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On November 12, a collection of many of the greatest reformers in American History met in the Seton Hall Prep Dining Hall to discuss a variety of proposals dealing with issues facing the country at the turn of the century. Among the guests making presentations were Theodore Roosevelt, Eugene V. Debs, W.E.B. Dubois and Jane Addams. Conference participants, invited by John Dewey, debated the benefits of woman suffrage, the 8-hour work day, child labor, education reform, and integration of society, among other issues.
    Actually, Mr. Kevin McNulty's AP U.S. History class met in the Dining Hall with students attending acting in the persona of a score of luminaries from the Progressive Era. Students researched the ideas and achievements of a particular reformer and prepared a set of points to share in a five minute oral presentation. Students also write a brief biography of their character, which they distributed with their talking points for the Conference. In addition they provided conference members with a sample of relevant writing by the reformer. Most presenters came dressed as their character, lending to lively and sometimes heated discussion. Other reformers included John Dewey [Mr. McNulty himself], Woodrow Wilson, Jacob Riis, Al Smith, John Muir, Margaret Sanger, Florence Kelley and Booker T. Washington.

As a concluding activity each reformer will create a web page that will be posted as part of Mr. McNulty's AP American History site. Look for that in December at www.shpmcnulty.org/aphistory.html .

John Dewey:

 played by...Mr. McNulty  John Dewey was an educational reformer. Promoted active learning in students.

Theodore Roosevelt: President of the US; trustbuster.

Randy Dorf    Theodore Roosevelt used the presidency to pursue business reforms, natural preservation, and promotion of American democracy.

Woodrow Wilson: President of the U.S. Worked to break trusts.

Phil Andolino    The 28 President of the United States, during the Progressive Era, who cared about the smaller entrepreneurs

Jacob Riis: Danish immigrant who wrote "How the Other Half Lives" to expose poverty in America; photographer.

Sergei Galkine    Jacob Riis was an immigrant reformer who used techniques of journalism and photography to portray and convey the poor status of workers' households.

Al Smith: Governor of New York. Worked to end corruption in Tammany Hall.

Anthony Moriello: Founded Factory Investigating Commission to aid in the sanitation of factories 

Jane Addams: Founder of Hull house in Chicago.

Jonathan Yochum    Worked for reforms in the social opportunities for children, education, sanitation, women's rights, and child labor.

Frederick Howe

Dan Tagliente    An urban reformer who thought that following the German model for urban planning would lead to success in American cities.

Bill Hayward: Miner, labor leader. Active in IWW.

Joe Scala    An intimidating progressive who worked for reforms of common, middle-class workers.

Florence Kelley: Worked with Jane Addams
on Settlement Houses.

Casey Fleming    An early progressive reformer, who worked within urban ghettos to drastically improve child labor laws and the rights of woman.

Samuel Jones

Jim Gill    The Christian Mayor who fought for the rights and the educational progression of the working class.

Lincoln Steffens

Paulie Bruno    An American journalist who investigated and reported on local government corruption. 

Eugene Debs: Prominent socialist and labor reform leader, frequent presidential candidate.

Carlos Rodriguez    Socialist Party founder who was champion of the working class.

Robert LaFollette: "Fighting Bob" of Wisconsin; fought to extend democracy in his state.

David La Rose    A vehement orator who advocated women's rights and the Wisconsin Idea.

Ida Tarbell

Javier Brion    A muckraking journalist who feared nobody and did whatever was needed to expose the wrongs of society.

Hoke Smith:

Alexei Yegorov    A reformer of education, advocate for the common laborer, defender of the rights of farmers, and a devout racist.

W.E.B. Dubois: Black leader, founder of NAACP.

Chris Phillips    A sociologist, historian, and author who was one of the most influential leaders of civil rights and African American protest in the 20^th century.

Booker T. Washington: Founder of Tuskegee Institute;
worked to promote practical education for blacks.

Bill Buzaid    Booker T. Washington, an influential African American leader in the fight for civil rights in the early 20^th century.

Luther Gulick: Promoted notion of physical well being as essential component of education.

Andrew Markham    Luther Halsey Gulick, co-founder of the Boy Scouts of America and the Campfire Girls, was a leading figure of the Progressive Era's Clean Living movement.

John Muir: Consevationist. Worked with TR in
promoting National Parks.

Gabe St. Cyr    John Muir was a conservationist who is often called the "Father of National Parks."

James Vardaman: Racist Progressive governor of Alabama.

Joe Regina

Margaret Sanger: Founder of Planned Parenthood.
 Worked to promote responsible parenting.

Ben Harriman    Margaret Sanger was the preeminent advocate for birth control for the first half of the twentieth century. 

Upton Sinclair: Wrote The Jungle.

A socialist, proletariat writer, he exposed the horrors of the meatpacking industry in Chicago in his novel The Jungle (1906).