US History Q3 Final

To keep the wealthy and powerful from taking advantage of small business owners and the poor, Theodore Roosevelt enacted the Square Deal.

The Clayton Antitrust Act, passed in 1914, strengthened earlier antitrust laws and protected Labor Unions.

Long hours, poor ventilation, hazardous fumes, and unsafe machinery led to some of the highest rates of industrial accidents in the early 20^th century.

The Galveston Plan was the name of the temporary solution for a hurricane that pushed cities to adopt a commission form of government.

In Wisconsin, reform Governor Robert M. La Follete established a direct primary, an election in which citizens themselves vote to select nominees for upcoming elections.

The United States began to start trading with nations overseas due to the booming U.S. economy of the late 1800s producing more goods than Americans could consume.

Meat Inspection Act, Pure Food and Drug Act, and the National Reclamation Act were all pieces of legislation that came from the progressive era. The Pure Food and Drug act made it illegal to sell impure products for consumption.

The Niagara Movement rejected the idea of gradual progress of racial equality and wanted immediate and proper education, rights, and critical thinking for African Americans.

The American Indian Citizenship act made all American Indians citizens of the United States with full voting rights. The official reason for the American Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 was a reward for the American Indians help during WWI

Frances Willard’s main goal was to improve family life and keep families healthy and safe.

The Spanish-American War was a significant event in the emergence of the United States as a world power. As a result of the war, the United States had an empire and a new statue in world affairs. The war marked a turning point in the history of American foreign policy. 

Americans responded enthusiastically to the Spanish American War. About 200,000 men enlisted in the army, up from the 25,000 that enlisted at the beginning of 1898. 

 On April 11, 1898, McKinley asked Congress for the authority to use force to end the fighting in Cuba. Eight days later, Congress enacted four resolutions that amounted to a declaration of war on Spain.

Beginning in 1895, Cuban patriot Jose Marti launched a war for independence from Spain. Many Americans favored the Cubans, whose struggle for freedom and democracy reminded Americans of their own revolution. 

In East Asia, American leaders devised policies to open China and other Asian markets to U.S. producers. Meanwhile, Americans called for a more substantial role in Latin America, viewing the region as the nation’s backyard. Increasing influence in both regions brought economic benefits, but also increased international tensions.

The Platt amendment restricted the rights of newly independent Cubans and effectively brought the island into the U.S. sphere. It prevented Cuba from signing a treaty with another nation without American approval. It also required Cuba to lease naval stations to the U.S.

In 1895, Cuban patriot Jose Marti launched a war for independence from Spain. Many Americans favored the Cubans, whose struggle for freedom and democracy reminded Americans of their own revolution.

As the Boxer Rebellion engulfed China, Secretary of State Hay reasserted America’s Open Door Policy, which argued for equal privileges among countries trading with China. 

America did not want colonies in China; it just wanted free trade there. Hay and others strongly believed that access to the markets in China was crucial to rebounding from an economic depression in the 1890s.

More than 35,000 workers helped dig the Panama Canal. More than 5,000 canal workers died from disease or accidents while building the canal. When the finished waterway opened in 1914, it cut some 8,000 miles off the trip from the west coast to the east coast.

President Mckinley asked Congress for the authority to use force against Spain in 1998. He believed that it would end the fighting in Cuba for humanitarian and strategic reasons.

In 1889, Secretary of State James Blaine, held the first International Pan-American Conference, which was promoting economic cooperation among nations.

Grover Cleveland withdrew from the treaty of annexation of Hawaii from Senate consideration after an investigation revealed most Hawaiian’s did not support it.

Roosevelt began traveling the country and was speaking on his new program, New Nationalism. His platform included a minimum wage for women, an eight-hour workday, a social insurance program, a national health service, a federal securities commission, and a direct election of U.S. senators

 During the Spanish American War, the United States proclaimed Hawaii as an official U.S. territory.

In The Influence of Sea Power Upon History, Alfred T. Mahan asserted that since ancient times, many great nations had owed their greatness to powerful navies. He believed strongly that control of the seas during wartime was crucial to a nation’s success. He argued that the US would need to acquire foreign bases where American ships could refuel and gather fresh supplies.

Alfred T. Mahan played a key role in transforming the United States into a giant naval power.

In 1916, Congress passed the Jones Act, which pledged that the Philippines would ultimately gain their independence, and after 30 years the Philippines became an independent state.

Signed by Spain and the United States in December 1898, the Treaty of Paris officially ended the war. Spain gave up control of Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Pacific Island of Guam. It sold the Philippines to the U.S. for $20 million. In Cuba, American businessmen in the late 19th century were invested in the Sugar Cane.

 Setting monetary policy, regulating banks, and ensuring financial stability are the roles of the Federal Reserve Board.

 The 16th amendment gave congress the power to collect an income tax without any restrictions.

 The 19th amendment gave all women the right to vote in all elections.

The Anti-Defamation League was formed in 1913 in response to growing antisemitism in the United States.

 Historians have called this Roosevelt’s “big stick” diplomacy since it depended on a strong military to achieve America’s goals. “Big stick” stemmed from the President’s admiration for an old African saying, “Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far.”

Roosevelt’s view that America needed to carry a big stick during the Age of Imperialism flowed from his adherence to balance-of-power principles and from his view of the United States as a special nation with moral responsibility to “civilize” or uplift weaker nations. 

In the late 1800s, a French company had tried to link the Atlantic to the Pacific across the Isthmus of Panama but failed. In 1903, the U.S. government bought the Panama route for $40 million

Taft hoped to achieve these ends by relying less on the “big stick” and more on “dollar diplomacy.” As Taft commented in 1912, he looked to substitute dollars for bullets. The policy aimed to increase American investments in business and banks throughout Central America and the Caribbean. 

The Presidents Roosevelt Corollary updated the Monroe Doctrine for an age of expansionism and economic influence. In the case of “chronic wrongdoing” by a Latin American nation, the United States would assume the role of police power, restoring order and depriving other creditors of the excuse to intervene.

The populist movement of the late 19th century heavily influenced the Progressive era.  

The main reason for powerful nations including Japan and the United States, engaged in imperialism during the 20th century was due to extending their political, military, and economic control over weaker territories.

Alice Paul formed and was the leader of the National Women’s Party (NWP).

Nationalism, or devotion to one’s nation, kick-started international and domestic tension. In the late 1800s, many Europeans began to reject the earlier idea of a nation as a collection of different ethnic groups. Instead, they believed that a nation should express the nationalism of a single ethnic group.

But a handful of young Bosnians (Black hands) had other plans for the archduke. These men were ethnic Serbs who believed that Bosnia rightfully belonged to Serbia and they saw Franz Ferdinand as a tyrant. After a wrong turn, Gavrilo Princip, noticed a couple in the car, pulled a pistol from his pocket and fired it twice. First Sophie and then Franz Ferdinand died. People around the world were shocked by the murders, but no one expected they would lead to a great war. Inless than one week, the Central Powers of Germany, Austria Hungary, Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria were at war against the Allied Powers of Britain, France, Russia, and Serbia. 

Soon, 450 miles of trenches stretched like a huge scar from the coast of Belgium to the border of Switzerland. Although fighting went on in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and in other parts of the world, this Western Front in France became the critical battle front.

The war dragged on for years, and it was hideously deadly. The primary reason for the length of the war and its deadly nature was the simple fact that the defensive weapons of the time were better and more devastating than the offensive ones.Even the use of poison gas did nothing to benefit the offense, despite its horrifying effects.

In between enemy lines was an area known as “no man’s land.” Artillery barrages had blasted no man’s land until any fields, trees, or homes that had once existed there, were charred beyond recognition. 

Most Americans, however, sided with Britain and France, both of which had strong historic ties with the United States. America’s national language was English, its cultural heritage was largely British and its leading trading partner was Britain.

Germany responded by attempting to blockade Britain, even though it lacked the conventional naval forces to do so. Instead, in February 1915, Germany began sinking Allied ships using its U-boats or submarines. 

In January 1917, German Foreign Minister Arthur Zimmermann sent a telegram to Mexico. The Zimmerman note proposed an alliance with Mexico, stating that if the United States declared war on Germany, Mexico should declare war on the United States. 

In return, after a German victory, Mexico would get back the states of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. On April 2, 1917, Wilson no longer called for peace, as he asked congress for a declaration of war against Germany. Congress responded on April 6, 1917, with a  declaration of war.

Most Americans did not understand the reasons for the war in 1914, and many questioned why the United States became involved in 1917. It was the job of the Committee on Public Information(CPI) to educate the public about the causes and nature of the war. The CPI had to convince Americans that the war effort was a just cause. 

In June 1917, Congress passed the Espionage Act, allowing postal authorities to ban treasonable or deity newspapers, magazines, or printed materials from the mail. Anyone found obstructing army recruiters, aiding the enemy, or generally interfering with the war effort could be punished up to $10,000 fine and 20 years of imprisonment. 

From the outset, most African American leaders supported the war. “If this is our country, then this is our war,” wrote W.E.B. Du Bois. He viewed the struggle as an excellent opportunity to show all Americans the loyalty and patriotism of African Americans.

They traveled to smaller industrial towns in the Midwest and to giant cities in the Northeast. Between 1910 and 1930, more than 1.2 million African Americans moved to the North. 

German U-boats sank merchant ships in alarming numbers, faster than replacements could be built. Together, the Allies addressed the problem of submarine warfare by adopting an old naval tactic: convoying 

The American troops, added to those of France, Britain, and Italy, gave the Allies a military advantage. By the fall of 1918, the German front was collapsing.

Of the 2 million U.S. soldiers sent to Europe, about 1.4 million served on the front. More than 50,000 lost their lives, and about 230,000 were wounded. 

However it wasn't until early 1918 that U.S. troops began arriving in larger numbers. The forces under Pershing’s command were called the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF). 

In another address to Congress in January 1918, Wilson answered Lenin’s charges about the nature of the conflict by outlining America’s war aims in what became known as the Fourteen Points. The Fourteen Points raised some major issues. They sought to fundamentally change the world by promoting openness, encouraging independence, and supporting freedom. 

Prime Minister David Lloyd George of Great Britain and Premier Georges Clemenceau of France wanted to punish Germany for World War I. Britain and France forced Germany to pay $33 billion in reparations and give up coal supplies, merchant ships, valuable patents, and even part of its territory along the French border.

In September 1918, an unusually deadly form of influenza, or flu appeared. As many as 50 million people died, among them, about 675,000 Americans. 

Prime Minister David Lloyd George of Great Britain and Premier Georges Clemenceau of France wanted to punish Germany for World War I. Britain and France forced Germany to pay $33 billion in reparations and give up coal supplies, merchant ships, valuable patents, and even part of its territory along the French border.

Some Mexican workers migrated first to the Southwest and then to northern states in search of factory jobs, but a large population stayed in California. They formed barrios, or Hispanic neighborhoods, in Los Angeles and in smaller cities in California’s Imperial Valley. 

German Americans were pressured to prove their loyalty to America by condemning the German government, giving up speaking German and reading German newspapers, and participating enthusiastically in any patriotic drive. 

Consumers were not only Americans buying and selling in a big way. During the 1920s, the stock market enjoyed a dizzying bull market, a period of rising stock prices. 

More and more Americans put their money into stocks in an effort to get rich quickly. By 1929, around 4 million Americans owned stocks.

In 1921, violence erupted in Tulsa, Oklahoma. A group of armed African American men, many of them returning veterans, tried to protect young African American men from lynching when shots were fired and a riot broke out. 

By 1920, it was the richest and most industrialized country in the world. After the war, British and French demands for American goods created an immense trade imbalance. Europeans had to borrow money from American bankers and obtain lines of credit with American business firms to pay for the goods. The United States was now the largest creditor nation in the world, meaning that other countries owed the United States more money than the United States owed them. 

In two years, the application of assembly line techniques showed huge productivity enhancements, reducing the time it took to manufacture a Model T from more than 12 hours to just 90 minutes.

Road construction also boomed, especially when the federal government introduced the system of numbered highways in 1926. The millions of cars on American roads led to the rapid appearance of thousands of service stations, diners, and motels. 

With labor strikes across the United States following the end of WWI, caused the first American Red Scare, a wave of widespread fear of suspected communists and radicals thought to be plotting revolution with the U.S. 

After the red scare, Nativists were concerned that immigrants would diminish America’s political and economic power. THey believed that many immigrants had undesirable physical and social traits and would therefore be unproductive members of society. These views were partly based on eugenics, the science-discredited idea that intelligence and other favorable social traits were insatiable characteristics found in some races than others. 

Many nativists who believed in eugenics thought the human race could be improved by controlling which people had children 

In 1919, the states ratified the 18th amendment to the constitution. It forbade manufacture, distribution, and sale of alcohol anywhere in the United States. 

Congress then passed the Volstead act, a law that officially enforced the amendment. 

The theories of Jewish-Austrian psychologist Sigmund Freud also contributed to literary and artistic modernism. Freud argued that much of human behavior is driven not by rational thought but by unconscious desires. 

Novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald explored the reality of the American dream of wealth , success, and emotional fulfillment. In the Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald showed that the American dream ending in nightmare. 

The end of the war also spelled the end of wartime economic slowdown, creating a competitive job market. By 1920, there were fewer women in the workforce that there had been in 1910.

Novelists, poets, and artists celebrated their culture and explored the question of race in America. This flowering of African American culture became known as the Harlem Resistance.