unit 5 anchors johansson

Alfred Thayer Mahan

A naval officer who wrote The Influence of Sea Power Upon History, arguing that great nations need strong navies to protect trade. His ideas directly influenced the U.S. government to build a modern navy and pursue imperialism.

Emilio Aguinaldo

The leader of the Filipino independence movement who fought against Spain and subsequently against the United States. His resistance highlighted the controversy and moral conflict surrounding American imperialism in the Philippines.

Teddy Roosevelt

A Rough Rider, Progressive President, and imperialist who utilized "Big Stick Diplomacy" to expand U.S. power. He is noted for construction of the Panama Canal, trust-busting, and conservationism.

Woodrow Wilson

The Progressive President during WWI who proposed the Fourteen Points and the League of Nations. His failure to compromise with the Senate led to the U.S. rejecting the Treaty of Versailles and returning to isolationism.

Henry Cabot Lodge

A Republican Senator and leader of the "Reservationists" who opposed Article X of the League of Nations covenant. His successful opposition prevented the U.S. from ratifying the Treaty of Versailles.

Louis Armstrong

A foundational jazz trumpeter and vocalist whose fame spread from New Orleans to Chicago and New York. He became a central figure of the Harlem Renaissance and helped popularize jazz as an American art form.

Langston Hughes

A leading poet and writer of the Harlem Renaissance whose work celebrated African American culture and heritage. His literature challenged racial stereotypes and gave a voice to the black experience in America.

Sacco and Vanzetti

Two Italian anarchist immigrants convicted and executed for murder despite flimsy evidence. Their trial and execution became a symbol of the nativism, anti-immigrant sentiment, and "Red Scare" hysteria of the 1920s.

John T. Scopes

A Tennessee biology teacher tried for teaching evolution in violation of state law. His trial represented the cultural clash between religious fundamentalism and modern science during the 1920s.

Charles Lindbergh

An American aviator who made the first solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic in the Spirit of St. Louis. He became a massive international celebrity, symbolizing American technological progress and individualism.

Warren G. Harding

A pro-business Republican President elected on a promise of a "Return to Normalcy" after WWI. His administration is remembered for dismantling Progressive reforms and for significant corruption scandals like Teapot Dome.

Calvin Coolidge

A Republican President who famously stated, "the business of America is business," favoring laissez-faire economics. His tax cuts and deregulation contributed to the economic boom of the Roaring Twenties.

Herbert Hoover

The President when the Stock Market crashed in 1929, ending the prosperity of the 1920s. His reliance on "rugged individualism" and voluntary cooperation failed to stop the onset of the Great Depression.

Spanish American War (1898)

A short conflict that marked the emergence of the United States as a global imperial power. As a result, the U.S. acquired Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines, and gained influence over Cuba.

WWI (1914-1918)

A global conflict that the U.S. entered in 1917, tipping the balance for the Allies. Domestically, it led to increased government control over the economy, the Great Migration, and the suppression of civil liberties.

Great Stock Market Crash (Oct. 29th, 1929)

Known as "Black Tuesday," this event signaled the collapse of the U.S. economy due to over-speculation and buying on margin. It marked the end of the Roaring Twenties and the beginning of the Great Depression.

Imperialism

The policy of extending a nation's power and influence through diplomacy or military force. For the U.S., this involved acquiring overseas colonies for economic markets, raw materials, and naval bases.

Jingoism

An intense form of nationalism characterized by an aggressive foreign policy. This sentiment, fueled by Yellow Journalism, pushed the American public to demand war with Spain in 1898.

Social Darwinism

The application of "survival of the fittest" to human societies, used to justify wealth inequality and imperialism. It argued that powerful nations and races were naturally superior and destined to dominate weaker ones.

White Man’s Burden

A concept derived from a Rudyard Kipling poem, suggesting that white Westerners had a moral duty to "civilize" non-white peoples. It served as a moral justification for American annexation of the Philippines.

Seward’s Folly

The nickname for the 1867 U.S. purchase of Alaska from Russia, which critics initially thought was a waste of money. It later proved valuable for natural resources and strategic positioning, marking an early step in U.S. expansion.

Hawaiian Acquisition

The U.S. annexation of Hawaii in 1898, driven by American sugar planters who overthrew Queen Liliuokalani. It provided a critical naval base at Pearl Harbor and a stepping stone to Asian markets.

Rough Riders

A volunteer cavalry regiment led by Teddy Roosevelt during the Spanish-American War. Their victory at San Juan Hill turned Roosevelt into a national war hero, propelling his political career.

Open Door Policy

A diplomatic policy proposing that all nations should have equal trading rights in China. It was designed to prevent European nations from carving China into exclusive colonies that would lock out U.S. trade.

Great Migration

The mass movement of African Americans from the rural South to the urban North during and after WWI. They sought industrial jobs and escape from Jim Crow laws, leading to demographic shifts and the Harlem Renaissance.

Selective Service Act

A law passed in 1917 requiring men to register for the military draft. It allowed the U.S. to quickly raise a massive army to fight in World War I.

Red Scare

A period of intense anti-communist hysteria following WWI, fueled by the Russian Revolution. It resulted in the persecution of labor unions, immigrants, and political radicals.

Tulsa Race Massacre

A 1921 instance of white mob violence that destroyed "Black Wall Street," a prosperous African American community in Oklahoma. It exemplified the extreme racial tension and violence prevalent during the era.

Sacco and Vanzetti Trial

(See "Sacco and Vanzetti" under Anchor People).

Versailles Treaty

The peace treaty ending WWI that redrew the map of Europe and punished Germany heavily. The U.S. Senate rejected the treaty, largely due to opposition to the League of Nations, keeping the U.S. out of the League.

League of Nations

An international organization proposed by Woodrow Wilson to maintain world peace and prevent future wars. The U.S. refusal to join severely weakened the organization's effectiveness.

Self Determination

The Wilsonian principle that groups of people should have the right to choose their own form of government. While applied to Europe after WWI, it was largely ignored regarding colonies in Africa and Asia.

Palmer Raids

A series of aggressive raids conducted by Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer to arrest and deport suspected radical leftists and anarchists. They represent a major violation of civil liberties during the first Red Scare.

Prohibition/18th amendment/21st amendment

The 18th Amendment banned the sale of alcohol, leading to the rise of organized crime; the 21st Amendment eventually repealed it. It was a "noble experiment" driven by the Temperance movement that failed to enforce morality.

Scopes Monkey Trial

(See "John T. Scopes" under Anchor People).

Harlem Renaissance

A flourishing of African American art, music, and literature in the 1920s centered in New York City. It fostered racial pride and created a distinct black cultural identity that influenced mainstream America.

The Great Stock Market Crash

(See "Great Stock Market Crash" under Anchor Dates)