Apush History Assignment - Creative Expression in the Gilded Age

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This explore assignment is worth 10 points. To get the best grade possible, review the scoring rubric below and follow the instructions in the assignment closely.

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1. Conduct web-based research on artists of America's Gilded Age. You may use your own resources or the links listed in this activity. If you use your own resources, make sure the sites are reputable: museums, university archives, or well-known and authoritative media sites such as PBS.org or Smithsonian.org. Here are the names of a few artists you might research: Louis Comfort Tiffany, John Singer Sargent, Thomas Eakins, Mary Cassatt, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, or Jacob Riis.

2. Once you've spent some time exploring, choose an American artist of the Gilded Age whom you would like to know more about and record his or her name below.

Name of Artist: Jacob Riis

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Now that you have completed your research and selected a Gilded Age artist, answer the questions below. If you cannot find answers to your questions online, you may want to use your textbook.

1. How was your chosen artist's path influenced by the Civil War and/or the postwar culture of industrialization?

A:  Jacob Riis was a Danish immigrant in America. He emigrated from Denmark in 1870. At this time the Industrial Revolution was at its peak. After his arrival to New York, Riis lived a very poor life. He worked in many different low class jobs but was mainly a carpenter. Having interest in writing and journalism, Riis worked in many News Paper companies. He later decided to be a photographer that would change the lives of the lower class. Inspired by the Industrial Revolution and the poor living conditions of the lower class, he decided to take photos of these lower classes and share them with the middle and upper class people.

2. How did the cultural changes of the late 19th century affect your chosen artist's life and work?

In the late 19th century Jacob Riis was part of the lower-class people working as a carpenter. It was at this time World War 1 started. Riis found out that France declared war on Germany and decided to join right away. He was rejected from by the French consulate in America and was unable to volunteer as a soldier for the American military. This affected his career very deeply because he wasn’t able to do what he thought was his destiny as a citizen of Denmark.

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