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LOGO Lesson 3

Social Darwinism and Social Reform

Terms

• Individualism – the belief that no matter what a person’s background is, he or she can still become successful through effort

• Social Darwinism – a philosophy based on Charles Darwin’s theories of evolution and natural selection, asserting that humans have developed through competition and natural selection with only the strongest surviving.

Terms

• Evolution – the scientific theory that humans and other forms of life have evolved over time.

• Philanthropy – providing money to support humanitarian or social goods.

• Settlement houses – an institution located in a poor neighborhood that provided numerous community services such as medical care, child care, libraries, and classes in English.

Terms

• Americanization – the process of acquiring or causing a person to acquire American traits and characteristics.

• Publish – to make a document available to the general public.

Progress Check - 123

• How did Horatio Alger’s books demonstrate the idea of individualism?

• Alger’s books gave people hope that they could improve their lives by hard work, as the characters in his stories did.

Progress Check - 126

• Why were public schools important to the success of immigrant children?

•Children learned English, American culture, and history, as well as workplace skills.

Progress Check - 127

• Why was it possible to pursue more leisure activities and popular entertainment during this time period?

• An improving standard of living provided more income to spend on such activities, and a decrease in work’s strenuousness encouraged more sport and exercise.

Taking Notes - 122Theory or Movement Main Idea

Social Darwinism Survival of the fittest

Laissez-Faire No government interference in business

Gospel of Wealth The wealthy use philanthropy to create conditions to help people help themselves

Realism Portray the world realistically

Critical Thinking - 123

• Why might Spencer’s ideas have seemed controversial at the time they were written?

•His ideas went against the traditional religious beliefs of the time.

Critical Thinking - 125

• Based on her involvement with Hull House, how would you describe Jane Adams as a person?

• Addams was a dedicated social reformer who was concerned about improving the lives of others.

Critical Thinking - 127

• Why did Mark Twain write the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn using local dialect?

• Twain used local dialect because he wanted his characters and the subject of his book to seem as realistic as possible.

Lesson 3 - Exit Quiz

1.Which philosophy was a gentler version of Social Darwinism, and what was its intention?

2.What is the main idea of individualism?