Critical Thinking Paper #1

 You will write a 3-4 page, formal, college-level paper answering ONE (1) of the following prompts. Most of these prompts include more than one question — make sure you address every aspect of the questions.

You will need to use both of your textbooks (you may also use lectures) and may need additional, outside sources to flesh out your paper.

You MUST cite every quote, reference, paraphrase, fact or other item requiring citation. You MUST cite using the citation style known as Turabian. Using any other format will result in you receiving a zero on your paper.

If you have no citations, you will earn a zero on your paper.

If you do not have a Works Cited page, you will earn a zero on your paper (do not use a reference page or a bibliography — they have specific meanings that differ from Works Cited.

You are responsible for all of the style items in PG’s Writing Guide.

Attach your paper, here, as a Word Document (doc or docx) or a PDF.

Prompts

Make sure you copy and paste the prompt you’re using to the top of the first page of your paper, so I know which prompt you are addressing in your paper.

1. Industrialization, immigration, and urbanization all took place on an unprecedented scale during this era. What were the relationships of these processes to one another? How did each process serve to catalyze and fuel the others? Did the emergent consumer culture change what it meant to beAmerican at the turn of the century?
2. What were the effects of urbanization on the working, middle, and elite classes of American society? Conversely, how did the different social classes and their activities change the scope, character, and use of urban spaces? What potential benefits and drawbacks of new directions in urban planning might members of each class have cited?
3. Describe the multiple groups and leaders that emerged in the fight for the Progressive agenda, including women’s rights, African American rights, and workers’ rights. How were the philosophies, agendas, strategies, and approaches of these leaders and organizations similar and different? What made it difficult for all Progressive activists to present a united front? Are there any vestiges of Progressivism can we see in our modern lives’ politically, economically, and socially? Which of our present-day political processes, laws, institutions, and attitudes have roots in this era? Why have they had such staying power? Be specific and make sure you address every question in this multi-part question.
4. What changes did the war bring to the everyday lives of Americans? How lasting were these changes? Where their new opportunities during the war for women and African Americans? What limitations did these groups continue to face despite of these opportunities?
5. Explain how the 1920s was a decade of contradictions. What does the relationship between mass immigration and the rise of the Second Ku Klux Klan tell us about American attitudes? How might we reconcile the decade as the period of both the flapper and prohibition? Were there new opportunities during the 1920s for women and African Americans? What new limitations did this era impose?