Making America Modern

This course surveys a crucial period in American history between the end of Reconstruction and the beginning of World War I. During this time, the United States transitioned from a relatively fragmented, traditional, and largely agricultural society into one that was remarkably diverse, increasingly urban, and highly industrialized. In surveying this important transitional period, we will pay particular attention to far-reaching changes in the nation's business and economic life, its social movements, as well as its cultural developments, all with an eye to understanding how the United States became one of the world's most commanding economic, political, and cultural powers.