Process Paper
Upon hearing this year's theme, I decided to narrow down a topic that affects me. The era between the Civil War and WWII has continuously intrigued me as a time of modernization and advancement. Reading more about the so-called Progressive Era, I was introduced to a myriad of reforms and milestones. One landmark that drew my attention was women’s suffrage, which I had only seen glimpses of before. Initially, it astonished me how long it took to gain such a fundamental right. Clearly, I had to discover the deeper tale of the 19th Amendment, as well as how the other events of the Progressive Era complemented this triumph.
My research commenced at my public library, where I located informative books like Rosie’s Mom, which gave me background knowledge. I contacted and interviewed authors, and our conversations encouraged me to delve further into the scope of the time period as well as question beyond the textbook. Online, the Library of Congress was a vital resource for political cartoons and photographs. There are comprehensive online exhibits to scour through that are offered by the National Women's History Museum. Visiting the Women's Bureau and Children's Bureau websites were experiences I easily extrapolated from. Furthermore, I examined a plethora of primary source newspapers from the Chronicling America database, which exhibited the public’s response to the advents of my topic. At the same time, the Harvard University Open Collections: Women Working database was a gateway to dozens of revelatory papers, spanning from labor unions to feminism in the 1940s. Listening to multimedia and reading primary source speeches of the Progressive Era on museum websites added the final touch to the magnitude of my exploration.
The decision to publish a website was straightforward. Not only could I edit my work from anywhere, but a website offers a truly interactive experience for the audience. The possibilities were endless; it would be a pleasant challenge to manipulate the array of elements, such as timelines, slideshows, and images so they best suited my subject's mood. Throughout the course of my NHD journey, I grasped a score of real life skills; they include conducting interviews, manipulating software, and experimenting with computer programming. Overall, this project evolved into much more than a daily classroom assignment for me.
Without a doubt, the Progressive Era is synonymous with the theme Rights and Responsibilities. The municipal housekeeping carried out by females represents the responsibility a group shouldered to boost the wellbeing of an entire nation during a crisis. Another highlight of the era was the conglomeration of strikes initiated by laborers demanding the right to the means for a decent life. World War I brought along the precedent that factory owners were responsible for their workers and that workers shouldn't be treated like replaceable machines. Women's right to vote picked up momentum during those decades, and both the NWP and NAWSA found struggle and success after applying responsibility to President Wilson for not already having made it the law.
Word Count: 495
My research commenced at my public library, where I located informative books like Rosie’s Mom, which gave me background knowledge. I contacted and interviewed authors, and our conversations encouraged me to delve further into the scope of the time period as well as question beyond the textbook. Online, the Library of Congress was a vital resource for political cartoons and photographs. There are comprehensive online exhibits to scour through that are offered by the National Women's History Museum. Visiting the Women's Bureau and Children's Bureau websites were experiences I easily extrapolated from. Furthermore, I examined a plethora of primary source newspapers from the Chronicling America database, which exhibited the public’s response to the advents of my topic. At the same time, the Harvard University Open Collections: Women Working database was a gateway to dozens of revelatory papers, spanning from labor unions to feminism in the 1940s. Listening to multimedia and reading primary source speeches of the Progressive Era on museum websites added the final touch to the magnitude of my exploration.
The decision to publish a website was straightforward. Not only could I edit my work from anywhere, but a website offers a truly interactive experience for the audience. The possibilities were endless; it would be a pleasant challenge to manipulate the array of elements, such as timelines, slideshows, and images so they best suited my subject's mood. Throughout the course of my NHD journey, I grasped a score of real life skills; they include conducting interviews, manipulating software, and experimenting with computer programming. Overall, this project evolved into much more than a daily classroom assignment for me.
Without a doubt, the Progressive Era is synonymous with the theme Rights and Responsibilities. The municipal housekeeping carried out by females represents the responsibility a group shouldered to boost the wellbeing of an entire nation during a crisis. Another highlight of the era was the conglomeration of strikes initiated by laborers demanding the right to the means for a decent life. World War I brought along the precedent that factory owners were responsible for their workers and that workers shouldn't be treated like replaceable machines. Women's right to vote picked up momentum during those decades, and both the NWP and NAWSA found struggle and success after applying responsibility to President Wilson for not already having made it the law.
Word Count: 495