US Honors WW1 Study Guide
1. United States in World War I
1.1. **Origins and Entry
**- Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand: The assassination of Austro-Hungarian Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914, by a Serbian nationalist, is widely considered the immediate trigger for the outbreak of World War I in Europe.
Wilson "Kept Us Out of War": Woodrow Wilson's successful 1916 presidential campaign slogan, reflecting the popular sentiment for American neutrality during the initial years of the war.
Reasons for US Entering World War I:
Unrestricted Submarine Warfare: Germany's policy of sinking all ships, including passenger and merchant vessels, without warning, which heavily impacted American shipping and lives (e.g., the sinking of the Lusitania in 1915).
Zimmerman Note: A secret diplomatic communication intercepted in January 1917, where Germany proposed a military alliance with Mexico against the United States.
Economic Ties: Growing economic linkages and loans to Allied powers made American prosperity increasingly dependent on an Allied victory.
"Make the World Safe for Democracy": Wilson's idealistic justification, framing the war as a defense of democratic principles against autocratic empires.
Zimmerman Note: A secret telegram sent by German Foreign Secretary Arthur Zimmerman to Mexico, proposing an alliance against the U.S. and promising Mexico the return of territories lost in the Mexican-American War. Its interception and publication greatly fueled American public support for war.
Trench Warfare: A brutal and defining characteristic of the Western Front, involving elaborate systems of trenches where soldiers lived and fought, leading to stalemates, high casualties, and limited territorial gains.
1.2. **Home Front and Mobilization
**- War Industries Board (WIB): A U.S. government agency established in 1917 to coordinate the purchase of war supplies, encourage mass-production techniques, and set production quotas, ensuring efficient allocation of resources for the war effort.
Great Migration: The mass movement of over 6 million African Americans from the rural Southern United States to industrial cities in the North and Midwest between 1916 and 1970, driven by opportunities for factory jobs and a desire to escape Jim Crow laws and racial violence.
Espionage and Sedition Acts: A series of laws passed in 1917 and 1918 that severely restricted free speech during wartime. The Espionage Act prohibited interference with military operations or recruitment, while the Sedition Act made it illegal to speak out against the government or the war effort.
Liberty Bonds: War bonds sold in the United States to encourage public participation in financing the war. Citizens bought these bonds, lending money to the government, which would be repaid with interest.
Selective Service Act: Enacted in 1917, this act authorized the federal government to raise a national army through conscription (mandatory military service), requiring all men between the ages of 21 and 30 (later 18 and 45) to register for military service.
Committee on Public Information (CPI): An independent agency of the U.S. government created to influence public opinion regarding American participation in World War I. It used propaganda to generate support for the war, portraying the conflict as a fight for freedom and democracy.
Anti-German Hysteria: A wave of anti-German sentiment across the U.S. during the war, leading to discrimination, harassment, and suppression of German culture, including changes to food names (e.g., sauerkraut to "liberty cabbage") and bans on German language instruction.
Flu Epidemic (1918-1919): A global influenza pandemic, also known as the "Spanish Flu," that killed an estimated 50 to 100 million people worldwide, including many American soldiers and civilians, severely impacting the war effort and home front.
1.3. **Peace and Aftermath
**- Treaty of Versailles: The peace treaty signed on June 28, 1919, officially ending World War I between the Allied powers and Germany. It imposed harsh reparations and territorial losses on Germany and established the League of Nations.
Henry Cabot Lodge: A powerful Republican Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee who led the opposition to the Treaty of Versailles and the League of Nations. He feared that the League would compromise U.S. sovereignty and entangle the country in foreign conflicts.
League of Nations: An international organization proposed by Woodrow Wilson in his Fourteen Points, designed to provide a forum for resolving international disputes and promoting collective security. The U.S. Senate, however, refused to ratify the Treaty of Versailles, and thus the U.S. never joined the League.
Fourteen Points: Woodrow Wilson's comprehensive peace plan, outlined in January 1918, which included proposals for self-determination, free trade, open diplomacy, arms reduction, and the creation of the League of Nations.
2. The Progressive Era
2.1. **Progressive Leaders and Goals
**- Theodore Roosevelt: Republican President from 1901 to 1909, known as a "trust-buster" and a champion of conservation. His "Square Deal" platform focused on consumer protection, control of corporations, and conservation of natural resources.
4 Goals of Progressives:
Protecting Social Welfare: Efforts to soften the harsh conditions of industrialization, such as advocating for settlement houses, YMCA, and salvation army.
Promoting Moral Improvement: Initiatives like prohibition (temperance movement) aimed at improving public morality.
Creating Economic Reform: Attempts to curb the power of big business and address income inequality, often through government regulation.
Fostering Efficiency: Applying scientific principles to make society and the workplace more efficient, exemplified by Taylorism and assembly lines.
2 Targets of the Progressive Movement:
Trusts and Monopolies: Large industrial combinations that Progressives believed stifled competition, exploited workers, and corrupted politics.
Political Corruption/Machine Politics: Dishonest political systems and urban bosses that controlled city governments and often exploited immigrants and the poor.
Woodrow Wilson: Democratic President from 1913 to 1921, whose "New Freedom" progressive agenda focused on attacking the "triple wall of privilege": tariffs, banks, and trusts. He oversaw significant legislation including the Federal Reserve Act and the Clayton Anti-Trust Act.
William Howard Taft: Republican President from 1909 to 1913, chosen successor to Theodore Roosevelt. While also a trust-buster, his more cautious approach and support for high tariffs alienated progressive Republicans, leading to a split in the party during the 1912 election.
2.2. **Key Progressive Legislation and Events
**- Meat Inspection Act (1906): Inspired by Upton Sinclair's *The Jungle*, this act mandated federal inspection of meat sold through interstate commerce and set standards for cleanliness in meatpacking plants.
The Jungle: A 1906 novel by Upton Sinclair that exposed the horrific working conditions and unsanitary practices in the Chicago meatpacking industry, galvanizing public support for food and drug safety regulations.
Food and Drug Act (1906): Officially the Pure Food and Drug Act, this law prohibited the sale, manufacture, or transportation of mislabeled or adulterated food and drug products, leading to the creation of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Conservation: A major Progressive-era movement, championed by Theodore Roosevelt, focused on protecting America's natural resources and wilderness. Led to the creation of national parks, forests, and wildlife refuges.
1902 Coal Miners' Strike: A major strike in Pennsylvania where ~150,000 coal miners demanded higher wages, shorter hours, and union recognition. Theodore Roosevelt intervened, mediating a settlement that granted raises and shorter hours, marking a new role for the federal government in labor disputes.
1912 Election: A pivotal presidential election featuring four major candidates: Woodrow Wilson (Democrat), Theodore Roosevelt (Progressive/"Bull Moose"), William Howard Taft (Republican), and Eugene V. Debs (Socialist). Wilson won due to the split between Roosevelt and Taft, who divided the Republican vote.
Clayton Anti-Trust Act (1914): Strengthened the Sherman Anti-Trust Act of 1890 by providing clearer definitions of illegal business practices (like price discrimination and interlocking directorates) and explicitly exempting labor unions and agricultural organizations from anti-trust prosecution.
Underwood Tariff (1913): Significantly lowered import tariffs for the first time in decades, aiming to promote competition and reduce prices for consumers. To offset lost revenue, it included the first modern federal income tax.
Progressive Amendments:
16th Amendment (1913): Authorized the federal government to collect an income tax.
17th Amendment (1913): Provided for the direct election of U.S. Senators by popular vote, rather than by state legislatures.
18th Amendment (1919): Prohibited the manufacture, sale, or transportation of alcoholic beverages (Prohibition, later repealed by the 21st Amendment).
19th Amendment (1920): Granted women the right to vote (women's suffrage).
Federal Reserve Act (1913): Established the Federal Reserve System, America's central banking system, to provide a more stable and flexible financial system, control the money supply, and supervise banks.
3. American Imperialism
3.1. **Drivers and Early Expansion
**- Factors that Contributed to American Imperialism:
Economic Motives: Desire for new markets for American manufactured goods and new sources of raw materials.
"White Man's Burden"/Social Darwinism: A belief in racial superiority and the duty to civilize "less developed" peoples, often justifying expansion.
Naval Power (Alfred T. Mahan): Influence of strategist Alfred T. Mahan's The Influence of Sea Power Upon History, which argued for a strong navy, overseas bases, and a canal across Central America to protect American interests.
Frontier Thesis (Frederick Jackson Turner): The idea that the American frontier was closed, leading some to believe that expansion overseas was necessary for continued national vitality.
Manifest Destiny: The belief that the U.S. was destined to expand its dominion and spread democracy and capitalism across the North American continent and beyond.
Annexation of Hawaii/Queen Liliuokalani: The U.S. asserted increasing influence over Hawaii throughout the 19th century. American sugar planters, with U.S. military support, overthrew Queen Liliuokalani in 1893. Despite her efforts to restore native rule, Hawaii was annexed by the U.S. in 1898.
Purchase of Alaska: In 1867, Secretary of State William Seward negotiated the purchase of Alaska from Russia for 7.2 million. Initially ridiculed as "Seward's Folly," it proved valuable for its abundant natural resources (gold, oil, timber).
3.2. **Spanish-American War and Its Aftermath
**- USS Maine: A U.S. battleship sent to Havana Harbor, Cuba, to protect American interests. Its mysterious explosion on February 15, 1898, killed over 260 American sailors. Yellow journalists rapidly blamed Spain, fueling calls for war.
Yellow Journalists Hearst and Pulitzer: William Randolph Hearst (New York Journal) and Joseph Pulitzer (New York World) were rival newspaper publishers who engaged in "yellow journalism"—sensationalized and often exaggerated reporting—to sell papers and inflame public opinion against Spain, particularly regarding the Cuban struggle for independence.
First Battle of Spanish-American War: The Battle of Manila Bay (May 1, 1898), fought in the Philippines. Commodore George Dewey led the U.S. Asiatic Squadron to a decisive victory over the Spanish fleet, marking the effective end of Spanish colonial rule in the Philippines.
U.S. & Philippine War (1899-1902): A brutal and costly conflict that erupted after the U.S. annexed the Philippines following the Spanish-American War. Filipino nationalists, led by Emilio Aguinaldo, resisted American occupation, leading to years of guerrilla warfare.
Impact of Spanish-American War: The U.S. emerged as a major world power, gaining control over Puerto Rico and Guam, and purchasing the Philippines. Cuba became a U.S. protectorate, marking a significant expansion of American influence globally.
3.3. **Expansion and Influence
**- Platt Amendment (1901): An amendment passed by the U.S. Congress and forced into the Cuban constitution, limiting Cuba's ability to make treaties, borrow money, or transfer land. It also granted the U.S. the right to intervene in Cuban affairs and establish a naval base at Guantanamo Bay.
Open Door Policy (1899-1900): Proposed by U.S. Secretary of State John Hay, this policy aimed to ensure equal trading rights for all foreign nations in China and prevent any single power from establishing exclusive control over Chinese trade or territory, thereby maintaining China's territorial integrity.
Roosevelt Corollary (1904): An addition to the Monroe Doctrine, unilaterally declared by President Theodore Roosevelt. It stated that the U.S. would intervene as an "international police power" in Latin American countries to prevent European intervention and stabilize their economies through force if necessary.
Panama Canal: An artificial waterway across the Isthmus of Panama, constructed by the United States between 1904 and 1914, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. It significantly reduced travel time for commercial and military ships, becoming a vital strategic asset for the U.S.
Anti-Imperialist League: An organization formed in 1898 to oppose American expansionism, particularly the annexation of the Philippines. Members included prominent figures like Mark Twain and Andrew Carnegie, who argued that imperialism violated American ideals of self-government and liberty.