By the 1890s, a new political force emerged which attempted to combine the interests of rural, western farmers and the industrial laborers of the cities.
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Tag Archives: 155-4
Labor Unrest
During the 1890s, an unprecedented number of strikes and labor actions shook the United States. Few were bigger than the Pullman Strike of 1893. Below are two points of view from both George Pullman and the striking workers.
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The Triangle Fire
On March 25, 1911, a fire in the Triangle Shirtwaist factory in New York City killed 146 workers, mostly young women. The accounts of the survivors and witnesses, along with the unsafe conditions which prevented more of the workers from escaping the blaze helped fuel industrial safety regulations during the Progressive era.
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Sexual Politics
Margaret Sanger (1879-1966) was one of the pioneers of the birth control movement. Her writings, as seen here with her magazine The Woman Rebel caused her to run afoul of postal authorities who were bound by laws at the time to confiscate and destroy any material sent through the mail that was judged “obscene.”
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Perfecting Humanity
One aspect of the Progressive Era was the popularity of eugenics—selective reproduction to improve humanity. Indiana was the first state in the United States (and one of the first places in the world) to establish laws to determine whether or not the physically and mentally ill or disabled should be allowed to reproduce. This law was controversial from its inception. Signed into law by Indiana Governor J. Frank Hanly, its enforcement was blocked by the subsequent governor, Thomas R. Marshall. The law was found unconstitutional by the Indiana Supreme Court in 1921.
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Progressive Morality at the Front
For the United States, entry into World War I came at the close of the Progressive Era. One feature of this period was an emphasis on social control–using the power of government and other powerful institutions to manage people’s behavior.
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What About Juvenile Delinquency?
An increase in crime committed by teenagers during the late 1940s and into the 1950s spawned a number of educational resources aimed at young people (and their parents).
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Comic Books, Kids, and Crime
Excerpts from a 1955 Senate report on Comic Books and Juvenile Delinquency.
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Ideology and Propaganda: Make Mine Freedom
Throughout the Cold War, Harding College (now University) produced a number of films which promoted “American” values in the face of perceived pressure from “un-American” ideologies. This short animated film, “Make Mine Freedom” is an early example of these films. As you watch it, think about the goals the filmmakers had in creating this cartoon and who the cartoon’s audience might have been.
Source: The Prelinger Collection (direct link to video)
Questions to consider:
- The film makes reference to “isms”–given the year of production, to what “isms” might the filmmakers have been referring?
- What do the filmmakers promote as an alternative to ‘isms”?
- What are the specific dangers of these “isms”?
- What makes the American way better than the foreign “isms,” according to the filmmakers?
How Much Affection? Youth, Sex, and Social Norms in Cold War America
During the 1950s, some American thinkers expressed concern that deviation from accepted behavior, would contribute to a weakening of American society. This educational film from 1958 addresses some of the perceived consequences of premarital sex. While premarital sex was certainly not invented in the 1950s, concerns about “proper” behavior were enhanced by the tensions of the Cold War.