TeachRock

Materials Needed:

• Small note cards (2 per student group)

Motivational Activity:

1. Watch the YouTube video, “Oliver Anthony – Rich Men North of Richmond” (Warning to teachers: the lyrics contain some minor explicit language. We suggest watching it before class to ensure it is appropriate for students. If it is found inappropriate, proceed to step two, which features amended lyrics.) Then ask students:
   • Have you heard this song before? If so, where?
   • What do you think this song is about? What are your first impressions?
   • What do you think this song is critiquing?
2. Inform students that the song went viral in 2023, propelling Anthony’s career as a musician. Explain that students will be analyzing some of the lyrics to try to uncover the meaning of the song. Display Image 1, “Rich Men North of Richmond” Amended Lyric Excerpts. Read the lyrics silently or as a class, then ask students:
   • How would you say Anthony describes himself in this song? How do you know?
   • Who might “The rich men north of Richmond” be? (If necessary, have students navigate to this map of Virgina (pdf here) and ask students to locate Richmond and the biggest city directly north of it.)
   • What kind of people might Anthony be referring to in the line “People like me and people like you”? Are they in contrast to “The rich men north of Richmond”? How so?
3. Ask students to form groups, and give them a few minutes to collectively craft a single sentence that illustrates the message of the song (if it helps, ask students to respond to the prompt: what is the song telling you, as a listener?) Distribute a note card to each group and ask them to write the sentence on the card, followed by the number “1.” Then collect each group’s cards.
4. Ask students:
   • In the chorus, Anthony states he is “livin’ in the new world.” Do you think the problems Anthony lists in the song are new problems, or have they existed for a long time?

Procedure

1. Inform students that in class they will be examining the rise of the Populist and Socialist parties in the United States in the late 1800s in order to determine if the issues Anthony discusses in the song are indeed from a “new world.” Remind student groups to hold onto their 1-sentence description, as they will be revisiting it at the end of the lesson.
   

   Census.gov

2. Display Image 2, Chart 1 from the U.S. Census. (Alternatively, teachers can give students a copy of the chart in Handout – Two Charts from the U.S. Census). After giving students time to examine the chart, ask:
   • What is being presented on this chart? (The estimated national wealth based upon “official valuation of houses, lands, and slaves.)
   • What is the timeframe for this chart? (1825-1880)
   • What happened to the U.S. national wealth between 1825-1880? (It grew by 40,027 million dollars, a 1223% increase.)
3. Display Image 3, Chart 2 from the U.S. Census, or direct student’s attention to the second chart in the handout. After giving students time to examine the chart, ask:
   • What is being presented on this chart? (The percentage of people employed in agricultural and non agricultural jobs.)
   • What is the timeframe for this chart? (1820-1940.)
   • Ask students to find the “Percent of total occupied” section of the chart. How have occupations in the U.S. changed between 1820 and 1900? Have agricultural occupations increased or decreased, as a percentage of the population? (Agricultural jobs grew by around 8 million, an approximate 400% increase; non-agricultural jobs grew by 17 million, an approximate 2000% percent increase.)
   • Why might agricultural jobs have slowed in the 1800s? What do you think they were replaced by?
   • Based on the information presented in both charts, how can you summarize economic developments in the United States in the 1800s? What type of people might be the “winners” of these economic changes, and who might be the “losers”?
4. Inform students that the economic changes in the late 1800s affected a lot of Americans. The Populist (also called the “People’s Party”) and the Socialist parties arose at this time because both parties felt neither the Republicans nor Democrats had any intention in helping Americans struggling in the new economy.
5. Divide students in groups, and distribute to each student Handout – Political Cartoons from Socialist and Populist Newspapers. Ask groups to choose 1 cartoon that they find interesting and analyze it using the Library of Congress Teacher’s Guide for Analyzing Political Cartoons. (Note to Teacher: It may be helpful to display or print out a copy of the Library of Congress Guide for student groups. Teachers may also assign groups particular cartoons if they wish.) Ask students to make notes of their analysis on a scratch piece of paper.
6. Have each student group share their summaries of the discussion they had about the cartoon with the class. Then ask students:
   • Based on the cartoons you analyzed, what did the Populists and Socialists feel were some of the major issues facing the United States at this time?
   • If you had to pick, what group(s) of people did the Populists and Socialists generally feel were causing these issues? Who were the victims of these issues?
7. Explain to students that while both parties shared similar critiques of the American economy, they had different solutions. To discover these solutions, the class will be reading excerpts of speeches given by populists Mary Elizabeth Lease and William Jennings Bryant, and socialist Eugene V. Debs.
8. Inform students that speeches are meant to be heard, not read. Therefore, ask for volunteers or assign one or more “orators” to read the speech to the class, and encourage the orators to make the speech as energetic and compelling as possible. Give Handout  – Excerpts of Speeches from Mary Elizabeth Lease, William Jennings Bryan and Eugene V. Debs, to the selected orators. After hearing each speech, ask students:
   • How did you feel after this speech? Angry? Empowered? Bored? How might you have felt if you were a farmer or a worker living in this period?
   • Do you have any feelings towards the speaker themselves, based on their words? Are you inclined to like them or dislike them? Why? How does the speaker relate to the audience?
9. After all three speeches have been recited, ask students:
   • Often, speeches are effective if they identify and rally the audience behind a single adversary. Do you feel these speeches do that? Who is the adversary?
   • How might these speeches have galvanized the audience members into voting?

Summary Activity:

1. Organize students into groups. Distribute new note cards to each group and instruct students to craft a single sentence that summarizes the message the Populist and Socialist parties had for the American people in the turn of the century. This time, ask groups to write a number “2” after the sentence. Gather all the notecards.
2. Shuffle all the notecards, and inform the class that they will now be deciding as a class whether the sentence on the card refers to Oliver Anthony’s song or the Populist and Socialist parties. Read through each card and ask the class to vote silently (so that the authors of the cards can’t give away the correct answer). Keep an informal tally: after each card is read give the students the correct answer.
3. Display Image 4, Summary Activity Writing Prompt. Ask students to write a short summary in response to the prompt.

Extension Activities:

1. Go to an online newspaper and search for the words “Populism” and “Socialism.” Skim through any article in the past year that mentions those words. Then cite some of the articles you found and write whether you feel the way the term is used in the newspaper article is similar to how it was used in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
2. Learn more about how Political Parties are formed and operate in American History in the lesson “Agents of Influence: The Development of Political Parties” from newamericanhistory.org

Handout – Political Cartoons from Socialist and Populist Newspapers Handout – Two Charts from the U.S. Census Handout  – Excerpts of Speeches from Mary Elizabeth Lease, William Jennings Bryan and Eugene V. Debs

College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Social Studies Standards

History

• D2.His.1.9-12. Evaluate how historical events and developments were shaped by unique circumstances of time and place as well as broader historical contexts.
• D2.His.2.9-12. Analyze change and continuity in historical eras.
• D2.His.4.9-12. Analyze complex and interacting factors that influenced the perspectives of people during different historical eras.
• D2.His.5.9-12. Analyze how historical contexts shaped and continue to shape people’s perspectives.
• D2.His.16.9-12. Integrate evidence from multiple relevant historical sources and interpretations into a reasoned argument about the past.
• D2.His.17.9-12. Critique the central arguments in secondary works of history on related topics in multiple media  in terms of their historical accuracy.

California History–Social Science Content Standards

11.2 Students analyze the relationship among the rise of industrialization, large scale rural-to-urban migration, and massive immigration from Southern and Eastern Europe. 

• 8. Examine the effect of political programs and activities of Populists.

District of Columbia Social Studies Standards

US2.26 Evaluate the impact of progressive and populist movements on economic, social and political inequality in America.

Massachusetts History and Social Science Framework Standards

Topic 6. Rebuilding the United States: industry and immigration [USI.T6]

• 2. Make connections among the important consequences of the Industrial Revolution (e.g., economic growth and the rise of big business; environmental impact of industries; the expansion of cities; the emergence of labor unions such as the Knights of Labor and the American Federation of Labor under Samuel Gompers; workers’ distrust of monopolies; the rise of the Populist Party under the leadership of William Jennings Bryan or the rise of the Socialist Party under Eugene Debs).

Connecticut Secondary Social Studies Framework

 US-2. Immigration, Industrialization, and Progressivism

• US.Civ.12.a. Analyze how people in the Progressive Era used and challenged laws to advance social, political, economic, and environmental reforms (e.g., Populist Party, B’nai B’rith, National Woman Suffrage Movement, Sierra Club, Niagara Movement, Socialist Party of America).

New Jersey Student Learning Standards – Social Studies

Era 5. The Development of the Industrial United States (1870–1900)

• 6.1.12.HistoryCC.5.a: Evaluate how events led to the creation of labor and agricultural organizations and determine the impact of those organizations on workers’ rights, the economy, and politics across time periods.

Social Studies – National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS)

• Theme 1: Culture
• Theme 2: Time, Continuity, and Change
• Theme 3: People, Place, and Environments
• Theme 5: Individuals, Groups, and Institutions
• Theme 6: Power, Authority, and Governance
• Theme 7: Production, Distribution, and Consumption

Common Core State Standards

College and Career Readiness Reading Information Text Standards for Grades 9-12

• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.6 Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how an author uses rhetoric to advance that point of view or purpose.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.8 Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is valid and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; identify false statements and fallacious reasoning.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.9 Analyze seminal U.S. documents of historical and literary significance (e.g., Washington’s Farewell Address, the Gettysburg Address, Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms speech, King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail”), including how they address related themes and concepts.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.6 Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text in which the rhetoric is particularly effective, analyzing how style and content contribute to the power, persuasiveness or beauty of the text.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.8 Delineate and evaluate the reasoning in seminal U.S. texts, including the application of constitutional principles and use of legal reasoning (e.g., in U.S. Supreme Court majority opinions and dissents) and the premises, purposes, and arguments in works of public advocacy (e.g., The Federalist, presidential addresses).
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.9 Analyze seventeenth-, eighteenth-, and nineteenth- century foundational U.S. documents of historical and literary significance (including The Declaration of Independence, the Preamble to the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address) for their themes, purposes, and rhetorical features.

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing for Grades 9-12

• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.1 Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.8 Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the usefulness of each source in answering the research question; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.1 Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.8 Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the task, purpose, and audience; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and overreliance on any one source and following a standard format for citation.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Speaking and Listening for Grades 9-12

• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.1 Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9-10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.2 Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.3 Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, identifying any fallacious reasoning or exaggerated or distorted evidence.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.4 Present information, findings, and supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and task.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.11-12.1 Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 11-12 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.11-12.2 Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) in order to make informed decisions and solve problems, evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source and noting any discrepancies among the data.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.11-12.3 Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, assessing the stance, premises, links among ideas, word choice, points of emphasis, and tone used.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.11-12.4 Present information, findings, and supporting evidence, conveying a clear and distinct perspective, such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning, alternative or opposing perspectives are addressed, and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and a range of formal and informal tasks.

Learning for Justice Social Justice Standards

• JU.9-12.12 I can recognize, describe and distinguish unfairness and injustice at different levels of society.
• JU.9-12.15 I can identify figures, groups, events and a variety of strategies and philosophies relevant to the history of social justice around the world.