The readings and lecture materials from the first four lessons describe several dramatic transformations in the United States from the 1870s to the 1940s. Two of those transformations had to do with 1) race and ethnicity and 2) the role of government in society and the economy. Discuss one or the other of those changes (not both), focusing on political/ social conflict and the ways that different groups of people tried to respond to them. A paper on race and ethnicity should cover Jim Crow, immigration from different parts of the world, migration within the U.S. at different times, and issues of assimilation and “ Americanism.” A paper on government should focus on progressive versus “laissez-faire” models of governance.