Early 20th Century Urbanization (1890-1916)

Historical context

The Second Industrial Revolution radically altered the United States. Millions of immigrants moved to America to escape war and poverty, or to seek better jobs and education. New technologies changed manufacturing and increased the gap between the wealthy and the poor. Rural Americans moved to urban areas, and some cities became overcrowded. The dangerous working conditions in many workplaces led to new reforms in child labor, workplace safety, sanitary conditions, and limitations on a workers' schedule. The pattern of urbanization has continued since the early 20th century, as rural areas decline in population and urban and suburban areas grow, due to migrating Americans and increases in immigration.

Culturally relevant pedagogy considerations

Depending on where you teach, these documents could feel very familiar or very foreign to your students. The tack you take with this set will rely on the ways students can connect and find significance in these documents. To what degree can you as the teacher let go of your role as "keeper of knowledge" and allow students to craft the inquiry surrounding these documents? What structure do they need from you to support their investigation, in terms of skills and processes rather than content knowledge? How can you help them focus on the most significant connections they make?