This is the second of two assignments that ask students to not only convey their understanding of a particular political episode in American history, but also transmit the central arguments of a scholarly article. One of the central objectives of the course curriculum is to ensure that students are able to comprehend academic research—essentially understand information that is professionally researched, peer reviewed, and intended for the “academic discourse.” For this essay, students will illustrate their capacity for comprehension and then express that comprehension in a short, explanatory piece of writing.
The essay will focus on the Filene article, “An Obituary for the Progressive Movement.”
Filene’s article is found in the course module. As he explains, for decades historians have debated the significance of the Progressive Movement. When historians write books/articles they are usually in response to other historians’ books/articles. Historians either argue against each other, add to the cumulative knowledge of the “conventional wisdom” surrounding the historical topic, or on rare occasions offer breakthrough, novel interpretations. Filene reviews the different scholarly perspectives on Progressivism. Your task is to effectively transmit the contents of Filene’s article, but also indicate a clear understanding of Filene’s argument and speak to the pieces of historical evidence that Filene raises to prove his argument.
Here are some ideas/questions that should help you complete the assignment:
Identify the author, title, and year of publication. Remember the Filene article is your focus.
Situate the topic in its historical context, based on what you know from the textbook and other sources in this class. Take some time to illustrate your understanding of progressivism.
Identify and summarize the author’s thesis in YOUR OWN WORDS. Demonstrate your ability to read and comprehend a published article and effectively summarizing the main idea(s) of the author in a concise summary. This is the main point of the assignment. State and explain the author’s supporting ideas and evidence. Explain the underlying meaning or goal of the article, not simply the superficial details.
To be sure, your paper should address the following items:
There are a few tasks associated with the assignment.
Illustrate an understanding of Progressivism in American political history.
Transmit Filene’s argument.
In the final section of the paper, use your understanding of the topic to identify one Progressive measure that you would have supported (explain why) and one Progressive measure that you would have opposed (explain why). Progressive reforms are identified in the Filene article or Chapter 20 in the American Yawp. They are more explicitly identified in the “Progressive Party Platform” noted below.
The entire paper should be about 3-4 pages.
Resources:
These resources can be incorporated into your essay to meet the reference/source requirement for the assignment.
Secondary Sources:
-The American Yawp offers a section on Progressivism in Chapter 20. This should help with context. The entire chapter is dedicated to American Progressivism so there is not really a need to consult outside secondary sources.
-As a primer to Filene, read Brinkley’s review of Hofstatder’s Age of Reform. This will help you better understand the broader literature surrounding turn-of-the-century reform movements. Brinkley’s review is posted to the course module. You must incorporate Brinkley’s review into your discussion of Filene’s article.
Primary Sources:
The American Yawp, Chapter 20 has 9 primary source documents at the end of the Chapter that relate to Progressivism. https://www.americanyawp.com/text/wp-content/uploads/yawp_v2_open_pdf.pdf
“A Sociologist Studies Working-Class Saloons in Chicago,” 1900, Johnson, Reading the American Past, Document 21-3.
“Marie Jenney Howe Parodies the Opposition to Women’s Suffrage,” Johnson, Reading the American Past, Document 21-4.
“The Progressive Party Platform,” (1912) https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/progressive-party-platform-1912Links to an external site.
Writing Standards
The essay will be 3-4 pages long. Make sure you fulfill items 1-3 above.
Standard margins.
12 point times new roman font.
In-text parenthetical citations. For example: (Johnson, 25).
The essay needs to reference/cite the Filene and Brinkley articles. The essay also needs to reference at least two of the sources from the module 2. So, the essay must reference four sources.
All essays need to be submitted to turn-it-in, through canvas. I will not grade the essay if it’s not submitted to turn-it-in.
Proofread the essay. If I can’t understand the writing, the grade will be penalized.
The rubric is posted on the course portal.
Every essay needs a formal works cited page. Remember to cite each individual source. MLA format for works cited page.
There is no need to consult outside sources. All of the information needed to complete this essay is found in the module. If you do consult outside sources, understand that “progressivism” gets some people very excited and many have drawn connections to more contemporary American politics. In other words, some of the writing on “progressivism” is politically charged. This assignment does not deal with “twenty-first-century Progressivism.”
