Progressivism and Imperialism

Progressive Era

a period of widespread social activism and political reform across the United States, from the 1890s to the 1920s. The main objectives of the Progressive movement were eliminating problems caused by industrialization, urbanization, immigration, and corruption in government.

muckraker

reform-minded American journalists who attacked established institutions and leaders as corrupt

Jacob Riis

muckraker who published a photoessay to expose the terrible living conditions of immigrants and the poor in slums/tenements in urban cities

Upton Sinclair

muckraker who published The Jungle to expose the working conditions of workers in Chicago's meatpacking industry, but instead exposed the unhealthy and unsanitary handling of meat products

Ida Tarbell

muckraker who exposed the corrupt business practices of John D. Rockefeller, owner of Standard Oil Company

suffrage

the right to vote

Progressive Party

third political party after Roosevelt split from the Republican Party, known as the "Bull Moose" party

Theodore Roosevelt

Progressive President with the "Square Deal" to control corporations, protect consumers, and conserve the environment. Nicknamed the "Trust Buster"

William Taft

Progressive President who busted more trusts than his predecessor. Lost support of Progressives for not sticking to conservation.

Woodrow Wilson

Progressive President who passed the 16th Amendment and created the Federal Reserve system. Progressive era ended with him due to the start of WWI

conservation

preservation of the environment and natural resources

National Forest Service

an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, established during Roosevelt's presidency, that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands

National Park Service

an agency of the United States federal government, established under Roosevelt, that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties

Federal Trade Commission

an agency of the United States government, established under Wilson. Its principal mission is the promotion of consumer protection, such as truthful advertisement, and the elimination and prevention of anticompetitive business practices, such as monopolies

Federal Reserve

central banking system of the U.S. put in after a series of financial panics which provided security for banks

16th Amendment

allowed the federal government to collect Federal Income Tax; this was to ease the nation's dependency on tariffs as the sole source of income

yellow journalism

the intentional exaggeration, fabrication, and/or sensationalization of details of an event to increase readership

Spanish-American War

war fought between U.S. and Spain in 1898, sparked by the explosion of the USS Maine in Havana. Yellow journalistic coverage of the event that led to blame on Spain. U.S. won.

U.S.S. Maine

the ship docked in a Havana harbor that exploded and killed 260 U.S. sailors. Coverage of the incident led to the Spanish-American War

William Randolph Hearst

Newspaper publisher who competed by using yellow journalism; deemed responsible for initiating U.S. declaration of war on Spain

Joseph Pulitzer

Newspaper publisher who introduced the sensationalized reporting that became known as yellow journalism

imperialism

the actions used by one nation to exercise political or economic control over a smaller or weaker nation

Open Door Policy

The U.S. initiated this policy for the protection of equal privileges among countries trading with China and in support of Chinese territorial and governmental integrity

Monroe Doctrine

U.S. foreign policy that stated if a European nation would try to interfere with a nation in the Western Hemisphere, the United States would view that as a hostile act and respond accordingly.

Roosevelt Corollary

Roosevelt's addition to the Monroe Doctrine - should any Latin American nation engage in "chronic wrongdoing," a phrase that included large debts or civil unrest, the United States military would intervene.

Big Stick diplomacy

Roosevelt's foreign policy approach that involved negotiating peacefully while simultaneously threatening force or influence (ex: Dominican Republic, Russo-Japan War)

Dollar Diplomacy

Taft's form of foreign policy to further U.S. aims in Latin America and East Asia through use of its economic power by guaranteeing loans made to foreign countries (ex: Panama, China)

Moral Diplomacy

Wilson's foreign policy approach which included a system in which support is given only to countries whose moral beliefs are analogous to that of the nation (ex: Mexico)

sphere of influence

section of a country where one foreign nation enjoys special rights and powers

annexation

incorporating a territory within the domain of a country

recall

allows voters to remove an elected official from office

referendum

allows citizens to vote on a proposed or existing law

initiative

allows citizens to propose new laws

17th Amendment

providees direct election of senators

18th Amendment

prohibited "the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquours" but not the consumption, private possession, or production for one's own consumption. Bans distribution of alcohol.

19th Amendment

Women's suffrage provided. Women have the right to vote.

Platt Amendment

the Platt Amendment was a treaty between the U.S. and Cuba that attempted to protect Cuba's independence from foreign intervention. It permitted extensive U.S. involvement in Cuban international and domestic affairs for the enforcement of Cuban independence

Queen Liliuokalani

Last Queen of Hawaii, was deposed by businessmen who wanted Hawaii as a territory of the United States.

Pure Food and Drug Act

The Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 prohibited the sale of misbranded or adulterated food and drugs in interstate commerce and laid a foundation for the nation's first consumer protection agency, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

Meat Inspection Act

the federal government to inspect meat shipped across state lines