Key Figures and Events of Early 20th Century U.S. History

Woodrow Wilson

28th U.S. President. Led the U.S. through WWI and proposed the Fourteen Points and the League of Nations.

Archduke Franz Ferdinand

Heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne whose assassination in 1914 triggered the start of WWI.

Pancho Villa

Mexican revolutionary who raided Columbus, New Mexico, in 1916, prompting a U.S. military expedition to find him.

John Pershing

General who led the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) in Europe during WWI.

Henry Cabot Lodge

Republican Senator who led the 'Reservationists' in opposing the Treaty of Versailles; he feared the League of Nations would limit U.S. sovereignty.

William Borah

Leader of the 'Irreconcilables,' a group of Senators who refused to join the League of Nations under any circumstances.

A. Mitchell Palmer

Attorney General who led the Palmer Raids to arrest and deport suspected radicals and communists during the Red Scare (1919-1920).

Sacco and Vanzetti

Italian immigrants and anarchists executed for murder; their trial is a famous example of nativism and anti-immigrant bias.

John Scopes

The teacher at the center of the Scopes 'Monkey' Trial, which debated the legality of teaching evolution in schools.

Charles Lindbergh

Aviator who became a national hero after making the first solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic in 1927.

Henry Ford

Pioneered the assembly line and mass production of the Model T, making cars affordable for the average American.

Marcus Garvey

Leader of the 'Back to Africa' movement; he promoted Black Nationalism and economic self-reliance.

Zora Neale Hurston & Langston Hughes

Key literary figures of the Harlem Renaissance; Hurston wrote Their Eyes Were Watching God, and Hughes was a prolific poet of Black life.

Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington

Pioneers of Jazz music; Armstrong was a legendary trumpeter, and Ellington was a famous composer and bandleader at the Cotton Club.

Warren G. Harding

President whose term was defined by the 'Return to Normalcy' but marred by massive corruption.

Harry Daugherty & Albert Fall

Members of Harding's 'Ohio Gang.' Fall was the first cabinet member to go to prison due to the Teapot Dome Scandal.

Nan Britton

Alleged mistress of Harding; her claims added to the scandalous reputation of his presidency.

Calvin Coolidge

Succeeded Harding; known as 'Silent Cal,' he was a pro-business president who believed 'the business of America is business.'

Andrew Mellon

Long-serving Secretary of the Treasury who championed supply-side economics (tax cuts for the wealthy and businesses).

Charles E. Hughes

Secretary of State under Harding/Coolidge; led the Washington Naval Conference to reduce global arms.

Herbert Hoover

President at the start of the Great Depression; he was widely blamed for the economic collapse due to his 'rugged individualism' philosophy.

Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR)

Created the New Deal to provide Relief, Recovery, and Reform during the Great Depression.

Eleanor Roosevelt

A highly active First Lady who served as FDR's 'eyes and ears,' traveling the country and advocating for civil rights and the poor.

Frances Perkins

The first female Cabinet member (Secretary of Labor); she was a key architect of Social Security.

Huey Long

The 'Kingfish' of Louisiana; a populist critic of FDR who proposed the 'Share Our Wealth' program (taxing the rich to give every family $5,000).

Father Charles Coughlin

Known as the 'Radio Priest.' Attacked Wall Street and 'greedy capitalists'; called for government ownership of key industries.