Rebirth of a Nation
In his book Rebirth of a Nation, historian Jackson Lears claims that “the political has always been personal.” He argues that politics, culture, and economics have historically been rooted in the personal decisions and emotions of people. He concludes that the greatest of these desires is the desire for rebirth, and that the desire for rebirth shaped American politics between 1877 and 1920.
In an essay of 1000-1500 words, examine three of the ways that Americans sought rebirth in this time period. Drawing from Lears’ book, the American Yawp reader, and our lectures and discussions in class, write an essay that addresses why Americans sought rebirth in this period and how they sought to achieve it.
What conflicts or struggles did Americans seek rebirth from? What shape did that search for rebirth take and for which groups of people?
For example, you could consider questions about the economic changes in the Industrial and Gilded Age; cultural transformations around gender roles and labor standards; or national changes in the American state and the United States’ growing colonial empire to name only a few examples. This is not an exhaustive list: feel free to draw on any examples Lears offers in his book.
