Blogging about: “Abraham Lincoln, Technologist-in-chief”
Edward Tenner, The Atlantic, March 5, 2012
PREVIEW
Abraham Lincoln was the first tweeter, a fan of the newly invented telegraph (1844); he stayed up late at night using the telegraph to send short, direct messages to officers of war on the battlefields.
BIG IDEAS
As you read this article, think about the following big ideas:
The Impact of Technology on Culture
Lincoln’s Interest in Innovations
The Evolution of American Politics: The Classical Founders become Democrats and Republicans
WHAT IF…
If Lincoln had not been murdered in 1865, how do you think he would have responded to the politics, industry, wealth and poverty of the Gilded Age?
ANALYZE THE ARTICLE
1. What do you think the thesis of this article is?
2. What evidence does the author use to support his thesis?
3. What other historical connections can you make to the ideas presented in this article? Think about our guiding themes and the big ideas I listed above.
INSTRUCTIONS
Required: Answer the "Analyze the Article" questions in a separate document.
Bonus #1: Comment on this blog with your the connections you made in Question #3, as well as your thoughts on the What if...question. Points awarded for thoughtful, edited, evidence-based comments.
Bonus #2: Find a link on the Gilded Age Digital History page to share with the rest of the class. There are maps, documents, timelines and fact sheets. Provide a "Preview" to the information you are sharing and create at least one guiding question to go with the link.
BONUS #1
ReplyDeleteHistorical connections I made were the idea of harnessing wind power, which was well before it's time and the transatlantic telegraph cable which makes we wonder how this fell into place along with the transatlantic railroad.
BONUS #2
My link is under Fact Sheets and it's entitled, The Changing Status of Women.
This article provides many primary sources throughout the 1870s about women's rights and some really great charts and statistics that caught my eye. I was really surprised by the amount of states that had a sufferage before 1920.
How is the inequality between men and women shown between the years of 1870-1920?
I like the parallel you make between the transatlantic cable and the transatlantic railroad. The idea of connecting the nation also connects to Manifest Destiny; the interplay between technology and environment. I'm watching a documentary about the Grand Coulee Dam that examines the same ideas of human ideas vs. natural forces in the American West. The power of the Columbia River! http://www.ccrh.org/
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, let's list the states that had women suffrage before the Constitutional Amendment in 1920. I will start...
South Dakota!