Name _____________________________________________ Period _____ Date _____________________

SS.912.A.3.2 Examine the social, political, and economic causes, course, and consequences of the Second Industrial Revolution that began in the late 19th century.

Essential Question: Were big business leaders “captains of industry” or “robber barons”? Make sure that your students understand the meanings of these terms – captains of industry has a positive connotation, while robber barons implies

that big business leaders are greedy and steal to gain their wealth. Source Main Idea / Message / Important Details How does this document answer the

essential question?Source 1Political cartoon “The Protectors of Our Industries,” Puck Magazine 1883

Big business leaders are depicted as fat money bags and sitting on top of the poor workers. The workers appear to be struggling to carry these business leaders on their backs. The message seems to be that business leaders are getting rich off of the hard work of laborers.

This cartoon illustrates big business leaders as “robber barons” because they are depicted in a negative way, taking advantage of struggling workers.

Source 2Political cartoon “What a Funny Little Government,” by Horace Taylor, 1899

Rockefeller (owner of Standard Oil) is depicted larger than life, holding the White House in his hand, while the Capitol building is seen in the background across a field of oil barrels. The message seems to be that Rockefeller has control of the government as he has the White House in his hand.

This cartoon illustrates Rockefeller, one well known big business leader, as having control over the government. Most people would view this as a negative and say that manipulating and controlling the government is a negative thing and would make Rockefeller a “robber baron.”

Source 3Photograph of Ford assembly line

This photo shows workers working in a car factory, assembling a Ford automobile. The cars are being assembled in a line (assembly line).

This photo illustrates Henry Ford’s innovation (mass production of cars using assembly line) that helped industry grow. This supports the argument that Henry Ford was a “captain of industry.”

Source 4Illustration of the Bessemer process

This illustration shows people working in a steel factory using a large machine to mass produce steel through the Bessemer process.

This illustration shows technological innovation because Andrew Carnegie brought the Bessemer Process to the United States to be able to mass produce steel. This allowed for rapid industrial growth, and can support Carnegie being labeled as a “captain of industry.”

Thesis: High: Big business leaders in the late 19th century were captains of industry in some ways, as they introduced innovations that helped the economy grow, for example, Ford’s assembly line and Carnegie’s introduction of the Bessemer process. However, for the most part they were “robber barons” because they got rich by taking advantage of the poor and manipulating the government. Basic: Big business leaders were robber barons because they took advantage of the poor and controlled the government.

Suggested Rubric – A – This rubric can be used to assess students on their completion of the analysis chart and their individual thesis.

Needs Improvement Satisfactory ExcellentSource Analysis (Main Idea, Message, Details)

Message / main idea missing or unclear for some sources. Lacking details. Incomplete. (1 point)

Message / main idea for all or most sources, some details. Some may be clearer than others. (2 points)

Clear message / main idea for each source with relevant details listed in chart. (3 points)

Connecting Source to Essential Question

Missing answers to essential questions, lacking any attempt at explanation. (1 point)

Answers to essential question for all or most sources, but lacking explanation or unclear explanation. (2 points)

Clear answer to essential question for each source with explanation. (3 points)

Thesis Thesis is unclear or does not answer essential question.(0 points)

Thesis basically answers essential question and may use some evidence from the sources but could be more thorough. (2 points)

Thesis clearly answers essential question and uses several pieces of supporting evidence from the sources. (4 points)

Total Points: _______ / 10

Suggested Rubric – B – This rubric can be used if you only want to assess students’ individual thesis statements.

Needs Improvement Satisfactory ExcellentThesis Thesis is unclear or does not answer

essential question.(0 points)

Thesis basically answers essential question and may use some evidence from the sources but could be more thorough. (2 points)

Thesis clearly answers essential question and uses several pieces of supporting evidence from the sources. (4 points)

Total Points: _______ / 4

Source 1 – “The Protectors of Our Industries” 1883

Source 2 – Political Cartoon “What a Funny Little Government”

Source 3 – Photograph of a Ford factory assembly line

Source 4 – Illustration of the Bessemer process