This course examines the rise of big business in America and its relationship to social and economic changes in United States in the so-called Progressive Era (roughly 1880-1920). We will focus on several themes: the evolution and characteristics of big business; rise of organized labor; evolution of business-government relations; social and economic reform movements; and the changing status of immigrants, African Americans, and women (both white and African-American). In short, we will be studying a pivotal moment in the transformation of modern American society.