• Read Chapters 1, 2, and 3 of your textbook.
• Explore the Alien Menace article thoroughly, viewing all of the links. You are not required to answer the questions on the website, only to consider them.
• Choose the group that you plan to focus on during this course and in your Final Project. You must choose from the groups listed below:
  • African Americans
  • Native Americans/American Indians
  • Women
  • Immigrants

• Reflect on the restrictions and beliefs based on race, gender, ethnicity, and national origin that were common in American society during the last half of the 1800s.
• Think about the changes (both positive and negative) that came about as a result of the industrial revolution and westward expansion.
• Think about how discrimination shaped the experiences of each group. What particular challenges and opportunities did each group confront during this period?
• How did your chosen group impact the history of this period?
• Consult The Anatomy of a Discussion Board as well as Critical Thinking: A Guide to Skillful Reasoning as you formulate your response.

Include your chosen group in your discussion title. Based on the chapters in your textbook and the required exhibit, answer the following:

• What are some of the ways that restrictions and beliefs based on race, ethnicity, gender, and national origin shaped American society in the latter half of the 1800s?
• Assess how these restrictions shaped your chosen group’s experience of the industrial revolution and/or westward expansion.
• Explain the changes that members of your chosen group made possible during this period.

Your initial post should be at least 250 words in length. Your post should make reference to the required materials with in-text citations. Your references and citations must be formatted according to APA style as outlined by the Ashford Writing Center. You may use additional scholarly sources to support your points if you choose.

As this course uses the “Post First” feature, you will not be able to see other posts in a forum until you have posted there as well. If you need a modeled example for a discussion post check out the Sample Discussion Post.