1.) Read Chapter 20 from America A Narrative History. While reading Chapter 20, consider what economic roles were played by leading entrepreneurs like John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, and J. Pierpont Morgan. Also consider who composed the labor force of the period, and think about what were labor’s main grievances, and what led to the rise of labor unions.
2.) Read the primary documents below— About Saloon Culture; From the Knights of Labor; and from William Graham Sumner. When reading these first-hand, primary documents, consider what they add to the secondary historical account you read from America A Narrative History.
3.) Read from pages 18-30 in A People’s History. While reading these pages consider if Howard Zinn is being objective in his review of history. Try to form arguments to support your viewpoint. Pinpoint specific historic evidence that either suggests that Zinn is objective, or that he is not being objective.
4.) Write at least a four page paper (follow the rules for writing assignments as outlined in the syllabus) that compares and contrasts the primary and secondary sources. Finally, complete your paper by commenting on whether Zinn is objective when he reviews the history we are examining. Specifically, what do the documents say about Saloon Culture? What do the documents say about the workers who composed the labor force of the period? What were labor’s main grievances, and what led to the rise of labor unions? Do these documents support the narrative offered by the textbook? Be specific when answering these questions, and provide two quotations (Follow the Chicago rules for citations) from each document (six all together) to support your arguments. What about Zinn? What evidence do you have to support your view of his ability to be objective on this topic? Highlight two quotations from Zinn where he makes a statement regarding the condition of Labor. Are his statements historically accurate? If yes, why are they accurate? If no, why are they not accurate?