By: Joe Funkhouser

 VUS.8 The student will demonstrate knowledge of how the nation

grew from the end of Reconstruction though the early twentieth
century by:
a) Explaining the relationship among territorial expansion, westward
movement of the population, new immigrating, growth of cities, the
role of the railroads, and the admission of new states into the United
States;
b) Describing the transformation of the American economy from a
primarily agrarian to a modern industrial economy and identifying
major inventions that improved life in the United States;
c) Analyzing prejudice and discrimination during this time period, with
emphasis on “Jim Crow” and the responses of Booker T. Washington
and W.E.B. DuBois;
d)Identifying the causes and impact of the Progressive Movement,
including the excesses of the Gilded Age, child labor and antitrust
laws, the rise of labor unions, and the success of the women’s suffrage
movement.
 A readability score of 70.4 on
the Flesch Reading Ease.
Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level is at
a 9.4 grade level.
 This is a primary source
document where Booker T.
Washington discusses some of
the problems with the
institutions in the South. This is a
good source for students to look
into to see what the south was
like during the reconstruction
through the eyes of a black man.
 This text would be acceptable
for middle school and up.
 There is no readability score for this book
since it is a poem.
 This poetic novel tells the story of a
community ravaged by the KKK from different
perspectives. This book does a good job of
portraying the prejudices and discriminations
that a community would have to endure while
under the influence of the KKK. It helps the
reader gain a better understanding of life
during the mid-1920’s.
 This book is suited for all ages. It is written in
a way that all students will be able to
understand the discrimination and
persecution during this time period.
 A readability score of AD600L on the Lexile
measure. This is recommended for a second
grade reading level according to the Lexile
level.
 This is a picture book that takes place in
1960, where four young men, decide to have
a peaceful protest and follow Martin Luther
King Jr.’s teachings. They sit-in at a white
lunch counter and this stirs up a lot of trouble
for them. It shows the struggle for equality
during the mid-1900’s.
 This book is an appropriate read for all
students, but the younger students may need
an adult to help them get though it.
 A readability score of 54.3 on the
Flesch Reading Ease. On the Flesch-
Kincaid Grade Level the book is at a
11.3 grade level.
 This Primary Source discusses the rise
of Black leadership. W.E.B. DuBois
discusses the black leadership and
how that it has been driven by Booker
T. Washington. This is a good primary
source for students to read to get a
good idea of what it was like in the
early-1900’s in regards to Black
leadership.
 This text is suitable for middle school
and up.
 A readability score of 52.1 on the Flesch
Reading Ease. On the Flesch-Kincaid Grade
Level the book is at an 11.8 grade level.
 This book is about American expansion
westward and the conflict they come into
with Native American tribes. It gives the
reader a different perspective about the
expansion westward, and makes them
conceder that there were people here
before us and while we expanded. It follows
the story of the Comanche's and how they
dealt with American expansion into the
west.
 I would recommend this book to anyone in
middle school or above. This will give them
a new perspective on the expansion
westward that is different than the
traditional American narrative they are used
to hearing.
 A readability score of 29.7 on the
Flesch Reading Ease. On the Flesch-
Kincaid Grade Level the book is at a
13.0 grade level.
 This article discusses the rise of
urbanization and industrialization in
the United States. It discusses the
key areas of transformation that
turned a mainly agrarian society
into an industrial one. It also
discusses the migration of the
population westward and how this
affected the American economy.
 I would recommend this article for
upper classmen in high school and
above.
 A readability score of 46.9 on the Flesch
Reading Ease. On the Flesch-Kincaid
Grade Level the book is at a 12.5 grade
level.
 This gallery of photographs depicts the
face of child labor in the Untied States
during the late-1800’s and early-1900’s.
These are the photographs that played a
part in getting child labor laws enacted so
that this would not be legal.
 I would recommend this for any student.
 A readability score of 17.5 on the Flesch
Reading Ease. According to the Flesch-
Kincaid Grade level, this book is at a 19.8
grade level.
 This book discusses the rise of industry in
the early 1900’s in the United States. It
follows the stories of Nicola Tesla, Thomas
Edison, and George Westinghouse and
their struggle to bring power to the world.
This will help the student gain an
understanding of how electricity was
introduced into society on a grand scale.
 This book would be ideal for students in
middle school and up.
 A readability score of 53.9 on the
Flesch Reading Ease. On the Flesch-
Kincaid Grade Level the book is at a
10.7 grade level.
 This documentary depicts the rise of
big business in the United States. This
shows the major players (J.P. Morgan,
John D. Rockefeller, Cornelius
Vanderbilt, Andrew Carnegie, and
Henry Ford), and how each of them
shaped business during this time
period.
 I would recommend this to any student.
I think that any student will be able to
take something away from this about
the early stages of big business in the
United States.
 A readability score of 37.4 on the
Flesch Reading Ease. On the Flesch-
Kincaid Grade Level the book is at a
13.6 grade level.
 This video and article discuss the
struggle for women's suffrage. This
discusses what women had to
overcome to get equal rights to vote.
This also discusses the history of the
women’s suffrage movement.
 The video and article is suitable for
all students.
A.U.C., A.U. The United States of America.
http://www.theusaonline.com/history/industrialization.htm
DuBois, W.E.B. (1901). The Evolution of the Negro Leadership.
http://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/document/the-evolution-of-negro-
leadership/
Gwynne, S.C. (2010). Empire of the Summer Moon. New York: Scribner.
Hesse, Karen. (2005). Witness. New York: Ale Signature.
History. Com Staff. (2009). Women’s Suffrage. http://www.history.com/topics/womens-
history/the-fight-for-womens-suffrage
Jonnes, J. (2004). Empires of Light: Edison, Tesla, Westinghouse, and the race to electrify
the world. New York: Random House.
Murrman, M. (2017, September 03). The Photos That Helped End Child Labor in the
United States. https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2015/10/kids-coal-mines-
lewis-hines-photos/
Pinkey, A.D., & Taylor, M. L. (2010). Sit-In: How four friends stood up by sitting down. New
York: Little, Brown.
Reams, Patrick., et al. The Men Who Built America. History, 2012.
Washington, Booker T (1900). The Problem of the South. Charleston, South Carolina.
http://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/document/the-problem-of-the-south/