US History Q4 Exam

Rockefeller, Carnegie, Immigration, Nativism, Spanish - American War, WW1

Horizontal Integration

Ownership of firms in the same industry into one corporation. Used by Rockefeller.

Vertical Integration

Ownership of all the different businesses that a company depended on for operation. Used by Carnegie.

Andrew Carnegie

• Carnegie is a “rags to riches” story. He came to the U.S. as a poor child and created an empire of wealth.

• Carnegie knew he could make a lot of money in building a company that served the railroad industry. He produced steel cheaply and efficiently using the Bessemer process.

• He used the process of vertical integration. This means Carnegie owned all of the different businesses needed to create his finished product. For example, coal, lime, and iron. This allowed him to control production and efficiency while allowing his company to expand while smaller companies struggled.

John D. Rockefeller

• Rockefeller used horizontal integration to put his competitors out of business. 

• Rockefeller’s business was the refinery of oil. As he built his empire, Standard Oil, he started to buy out his smaller competitors. 

• Eventually, he controlled over 80% of the oil refining industry and his company became a monopoly.

Carnegie’s ideas on wealth and capitalism

• Believed that the wealthy should use their money to better society

• Believed in the philosophy called “Gospel of Wealth” 

• He funded public libraries which he believed enable people to succeed

• His ideas were embraced by the wealthy but his aid also came with assumption being made about people in need

American Federation of Labor

• Focus: Wages, hours, and working conditions

• 3 Main Goals: Companies agree to collective bargaining, pushed for companies only hiring union workers (“closed shop”) and the use of an 8 hour work day

• The AFL led by Samuel Gompers was interested in the needs of skilled workers.

• It became the biggest union in the U.S. by 1900, but represented less than 15 percent of non farm workers

• It also discriminated against African Americans and women and mostly consisted of White men

Knights of Labor

• They called for an eight-hour workday, equal pay for women, no child labor, and worker-owned factories.

• Took a different approach to labor issues. 

• Its leader, Terence Powderly, used boycotts and arbitration, in which a third party helps workers and employers reach an agreement. 

• The Knights welcomed women and African Americans. 

• Reputation ruined after Haymarket Riot

Pullman Strike

• Led by Eugene V. Debs: American Railway Union - this industrial union also united the Pullman car workers.

• When the company slashed wages and fired workers, workers had a hard time paying rent and buying goods at the company store. They went on strike as a result.

• This boycott threatened the economy of the U.S. To end the strike, railroad managers attached the mail to the Pullman cars, therefore, forcing workers to deliver the mail because failure to do so would be in violation of federal law

Haymarket Riot

• Supporters of the 8 hour work day called for a nationwide strike on May 1st. Knights of Labor organized over 70,000 workers to go on strike in Chicago

• May 3rd - Police tried to stop a fight - violence began and police fired on the strikers, killing 4.

• Local anarchists organized a meeting in Haymarket Square to protest the shooting. 3,000 people came to hear the speeches and police were there to keep order. Someone threw a bomb, killing a police officer and wounding others. 100 people were injured. 8 anarchists were arrested, 7 were German immigrants. One was a member of the Knights of Labor, which ruined their reputation.

Industrial Union

An organization of common laborers and craft workers in a particular industry

Lockout

A company strategy to fight union demands by refusing to allow employees to enter its facilities to work

Injunction

A court order whereby one is required to do or to refrain from doing a specific act

Boycott

Unions used this to try to get better conditions and wages

Closed Shop

An agreement in which a company agrees to hire only union members

Blacklist

Fired workers who tried to strike or unionize and was used by companies to not hire them

Immigration and Nativism

• People arrived from many European countries and China to the US

• Between 1870 - 1910 more than 17 million immigrants arrived

• This helped contribute to an increased work force which helped during industrialization

• Scott Carnegie was a famous immigrant at the time

Nativism

Hostility toward immigrants because people thought immigrants would take American jobs or cause demographic changes

Pacific Railway Act

• Pacific Railway Act: Signed into law by Lincoln in 1862; goal to construct a transcontinental railroad by two corporations: Union Pacific and Central Pacific

• Union Pacific: Started in Nebraska and moved west under the leadership of Grenville Dodge. Blizzards, extreme heat, and Native Americans were all concerns of the Union Pacific. Employed 10,000 workers-veterans, Irish immigrants, miners, ex-cons.

• Central Pacific: Under the direction of the “Big Four” this rail began in CA and worked castward to meet the Union Pacific. Over 10,000 immigrants from China worked on this railroad for very little pay.

Immigration Act of 1882

Imposed a head tax of 50 cents on each immigrant who arrived at a US port; Could reject immigrants with a criminal record, mental issues, or ones who couldn't take care of themselves; Federal oversight of immigration began with Treasury Department issued regulations, hired immigrant agents, and built inspection stations

Old Immigration

Immigrants primarily came primarily from Northern and Western Europe

New immigration

Late 1890s, immigrants came from mainly Southern and Eastern Europe including Italy, Greece, Austria - Hungary, Russia, and Serbia. Also some Asian countries such as China and Japan had immigration to the US.

Jacob Riis

• Immigrant investigative reporter who formerly lived in NY tenements published “How The Other Half Lives” in 1890

• The book included photographs and showed the harsh living conditions of the tenements and showed the working classes hardship to the public

• He pushed for action which led Thedore Roosevelt to pass the Tenement Housing Act in 1901

Push Factors

War, Famine, Unemployment, Bad Economic Conditions

Pull Factors

Opportunities, Jobs, Living Conditions, Promise of America

Catholicism

Became single largest religious denomination in the country and people feared they would change the predominantly Protestant country; American Protective Association was one of the anti - Catholic groups at the time

Protestantism

Majority religion in the country until immigration and fears that other religions were overtaking it due to immigration led to nativism

Judaism

Many Jewish immigrants came to the US and fears against them over demographic changes led to anti-semitism

Enclave

Areas in cities where many immigrants of the same religion or ethnicity settled

Panama Canal

• It began as a French project - disease and mudslides resulted in over 20,000 French deaths. Eventually, they sold the rights to the canal to the US for $40 million
  The Spanish-American War reignited the possibility of canal in Central America

• The main problem was the Clayton-Butwer Treaty established in 1850 with the British. The treaty said that if a canal was built it would be open for use by both US and Britain and neither would have soul ownership

• By 1901 with negotiations by Secretary of State John Hay the British were willing to allow the United States to back out of the treaty.

• Roosevelt had to negotiate with Columbia which controlled Panama at the time. The Columbians rejected American offers for a six mile wide zone across Panama.

• Panama was part of Columbia - we wanted an independent Panama to avoid dealing with Columbia so the US supported a rebellion - after Panamanian independence, we paid $10 million to Panama to take possession of the Panama Canal Zone and made it a 10 mile zone.

• Panama gained its independence and the United States gained the right to build the canal.

• Construction began in 1904. After ten years and $400 million the canal was completed in 1914. The US endured some issues the French faced, but was able to complete it with only a quarter of the number of deaths. The Canal was finished on August 15, 1914

• The Panama Canal remains the largest construction project in the western hemisphere.

• The US controlled the Panama Canal from 1914 until 1979

Militarism and Alliances

• For protection, Germany signs an alliance with Italy and Austria Hungary: The TRIPLE ALLIANCE 

• Russia and France opposed the Triple Alliance 

• Great Britain, France, & Russia become the Triple Entente

• Militarism - an aggressive build up of armed forces

• Caused Germany and Britain to amass an arms race to build the greatest naval forces

Nationalism

• Feeling of intense national pride

• Serbs & Bosnians were nationalists who wanted to remain independent

• 1908-Austria Hungary Annexed Bosnia, angering Serbia who wanted to join forces w/ Bosnia

Trouble Across the Atlantic

• June 28th 1914 - Serbian student named Gavrilo Princip assassinated Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife in Sarajevo.

• The Assassination causes a chain reaction

• Germany came to Austria-Hungary’s defense.

• Russia rushed to the aid of Serbia.

• France which was allied with Russia also entered.

• Germany passed through Belgium and unexpectedly attacked France.

• The attack on France sends Great Britain into war against Germany.

World War I had started: Central Powers Vs. Allied Powers

• The Central Powers Included: Germany, Austria-Hungary, The Ottoman Empire, Bulgaria

• The Allied Powers included: Great Britain, France, Russia, Italy

• (Allies offered Italy Austrian territory after the war)

• (Italy was originally apart of the Central Powers; Russia left the war after the revolution)

American Neutrality

• Wilson immediately stated that the United States would remain neutral

• The British used propaganda - influence of opinions to endorse support.

• The U.S. loaned Britain $2.3 billion. Germany was angered at the American aid to the allies

• Germany was still free to trade with the U.S. British navy blockaded the Germans 

• In retaliation to the British blockade the Germans began submarine warfare in the British Isles in February 1915. The German subs sank any British war or transport ship which led to the British transporting arms and equipment on passenger ships, which the Germans did not target. The Germans then declared unrestricted submarine warfare and threatened to sink any ship they spotted.

• On May 7th 1915 a German Sub sank the British passenger liner Lusitania, killing 1,198 civilians including 128 Americans.

• Americans were shocked but most of the rest of the nation still favored neutrality.

Drawn into War

• On March 1st 1917 the British intercepted a message from the German Foreign Secretary Arthur Zimmerman to Mexico. The so-called “Zimmerman Telegram” proposed a German-Mexican alliance.

• The alliance would include: Mexico attacking the United States to keep us out of the war in Europe. Germany would help Mexico defeat the United States once they won the war in Europe. In return Mexico would regain most of the land taken by the U.S. after the Mexican-American War.

• Germany was counting on the damaged relationship between the United States and Mexico. The German subs sank four unarmed American merchant ships.

• Wilson was forced to ask Congress for a declaration of war on April 2nd 1917.

• Wilson stated: the United States must enter war, “to make the world safe for democracy”

America Enters WW1

• The American navy put an end to German submarine dominance. The convoy system called for destroyer warships to accompany transport ships and once a German sub struck it would be attacked by the other ships.

• In May 1918 the German army was within 40 miles of Paris and threatened to knock France out of the war. The German advance was stopped by the United States Marines. The Marines dug no trenches or fallback positions and defeated the Germans man to man

• 30,000 fresh troops of the U.S. Army units were sent against the Germans at the Battle of Chateau-Thierry. The battle would mark the 1st time American troops fought in a European war.

• The top American commander was General John J. “Black Jack” Pershing. He led 600,000 Americans at the Battle of Argonne Forest and shattered German defenses, pushing them out of the western front. Pershing would become the only man to attain the rank of General of the Armies (equivalent to a 6 star General) which is the highest military rank.

• Sergeant Alvin York became a national hero and received the Medal of Honor for leading an attack on a German machine gun nest. He took 32 machine guns, killed 28 German soldiers, and capturing 132 others at the Battle of Argonne Forest 

• The Germans soon were the only country of the Central Powers left. The United States entered the war in the last year, but was the deciding factor in an Allied victory.

• The war took the lives of: 1.8 million Germans, 1.7 million Russians, 1.4 million French, 1.3 million Austrians, 950,000 British, 112,000 Americans.

Imperialism

• This policy expands throughout Europe in the late 1800’s - Italy, Belgium, and Germany all joined the party; while France, Portugal, Spain, and Great Britain were imperial empires prior to the American Revolution

• The US began to annex new lands for both religious (Christianity) and economic reasons

• Alaska 1867; Hawaii 1899; and American Samoa 1899 - these lands provided agriculture, strategic trade, and ports

Foreign Policy

• The US sought to be the dominant force in the Western hemisphere - the Monroe Doctrine said the Americas were no longer open to colonization and any attempt to do so would be seen as a threat to the US

• The expansion of the US Navy sought to reinforce this idea. The US wanted political, economic, and moral influence in these areas whereas Europe sought colonization

• Pacific Expansion: Treaty of Kanagawa opened up trade and ports with Japan; Hawaii was wanted for sugar plantations and a naval base; annexed by the US in 1898 after a power struggle with their Queen and wealthy planters

The Age of Empire

• The 1880s and the early 1890s saw the powers of Europe divide and colonize Africa and parts of Asia using Imperialism. (Economic domination of a strong nation over a weaker nation)

• In the years immediately following the Civil War most Americans had no interest in the outside world

Perry Opens Japan

• Japanese rulers believed western influences would destroy their culture. (Japan instituted sukoku in 1630s, “locked country”)

• Up until 1853, Japan only traded w/ the Dutch and Chinese

• July 8, 1853 - Four American warships commanded by Commodore Mathew Perry landed in Edo Bay (Tokyo Bay)

• American ships, firepower, clothing, and technology stunned the Japanese people. Soon the Japanese signed the Treaty of Kanagawa allowing trade between the US and Japan

• This treaty was a prelude to future U.S. Pacific endeavors.  By the turn of the century, Japan would have powerful navy in a strong Asian empire 

Annexation of Hawaii

• The United States had not added territory since negotiating a deal with Russia to purchase Alaska in 1867

• In the 1800s the island Kingdom of Hawaii was inhabited by American sailors, traders.

• Hawaii was rich in sugar and fruit among other products

• The issue of Hawaiian annexation bounced around in the Harrison and Cleveland administrations but was never completed

• Finally, President McKinley decided to back annexation once he was made aware that Japan had its eye on the territory. Hawaii will become the 50th state in 1959

The Spanish-American War

• Assistant Secretary of the Navy Theodore Roosevelt decided to act. Roosevelt contacted commodore George Dewey, commander of the Atlantic fleet and told him to attack the Spanish held Philippine islands if war was declared

• On April 11th 1898, McKinley asked Congress for a declaration of war with Spain

• Congress also passed the Teller Amendment which stated that once Spanish rule was overthrown, Cuba would be independent

• On May 1st 1898 Commodore Dewey carried out his orders and enter Manila Bay. The Spanish fired first and were quickly destroyed by the far superior American ships

• Dewey brought Filipino revolutionary leader Emilio Aguinaldo out of exile in Hong Kong to lead a rebellion until American troops arrived. Manila fell in August and 400 years of Spanish rule in the Philippines was over

• The Spanish surrendered Cuba, and the American forces turned to Spanish held Puerto Rico, capturing it as well

• The war was over and cost only 345 American lives (2,500 died from disease)

• Spain met the United States in Paris to sign the peace treaty (Treaty of Paris)

• Spain gave the Cubans Freedom. Spain turned over the Philippines, Guam, and Puerto Rico to the US

Imperialism

A policy of extending a country’s power and influence through diplomacy or military force

President Roosevelt and Diplomacy (Roosevelt Corollary)

• “Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far”

• In the early 1900s several Central and South American nations began to default on the debts they owed several European powers. Germany actually went so far as to bomb a town in Venezuela in 1903. Even though the Europeans were just trying to collect on a debt, Roosevelt saw this as a clear violation of the Monroe Doctrine.

• Roosevelt decided to strengthen the longest standing U.S. foreign policy with what became known as the Roosevelt Corollary. 

• The Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine states that the United States would intervene in Latin American countries to pay off debts, and to stabilize failing governments.

• The Corollary basicallysaid that ONLY the U.S. could get involved in the affairs of countries in Central and South America. In the future the Roosevelt Corollary would be used to justify military interventions, and also served to create animosity between many Latin American nations and the United States.

Germany Quits

• Germany turned to President Wilson and sought peace based on Wilson’s Fourteen Points. 

• Germany stopped fighting at eleven o’clock on the eleventh day of the eleventh month and November 11th would be known as Armistice Day (now called Veterans Day).

Wilson on the World Stage

• Woodrow Wilson traveled to Europe as a victorious world leader but as the “moral authority” of the world. 

• The problem was Republicans controlled the majority of Congress. While viewed as a savior abroad, Wilson did not have the backing of Congress at home.

• Leaders of the Allied Powers met near Paris. The “Big Four” were: President Woodrow (U.S), Prime Minister David Lloyd George (G.B), Premier Georges Clemenceau (France), and Premier Vittorio Orlando (Italy). These four men would determine the fate of the losing Central Powers.

Wilson's Fourteen Points

• Wilson became recognized as the moral leader of the Allied cause.

• Wilson also wanted to prevent such a war from ever happening again.

• Wilson’s Fourteen Points included: (1) A proposal to abolish secret treaties which led to the war. (2) Freedom of the seas for all nations. (3) Free trade throughout the world. (4) Arms reduction by all nations. (5) Making sure colonial powers treat the people of the colonies well. (14) Creation of the League of  Nations.

• The most important point to Wilson was the 14th. The League of Nations - member nations would preserve peace and protect other’s territory and independence. Republicans believed Wilson was viewing himself as the savior of the world.

The Treaty of Versailles

• The leaders of Britain, France and Italy were eager to blame the war on Germany, and punish them. President Wilson believed that this would be unfair

• While back in America Wilson discovered that 39 Republican Senators led by Senator Henry Cabot Lodge of Massachusetts refused to ratify any Treaty that included a League of Nations.

• Lodge was determined to block a League of Nations because: It did not call for unconditional surrender of Germany. No political freedom for the U.S. and U.S. would be bound to international commitments. It also required the U.S. to send troops into battle for a cause we had nothing to do with and it would threaten the United States authority to enforce the Monroe Doctrine. Wilson’s clash with Lodge and the Republicans weakened his authority in Versailles

• Wilson returned to Versailles and Britain, France and Italy were less likely to listen to Wilson. The Treaty of Versailles was completed in June of 1919.

• Germany signed the treaty, taking blame for the war. Compensation for war meant Germany had to pay Reparations. Germany had to pay $33 Billion, disarm themselves, and give territory to the Allies. In the end ONLY four of Wilson’s ideas were included in the Treaty.

Wilson Vs. The Senate

• The United States Constitution allows the President to negotiate treaties and requires that the Senate ratify the treaty. Republicans were the majority in the Senate. Wilson decided to go over the head of the Senate and appeal to the American people. Wilson traveled the country. 

• Wilson collapsed from exhaustion and suffered a stroke a few days later on Oct. 2nd of 1919. The stroke paralyzed one side of his body and forced him to run the country from his bed. Wilson did not meet with his cabinet for more than 7 months. Since the League of Nations was included in the treaty, the United States would not join the League. The League of Nations was created but without the United States it wouldn’t be successful.