Chapter 19

Section 1: The Emergence of American Globalism

• The Rise of American Influence (Stead's Predictions)

  • In 1902, W. T. Stead's The Americanization of the World forecasted the U.S. as the "greatest of world powers."

  • Stead argued that America’s strength was not primarily military but rooted in its economic productivity and the global export of its culture and democratic values.

  • This marked a shift in global consciousness regarding America's potential role as an international leader.

• The New American Empire

  • Following the Spanish-American War (1898), the U.S. acquired the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam.

  • Unlike European colonial models based on vast land acquisition, the American empire focused on strategic points: the Panama Canal Zone (1903) and the Virgin Islands (1917).

  • The "Open Door" policy emphasized the free flow of trade and investment rather than direct political rule over foreign populations.

• Global Integration by 1914

  • The U.S. led the world in industrial output, producing one-third of all manufactured goods.

  • International movements for causes like Irish independence and Jewish rights showed that American residents remained deeply tied to global political shifts.

Section 2: Progressive Foreign Policy (Roosevelt, Taft, and Wilson)

• Theodore Roosevelt: The "Big Stick" and International Police Power

  • Roosevelt distinguished between "civilized" nations (industrialized, orderly) and "uncivilized" nations (unstable, suppliers of raw materials).

  • The Panama Canal: Roosevelt orchestrated the separation of Panama from Colombia in 1903 after Colombia rejected a land lease. This $400 million project was a feat of engineering but relied on segregated Caribbean labor.

  • Roosevelt Corollary: An addition to the Monroe Doctrine stating the U.S. had the right to exercise an "international police power" in the Western Hemisphere to prevent European intervention.

• William Howard Taft: Dollar Diplomacy

  • Taft emphasized economic investment and bank loans as a means of spreading American influence, particularly in Honduras and Nicaragua, rather than direct military force.

• Woodrow Wilson: Moral Imperialism

  • Wilson appointed William Jennings Bryan (an anti-imperialist) as Secretary of State.

  • Despite promising a new moral direction, Wilson presided over more military interventions in Latin America (Haiti, Dominican Republic, Mexico) than any predecessor, believing it was America's duty to teach others "to elect good men."

Section 3: The Great War and American Neutrality

• Outbreak of World War I (1914)

  • Triggered by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand; involved the Allies (Britain, France, Russia, Italy) vs. the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire).

  • The war introduced mechanized slaughter: submarines, airplanes, tanks, and poison gas (depicted in Sargent's Gassed).

• The Road to Intervention

  • Neutrality: Wilson initially claimed the U.S. was "neutral in thought as well as action."

  • Lusitania (1915): German submarine (U-boat) sank the British liner, killing 124 Americans. This shifted public opinion toward preparedness.

  • Zimmermann Telegram (1917): A secret German message to Mexico proposing an alliance against the U.S. in exchange for recovering lost territory (TX, NM, AZ).

  • Declaration of War: April 1917, Wilson asked Congress for war to make the world "safe for democracy."

Section 4: The War at Home: Mobilization and Civil Liberties

• Government Expansion

  • War Industries Board: Oversaw all elements of war production, from raw materials to prices.

  • Committee on Public Information (CPI): Led by George Creel, used 75 million pamphlets and "Four-Minute Men" to flood the U.S. with pro-war propaganda.

• The Suppression of Dissent

  • Espionage Act (1917): Prohibited spying and interfering with the draft.

  • Sedition Act (1918): Made it a crime to speak or print statements critical of the government or the war effort.

  • Eugene V. Debs: Sentenced to 10 years in prison for an anti-war speech; he ran for president from his jail cell in 1920.

• The Great Migration and Racial Conflict

  • Half a million African Americans moved from the South to Northern cities seeking industrial jobs.

  • This led to violent backlashes, including the East St. Louis riots (1917) and the Chicago Race Riot (1919).

Section 5: 1919: A Watershed Year

• Wilson’s Fourteen Points: His blueprint for a new world order, including a "League of Nations" to mediate disputes.

• Treaty of Versailles: Officially ended the war but forced Germany to pay $33 billion in reparations and accept "war guilt," creating lasting resentment.

• The Red Scare: Post-war strike waves and the Russian Revolution led to a fear of communism, resulting in the Palmer Raids (deportation of radical immigrants).

• The Failure of the League: The U.S. Senate, led by Henry Cabot Lodge, refused to ratify the Treaty of Versailles, fearing the League of Nations would limit American sovereignty. The U.S. retreated into isolationism.

Cornell Notes Synthesis

Summary:
Between 1916 and 1920, the United States transitioned from a neutral observer to a decisive global power. Under Progressive leadership, the federal government expanded its reach both domestically (through war mobilization and suppression of dissent) and internationally (through the Panama Canal and intervention in Europe). Although Wilson’s Fourteen Points sought a moral world order, the harsh Treaty of Versailles and the U.S. Senate's rejection of the League of Nations led to a period of disillusionment, racial tension, and a return to isolationism in the 1920s.