Key Events and Figures in American History (1898-1929)

Purchase of Alaska

Purchase also called Seward's Folly, bought not for the materials but for the increased American presence in the Pacific Ocean.

Cuba

Last outpost of Spain in Americas, tobacco and sugar plants, had American investors, history of recent revolutions.

Spanish American War

US beats Spain in Philippines and later in Cuba, led by Teddy Roosevelt, US acquires Cuba, Philippines and Guam.

Hawaii

A coup led by American businessmen that eventually overthrew the Hawaiian monarchy.

Yellow journalism

Type of journalism using huge headlines and exaggerated stories.

U.S.S. Maine

United States Navy battleship that exploded and sank in Havana Harbor in 1898, believed to be caused by the Spanish, it led to war.

Teller Amendment

Promised US would not intervene in Cuban affairs.

Platt Amendment

US can intervene and gets Guantanamo Bay.

Philippines & annexation

The US annexed the Philippines for 20 million, outraged the Filipinos rebelled but was shut down by the US.

Rough Riders

Volunteers led by Teddy Roosevelt that played an important role in the victory in the Battle of San Juan Hill in Cuba.

Xenophobia

Fear or hatred of strangers or foreigners, rose up as a result of yellow journalism.

Jingoism

Nationalism in the form of aggressive and proactive foreign policy.

Boxer Rebellion

Young students vs foreigners (Britain, US, Russia, Italy and Japan). Results in the Open Door policy → no one can have a monopoly of trade with China.

De lome Letter

Letter written by Spanish officials criticizing President McKinley, used by journalists to support for the Spanish American War.

Panama Canal

TR gets Panama to revolt against Columbia, TR sends the marine to block the Columbian Navy, America gets permission to build the canal.

Roosevelt Corollary

Add on to the Monroe Doctrine, US has the right to intervene in Latin American affairs to 'protect' them.

Russo-Japanese War

War over Manchuria and Korea that resulted in a Japanese victory with American decision.

Great White Fleet

Nickname for the U.S. Navy's Atlantic Fleet battleships that embarked on a global circumnavigation from 1907 to 1909, ordered by TR.

Dollar diplomacy

Taft using economic means to promote American commercial interests and stability abroad.

Square Deal

TR. Conservation, corporate law and consumer protection.

Roosevelt & New Nationalism

Political philosophy that emphasized active federal intervention to promote social justice and economic welfare especially for the underprivileged.

Wilson & New Freedom

A political ideology and campaign platform in the 1912 presidential election.

Progressivism

Reform movement that shaped American politics, society and economy between 1900 to 1920.

Scientific Management

Improving economic efficiency and workplace productivity through the analyzing of workflow.

Muckrakers

Reform-minded journalists during the progressive era.

Secret ballot

Voters information is kept confidential.

Initiative

People have the right to propose a new law.

Referendum

A law passed by the legislature can be referenced to the people for approval/veto.

Recall

The people can petition and vote to have an elected official removed from office.

Trust busting

Any government activity designed to kill trusts or monopolies.

Federal income tax - 16th Amendment

The federal government takes a certain percentage of everyone's income.

Payne-Aldrich Tariff 1909

Taft raised tariffs in 1906, angering Roosevelt.

Underwood Tariff 1913

Wilson that dropped tariffs.

Bull Moose Party

Nickname for the Progressive Republican ticket.

Niagara Movement & NAACP

Advocated for full civil and political rights for African Americans.

National Women's Party

Used militant tactics, like picketing and hunger strikes, to advocate for women's suffrage and an Equal Rights Amendment.

17th Amendment (Senators)

Established the direct election of the U.S. Senators by the people of each state.

18th Amendment (Prohibition)

Banned the sale, production, distribution of alcoholic beverages.

19th Amendment (Women's Suffrage)

Gave women the right to vote.

League of Women Voters

Nonpartisan American nonprofit political organization.

Lusitania

A British passenger ship sunk by a German U-boat. Made Americans mad.

Sussex Pledge

Stipulated that Germany would sink a merchant ship only if contraband materials were found on board.

Zimmermann Telegram

If Mexico joined the German side and Germany wins then Mexico would get land they lost to the US.

Russian Revolution

During WWI, the Russians had a revolution against the Czar → Bolshevik revolution → Russia pulled out of war.

Senate Treaty Debate

Regarding the approval or rejection of international treaties (league of nations).

Reservationists

Members of the Senate who were ready to ratify the Treaty of Versailles.

Irreconcilables

Staunchly opposed the treaty, particularly the League of Nations, refusing to compromise or support it in any form.

Red Scare

Fear of immigration especially those that were communist/socialist that would infiltrate the US economy.

Palmer Raids

Raids conducted by Palmer that deported and arrested foreigners.

Teapot Dome Scandal

Political corruption scandal (bribing) in the United States involving the administration of President Warren G. Harding.

Assembly line

Method of production that increased efficiency (revolutionized by Henry Ford).

Consumerism - cars, radios, etc

The big three products during this era that elevated the standards of living.

Fundamentalism

A strict adherence to a set of beliefs.

Scopes Trial 1923

Debate over teaching evolution in public schools, highlighting the clash between religious fundamentalism and scientific inquiry.

Harlem Renaissance

A vibrant cultural movement in the 1920s and 1930s, centered in Harlem, New York City.

Sacco & Vanzetti

Italian immigrants that were put on trial and executed.

Prohibition

Organized crime in urban cities, where the mafia/cartel produced and distributed alcohol, leading to bootlegging.

KKK revival

Cultural conflict and modernization led to the revival of the KKK, also fueled by refugees.

Stock Market

Borrowed heavily to invest more money in the market but the bubble burst in 1929.

Agriculture and prices

Overproduction as a result of using as much land as possible, leading to lowering prices.

Buying on margin

Getting a loan to buy stocks, paying back the loan in the set time (with a fee) and keeping the profits.

Clayton Act

Aimed to promote fair competition by preventing monopolies, cartels, and other practices that restrain trade.

Federal Reserve Act

Established a national bank that urged private banks to join, attractive for their stability and large money reserves.

Standard Oil & antitrust

Violated the Sherman Antitrust Act by engaging in monopolistic practices, leading to its breakup into smaller, independent companies.

Coal Strike 1902

147,000 coal miners in eastern Pennsylvania struck for better wages, shorter workdays, and union recognition, leading to federal intervention.

Schenck v. U.S. court case

Schenck informed others how to avoid the draft; the Supreme Court ruled that freedoms (of speech) would be limited during times of war.

Alfred Mahan

Published 'The Influence of Sea Power upon History,' advocating that the US needed to emphasize their navy to become a global superpower.

Theodore Roosevelt

Conservationist president.

William McKinley

President before Roosevelt, known for the Gold Standard Act.

William H. Taft

Improved the economy and built roads and schools.

Woodrow Wilson

Led the United States into World War I, proposed the 14 points and the League of Nations.

Warren G. Harding

29th President of the United States (1921-1923), promised a return to normality after WW1, faced scandals, and died in office.

Calvin Coolidge

Focused on fiscal conservatism, business-friendly policies, and a limited role for government in the economy.

Herbert Hoover

Promised the American people prosperity and attempted to first deal with the Depression.

Henry Cabot Lodge

Opposed the League of Nations.

Hiram Borah

Saw the League of Nations as a trap that would inevitably involve the U.S. in European conflicts.

Pancho Villa

Mexican revolutionary leader.

John J. Pershing

General for the American forces during WWI.

Frederick Taylor

American mechanical engineer who invented scientific management.

Ida Tarbell

American investigative journalist and muckraker who called out John D. Rockefeller.

Jacob Riis

Danish-American journalist who documented the poor living conditions of New York City immigrants in the 1890s.

Robert La Follette

American leader of the Progressive reform movement.

W.E.B. Du Bois

Advocated for equality to self-sufficiency.

Booker T. Washington

Advocated for self-sufficiency to achieve political equality.

Alice Paul

Suffragette who fought for women's voting rights.

George Clemenceau

Prime Minister of France during World War I and key figure in shaping the Treaty of Versailles.

A. Mitchell Palmer

US Attorney General who conducted the Palmer raids on suspected socialists and communists.

J. Edgar Hoover

Founded the FBI.

Charles Lindbergh

The first person to complete a solo, nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean in 1927.

Henry Ford

Revolutionized the assembly line for car manufacturing.

Margaret Sanger

American birth control activist known for advocating the first birth control pill.

Louis Armstrong

American trumpeter known for his influence on jazz music.

Marcus Garvey

Jamaican activist who promoted Black nationalism.

Duke Ellington

American pianist and composer known for his contributions to jazz.

Al Capone

Notorious gang leader during Prohibition.

William Randolph Hearst

Publisher of the NY Journal newspaper.

Joseph Pulitzer

Publisher of the NY World newspaper.