified.
Class Materials: 
  • When Is War Necessary Activity?​
  • The Spanish American War Activity
Additional Resources: ​

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Lesson 4: America Moves to the City
I can discuss the ways in which the American population changed at the turn of the century, and I can analyze the issues that emerged as a result.
  • This means I can summarize the reasons people immigrated to the U.S. during the Gilded Age, and I can evaluate the domestic response to these groups.
  • It also means that I can describe the major issues that emerged as Americans moved into cities, and I can explain the role of muckrakers in exposing the problems of the era.
Class Materials: 
  • Urbanization Game
  • An American Tail Questions
  • America: The Story of Us Cities Questions
  • America Moves to the City Writing Activity
Additional Resources:​

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