After the Civil War the US rapidly expanded. The transcontinental railroad linked the east and west coasts. Miners, farmers, and ranchers flooded west for land and minerals. Native Americans fought to maintain their traditional lands, but a stronger US government sent defeated tribes to reservations. The jobs created by rapid industrialization served as incentive for millions of immigrants to come to America's shores. Progress did not come without problems. America's cities suffered from poverty and filthy tenements. Middle class reformersm, called Progressives, sought to end child labor and urban blight. Progressive President, Theodore Roosevel, curbed the power of big business and signed laws that conserved America's wilderness.
Reading
Presentations
- What happened to the buffalo?
- Settling the West
- Industrialization
- The Factory System
- Child Labor
- Immigration
- Ellis Island
- The Progressive Era
Activities
- Lewis Hine Photos of Child Labor
- Ellis Island Interactive Tour - Scholastic
- The Angel Island Immigration Station by KQED
- Coming to America- Angel Island Article
Video
- Upton Sinclair's The Jungle
- Theodore Roosevelt Teacher Tube
- Theodore Roosevelt Mini Biography from BIO
- Theodore Roosevelt Fights Big Business - The History Channel
Unit Test Review - Jeopardy