HIST 6330-001

Fall 2006, University of Texas at Dallas

THE GILDED AGE AND PROGRESSIVE ERA

Professor Natalie J. Ring

Phone: 972-883-2365
Email: nring@utdallas.edu
Office: JO 5.610
Office Hours: MW 5-6 p.m.

Course Description
This course is designed to introduce graduate students to the historical period often referred to as
the Gilded Age and Progressive Era (1877-1919). We will examine both traditional texts and new
scholarship, focusing on content, methodology, and historiography. Prominent themes include the
expansion of industrial capitalism and the rise of the corporation, the influx of “new” immigrants
and patterns of “Americanization,” middle-class social reform, the emergence of the U.S. as an
imperial power, the political mobilization of aggrieved workers and farmers, and the rise of the Jim
Crow South. Of central concern will be how Progressivism shaped the contours of twentieth-
century liberalism, particularly with regard to questions of public policy and reform. In other
words, how did Americans rethink the relationship between government and society?

Course Objectives
1. To define what historians mean when they talk about Progressivism and Progressives.
2. To analyze how Progressivism shaped the contours of twentieth-century American liberalism.
3. To identify and explain areas of social conflict in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era.

Required Texts
The following books can be purchased at the UTD bookstore or at Off Campus Books located at
561 W. Campbell # 201

*Neil Foley, The White Scourge: Mexicans, Blacks, and Poor Whites in Texas Cotton Culture
(1999, 1997)
*Glenda Gilmore, Gender and Jim Crow: Women and the Politics of White Supremacy in North
Carolina, 1896-1920 (1996)
*Richard Hofstader, The Age of Reform (1960)
*Michael Kazin, A Godly Hero: The Life of William Jennings Bryan (2006)
*Paul Kramer, The Blood of Government: Race, Empire, the United States, and the Philippines
(2006)
*Michael McGerr, A Fierce Discontent: The Rise and Fall of the Progressive Movement in
America, 1870-1920 (2005)
*Roy Rosenswieg, Eight Hours for What We Will: Workers and Leisure in an Industrial City,
1870-1920 (2002, 1983)
*Martin Sklar, The Corporate Reconstruction of American Capitalism, 1890-1916: The Market,
the Law, and Politics (1988)
*Sarah Watts, Rough Rider in the White House: Theodore Roosevelt and the Politics of Desire
(2003, 2006)
*Barbara Young Welke, Recasting Liberty: Gender, Race, Law and the Railroad Revolution,
1865-1920 (2001)
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*Robert Wiebe, The Search for Order, 1877-1920 (1980, 1967)

Required Articles
The following articles can be located on J-STOR at the McDermott library website.

*James R. Barrett, “Americanization from the Bottom Up: Immigration and the Remaking of the
Working Class in the United States, 1880-1930,” Journal of American History 79(Dec. 1992): 996-
1020
*William G. Anderson, “Progressivism: An Historiographical Essay,” The History Teacher 6 (May
1973): 427-452
*Peter G. Filene, “An Obituary for ‘The Progressive Movement,’” American Quarterly 22 (Spring
1970): 20-34
*Gary Gerstle, “The Protean Character of American Liberalism,” American Historical Review
99 (October 1994): 1043-73
*Daniel T. Rodgers, “In Search of Progressivism,” Reviews in American History 10 (December
1982): 113-32
*David P. Thelen, “Social Tensions and the Origins of Progressivism,” Journal of American
History 56 (September 1969): 323-41

Academic Calendar

Aug. 21 Introduction

Aug. 28 What is Progressivism?

Thelen, Filene, Anderson, and Rodgers (read articles in order of publication date)
Recommended: Richard Wightman Fox, “The Culture of Liberal Protestant
Progressivism, 1875-1925,” Journal of Interdisciplinary History 23 (Winter 1993):
639-60

Sept. 4 Labor Day – No class

Sept. 11 Framing the Period

Wiebe, The Search for Order
Recommended: Alan Trachtenberg, The Incorporation of America: Culture and
Society in the Gilded Age; Nell Irvin Painter, Standing at Armageddon: The United
States, 1877-1919;

Sept. 18 The Progressives

Hofstader, The Age of Reform
Recommended: Daniel T. Rodgers, Atlantic Crossings: Social Politics in a
Progressive Age; Steven J. Diner, Americans of the Progressive Era: A Very
Different Age

Sept. 25 Middle-Class Reform and Transformation

McGerr, A Fierce Discontent
Recommended: T. J. Jackson Lears, No Place of Grace: Antimodernism and the
Transformation of American Culture, 1880-1920; Theda Scocpol, Protecting
Soldiers and Mothers: The Political Origins of Social Policy in the United States
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Oct. 2 Industrialization and Corporate Capitalism

Reading: Sklar, The Corporate Reconstruction of American Capitalism
Recommended: Alfred Chandler, The Visible Hand: The Managerial Revolution
in American Business; Gabriel Kolko, Triumph of Conservatism; James Weinstein,
The Corporate Ideal in the Liberal State, 1900-1918

Oct. 9 Gender, Politics, and Modernity

Reading: Watts, Rough Rider in the White House
Recommended: Gail Bederman Manliness and Civilization: A Cultural History of
Gender and Race in the United States, 1880-1917; John Kasson Houdini, Tarzan,
and the Perfect Man: The White Male Body and the Challenge of Modernity in
America; George Chauncy, Gay New York: Gender, Urban Culture, and the Making
of the Gay Male World, 1890-1940

Oct. 16 The Populist Revolt

Reading: Kazin, A Godly Hero
Recommended: Steven Hahn, The Roots of Southern Populism: Yeomen Farmers
and the Transformation of the Georgia Upcountry, 1850-1890; Lawrence Goodwyn,
Democratic Promise: The Populist Movement in America; Elizabeth Sanders, Roots
of Reform: Workers, Farmers, and the American State, 1877-1917

Oct. 23 The Railroad Revolution

Reading: Welke, Recasting Liberty
Recommended: William Deverell, Railroad Crossing: Californians and the
Railroad, 1850-1910

Oct. 30 Immigrants, Americanization, and the Working Class

Reading: Rosenswieg, Eight Hours for What We Will; Barrett, “Americanization
from the Bottom Up”
Recommended: Kathy Peiss, Cheap Amusements: Working Women and Leisure in
Turn-of-the-Century New York; David Montgomery, The Fall of the House of Labor:
The Workplace, the State, and American Labor Activism, 1865-1925

Nov. 6 The South

Reading: Gilmore, Gender and Jim Crow
Recommended: C. Vann Woodward, Origins of the New South, 1877-1913; Edward
Ayers, The Promise of the New South: Life After Reconstruction; David Blight, Race
And Reunion: The Civil War in American Memory

Nov. 13 American Imperialism and Colonialism

Reading: Kramer, The Blood of Governments
Recommended: Matthew Frye Jacobson, Barbarian Virtues: The United States
Encounters Foreign Peoples at Home and Abroad, 1876-1917; Eric T. Love, Race
Over Empire: Racism and U. S. Imperialism, 1865-1900

Nov. 20 Race and Racial Identities

Reading: Foley, The White Scourge
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Recommended: Matthew Frye Jacobson, Whiteness of a Different Color: European

Immigrants and the Alchemy of Race; Grace Hale, Making Whiteness: The Culture of
Segregation in the South, 1890-1940

Nov. 27 Conclusion
Book Review #2 is Due
Reading: Gerstle, “The Protean Character of American Liberalism”

Dec. 1 Final Paper is Due in Prof. Ring’s mailbox by 5 p.m.

Assignments and Requirements

Course participation/attendance: The success of this seminar depends on your regular attendance
and active participation. I take the attendance policy in my graduate classes very seriously since
you are pursuing a higher degree. This is not an undergraduate course and you are expected to
attend EVERY class. If you miss more than one class you will be dropped from the course. We
meet only once a week so attendance should never be an issue. Moreover, we are here to exchange
ideas and learn from each other, thus lack of attendance or participation hurts the entire class. Your
attendance grade will be based on your presence in class, your contributions to weekly discussions,
and your ability to listen to the contributions of your colleagues.

Seminar Facilitation: During the course of the semester you will facilitate the discussion for one
session. The presentation should be roughly 15 minutes long. You are advised to give a brief
introduction to the material, which may include outlining broad historical debates of which the book
is a part or discussing the primary concerns/issues the book raises. Do not simply summarize the
book, chapter by chapter. Do not spend the bulk of your time providing information on the author’s
career or reporting what book reviewers had to say about the book. What is your understanding of
the book’s structure and content? The key is to provide an overview to the book itself. You will
lead the class so consider this an experience in teaching; thus you should generate discussion
questions for us. You are expected to turn in your list of questions and a general outline of your
presentation to the professor. Students have found it helpful if you hand out copies of your
discussion questions in hard copy form. Do not hand out printed information about the author or
printed excerpts from book reviews, although in the course of your presentation you may very
briefly address this. You will be graded on your ability to break down the book’s synthesis,
provide the class with an analytical framework, and lead the discussion.

Book Reviews: You will write two book reviews of approximately 1000 words each: 1) a book on
the required reading list which must be turned in before we discuss the book in class. The book
you choose must not be the same book you facilitate the seminar for. Plan ahead wisely because
once we have discussed the book you may no longer review it. 2) a book from any of the
recommended readings lists on the syllabus. This will be due on November 27. Please note that
you may not review a book that you have read in a previous class or written a paper on for another
class.

• The review must be publisher-ready

• The review must be modeled on those found in Reviews in American History
• It must focus on a book published no earlier than 1988
• It must place the book within the context of a larger body of literature
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Final Paper: You will write a 10-12 page paper on a primary text chosen from the list below. This
essay should be thought of as an introduction to a new primary edition of the source. This would
include summarizing the text with vivid details, explaining why it is a seminal work in this period,
and showing how the source could be contexualized within the era by making use of the readings
you have done in class. You might also refer to specialized readings on the primary source itself as
well as the topics that it addresses. In other words, you are being asked to think about how and why
this text would serve as an important source for historians and students of history of this period.
This essay should be footnoted and include a bibliography if outside materials are used. It is
suggested that you do try to use outside materials since many of the books on the list are well-
known. You may choose one of the following texts

*Jane Adams, Twenty Years at Hull House

*Mary Antin, The Promised Land
*George M. Beard, American Nervousness: Its Causes and Consequences
*Edward Bellamy, Looking Backward
*W.E.B. DuBois, Souls of Black Folk
*Jacob Riis, How the Other Half Lives
*Upton Sinclair, The Jungle
*Ida M. Tarbell, The History of the Standard Oil Company
*Thorstein Veblen, The Theory of the Leisure Class

Grading Policy
Course breakdown:
Course participation/attendance 20%
Seminar facilitation 10%
Book review #1 15%
Book review #2 15%
Final Paper 40%

Incompletes and extensions: There will be no extensions on the book reviews. The general rule is
do not ask for an extension unless you have suffered from serious illness (i.e. hospitalization) or
acute personal crises, such as the death of a relative. Please inform the professor as soon as you are
aware of a problem. Late work will be heavily penalized (1/3 letter grade per day, weekends
included). For university rules about incompletes please see below.

Course Policies
Classroom Protocol: First, please ensure that your cell phones are turned OFF during the class.
Second, please make an effort to arrive to class on time and avoid leaving early. Late arrivals and
early departures are distracting to both the professor and the students in the classroom. Frequently
information regarding course assignments and other matters is given at the start of class and
tardiness will lead you to miss important announcements.

Ground Rules for Class Discussion: (Based on Lynn Weber Cannons’ “Fostering Positive Race,
Class, and Gender Dynamics in the Classroom,” Women’s Studies Quarterly 18(1990).

1. Acknowledge that sexism, racism, classism, heterosexism, and other institutionalized forms of
oppression and inequity exist.
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2. Acknowledge that one mechanism of institutionalized racism, classism, sexism, and homophobia
is that we are all systematically misinformed about our own group and about members of other
groups. This is true for members of privileged and oppressed groups.

3. Agree not to blame ourselves for misinformation we have learned, but to accept responsibility for
not repeating misinformation after we have learned otherwise.

4. Never demean or devalue or put down what your colleagues have to say.

Student Conduct & Discipline

The University of Texas System and The University of Texas at Dallas have rules and regulations
for the orderly and efficient conduct of their business. It is the responsibility of each student and
each student organization to be knowledgeable about the rules and regulations which govern student
conduct and activities. General information on student conduct and discipline is contained in the
UTD publication, A to Z Guide, which is provided to all registered students each academic year.

The University of Texas at Dallas administers student discipline within the procedures of
recognized and established due process. Procedures are defined and described in the Rules and
Regulations, Board of Regents, The University of Texas System, Part 1, Chapter VI, Section 3, and
in Title V, Rules on Student Services and Activities of the university’s Handbook of Operating
Procedures. Copies of these rules and regulations are available to students in the Office of the
Dean of Students, where staff members are available to assist students in interpreting the rules and
regulations (SU 1.602, 972/883-6391).

A student at the university neither loses the rights nor escapes the responsibilities of citizenship. He
or she is expected to obey federal, state, and local laws as well as the Regents’ Rules, university
regulations, and administrative rules. Students are subject to discipline for violating the standards
of conduct whether such conduct takes place on or off campus, or whether civil or criminal
penalties are also imposed for such conduct.

Academic Integrity
The faculty expects from its students a high level of responsibility and academic honesty. Because
the value of an academic degree depends upon the absolute integrity of the work done by the
student for that degree, it is imperative that a student demonstrate a high standard of individual
honor in his or her scholastic work.

Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, statements, acts or omissions related to
applications for enrollment or the award of a degree, and/or the submission as one’s own work or
material that is not one’s own. As a general rule, scholastic dishonesty involves one of the
following acts: cheating, plagiarism, collusion and/or falsifying academic records. Students
suspected of academic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary proceedings.

Plagiarism, especially from the web, from portions of papers for other classes, and from any other
source is unacceptable and will be dealt with under the university’s policy on plagiarism (see
general catalog for details). This course will use the resources of turnitin.com, which searches the
web for possible plagiarism and is over 90% effective.
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Email Use
The University of Texas at Dallas recognizes the value and efficiency of communication between
faculty/staff and students through electronic mail. At the same time, email raises some issues
concerning security and the identity of each individual in an email exchange. The university
encourages all official student email correspondence be sent only to a student’s U.T. Dallas email
address and that faculty and staff consider email from students official only if it originates from a
UTD student account. This allows the university to maintain a high degree of confidence in the
identity of all individual corresponding and the security of the transmitted information. UTD
furnishes each student with a free email account that is to be used in all communication with
university personnel. The Department of Information Resources at U.T. Dallas provides a method
for students to have their U.T. Dallas mail forwarded to other accounts.

Withdrawal from Class

The administration of this institution has set deadlines for withdrawal of any college-level courses.
These dates and times are published in that semester's course catalog. Administration procedures
must be followed. It is the student's responsibility to handle withdrawal requirements from any
class. In other words, I cannot drop or withdraw any student. You must do the proper paperwork to
ensure that you will not receive a final grade of "F" in a course if you choose not to attend the class
once you are enrolled.

Student Grievance Procedures

Procedures for student grievances are found in Title V, Rules on Student Services and Activities, of
the university’s Handbook of Operating Procedures. In attempting to resolve any student grievance
regarding grades, evaluations, or other fulfillments of academic responsibility, it is the obligation of
the student first to make a serious effort to resolve the matter with the instructor, supervisor,
administrator, or committee with whom the grievance originates (hereafter called “the respondent”).
Individual faculty members retain primary responsibility for assigning grades and evaluations. If
the matter cannot be resolved at that level, the grievance must be submitted in writing to the
respondent with a copy of the respondent’s School Dean. If the matter is not resolved by the written
response provided by the respondent, the student may submit a written appeal to the School Dean.
If the grievance is not resolved by the School Dean’s decision, the student may make a written
appeal to the Dean of Graduate or Undergraduate Education, and the deal will appoint and convene
an Academic Appeals Panel. The decision of the Academic Appeals Panel is final. The results of
the academic appeals process will be distributed to all involved parties. Copies of these rules and
regulations are available to students in the Office of the Dean of Students, where staff members are
available to assist students in interpreting the rules and regulations.

Incomplete Grade Policy

As per university policy, incomplete grades will be granted only for work unavoidably missed at the
semester’s end and only if 70% of the course work has been completed. An incomplete grade must
be resolved within eight (8) weeks from the first day of the subsequent long semester. If the
required work to complete the course and to remove the incomplete grade is not submitted by the
specified deadline, the incomplete grade is changed automatically to a grade of F.

Disability Services
The goal of Disability Services is to provide students with disabilities educational opportunities
equal to those of their non-disabled peers. Disability Services is located in room 1.610 in the
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Student Union. Office hours are Monday and Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Tuesday and
Wednesday, 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; and Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

The contact information for the Office of Disability Services is:

The University of Texas at Dallas, SU 22
PO Box 830688
Richardson, Texas 75083-0688
(972) 883-2098 (voice or TTY)

Essentially, the law requires that colleges and universities make those reasonable adjustments
necessary to eliminate discrimination on the basis of disability. For example, it may be necessary to
remove classroom prohibitions against tape recorders or animals (in the case of dog guides) for
students who are blind. Occasionally an assignment requirement may be substituted (for example, a
research paper versus an oral presentation for a student who is hearing impaired). Classes enrolled
students with mobility impairments may have to be rescheduled in accessible facilities. The college
or university may need to provide special services such as registration, note-taking, or mobility
assistance.

It is the student’s responsibility to notify his or her professors of the need for such an
accommodation. Disability Services provides students with letters to present to faculty members to
verify that the student has a disability and needs accommodations. Individuals requiring special
accommodation should contact the professor after class or during office hours.

Religious Holy Days

The University of Texas at Dallas will excuse a student from class or other required activities for
the travel to and observance of a religious holy day for a religion whose places of worship are
exempt from property tax under Section 11.20, Tax Code, Texas Code Annotated.

The student is encouraged to notify the instructor or activity sponsor as soon as possible regarding
the absence, preferably in advance of the assignment. The student, so excused, will be allowed to
take the exam or complete the assignment within a reasonable time after the absence: a period equal
to the length of the absence, up to a maximum of one week. A student who notifies the instructor
and completes any missed exam or assignment may not be penalized for the absence. A student who
fails to complete the exam or assignment within the prescribed period may receive a failing grade
for that exam or assignment.

If a student or an instructor disagrees about the nature of the absence [i.e., for the purpose of
observing a religious holy day] or if there is similar disagreement about whether the student has
been given a reasonable time to complete any missed assignments or examinations, either the
student or the instructor may request a ruling from the chief executive officer of the institution, or
his or her designee. The chief executive officer or designee must take into account the legislative
intent of TEC 51.911(b), and the student and instructor will abide by the decision of the chief
executive officer or designee.

These descriptions and timelines are subject to change at the discretion of the Professor.