February 9: Progressive Reform, the Debate

We are going to construct a chance meeting, in 1912, among the following characters

· A socialist

· A member of the Industrial Workers of the World

· A Progressive Party member

· A black advocate of racial equality

· A woman suffragist

· A factory owner who supports Taft and opposes women suffrage

With remarkable candor they will fall into a spirited debate over the meanings and effects of reform in the Progressive Era. Among the questions they will debate are: “What have been the effects of Progressivism on life in America? Has Progressive reform gone too far, not far enough, or is it just right? How can we achieve freedom in American society? Be able to explain with evidence and specifics why you are making this claim. Among the jobs you have in representing their views accurately and forcefully in this debate.

How to prepare for this debate: note that you will be required to bring your notes of preparation and turn them in to us in advance of the debate. This doesn’t have to be a formal presentation, but rather “talking points” with key arguments you would make and where you got them, bullet points, and the like. So bring a second copy for yourself. These notes should list the major points you will make in the debate, and where you derived those points from the sources.

Everyone should read: Foner 690-716 (and of course the material from Tuesday’s readings should also be incorporated whenever helpful). Then look for the group to which you are assigned below and read the additional readings there. Further, you should always keep in mind how other characters might attack your argument, so pay close attention to how your views might differ from theirs as you prepare, and how you will defend yourself.

Note who you will be assigned to represent: If you have a strong preference for representing someone other than what is listed below, you need to ask in advance, I will only approve this if asked in advance and if “the sides” don’t get too skewed

A socialist --assigned to those whose last names begin with A-D

· Speech by Eugene Debs

· Socialist Party Platform

IWW member – assigned to those whose last names begin with E-H

· Why I am A Member of the IWW

· Preamble to the IWW, 1905

· Free Speech fight by Elizabeth Gurley Flynn in Voices of Freedom p. 76-81

A progressive Party Member assigned to those whose last names begin with I-L

· Progressive Party Platform

· Teddy Roosevelt’s 1912 Campaign Speech

Black Advocate of racial equality: assigned to those whose last names begin with M-Q

· W.EB. DuBois Critiques Booker T. Washington

· Black Radical A. Philip Randolph

Woman suffragist assigned to those whose last names begin with R-U

· Strength in Numbers: Kelley on Women, Labor, and the Power of the Ballot

· “Durable White Supremacy”: Belle Kearney Puts Black Men in Their Place

A factory owner who supports Taft and opposes woman’s suffrage assigned to those whose last names begin with V-Z

· William Howard Taft, “On Popular Unrest”

· Frederick W. Taylor: The Principles of Scientific Management, 1911

· Suffrage On Stage: Marie Jenney Howe Parodies the Opposition

· More Logic, Less Feeling: Senator Vest Nixes Woman Suffrage