1) Choose a side/person for debate: labor union representative, farmer in the west, businessman from the list below:
John D. Rockefeller
Andrew Carnegie
Jay Gould
J. P. Morgan
Henry Frick
Rev. Russell Conwell
James Hill
Leland Stanford
George Pullman
Levi Strauss
Herbert Spencer
Cornelius Vanderbilt
General Industrial Worker
General Western Farmer
Child Laborer
Railroad Worker
a Populist
Terence Powderly
Samuel Gompers
Mark Twain
Eugene Debs
Boss Tweed
George Washington Plunkitt
Ida Tarbell
Upton Sinclair
Frank Norris
Thomas Nast
Henry George
Edward Bellamy
*** If you choose a farmer, you may want to skim through Chapter 16 to get an idea of farmers in the west at the time.
2) Begin blog with this information: Your person’s name (you choose from the list above), person’s occupation, a picture of your person, and a quote that summarizes their business and/or personal philosophy (if you are a laborer, farmer, etc. who would not typically have a business philosophy, write a quote about a major grievance you have).
3) Answer the following question in a paragraph or two (10-20 sentences): (this should be on the same blog comment as the information above, but separated by a couple of lines) -- “Should the industrial leaders of the late 19th century be referred to as ‘Captains of Industry’ or ‘Robber Barons?’”
4) Respond to at least two other people on the blog– one that you agree with and one that you do not agree with.