Us History II_01 Inequality Debate in Gilded Age
One of the biggest debates of the Gilded Age was whether economic freedom is a threat to freedom and democracy. Wealthier individuals, the Supreme Court and many others argued that extreme wealth was something to be celebrated. Many of them said that economic inequality was “natural” and was part of the “natural order of things” such as in Social Darwinist Philosophy. Others, especially the labor movement, argued that economic inequality could not co-exist with healthy democracy. These labor organizers, reformers and Social Gospel Christians argued that the government must act to curb economic inequality in order to save democracy.
Who was right? Who’s argument was more convincing? Why do you think so?
Grading Rubric
Excellent (4) | Good (3) | Needs Improvement (2) | Poor (1) | |
Language/Spelling/ Grammar | Response has no spelling or punctuation errors and very few grammatical errors. Very well written and excellent use of business language. | Response has a few punctuation or spelling errors. Few grammatical errors that don’t affect meaning. Well written and use of business language is acceptable. | Response has some punctuation or spelling errors. Some grammatical errors but generally don’t affect meaning. Language is satisfactory overall but use of more appropriate business language is required. | Response has numerous punctuation or spelling errors. Numerous grammatical errors that affect meaning. Language used is unprofessional and not appropriate for business use. |
Review Organization and Formatting | Relevant sections are included, and each is organized effectively. Formatting is professional and consistent and includes all required elements. | Relevant sections are included but could be a little better organized. Formatting is acceptable and/or one or two required elements are missing. | Relevant sections are included but organization could be improved. Formatting is inconsistent and/or many elements are missing or not formatted appropriately. | Sections are missing and/or poorly organized. Formatting is messy and unprofessional. |
Analysis/Thinking | Analysis is comprehensive and detailed. Thinking and ideas are presented clearly, are engaging and thorough. | Analysis is sufficient. Thinking and ideas are clear but could be expanded to be more thorough. | Analysis is fairly basic and/or thinking and ideas lack some clarity and depth. | Analysis is very basic and thinking and ideas are superficial and lack clarity. |
TOTAL |
Us History II_01 Inequality Debate in Gilded Age