Sources for America’s History: Printed Page 461
Analyze the role gender played in shaping the cultural meaning of terms like Victorian and modern. How does gender as a lens for interpreting the world show up in the sources in this chapter?
In thinking about the effort by historians to interpret particular periods of time, how would you assess the usefulness of the terms Victorian and modern as descriptors of cultural norms during the years between 1880 and 1916?
Analyze the multiple perspectives from this period to offer a coherent interpretation of turn-of-the-century American culture. What conclusions can you draw from the sources to support your argument?
To what extent are the cultural changes of these years a cause or consequence of America’s industrialization in the late nineteenth century?
Compare Washington’s advocacy for African Americans with Robert Elliott’s speech to Congress (Document 15-6). How did each define the challenge facing African Americans, and what solutions did they propose?