APUSH EXAM! Big questions

period 1

1491-1607

Prior to 1492, how did different Native communities interact w the natural environment?

• diversity of communities

  • dependent on geography

• ex. Mississippi River Valley = settled communities, towns + river trade (fertile)

• ex. Great Plains - nomadic buffalo hunters

• Maize cultivation → larger + more complex societies

Why did European nations explore and conquer the “New World”?

• God - spreading religion (Christianity)

• Glory - military competition w other European powers

• Gold - natural resources, economic motives

How did Columbian Exchange affect Europe and the Americas?

• movement of diseases between Old/New World - ex. smallpox devastated Native American populations

• for Europe - new mineral wealth → capitalism, also population boom

• new crops (wheat, sugar, ect) relying on Indigenous or African forced labor → need for labor

How did the Spanish Empire shape the social and economic structures of the AmericaS?

• encomienda system = plantation style slavery of native population

  • forcing them to work in things like mining

  • failed because natives knew the land much better and could communicate in different language

• failure of this system led to trans-atlantic slave trade for a labor replacement

• legacy: racial hierarchy white → mixed → black/indigenous

How and why did European and Native perspectives of others develop? Why do those perspectives matter?

• mutual misunderstandings developed early interactions

  • natives defending sovereignty + resources + culture (from european encroachment on land)

  • extended contact between Europeans, Natives and black people led to questions of treatment and racial justification for subjugation - racism + white supremacy

Big picture themes

• native population - diverse, depending on geography

• political, social, cultural change between Europeans, Natives, and Africans

• columbian exchange, encomienda system - transatlantic slave trade

Period 2

1607 to 1754

How did British, Spanish, French, and Dutch colonies develop and expand? What were the key differences between them?

• English/British: seeking social mobility, economic prosperity, and religious freedom (puritans), focused on agriculture and taking Native land but living seperately

• Spanish: focused on extracting wealth from land, led to enslavement of Natives and converting the to Christianity - Latin American society native intermarriage, also had some freed African slaves

• French/Dutch: few Europeans so relying on trade, marriage and alliances/positive relationships w Native tribes (ex. Fur Trade!) as they could not defeat these tribes like Spanish/English could

How did the environment and other factors lead to key differences between the British colonies?

• New England: settled by Pilgrims who came to create a free religious society

  • (Plymouth colony - families), subsistence farming + majority rule gov

  • Mass Bay colony - could vote

  • eventually merged into one colony

  • many English Puritans

• Middle: diversity and trade!

  • religious tolerance

  • fertile + rivers → economic exporting grain

  • Penn. + Quakers

• Chesapeake/North Carolina: economic motives!

  • Jamestown first town

  • exporting tobacco → wealthy

  • plantation style plots (isolating) - indentured servitude into african labor

• Southern + British West Indies/Caribbean: highest concentration of slave labor (espc BWI)

  • long growing seasons - sugar cane!

  • large planatations - demand intensified labor need and african population outnumbered white → brutal punishments from slave owners

  • social hierarchy: wealthy planters → common planters → dominant black pop.

• generally distance from britian led to salutary neglect - self governing institues like the Virginia House of Burgesses

What were the effects of the trans-Atlantic trade?

• triangle trade - movement of goods and enslaved people

  • New England ship rum to West Africa, West African would ship enslaved laborers to West Indies, West Indies ship sugar cane to New England

• new European weapons + inventions into Native society, transforming power dynamics and economics

• kept spreading European diseases

• Britain wanted to begin to enforce more power, mercantilism (export +, less import)

• Navigation Acts forced colonial economies to serve GB, no more economic autonomy

  • colonists got used to salutary neglect

Why did interactions between Natives and various European nations change over time?

• interactions led to accommodation and conflict

  • accommodation: Spanish Pueblo Revolt → Spanish permitting some representatives, space for Pueblo beliefs, horses, etc

  • conflict: Metacom’s War (King Phillip’s war)

    • New England settlers keep pushing west, Wampanoag people retaliated - Metacom/King Phillip 1675 attacked Puritan towns killing people, slowed colonial expansion but sustained debts etc

What were the causes and effects of the growth of slavery in various British colonial regions?

• present in all British colonies

• north had least, south had most (caribbean/bwi)

• indentured servitude transition to african slavery

  • bacon’s rebellion; berkley revoked the rule that said they would not give land to the freed indentured servant, bacon and other servants attacked native americans as they were protecting their land + wanted colonial gov to take stronger stance against them, rebellion crushed after bacon died

    • hastened transition to african slavery

• chattel slavery (property): slaves were owned like property

• slave codes developed to enforce racial hierarchy

  • slavery is hereditary

How did enslaved people respond to slavery?

• developed overt and covert responses

  • overt: revolts, rebellions

    • ex. stono rebellion - killed and burned, drove fear into slave owners

  • covert: subtle, breaking tools, working slower, feigning confusion, maintaining family + cultural structures

How did the movement of people and ideas across the Atlantic contribute to the development of an “American” culture?

• diversity and unity

  • diversity: colonies had increasingly diverse pop.

    • not just one people but many

  • unity: religious revival (The Great Awakening) - priests like Johnathan Edwards preaching that everyone should respond to God → mass movement, shared identity

  • Enlightenment ideas unifying - rationality, natural rights, social contract

  • ^^democratic movements

• Anglicization of colonies overtime, starting to resemble English/British culture → elites + landless poor, same gov. structure in British - accustomed to political autonomy

How did the different goals and interests of European leaders and colonists affect how they viewed themselves and their relationship with Britian?

• mistrust emerging

  • European leaders did not want colonists to move west (Ohio River Valley) because of conflict with Natives and risk of war w French, but colonists wanted more land

• desire for self-rule

  • salutary neglect

  • impressment - forcing American colonists to serve in Royal navy

• conflict of parameters of trade

  • american colonists wanted to trade w other countries - navigation acts

Period 3

1754 - 1800

Road to Revolution (What politica, economic, and pyschological factors caused the American Revolution?)

• Effects of the French & Indian War (1754) - 7 years war

  • between France and Great Britain over land in the Ohio River Valley

    • colonists wanted to expand towards west but French had claimed land, but indigenous groups also lived there

  • Great Britain won

  • Treaty of Paris changed map of British North America - Ohio River Valley was now GB’s

  • GB drew Proclamation Line of 1763 - prevented westward movement of colonists as war was costly and no money for conflicts between natives and colonists

  • GB war debt!

    • taxes to repay + enforcing laws like Navigation Acts

    • Stamp Act of 1765 - direct tax on printed materials - colonists infuriated as taxation without representation (got used to self governance + local representation)

    • united colonies - sons/daughters of liberty → Stamp Act Congress but not independence!

  • Boston Massacre

  • Boston Tea Party - dumped 50 tons of tea, Britain closed Boston port and forced quartering - “Intolerable Acts”

• still did not want independence! just wanted to be british subjects with representation

  • natural rights

Declaration of Independence

• Thomas Paine and Common Sense

  • incredibly influential pamphlet establishing how British tyranny had gone too far and how independence is the only way to protect liberty → convinced many colonists, used enlightenment

• grievances with King George III unifying colonies

Revolution

• “Republican Motherhood” - elevated status of women; helping raise men with civic virtue

• Key Turning Point: Battle of Saratoga convince French that colonists could do well in this war (→ French military alliance) - war turning global

• Treaty of Paris - ends war with colonial victory (1783)

  • effects of the war:

    • new colonial independence, up to Mississippi river as western boundary

    • gained economic independence (taxes, trading) and also debt (much worthless paper currency)

    • not massive social change immediately

Articles of Confederation

• confederation - loose organization of states

• federal gov = weak!

• first written 1777 → goes in effect 1781, each state has one vote, representative structure

  • under this government the war is won!

• Northwest Ordinance of 1787 - no slavey in Northwest new states, accomplishment

• need for change: congress had no power to tax, state population varied substantially but still only had one vote, no way to enforce laws, no way to raise army (Britain still in America)

• Shay’s Rebellion: many angry men tried to seize weapons, protesting high taxes and depression, squashed but raised questions about the stability of the Articles of Confederation → clear new Constitution needed

Constitution (How did compromises at the Constitutional Convention lead to the principles of the Constitution?)

• by mid 1780s - change is needed → complete rewriting

• Principles of Constitution:

  • Federalism = system of government where national and state governments share power

  • limits to power - checks and balances

    • Seperation of Powers (executive, legislative, judicial)

• The Great Compromise = # of representatives in House depends on size but the Senate is 2 per state

• Constitution does not name slavery but it does protect it

  • the 3/5 compromise - slaves count as 3/5 as a person to count for House representatives (Southern states had high slave populations)

• Ratification debate: approve in current form or not?

  • Federalists: yes, strong central government is important (ex. Madison, Hamilton, etc)

  • Anti-Federalists: no, fear of too strong of a government - wanted a Bill of Rights

  • The Federalist Papers (Hamilton, Jay, Madison) but eventually add Bill of Rights helps pass

  • ratified 1788

1790s (How did Hamilton and Jefferson’s ideas shape the U.S. in the 1790s?)

• George Washington - had four departments, cabinet

• Hamilton’s Economic Plan: Secretary of treasury

  • wanted federal government to assume state debt and wants wealthy people/elite class to give to gov.

  • wanted in country manufacturing → protective tariffs on feirgn made goods

  • national bank (opposing Jefferson)

  • loose constructionist of constituionist

    • ultimately stabilizes rocky government but alienates some people like farmers

  • Whiskey Rebellion 1791 - western farmers revolting due to tax on whiskey from Hamilton, responded with federal force → new gov was more capable!

• Political Parties emerging - Federalists (ham + strong federal gov!) vs Democratic Republicans (jeff/mad + states rights, agrarian!)

• Alien + Sedition Acts - prosecuting people who were critical of federalist government through federal power, seen as violation of 1st Amendment by some

What factors influence the development of early American foreign policy?

• Proclamation of Neutrality: Washington thought America wasn’t strong enough to get involved w French war (Ham support, Jeff oppose!)

• Jay’s Treaty - maritime rights abuses, forcing Americans to serve in British navy = somewhat peace-keeping but not super successful - ex. of early American foreign policy

• Washington’s Farewell Address: set precedent for term limits and warned against political parties and getting involved in foreign affairs

Period 4

1800 - 1848

Jefferson

• Revolution of 1800

  • peaceful transfer of power between rival parties! (although supporters were fighting) - close election

  • Jefferson wanted to reduce federal power

• Louisiana Purchase (1803)

  • foreign policy negotiation with France about port of New Orleans, Napoleon offers to sell all of Louisiana - unsure of congressional approval but purchases, doubles American land

• Embargo Act (1807): Jefferson’s attempt to cut off all trade to force Britain and France from bad policies → was not successful

War of 1812

• under madison

• Causes:

  • US vs GB

  • rising tensions (impressment!!, coercion, Britain troops in US frontier)

  • tensions with Native Americans (encouraged + weaponized by Britain)

• Effects

  • Basically the same (stalemate) - Treaty of Ghent

  • America on the world stage - had gained respect globally (practically defeated Britain again, or at least didn’t lose)

  • Era of Good Feelings

    • American nationalism emerges - patriotic, party differences diminishing - although sectionalism remains

    • Monroe Doctrine

Early Industrialization and Innovation in Period 4

• interchangeable parts

• cotton gin

• steam engines, telegraph

• transportation - roads and canals

• Lowell System - textile mills

• work force - many immigrants, also young women joining (Lowell system)

• new social classes

Key Policies/Decisions/Trends in Period 4

• Monroe Doctrine:

  • western hemisphere - US sphere of influence, Eastern hemisphere = European business, don’t meddle in each other

    • steps toward America on a world stage

• Market Revolution:

  • process through which the US economy transitioned from agricultural subsistence based economy to primarily industrial commercial economy

  • away from self reliance

  • Rise of the Factory - interchangeable parts

    • rise of private corporations

• Missouri Compromise

  • 1820, Missouri wanting to join but would disrupt balance - Maine enters as slave state and line drawn - bandaid not stitches

• Debates over Slavery

  • sectionalism growing

    • cotton extremely profitable in South: slavery is positive good (not just necessary evil) and also better than “wage slavery”

    • growth of abolition movement in South

What was the Second Great Awakening, and to what extent was it a change in American Culture?

• beginning 1790s to encourage church organizations revival

• evangelical fervor

  • bring God + Christ into life and reject rationalism in favor of traditional beliefs

    • affect their own destiny - desire to do good

    • social stability

• place for women in society → place in abolitionist movements → women’s rights

• african american revivals although most apparent in white community

Jackson Presidency

• 1824 - corrupt bargain - gets elected 1828

• Jacksonian democracy

  • opposed by whigs (who believed in internal improvements)

  • common man

  • states right but did support federal government - for example Nullification Crisis (SC tried to nullify Tariff of 1828 but Jackson → force bill)

• Indian Removal Act - trail of tears

• Bank War - no national bank

• opposed internal improvements

Antebellum Reform

• 2nd Great Awakening - african american priests, God + Christ into life

• Temperance Movement (espc supported by women!)

• Abolition movement emerging

• Women’s Rights Movement - Seneca Falls Convention (The Declaration of Sentiments)

Period 5

1844-1877

How did westward territorial expansion, westward migration and immigration shape the country during this era?

• American national identity emerging!

• New states → debate over free versus slave

• Manifest destiny → God given right for Americans to spread democracy and civilization westward

• Mexican American War

• Homestead Act - land for Americans but didn’t actually work well

• California Gold Rush

• Oregon Fever (fertile soil)

Why did the US go to war with Mexico and what were the results?

• 1846-1848

• over Texas independence - Mexico refused to recognize Texas’ independece

• Treaty of Guadelupe Hidalgo (1848) → 15 mil for Califoria and New Mexico and Mexico recognized Texas Independence

How did debates over slavery lead to the Civil War?

• views on expansion of slavery: do nothing to restrict expansion, no spread of slavery, missouri compromise extension, pop sovereignty

• Compromise of 1850 - Cali is free, popular sovereignty, no slave trade in DC, stricter Fugitive Slave Law

• Kansas-Nebraska Act → popular sovereignty in in Kansas Nebraska → Bleeding Kansas as pro slavery and anti slavery groups formed rival gov

• Dred Scott case - overturned the Missouri Compromise as it ruled that enslaved people were not citizens (could not sue) and could not be protected by the Constitution

• Lincoln elected 1860 - without any support from Southern states and with a plan to abolish slavery → they seceded and Jefferson Davis led the Confederate

  • South: slavery is a positive good, so entrenched in society, poor whites still believed in southern honor and believed themself to superior to slaves

  • North also still benefited from slavery

Civil War

• 1861-1865

• total war - all resources + drafts → drafts riots

• union won - larger pop, more economic resources + infrastructure, centralized gov, leadership of grant, leadership of lincoln - 1863 - emancipation proclamation declared freedom for slaves in Confederate states - dedication to

• Black troops - 54th Mass

• Sherman’s March to the Sea - destruction across South

• Battle of Vicksburg → union victory, confederate surrender, last hold on mississippi river

• Battle of Gettysburg - civil war’s turning point and lincoln gave speech: gettysburg address inspired soldiers

Reconstruction

• Lincoln’s 10 percent plan

  • States could rejoin Union once slavery was abolished and 10 percent of population pledged loyalty

  • Radical republicans wanted more punishment/promises of improvement/stronger response

• Johnson replaced Lincoln - wanting Reconstruction over quickly, Dem

• South/general failures:

  • Some former confederates even elected to state/national congress

  • Black codes → later Jim Crow Laws

  • KKK formed asserting white supremacy

  • sharecropping - new slavery

  • Plessy vs Ferguson - separate but equal (not actually equal!)

  • Compromise of 1877 - hayes presidency for end of reconstruction + other southern dem demands

• Successes:

  • 13th Amendment: abolition of slavery, 14th Amendment: birthright citizenship, 15th Amendment: suffrage for black men

  • Freedman’s Bureau (temp.) established schools and economic assistance

  • reunification of fam

  • black politicians growth (although drop after jim crow)

• Radical Republicans - military occupation acts in south

• Civil Rights Act of 1875 (force act) under Grant, protect citizens in civil and legal rights, not super effective

Period 6

1865-1898

Why and how was there more westward migration in this period? What was life like in the West? Effects of this?

• Transcontinental railroad (1869)

• Manifest Destiny

• Homestead Act

• for economic opportunities - land, gold, silver, African Americans fleeing violence

• In west, agriculture was difficult - tech was expensive and overall becoming commercialized

  • led to National Grange - farmer’s movement for railroad regulation

• competition for land - natives

  • Wounded Knee Massacre 1890 - kind of last defeat of native americans and take over of their land

  • native american assimilation by gov (Dawes Act of 1887 gave much land to white settlers and Carlisle school was an example of stripping Native Americans of their culture, abusive)

How did the development of new industries change the US socially, politically and economically? What were the major problems of industrialization and how did Americans respond to them?

• monopolies:

  • Andrew Carnegie Steel - ex of vertical integration as he controlled every aspect of steel making

    • philanthropist: The Gospel of Wealth - rich people using their money to invest in society

  • Rockefeller’s Standard Oil - 90% of US Refined Oil

• Trust and Corporate Consolidation

  • Businesses coming together in trusts to control certain industries

• growing wealth gap - richer were getting richer while poor were getting poorer

• working standards changing: average standard of living higher but for labor workers days were very long with many accidents

  • loss of control

• factory growth → less demand for skilled workers

  • women + children

• growth of unions + strikes

  • Knights of Labor (1869) - pretty inclusive

  • AFL - made of skilled workers and hostile to unskilled

  • Haymarket Bombing - loss of faith in unions - anarchy

  • Strikes:

    • Great Railroad Strike 1877 - disrupted service, destroyed equipment + riots - federal troops ordered - first major national labor conflict - illustrated growing resentment

    • Homestead Strike

      • Carnegie, Pinkertons, etc

      • Pullman strikes

        • railroads

• Survival of the Fittest mindset - poor = lazy/stupid

How did immigration and urbanization shape US society in the late 19th century?

• New source of immigration: England/Ireland/Northern Europe to Southern Eastern Europeans (Italians, Poles, Russians, etc) and Mexico and Asia (end of century)

  • many under expectations of new opportunities

  • heightened ethnic tensions in working class - competition between different ethnic groups and also ethnic communities

  • nativism emerging - American Protective Association

• Extremely crowded in urban communities - hazards, pollution, crime, stench - slums

  • new transportation and new communities and better paying jobs

  • also Americanization of immigrants and changing gender roles

• urban politics: boss rule: taking advantage of large immigrant population - exchanged favors for votes (groceries, coal, petty crime arrest prevention)

  • political machines were money making - example William M. Tweed - arrested eventually

  • Tammany Hall

  • they created stability and expanded role of gov etc - structural weakness of city governments

• Social Darwinism - Darwinism applied to humans to justify racism and wealth gap in this time, used by business men

  • Chinese Exclusion Act 1882 (also came out of economic comp as many of them would work for cheaper) - banned Chinese immigration and banned Chinese currently in the country from becoming citizens

• later Hull Houses - Jane Addams (middle class white women)

What factors shaped the development of the American West?

• Plains Indians

• Hispanic societies - New Mexico

  • Mexican American lower class in Cali and Texas

• Chinese Immigration in Cali Gold Rush

  • also made up large percentage of transcontinental railroad workforce

  • Chinatowns - communities

  • Anti-Coolies - white resentment of Chinese workers as they accepted low wages

• agriculture being industrialized

• the People’s Party - populists

  • 1892 - agrarian based - (Farmer’s Alliance)

  • appealed to farmers who had little economic security

  • many engaged in farming that was becoming less needed

  • not super successful

  • wanted “free silver” and public ownership of railroads

  • power to the people

How did debate over the proper role of the federal government, in both domestic and foreign polcy, shape the US? Also corruption in gov?

• Gilded Age: much laissez-faire policies

• Social Darwinism supported this - richer were just harder working

• Corruption - corps. used wealth to influence politicians

  • populist party wanted power to the people

• Political machines (Tammany Hall)

• Sherman Antitrust Act - 1890

  • Congress passed prohibited combos that restrained comp - basically no impact but response to public pressure

• Interstate Commerce Act - Congress responding to Public Pressure, required railroads public rate schedule and interstate rail rates must be reasonable + just - little practical effect

Period 7

1890 - 1945

What were the origins of Progressivism and how was it a response to the social, political, and economic problems of the Gilded Age?

• response to industrialization and influenced in part by Populists. -wanted more government intervention to improve political, social, and economic conditions

• social gospel powerful movement in Protestantism - salvation army etc

• Notable Figures:

  • Theodore Roosevelt - conservationist, “trust buster”

• Muckrakers: journalists directing public attention towards injustices, exposing corruption and injustice

  • Ida Tarbell + standard Oil

Specific Reforms from the Progressive Era

• Race Reforms (varying views on racial segregation):

  • Booker T. Washington encouraged Black Americans to focus on education etc and eventually social acceptance and equality would come

  • Ida B. Wells promoted direct confrontation to fight segregation and lynching

• Government reforms:

  • the 17th Amendment!

    • direct election, secret ballots - increase democracy reducing corruption

  • Referendums + recalls + initiatives

    • reforms that increased democratic participation

    • treating the government like a business - scientific managemen

  • 16th Amendment - federal income tax

• Immigration Reforms:

  • Jane Addams and Hull Houses (1889)

  • Eugenics movement - desirable, rich, white people having more babies

    • Margaret Sanger - birth control

  • Immigration Restriction Acts of 1917 and 1921 restricted Asian and some European immigration

• Environment Reforms:

  • conservationists - National Park

• Social Reforms:

  • Temperance Movement - ex WCTU

    • 18th Amendment - prohibited alcohol

• Business/money reforms:

  • Muckrakers - Pure Food and Drug Act (under Roosevelt) and FDA from book about meatpacking industry

  • Roosevelt enforcing Sherman Antitrust Act

  • Wilson reduycing tariffs

• Women movement Reforms

  • 19th Amendment - 1919 - in effect in 1920

Diplomatic initiatives from 1902 to 1917

• Roosevelt Corollary

  • addition to Monroe Doctrine - US had right to oppose European intervention in Western Hemisphere but also to involve ourselves in domestic affairs of our neighbors

• Panamanian Revolution

  • Roosevelt helped finance revolution

  • led to Panama Canal after Panama was indepndent

• Dollar Diplomacy

  • extending American investments into less developed regions - Taft

Major milestones of American imperialism

• causes:

  • precedent of Indian tribes relocation

  • closing western frontier brought worries of loss of natural resources

  • foreign market very important - ideas of aquiring colonies to expand markets

  • Alfred T. Mahan - overseas power is vey important and US has two oceans and so they need a very strong navy - they need colonies to serve as naval bases

  • threat of competition from imperialist power in Europe

  • Manifest Destiny

  • Social Darwinism

    • Anti Imperialist League: violated self-determination or would dilute American race

• Spanish American War 1898

  • overt expansionism

  • cubans rebelling against Spain - viciousness on both sides but publicized in American widely by the press by highlighting Spanish ferocity

    • yellow journalism

  • the USS Maine Incident - American ship blew up causing hysteria

  • effects - Treaty of Paris 1898

    • moving away from isolationism

    • Platt Amendment gave US ability to influence Cuba economic/foreign policy

    • control of Puerto Rico + Guam + began Philippine War as the Filipinos were fighting for independence

• Philippine American War 1898 - 1902

  • long brutal war with Philippines fighting for independence - using same brutality we criticized of Spain

How did US move from neutrality to involvement in WWI?

• close economic ties with Great Britain, France, and Russia - sympathy with Allies

• Germany was pursuing unrestricted submarine warfare - sinking passenger ships like the Lusitania with Americans

• Zimmerman Telegram - from Germany to Mexico asking for alliance and saying they would help them get back land lost in the Mexican American War - intercepted by Great Britain

How did the US respond to WWI abroad and at home? What about postwar?

• In response to to these factors, Wilson said the US was going to fight this war to defend democracy - not a greedy war

  • 100 Days Offensive

• economically:

  • Liberty Bonds - people financing war

  • gov agencies to organize economy and society:

    • war industries board - 1917

    • War labor board

• Great Migration - hundreds of thousands of African Americans migrating towards industrial norteastern/western cities - pull of factory jobs etc - Jim Crow Laws and resurgence of KKK

  • race riots

• Pro war propaganda: Committee on Public Information

  • Espionage and Sedition Acts

    • to suppress dissent but infringing on civil liberties

Post War

• Wilson’s 14 Points - self determination and proposed league of nations to resolve future controversies

  • league of nations: permanent international organization but possibly too idealistic

What caused the increased prosperity/developments in 1920s? What were the effects of these?

Causes:

• Mass production because of new technology like electricity and assembly line

  • increased productivity and decreased prices

• advertising increase

• wartime production - consumer production increased consumerism

Effects:

• increase in prosperity - Black Americans, immigrants, and farmers were less likely to experience this

• mobility increased as more people owned cars → growth of middle-class suburbs and changing urban demographics

  • automobile industry (teenager use!)

• decline of labor unions

• communication systems creating mass culture - growth of radio

  • movies and national programs

urbanization cause/effects in 1920s

• work opportunities expanding for women; clerical jobs espc

• immigrants looking for jobs

• rural Americans moving to cities

• Great Migrations: millions or hundreds of thousands of black Americans moving from rural South to urban Northeast, Midwest, West to escape poor economic and social situations

  • Causes the Harlem Renaissance, hub of black culture in NYC

Nativism in the 1920s

• increased anxieties and debates regarding immigration

  • first red scare: targeting foreigners overall bc of Russian Revolution

• New Immigration laws ex. National Origins Act

What caused the Great Depression?

• large wealth gap, lack of assistance to farmers

• overproduction and lack of consumerism (no more of the same products needed + many Americans too poor to afford)

• October 1929.- Black Tuesday

  • market falling apart, many companies stocks becoming worthless

• buying on margin

  • buying stocks - only paying small percentage of the price + borrowing the rest

• Dust Bowl - very bad drought

• effects:

  • thousands of banks went in debt

  • unemployment 25%

  • effects worldwide

  • expanded government role in welfare

Response to the Great Depression

• Hoover president originally

  • wanted volunteerism (private charities like the Salvation Army etc to help out)

  • “Hoovervilles” - blamed him, the shanty-towns of homeless and unemployed by his critics

  • Bonus Army march - veterans from WW1

• FD Roosevelt - 1932

  • New Deal: RELIEF RECOVERY REFORM

  • Government Relief:

    • Bank Holiday - banks on break, getting rid of weak banks

    • PWA - construction

    • Tennessee Valley Authority

      • modernized region - gov intervention in infrastructure

  • Recovery:

    • National Recovery Administration

      • later Wagner Act protecting unions

  • Reform:

    • Glass Steagall Act and FDIC securing banks

  • critics:

    • Huey Long - not enough - Share Our Wealth

    • court packing plan - very much criticized as it was too much power

    • also mini recession 37-38

  • Long Term Effects:

    • Social Security Act

    • expanded federal agencies

    • political party shift - Black Americans and workers beginning to support Democratic Party

    • created safety net, stabilized economy somewhat, increased gov role through agenices and direct intervention, helping worker

Why did US shift from isolationism in the 1920s snd 30s to eventual involvement in World War 2?

• Roosevelt was president till 45

• again closer ties with allies

• Neutrality Acts of 35 and 37

  • banned arms selling to nations at war

• Cash and Carry

  • technically neutrality but it permitted help to the Allies

• Lend Lease Acts (1941)

  • aid to the allied powers, more active but still neutral

• Pearl Harbor!

  • December 1941 - wave of Japanese bombers attacked US naval base of Pearl Harbor much - 2000 died and much equipment destroyed - direct leading to US declaring war on Japan

What were the effects of World War Two and how was it a total war? Main events? The End?

• helped us out of Great Depression -

  • war production and mobilization - more jobs plus many as soldiers so more jobs

    • women filled wartime jobs as men were away

    • black Americans joined military but segregated → Roosevelt Executive Order 8802 to investigate racial discrimination

  • General Motors

  • War Production Board

• social effects:

  • Mexican Americans

    • Zoot Suit Riots - racially discriminated

  • Navajo Code Talkers - use of Native Americans

  • CORE - Congress of Racial Equity - civil rights movement

  • Second Great Migration

    • wartimes opportunities → later civil rights movement

  • Japanese-American Internment

    • fear especially after Pearl Harbor - blamed them as spies - encouraged by gov

    • Internment camps (not physically cruel? but loss of freedom and pyschological damage and loss of belongings)

    • Korematsu V US - Supreme Court rykes

  • female laborers

• all resources for war

• Near the end

  • D-Day

    • 1944 Allied Invasion of Normandy France beginning liberation of Western Europe

  • Battle of the Bulge - December 1944 - January 1945 - Germany los their last major offensive

  • pivotal in weakening Nazi Germany

• The End

  • Manhattan Project: secret developing of the first atomic bombs

  • Hiroshima and Nagasaki - atomic bombs from US dropped August 1945 to hundreds of thousands of Japanese deaths

    • surrenders but raises ethical concerns

  • Reasons for Victory:

    • technological + scientific advantages

      • penicillin

    • strategic military - D-Day

    • atomic bombs

• Effects:

  • emerged as most powerful nation in the world

  • justified and accomplished in fighting fascism

  • postwar plans - crashing w Soviets

  • created UN

Period 8

1945-1980