American History

In the late 19th century, should the U.S. government have broken up Standard Oils monopoly?

Chapter 18 Assignment
John D. Rockefeller and the Standard Oil Monopoly: Using Primary and Secondary Sources to Compose a Historical Argument

Summary
After you have completed any required reading, lecture notes review, and quiz for Unit 2, you are ready to delve into the Chapter 18 writing assignment. Your assignment will have you use YouTubes Crash Course Economics video content and primary source document excerpts from SAS Curriculum Pathways. You will critically evaluate primary and secondary sources about John D. Rockefeller, captain of industry (or arguably, robber baron), and his Standard Oil monopoly. Once you review the primary (documents) and secondary (video) resources, you will answer the question: In the late 19th century, should the U.S. government have broken up Standard Oils monopoly?

Steps

1. Watch the Crash Course Economics video entitled Monopolies and Anti-Competitive Markets: Crash Course Economics #25 found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sb_-wfmJnHA (10:16) for context that includes the Gilded Age and Rockefeller but also an examination of monopoliestheir pros and consto help you understand the economic terms, concepts, and theories that inform your argument on the historical question for this writing prompt.

2. Read critically and take notes on the five primary source documents provided in the SAS Curriculum Pathways PDF packet for this units writing assignment.

3. The textbook reading and lecture materials, the sources outlined in steps 1 and 2 above, and any additional and optional research you wish to do combine to help you answer the guiding question: In the late 19th century, should the U.S. government have broken up Standard Oils monopoly?

4. Compose a minimum two-page Word document response (12 point, Times New Roman font, double-spaced) that answers the question: In the late 19th century, should the U.S. government have broken up Standard Oils monopoly? In your paper, make sure you support your point by using quotations and support from the actual text of the documents.