APUSH Period 7 (1890-1945): Final Review (Key People)

Jane Adams

Progressive Era reformer, sociologist, and pacifist who founded Chicago's Hull House (1889), a pioneering settlement house providing education, healthcare, and daycare to immigrants and the urban poor. She advocated for women's suffrage, and child labor laws

Emilio Aguinaldo

Filipino revolutionary leader and the first president of the Philippines who fought for independence against both Spain and the United States

Susan B. Anthony

Co-founded the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA) with Elizabeth Cady Stanton in 1869 to fight for a constitutional amendment granting women the right to vote

Louis Armstrong

African American jazz trumpeter, vocalist, and influential figure of the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s

Ruth Benedict

1930s American anthropologist and key figure in the "culture and personality" movement, known for her book Patterns of Culture

Franz Boas

Opposed the popular "scientific racism" of his time, which used bogus biological, anatomical, and intelligence measurements to claim that non-Western or non-white peoples were inferior. He argued that culture and environment, not race or biology, determined human behavior and mental capacity

William Jennings Bryan

Populist-leaning Democratic politician (1860–1925), renowned as a three-time presidential candidate and "The Great Commoner." He is most famous for his 1896 "Cross of Gold" speech advocating for "free silver," representing agrarian interests against the gold standard, and later prosecuting the 1925 Scopes Trial.

Carrie Chapman Catt

Suffragist leader who revitalized the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) as its president. Known for her "Winning Plan" she used strategic, mainstream lobbying to secure the passage of the 19th Amendment

Winston Churchill

British Prime Minister who led the UK to victory in World War II. A key U.S. ally, he collaborated with FDR on wartime strategy, signed the Atlantic Charter, and popularized the term "Iron Curtain"

Calvin Coolidge

30th U.S. President, was a Republican known as "Silent Cal" who represented the 1920s pro-business/laissez-faire era. Succeeded Harding, cleaned up government corruption and supported low taxes and high tariffs

Charles E. Coughlin

Radio broadcaster during the 1930s who, despite initially supporting the New Deal, became a fierce critic of FDR. He used his massive radio platform to promote populist, anti-communist, and anti-capitalist views

George Creel

American journalist appointed by President Woodrow Wilson to head the Committee on Public Information (CPI) during World War I

Clarence Darrow

Known for defending unpopular causes and clients, notably in the 1925 "Scopes Monkey Trial". He championed labor unions, progressive reforms, and fought against fundamentalism and for the separation of church and state.

Eugene V. Debs

Union leader and socialist politician who founded the American Railway Union (ARU) and led the 1894 Pullman Strike

W. E. B. Du Bois

African American sociologist, historian, and civil rights activist who advocated for immediate political/social equality and higher education for Black Americans

Dwight D. Eisenhower

34th U.S. President, a Republican and WWII Supreme Allied Commander known for "Modern Republicanism"—a blend of fiscal conservatism with moderate social policies. His administration focused on Cold War containment, the interstate highway system, and suburban prosperity.

Edward “Duke” Ellington

American jazz composer, pianist, and bandleader who gained national prominence during the 1920s Harlem Renaissance

Henry Ford

Revolutionized mass production via the assembly line and the $5 workday, driving 1920s consumerism and economic growth. While he pioneered worker benefits to discourage unions, his techniques set the stage for modern corporate production and labor standards often discussed alongside the shift towards New Deal, post-Depression labor policies

Marcus Garvey

Jamaican-born Black nationalist leader who founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) in 1914, advocating for "Back to Africa" repatriation, racial pride, and economic self-sufficiency during the 1920s

Charlotte Perkins Gilman

American feminist, author, and sociologist during the Progressive Era, best known for criticizing traditional gender roles and women's economic dependence on men. She advocated for women's financial independence and structural societal changes, such as communal kitchens and nurseries.

Emma Goldman

prominent Russian-born anarchist, lecturer, and political activist who heavily influenced Progressive Era radicalism. She championed free speech, women’s equality, birth control, and labor rights

Warren G. Harding

29th U.S. President, a Republican known for his "return to normalcy" campaign pledge following WWI. His administration focused on pro-business, laissez-faire policies but was marred by major scandals, most notably the Teapot Dome Scandal

William Randolph Hearst

revolutionized journalism through "yellow journalism"—sensationalist, exaggerated reporting designed to increase circulation. Owner of the New York Journal, he heavily influenced public opinion, notably fueling jingoism and pushing the U.S. toward the Spanish-American War.

Oliver Wendell Holmes

Argued that law should evolve with social needs rather than strict precedent. A "progressive" justice, he famously established the "clear and present danger" test for free speech limitations in Schenck v. United States.

Herbert Hoover

Republican leader whose term was defined by the onset of the Great Depression. He promoted "rugged individualism" and voluntary business cooperation, initially opposing direct federal relief to citizens. His, policies, including the restrictive Hawley-Smoot Tariff, were largely seen as insufficient, leading to widespread unpopularity.

J. Edgar Hoover

Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from 1924 to 1972, transforming it into a modern law enforcement agency

Harry Hopkins

Advisor to FDR and key architect of the New Deal. As head of FERA and the WPA during the Great Depression, he managed massive federal work relief programs. Later, he served as a top foreign policy emissary to Churchill and Stalin during World War II

Julia Ward Howe

American poet, author, abolitionist, and social activist, best known for writing the lyrics to the Civil War anthem "The Battle Hymn of the Republic"

Langston Hughes

Poet, novelist, and playwright of the 1920s Harlem Renaissance, known as a leader in portraying African American life, culture, and social struggles

Zora Neale Hurston

Author, anthropologist, and key Harlem Renaissance figure who celebrated African American folklore, culture, and Southern dialect

Robert M. La Follette

Championed reforms to curb corporate power and enhance democracy. Known for the "Wisconsin Idea," he implemented direct primaries, railroad regulation, and progressive taxation

Curtis LeMay

U.S. Air Force General known for implementing decisive, high-intensity strategic bombing campaigns in World War II and leading the Berlin Airlift

John L. Lewis

Civil rights leader and Congressman, best known as a Freedom Rider, SNCC chairman, and a leader of the 1965 "Bloody Sunday" Selma march

Queen Liliuokalani

Last reigning monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi, who sought to maintain native Hawaiian control and limit foreign influence

Henry Cabot Lodge

Senator from Massachusetts and Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, best known in APUSH for leading the "Reservationists" in opposing ratification of the Treaty of Versailles and U.S. entry into the League of Nations after WWI.

Huey Long

Known for his radical populist approach during the Great Depression. He posed a major political threat to FDR's New Deal by promoting the "Share Our Wealth" program, advocating for taxing the rich

Douglas MacArthur

American five-star general who commanded Allied forces in the Southwest Pacific during WWII, famously liberating the Philippines

Alfred Thayer Mahan

U.S. Navy officer and geostrategist whose 1890 book The Influence of Sea Power upon History, 1660–1783, argued that national greatness was inextricably linked to sea power

José Martí

Cuban poet, journalist, and intellectual who became the "Apostle of Cuban Independence" by organizing the final uprising against Spanish rule in 1895

William McKinley

25th Republican U.S. President, marking the dawn of American imperialism by leading the nation to victory in the Spanish-American War (1898). His administration oversaw the acquisition of Philippines, Guam, and Puerto Rico, and favored the gold standard

Andrew Mellon

Championed "trickle-down" economics, drastically cutting taxes on corporations and the wealthy to promote economic expansion during the 1920s. His policies aimed to reduce the national debt

Carlos Montezuma

Founding member of the Society of American Indians (1911). As one of the first Native American doctors, he fought for Native American rights, citizenship, and the abolition of the Bureau of Indian Affairs

Ferdinand “Jelly Roll” Morton

Early jazz pianist, bandleader, and composer who started his career in New Orleans, Louisiana. He was one of the first musicians to bridge the gap between ragtime piano and the improvised, swing-style jazz that characterized the era.

John Muir

A key figure in the Progressive Era's conservation movement, he founded the Sierra Club in 1892 to protect wilderness, notably fighting to preserve California's Hetch Hetchy Valley.

Chester Nimitz

Commander in Chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet during World War II, serving as the principal naval strategist against Japan

J. Robert Oppenheimer

American theoretical physicist and director of the Los Alamos Laboratory during World War II. Known as the "father of the atomic bomb," he led the Manhattan Project's scientific development of the first nuclear weapons

A. Mitchell Palmer

Authorized federal raids to arrest and deport thousands of suspected radicals, communists, and anarchists, embodying the era's nativist fear and suppression of civil liberties.

Arthur C. Parker

Key figure in early 20th-century American Indian rights, often advocating for a balance between cultural preservation and integration into modern American society

George S. Patton

Prominent and controversial U.S. Army general during World War II, renowned for his aggressive "tank warfare" tactics"Old Blood and Guts" persona, and hard-driving leadership

Alice Paul

American suffragist, feminist, and leader of the National Woman's Party (NWP) who used militant, confrontational tactics—such as parades, White House picketing, and hunger strikes—to secure the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920

Frances Perkins

First female cabinet member in American history under FDR. A key architect of the New Deal, she championed major labor reforms, including the Social Security Act, Fair Labor Standards Act, and unemployment insurance

Gifford Pinchot

Appointed by Theodore Roosevelt, he championed "scientific management" of natural resources for sustainable use

Joseph Pulitzer

Pioneered "yellow journalism"—sensationalist reporting featuring crime, scandals, and comics to increase circulation

A. Phillip Randolph

African American labor leader and civil rights activist who championed racial equality and workers' rights. He threatened a 1941 March on Washington

Eleanor Roosevelt

First Lady who redefined the role from ceremonial to actively political, championing New Deal social reforms, civil rights, and women’s rights

Franklin Delano Roosevelt

32nd U.S. President, elected to four terms during the Great Depression and World War II. He implemented the "New Deal," a series of progressive, federal relief, recovery, and reform programs that significantly expanded the role of government

Theodore Roosevelt

26th U.S. President, was a Progressive Republican who expanded presidential power, championed the "Square Deal,” and implemented an expansionist foreign policy ("Big Stick Diplomacy")

Nicola Sacco

Italian-born anarchist and shoemaker convicted of a 1920 armed robbery and murder in Massachusetts. Their 1921 conviction and 1927 execution, despite weak evidence, symbolize 1920s nativism, anti-immigrant sentiment, and the Red Scare hysteria.

Margaret Sanger

Nurse, feminist, and activist who launched the birth control movement, challenging Comstock laws to advocate for reproductive freedom

Upton Sinclair

American muckraker, novelist, and socialist reformer during the Progressive Era. He is best known for his 1906 novel, The Jungle

Bessie Smith

African American blues singer, known as the "Empress of the Blues," who dominated the music scene in the 1920s

Elizabeth Cady Stanton

suffragist, abolitionist, and feminist who organized the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention. She co-authored the Declaration of Sentiments

Lincoln Steffens

Muckraker journalist and Progressive Era reformer known for exposing municipal corruption

Lucy Stone

Founded the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA) to focus on state-level suffrage

Josiah Strong

American Protestant clergyman and author who became a leading voice for imperialism and the Social Gospel movement in the late 19th century

William Howard Taft

27th U.S. President and a Republican Progressive known for "Dollar Diplomacy"

Ida Tarbell

Muckraker and journalist known for her 1904 exposé, The History of the Standard Oil Company. She exposed John D. Rockefeller's ruthless business practices

Francis Townsend

Proposed the "Townsend Plan" during the Great Depression. This popular, influential, and radical plan advocated for a federal government-funded, $200 monthly pension for citizens over 60

Harry S. Truman

33rd U.S. President, taking office upon FDR's death. He led the U.S. through the end of WWII (authorizing the atomic bomb), initiated the Cold War's containment policy (Truman Doctrine, Marshall Plan), led the Korean War, and launched domestic policies known as the Fair Deal

Bartolomeo Vanzetti

Italian immigrant and anarchist executed in 1927 alongside Nicola Sacco for a 1920 armed robbery/murder in Massachusetts. Their controversial conviction, despite little evidence, epitomized the 1920s Red Scare

Francisco “Pancho” Villa

Mexican revolutionary general and agrarian reformer who led forces in the north during the Mexican Revolution

Booker T. Washington

African American educator, author, and founder of the Tuskegee Institute (1881) who advocated for vocational training and economic self-reliance over immediate political agitation

Ida B. Wells

African American investigative journalist, educator, and early civil rights leader who led a nationwide anti-lynching crusade in the 1890s. Also founded NAACP

Frances Willard

Progressive Era reformer, educator, and president of the Women's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU)

Zitkala-ŝa

One of the most prominent 20th-century advocates for Native American rights, citizenship, and cultural preservation