Mod 4 Assignment: Progressive-Era Politics99 unread replies.99 replies.Since we've just experienced a big election year, I thought we would focus this assignment on the political parties and the election of 1912. That year, there were four parties with a presidential candidate in the race-- Wilson (Democrats), Taft (the Republican sitting president), Debs (Socialists), and former president Roosevelt (formerly a Republican, now with the Progressive or Bull Moose party). Let's look at the political platforms adopted by the parties to get a glimpse into what life was like in the 1900s and the ways in which politics and society was changing during this period.Assignment InstructionsStep 1: Skim and assess the primary sources below.Skim through the political platform of the Populist Party, or People's Party, written in 1892 (Links to an external site.). Consider what this document can tell us about what is going on in American society just by these demands? You'll notice that some of these demands have been made policy-- the direct election of US senators after 1913, for example. Skim through the political platform for the Progressive Party, also called the Bull-Moose Party, written in 1912 (Links to an external site.). This was the political party formed by former Republican president Teddy Roosevelt because sitting president (and Roosevelt's former friend and policy successor) Taft was running again as the Republican choice. Compare to the Democratic (Links to an external site.) and Republican (Links to an external site.) platforms of 1912. Read this article by Eugene V. Debs called "How I Became a Socialist" from the April 1902 issue of The Comrade (Links to an external site.). Why did Debs write this? Have we read or heard of other concerns about American society that echo Debs' concerns and observations? Here is the Socialist Party platform (Links to an external site.) from 1912, for further comparison to the other 1912 platforms. Step 2: Reply to PromptUsing this week's sources, respond to the prompt below in a 200- to 300-word discussion post. No formal citations necessary, but do reference the sources to support your ideas. You don't have to answer all the questions, just the ones that get you writing.Prompt: Consider how the demands and points made by less popular third parties (like the Populist and Socialist parties, represented in the source below) may have influenced mainstream Democratic and Republican politics. From the four political party platforms drafted for the elections of 1912, what can you tell were the major political debates happening in the US? How did the different political party platforms claim American language and tradition? Reflecting on the background reading, evaluate the 'progressiveness' of Presidents Roosevelt, Taft, and Wilson.Step 3: Reply to Three (3) PeersIn a short paragraph between 50 and 100 words, add further supporting details or respectfully disagree with the post's author using evidence from this week's readings.Respond to as many peers as you like, but you must respond to at least three coursemates.Please reply to peers who do not yet have replies so that all are included in the conversation.

Define sampling bias; include a description of nonresponse bias and how it relates to sampling bias. List techniques that can be used to increase response rate and reduce nonresponse bias. How could these techniques impact a study's results?