Lesson 2
Turn of the Century
Overview:
The early stages of the twentieth century ushered in the "second industrial revolution" that was fueled by electricity, railroads, and the automobile. Henry Ford's revolutionary innovations included raising the wages of workers, mass producing automobiles at a low price, and implementing the assembly line. Football seemed to capture the spirit and symbolism of this new industrial age. The University officially adopted the name "Cornhuskers" for their football team in 1900. A name that conjured up the images of dedication and hard work, it had a powerful and rugged sound. Football might be a game, but it was a game that required hard work.The Progressive movement that sought to address the social and industrial issues in American society also characterized the early 1900's. New inventions and ideas were enveloping the nation and offering new opportunities for the newly arriving immigrants as well as the native born. Unfortunately, there were also many undesirable repercussions. Side effects of the newly emerging industrialization included: slums in urban centers, deplorable working conditions, especially for children, and the development of sweat shop conditions for the immigrants who were desperate for any job.
Leaders of the Progressive movement were determined to direct the nation's attention to the flaws of the industrialization movement that was sweeping the nation. Their goal was to strip the gold covering from the so-called Gilded Age of the latter part of the nineteenth century and early twentieth century and expose the industrial abuses that formed the real core of the Gilded Age and industrialization. A new form of investigative reporting known as "muckraking" arose to the challenge. It was ironic that the technological innovations which sharply reduced production costs and made mass circulation of magazines and newspapers possible, helped spawn their most effective critics--the "muckrakers."
Industrialization left its mark on the game of football too. Railroads played an increasingly important role in broadening the scope of Nebraska football as it transported thousands of fans and players from Nebraska to Notre Dame, and eventually the Rose Bowl in California. Names such as "steamrollers" and "gridiron" became part of the lexicon of football. "Build them and they will come' certainly applied to the construction of Memorial Stadium in 1923; a feat that would not have been possible without the benefits of industrialization.
Objectives:
1. To analyze how industrialization affected the development of football in Nebraska.
2. To evaluate the influence the Progressive movement had on industrialization.1. How does the game of football symbolize the industrial age of the early twentieth century?
2. Who was William Jennings Bryan?
3. What role did railroads play in promoting Nebraska's football team?
4. Who was Ewald Stiehm?
5. Who was Knute Rockne?
Post viewing Video Questions:1. Identify two or more traits of a football team that also reflect the traits of an industrial worker. Have those traits changed since the early 1900's? Why or why not?
2. How did the growth of railroads broaden the appeal of football to fans and the football team? Does the railroad still play an important role in the football "business" today? Why or why not?
3. What does the phrase "Stiehmrollers" mean?
4. Assess how industrialization in the early twentieth century affected agriculture and farmers in Nebraska.
5. What industrial abuses might "muckrakers" identify in the state of Nebraska in the late 1800's and early 1900's? Was there a Progressive movement in Nebraska? If so, who were its leaders and did they correct any of the industrial abuses?These activities are offered as suggestions to help you learn more about the material presented in this lesson.
Activity 1:Links to web sites with information about child labor in America
Access the Library of Congress American Memory Fellows Program
"Child Labor in America" at the following web site: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/lessons/98/labor/plan.html
Access links to two or the web sites and do the following activities:
1. Write a brief summary of the content of each web site.
2. Write a brief analysis of each web site.
3. Indicate whether leaders of the Progressive movement would agree or disagree with the information contained in each web site. Why or why not?
4. Have there ever been any instances in the history of industrialization in Nebraska history where child labor was exploited? Explain.
Activity 2:"Turn-of-the-Century Child" Visit the Library of Congress at: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/lessons/media.html
1. Scroll to the bottom of the page to the activity "Turn-of-the-Century Child" listed under the topic "Photographs" and read the description of the data worksheets. Then access each data sheet (1-2-3) and review the contents.
2. Next access "Who are these children?" at: http://nuevaschool.org/~debbie/library/cur/20c/turn1.html
3. Select one photograph from each of the "Artifacts" groups (1-2-3) about child labor to analyze.
4. Use the photographs you have selected as the basis for completing "Twentieth Century Data Sheets (1-2-3 a-n) found at the following web sites: http://nuevaschool.org/~debbie/library/cur/20c/turn/artifacts/ds1.html http://nuevaschool.org/~debbie/library/cur/20c/turn/artifacts/ds2.html http://nuevaschool.org/~debbie/library/cur/20c/turn/artifacts/ds3.html
Suggested correlations with Nebraska Standards:
Activity 1:Social Studies /History Standard 4.4. Students will compare and contrast daily life in the past and present, considering roles, jobs, communication, technology, transportation, schools, and cultural traditions.
Reading/Writing Standard 12.1. By the end of the twelfth grade, students will locate, access, and evaluate resources to identify appropriate information i.e. electronic resources such as CD-ROM and online resources; use software programs such as word processing and multimedia presentations to synthesize and present information.
Activity 2:Social Studies/History Standard 12.3.17. Students will develop skills for historical analysis, such as the ability to: a. Analyze documents, records, and data, such as artifacts, diaries, letters, photographs, journals, newspapers, and historical accounts.
Social Studies/History Standard 8.2.7. Students will develop skills for historical analysis, such as the ability to: A. Identify, analyze, and interpret primary sources, such as artifacts, diaries, letters, photographs, art, documents, newspapers, contemporary media, and computer information systems.
Social Studies/History Standard 4.12. Students will develop historical analytical skills by: a. Identifying, analyzing, and making generalizations about how people in Nebraska lived, using primary sources, such as artifacts, diaries, letters, photographs, art, documents, and newspapers.
Reading/Writing Standard 12.1. By the end of the twelfth grade, students will locate, access, and evaluate resources to identify appropriate information i.e. electronic resources such as CD-ROM and online resources; use software programs such as word processing and multimedia presentations to synthesize, and present information.
Bibliography
Web sites:Husker Century. The Events. "Cornhuskers 1900-1910" and Steihm Rollers 1910-20.
Click here
Library of Congress. Media Analysis Tools. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/lessons/media.html
National Archives and Records Administration. "Photograph Analysis Worksheet."
http://www.nara.gov/education/teaching/analysis/photo.html
Resources for Teachers. "Turn-of-the-Century Child." http://nuevaschool.org/~debbie/library/cur/20c/turn/teach/lp1.htmlPrinted Materials:
Davis, John Kyle. Nebraska Studies. Lincoln: The Nebraska Department of Education, 1983.
Fagan, Michele. "Give Till It Hurts: Financing Memorial Stadium." Nebraska History. Vol. 79, No. 4, Winter, 1998, pp. 179-191.
Larsen, Lawrence H. and Cottrell, Barbara J. The Gate City: A History of Omaha. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1997.
Olson, James C. and Ronald C. Naugle. History of Nebraska. 3rd Edition. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press,1997.
Walsh, Thomas R. Changing Nebraska. Lincoln: Instructional Materials Council, 1986.
Video:NETCHE Instructional Video.
"The Gilded Age." "The Industrial World."
"The Technological Revolution."
"Turn of the Century."
http://netdb.unl.edu/NetcheVideo/catalog/search.cfm?SubSelect=History
