HIST 1302 – US History since 1865

The Populist and Progressive reformers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries brought about widespread changes to American politics, economics, and society. In this essay, we want you to consider the ethics and civics of the reformers. Describe THREE of the key reform movements of the Progressive era. Who were these reformers and what motivated them? What methods did they use to further their goals through civic engagement? What ethical considerations did they take into account in pushing reforms? How successful were they in achieving these goals?

Note 1: Successful responses will consider a broad range of evidence in support of arguments. Take a few moments to consider how you would respond by making a list of both “ethics” and “civics” related to these reformers and reforms. Be sure to have a mixture of big/broad ideas and specific/detailed evidence in your argument.

Note 2: We DO NOT want summaries. Summaries will not earn a high grade. “A papers” utilize rule of three analysis (including strong rule of three thesis statements in the introduction and each paragraph of the body), specific and detailed historical facts as evidence, analysis instead of summary, consider change over time and historical geography (as necessary in response to the prompt), and properly cite both primary and secondary sources.

Note 3: Required length is 2 pages (introduction, 3 paragraphs of the body, conclusion).