Political Cartoons Illustrating Progressivism and the Election of 1912. The Constitution Community: The Emergence of Modern America (1890-1930).

The Progressive Era, as the period in history at the turn of the 20th century has come to be known, was a time of tremendous social, economic, and political changes, and the presidential election of 1912 typified the reform spirit of the period. Among the choices for president in 1912 were three major candidates, each of whom laid claim to successful reform measures. The reform candidates were Robert M. La Follette (later replaced by William Howard Taft), Theodore Roosevelt, and Woodrow Wilson. With reform-minded candidates as the top contenders, it was only a matter of time before the varied goals of the groups within the Progressive Party, from labor issues to conservation measures, would be addressed through legislation. This lesson relates to the goals of the Progressives at the state and federal levels and the significance of the election of 1912. It lays the groundwork for study of the 16th, 17th, and 19th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. The primary sources are four political cartoons of the era by Clifford K. Berryman. The lesson correlates to the National History Standards and to the National Standards for Civics and Government. It offers historical background about the Progressive Era and the Election of 1912 (with four resources). It suggests teaching activities for classroom implementation, including interpreting the documents, creating cartoons, connecting to the newspaper, third-party statistics, role playing, and extension activity about cartoonist Clifford K. Berryman. Appended are a cartoon analysis worksheet and the Berryman cartoons. (BT)