APUSH U7: ( 1890-1945)

1890s–1900s: Imperialism and Progressive Era Begins

• Frederick Jackson Turner / Frontier Thesis (1893) – Argued the frontier shaped American democracy.

• Annexation of Hawaii (1898) – U.S. overthrew Queen Liliʻuokalani; Hawaii became a U.S. territory.

• Spanish-American War (1898) – "Splendid Little War" resulted in U.S. gaining Philippines, Guam, Puerto Rico.

• Treaty of Paris (1898) – Ended Spanish-American War.

• Platt Amendment (1901) – Gave the U.S. control over Cuban foreign policy.

• Open Door Policy (1899) – Equal trade rights in China for all imperial powers.

• Philippine-American War (1899–1902) – Filipino resistance to U.S. rule.

🟧 1900–1917: Progressive Era and Reform

• Progressivism – Movement aimed at addressing social, political, and economic injustices.

• Muckrakers – Investigative journalists (e.g., Upton Sinclair, The Jungle).

• Roosevelt's Square Deal – Control of corporations, consumer protection, conservation.

• Trust Busting – Breaking up monopolies (e.g., Northern Securities Case).

• Pure Food and Drug Act / Meat Inspection Act (1906) – Passed after The Jungle.

• 16th Amendment (1913) – Federal income tax.

• 17th Amendment (1913) – Direct election of senators.

• Federal Reserve Act (1913) – Created a central banking system.

• Clayton Antitrust Act (1914) – Strengthened earlier antitrust laws.

• Women's Suffrage Movement – Gaining momentum (culminates in 1920).

🟥 1914–1918: World War I

• Neutrality Proclamation (1914) – U.S. stayed out at first.

• Unrestricted Submarine Warfare / Lusitania (1915) – Pushed U.S. closer to war.

• Zimmermann Telegram (1917) – Germany asked Mexico to attack the U.S.

• U.S. Enters WWI (1917) – “Make the world safe for democracy.”

• Selective Service Act (1917) – Drafted men into the military.

• War Industries Board / Committee on Public Information – Mobilized economy and propaganda.

• Espionage Act (1917) / Sedition Act (1918) – Limited speech against war.

• Schenck v. United States (1919) – “Clear and present danger” test.

• Wilson’s Fourteen Points / League of Nations – Vision for postwar peace.

• Treaty of Versailles (1919) – U.S. didn’t ratify due to League opposition.

🟩 1920s: Return to Normalcy & Conservative Politics

• Red Scare (1919–1920) – Fear of communism; Palmer Raids.

• Sacco and Vanzetti Case (1920) – Reflected anti-immigrant sentiment.

• Teapot Dome Scandal – Harding administration corruption.

• Harlem Renaissance – Cultural movement; Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston.

• Jazz Age / Flappers – Rebellion against traditional norms.

• Immigration Acts (1921, 1924) – Quotas limiting immigration from Southern/Eastern Europe.

• Scopes Trial (1925) – Evolution vs. fundamentalism.

• Great Migration – African Americans move North for jobs.

🟦 1929–1939: Great Depression & New Deal

• Stock Market Crash (1929) – Triggered the Great Depression.

• Hoovervilles – Shantytowns named after President Hoover.

• Bonus Army (1932) – WWI vets demanding pensions.

• FDR’s New Deal (1933–1939) – Relief, Recovery, Reform.

  • CCC, WPA, TVA – Employment/public works programs.

  • FDIC, SEC – Banking and stock market reform.

  • Social Security Act (1935) – Aid for elderly/unemployed.

  • Court Packing Plan (1937) – FDR’s failed attempt to control Supreme Court.

• Huey Long / Father Coughlin – Critics of the New Deal.

• Wagner Act (1935) – Protected workers’ right to unionize.

🟫 1939–1945: World War II

• Neutrality Acts (1930s) – Tried to keep U.S. out of foreign wars.

• Cash-and-Carry / Lend-Lease Act (1941) – Helped Allies before U.S. entry.

• Pearl Harbor (Dec. 7, 1941) – Prompted U.S. entry into WWII.

• War Production Board / Office of Price Administration – Mobilized war economy.

• Rosie the Riveter – Symbol of women in wartime workforce.

• Japanese Internment / Executive Order 9066 – Upheld in Korematsu v. U.S. (1944).

• D-Day (1944) – Allied invasion of Normandy.

• Island Hopping – Pacific campaign strategy.

• Manhattan Project / Hiroshima & Nagasaki (1945) – Atomic bomb ends war.

GI Bill (1944) – Benefits for returning veterans