APUSH Period 7 Timeline of Major Events and Ideas (1897-1945)

Yellow Journalism (1898)

This type of journalism was used to exploit, distort, and exaggerate the news to create sensations and attract readers that might not have previously found interest in the media.

De Lome Letter (1898)

This was a letter by a Spanish diplomat that criticized President McKinley that was eventually leaked to newspapers. Americans found it as an attack, creating a high sense of nationalism.

USS Maine (1898)

This was an American battleship that exploded and caused the Spanish-American War. Although it was unknown of the true cause of the explosion, Americans viewed it as an attack by the Spanish, initiating a fighting attitude.

Teller Amendment (1898)

This was a statement that declared the United States as uninterested in taking control of Cuba post-Spanish-American War.

Annexation of Hawaii (1898)

This occurred after Queen Liliuokalani surrendered all lands to "the superior forces of the United States" in 1893. When she was overthrown as Queen, the islands became a United States protectorate.

Open Door Policy (1899)

The United States policy proposed by John Hay in the late 19th century and early 20th century that would allow for a system of trade in China openly and equally among all participating countries. This was a means of instilling American imperialism in overseas markets whilst also maintaining peace among nations.

Platt Amendment (1901)

This act was passed as a part of the 1901 Army Appropriations Bill, stipulating seven conditions for the withdrawal of United States troops from Cuba at the end of the Spanish-American War and an eighth conditions stating Cuba's acceptance of all stipulations. Although U.S. troops were removed from the island, the conditions outlined that the United States may intervene with Cuba's government to instill peace among its society.

Secret Ballot

A political ballot in which votes are cast secretly.

Direct Primaries

The nomination of candidates placed into the hands of the voters.

Initiative

This allows voters to petition to propose legislation and then submit it for a vote by qualified voters.

Referendum

This was a procedure for submitting to popular vote new measures passed by the legislature or proposed amendments by Congress.

Recall

This was a procedure for submitting to popular vote the removal of an official from public office before the end of their term.

Square Deal (1902)

The name in which President Theodore Roosevelt's domestic program was referred. It outlines a set of policies that attempted to prevent further labor abuses and improve working conditions, whilst also protecting America's natural landscape.

Elkins Act (1903)

The federal law that amended the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887. The Interstate Commerce Act was amended as a means of imposing heavy fines on railroads that accepted a list of rebates.

Panama Canal (1904)

The artificial 82 kilometer waterway in Central America that was built for the purpose of creating a faster travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. Although Colombians resented the idea, the canal was built when the U.S. sparked the beginning of the Panamanian Revolution.

Roosevelt Corollary (1904)

This was an addition to the original Monroe Doctrine (1823) articulated by President Theodore Roosevelt in his State of the Union address in 1904 after the Venezuelan Crisis of 1902-1903.

Trust-Busting (1904-1909)

Trust-busting spanned the efforts of many presidents including Roosevelt, Taft, and Wilson. Antitrust lawsuits were oftentimes used to break up monopolies or trusts that were found to be restraining trade and creating a strain on the economy.

Lochner v. New York (1905)

This was a landmark United States Supreme Court Case labor law, holding that limits to working hours violated the 14th amendment. However, found to be unconstitutional, it has since been overturned.

Hepburn Act (1906)

This federal law gave the Interstate Commerce Commission the power to set maximum railroad rates and extend its jurisdiction further west. It also permitted the discontinuation of free passes to loyal shippers.

Pure Food and Drug Act (1906)

This law halted the sale of contaminated foods and medicines and also called for truth in labeling.

Meat Inspection Act (1906)

This law provided for only limited supervision of interstate sales of meat and meat products.

Muller v. Oregon (1908)

This was another landmark United States Supreme Court case that declared women to be provided, by state mandate, less work than was allotted to men. However, questions soon arose based on the liberty of women to negotiate work contracts with employers.

NAACP Founded (1908)

The NAACP, or the National Association of the Advancement of Colored People, was founded February 12 of 1908 by W.E.B Dubois.

Dollar Diplomacy (1909-1913)

Particularly used during President Taft's term, this was a form of American foreign policy to further its aims in Latin America and East Asia through use of economic power and guaranteed loans.

Payne-Aldrich Tariff (1909)

Beginning in the House of Representatives, the tariff named after Senator Aldrich and Representative Payne was a bill raising certain tariffs on good entering the United States.

Mann-Elkins Act of 1910

This was a federal law passed during the Progressive Movement that extended the 1887 Interstate Commerce Act and authority of the ICC to set railroad rates and regulate the telecommunications industry.

16th Amendment (1913)

This amendment allows the federal government to levy or collect an income tax from all Americans. Other taxes, such as those collected from homeowners and property owners, are considered to be "direct" taxes in the Constitution.

17th Amendment (1913)

This amendment essentially gives voters the power to directly elect their senators. It also states that the U.S. Senate includes two senators to be selected from each state for six-year terms.

Moral Diplomacy (1913-1917)

This is a form of diplomacy proposed by President Woodrow Wilson in his 1912 election that is a system in which support is given only to countries whose beliefs are analogous to our's.

Underwood Tariff (1913)

Also known as the Revenue Act of 1913, this tariff reimposed the federal income tax after the 16th amendment and lowered basic tariff rates.

Federal Reserve Act (1914)

This was an act of Congress that created the Federal Reserve System and which created the authority to issue Federal Reserve Notes as legal tenders.

Clayton Anti-Trust Act (1914)

This was a part of the United States Antitrust Law with the goal of adding further substance to the U.S. antitrust law regime. Clayton, however, sought to prevent noncompetitive practices in incipiency.

Federal Trade Commission (1914)

This was an independent agency of the United States government, established in 1914 by the Federal Trade Commission Act which promoted the protection of consumers and pushed to eliminate anti-competitive business practices.

Lusitania Crisis (1915)

The sinking of the Cunard ocean liner occurred during the first world war, as Germany waged submarine warfare against the United Kingdom which had implemented a naval blockade against Germany.

National Defense Act (1916)

This was a federal law that updated the Militia Act of 1903, which related to the organization of the military, particularly the National Guard.

Jones Act of 1916

Formally known as the Philippine Autonomy Act of 1916, this statute announced the intention of the United States government to"withdraw their sovereignty over the Philippine Islands as soon as stable government can be established therein".

Federal Farm Loan (1916)

A United States federal law aimed at increasing credit to rural family farmers. It accomplished this through the creation of federal farm loan bards, twelve regional farm loan banks, and tens of farm loan associations.

National Woman's Party Founded (1916)

An American women's political organization, founded by both Alice Paul and Lucy Burns, formed in 1916 to fight for women's suffrage.

Child Labor Act (1916)

Formally known as the Keating-Owen Act, this was a short-lived statute enacted by Congress which sought to address child labor by prohibiting it. However, this act was later turned over by the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Zimmerman Telegram (1917)

This was a secret diplomatic communication issued from the German Foreign Office in January of 1917 that proposed an alliance between Germany and, America's friendly neighbor, Mexico.

US Declaration of War (April 2, 1917)`

On April 2, 1917, President Woodrow Wilson requested a declaration of war at a joint session before Congress. Later, the United States would formally declare war against the German ally Austria-Hungary on December 7, 1917.

Selective Service Act (1917)

This act authorized the United States government to raise a national army for service in World War I through the use of conscription, or drafting of men, which angered many Americans.

Espionage Act (1917)

A United States federal law passed on June 15, 1917, shortly after the United States entry into World War I. Although it had been amended numerously over time, its original purpose was to make it illegal to write or say anything critical of American involvement in war, similarly to that of the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798.

Sedition Act (1918)

This act of the United States Congress was used as an extension of the Espionage Act to cover a broader range of offenses, notably speeches and the expression of opinions that cast the United States government or war effort in a particularly negative light.

The Fourteen Points (1918)

This was a statement of principles for peace that was to be used for peace negotiations to hopefully reach a end to World War I. The principles were originally outlined in a speech on war and peace terms to the United States Congress by President Woodrow Wilson.

Schenk v. United States (1919)

A landmark United States Supreme Court case concerning the enforcement of the Espionage Act during World War I, this had a huge strain on the first amendment right freedom of speech by ruling for the act and thus confining speech to non-incriminating talk at times of war.

Treaty of Versailles (1919)

This would become the most important treaty of peace during World War I that essentially ended the state of war between Germany and allied powers.

18th Amendment (1919)

This amendment prohibited the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors in the United States and territories under United States jurisdiction thereof.

Volstead Act (1919)

Formally known as the National Prohibition Act, this provided enforcement for the eighteenth amendment by completely prohibiting the sale and manufacture of alcohol.

Palmer Raids (1919-1920)

These were a series of raids conducted from November of 1919 to January of 1920 during the First Red Scare under President Woodrow Wilson that intended on capturing and arresting suspected radical leftists, mostly including Italians and other Eastern Europeans.

19th Amendment (1920)

This amendment stated that the right of United States citizens to vote cannot be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex. Yay, women!

Five-Power Treaty (1921)

This treaty set limitations on weaponry and military in the United States, Britain, Italy, Japan, and France.

Four-Power Treaty (1921)

This treaty, alongside the Four-Power and Nine-Power Treaties, was to bound together the United States, Britain, Japan, and France with efforts of preserving the status quo of the Pacific Ocean.

Nine-Power Treaty (1921)

This was essentially a reinvention of John Hay's Open Door Policy that stated all members to allow equal and fair trading with China and respect territorial rights of each nation. The list of nations includes the United States, China, France, Japan, Great Britain, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Portugal.

Quota Law of 1921

Formally known as the Emergency Quota Act, the law was formulated mainly in response to the large influx of immigrants particularly Jews escaping persecution. In response, they restricted European immigration to only 3% of the people of each nationality.

Sacco and Venzetti (1921-1927)

These two were Italian-born American anarchists who were controversially accused of murdering a guard and a paymaster during the armed robbery of the Slate and Morrill Shoe Company in 1920.

Bureau of the Budget (1921)

Established by the Budget and Accounting Act, the bureau reviewed funding requests from government departments and assisted the president in formulating the budget.

Fordney-McCumber Tariff Act of 1922

This law increased tariffs on imported goods because the United States Congress displayed a pro-business attitude in passing the tariff and in promoting foreign trade by providing huge loans to European markets.

Teapot Dome Scandal (1921-1924)

This was a bribery scandal involving United States President Warren G. Harding after he transferred supervision of the naval-oil lands from the navy to the Department of the Interior.

Quota Law of 1924

This law on the reduction of immigration limited the number of immigrants allowed entry into the United States from the original 3% set in the Quota Law of 1921 to a new 2% of the people of each Eastern European nationality through a national origins quota.

Dawes Plan (1924)

This was a plan made in 1924 to resolve the World War I reparations that German had to pay that were essentially straining diplomacy following World War I and the signing of the Treaty of Versailles.

Scopes Monkey Trial (1925)

This was an American Supreme Court case of July 1925 in which a substitute teacher was accused of violating Tennessee's Butler Act, which had made the teaching of the Biblical origin of mankind unlawful.

Kellog-Briand Pact (1928)

This was a 1928 international agreement in which signatory states promised not to use war to resolve "disputes or conflicts of whatever nature or whatever origin they may be".

Black Thursday/Tuesday (October 1929)

Following the period of frenzy in the purchase of over-speculated stocks, this day refers to the day the stock market fist began to crash, October 24, 1929. On this other day, October 29, panic set in as millions of shares of stocks traded at ever-falling prices.

Federal Form Board (1929)

Established by he Agricultural Marketing Act of 1929, this was founded with the purpose of stabilizing prices and promoting the sale of agricultural goods following the stock market crash.

Hawley-Smoot Tariff (1930)

This was an act implementing protectionist trade policies, raising United States tariffs on over 20,000 imported goods sponsored strongly by Senator Reed Smoot and Representative Wills C. Hawley.

Reconstruction Finance Corporation (1932)

This was a government corporation administered by the United States Federal Government that provided financial support to state and local governments and made loans to banks, railroads, mortgage associations, and other businesses.

Bonus March (1932)

This was lead by a group of over 43,000 people- mostly veterans of WWI and their families- known as the Bonus Army, who gathered in Washington D.C. in the summer of 1932 demanding cash-payment redemption of their service certifications.

Stimson Doctrine (1932)

This foreign policy declared in a not to Japan and China, following Japan's military seizure on Manchuria, that the United States would not recognize any international territorial changes brought about by force.

20th Amendment (1933)

This amendment shortened the "lame duck" period that oftentimes followed elections by officially moving inaugurations of presidents, vice presidents, senators, and representatives from March to January.

Good Neighbor Policy (1933)

This was Franklin D. Roosevelt's policy toward Latin America emphasizing trade and cooperation rather than imperialistic intervention. It aimed to reduce direct foreign intervention centered purely around economic nativism.

Federal Emergency Relief Administration (1933)

This administration relieved household unemployment by creating new unskilled job opportunities.

Agricultural Adjustment Administration (1933)

This association was provided by a federal law of the New Deal era designed to boost agricultural prices by reducing surpluses.

Civilian Conservation Corps (1933)

This provided jobs for single males to participate on conservation projects.

National Recovery Administration (1933)

This agency enforced codes that regulated wages, prices, and working conditions.

Public Works Administration (1933)

A New Deal agency that provided millions of jobs to construct public buildings.

Tennessee Valley Authority (1933)

Another New Deal agency that was created to help control flooding, soil conservation, and bring hydroelectric power to the mid-south.

Beer-Wine Revenue Act and 21st Amendment (1933)

This act officially legalized the sale of beer, wine, and all other forms of alcohol. In response to threats of prohibition, Congress passed this amendment to officially repeal prohibition and stating that the sale and importation of all intoxicating beverages in any state with violations thereof is prohibited.

Emergency Banking Relief Act (1933)

This gave the executive branch the right to regulate banks at times of economic crisis or depression.

Glass-Steagall Act (1933)

The act was created to the Federal Deposit Insurance Company, insuring all loans of up to five thousand dollars.

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (1933)

This government agency insured all customer deposits if the bank happened to fail.

Home Owners Loan Corporation (1933)

This agency loaned money at low interest to homeowners who were unable to meet mortgage payments.

Farm Credit Administration (1933)

This administration helped farmers refinance their mortgages in order to allow them to keep their farms running.

Civil Works Administration (CWA)

This simply provided work in federal jobs.

Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)

This federal commission monitored the stock market and enforced laws regulating the sale of stock and bonds.

Federal Housing Administration (FHA)

This insured bank loans for building new houses and repairing older ones.

National Youth Administration (NYA)

This was an agency that provided young Americans with aid and employment during the Great Depression.

American Liberty League (1934)

This was an American political organization formed primarily of wealthy business elites and prominent political figures with principles emphasizing conservative values such as individual liberties and private property rights.

Tydings-McDuffie Act (1934)

Officially known as the Philippine Independence Act, this is a United States federal law that established the process for the Philippines, at the time a U.S. colony, to become an independent country after a ten-year transition period.

Indian Reorganization Act or Wheeler-Howard Act (1934)

This United States New Deal act belatedly tried to restore the tribal basis of Indian life by providing Native Americans with direct ownership of their land, credit, a constitution, and private affairs whilst also weakening the authority of the United States federal government.

Resettlement Administration (1935)

This was another New Deal United States federal agency created for the purpose of relocating struggling urban and rural families to communities planned by the federal government.

Wagner Act (1935)

Officially known as the National Labor Relations Act, this was a foundational statute of the United State labor law which guarantees basic rights of private sector employees to organize into trade unions, engage in collective bargaining, and more.

Rural Electrification Administration (1935)

This provided federal loans for the installation of electrical distribution systems to serve isolated rural ares in which the funding was channeled through cooperative electric power companies.

Social Security Act (1935)

This New Deal United States federal law established a system of old-age benefits for workers, benefits for those injured in industrial accidents, unemployment insurance, and aid for dependent mothers and children, the blind, and the physically handicapped.

"Share Our Wealth" Program

This was designed to provide a decent standard of living to all Americans by spreading the nation's wealth throughout the nation and among the people.

Election of 1935

In this election, Franklin D. Roosevelt won the vote for his second term, however only because Long was assassinated months prior.

Committee/Congress of Industrial Organization (1935)

Founded by unions belonging to the American Federation of Labor, this organization was founded with the purpose of encouraging the AFL to organize skilled workers in mass production industries along industrial union line.

Schechter Poultry Corp v. United States

This U.S. Supreme Court Case invalidated the regulations of the poultry industry according to the Delegations Doctrine as invalid under the commerce cause.

United States v. Butler

This U.S. Supreme Court Case declared that processing taxes under the Agriculture Act were unconstitutional.

Soil Conservation Service (1935)

This was an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture that provided technical assistance to farmers and private land owners with a mission of improving, protecting, and conserving natural resources on private lands.