US History: Gilded Age to Modern America

The Gilded Age (1870–1900)

• Definition of the Gilded Age: A period from $1870$ to $1900$ characterized by rapid economic growth and the rise of monopolies. However, this success masked extreme poverty, inequality, and systemic corruption. The term "Gilded" refers to something coated in a thin layer of precious metal on the outside while having a different, less valuable makeup on the inside; it represents inequality hidden beneath a "shiny" surface.
• Origins of the Term: The term was coined by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner in their $1873$ book, The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today.
• Robber Baron: A title given to rich and powerful business leaders seen as using unfair and ruthless methods to attain wealth. They often crushed competition and controlled entire industries to create monopolies.
• Captain of Industry: A term for rich and powerful leaders viewed as philanthropic. They contributed to the country’s progress by building businesses, creating jobs, and donating money to schools, libraries, and charities.
• Monopoly: A company or business that exerts complete control over an industry or product. With no real competition, these entities set prices and rules independently.
• Industrial Leaders: Andrew Carnegie was a dominant figure who controlled the steel industry.
• Urbanization: Cities became popular residences because they offered more job opportunities, transportation options, entertainment, and stores.
• Impact of Railroads: Railroads allowed for the rapid movement of goods between the East and West, facilitating the creation of new towns and cities. They boosted the economy by making it easier to ship raw materials and finished products.
• Ellis Island: An immigration processing station located in New York Harbor. Between the years $1892$ and $1954$, millions of immigrants, primarily from Europe, entered the U.S. through this facility.
• Tenements: Crowded, poorly constructed apartment buildings in urban centers where poor families resided. These were often characterized by disease and unhealthy living conditions.
• Separate but Equal: A legal doctrine suggesting that racial segregation was permissible as long as facilities and amenities for Black and White citizens were equal. In practice, this led to unjust and unequal treatment, particularly in the South.

American Imperialism and Global Expansion

• Imperialism: A policy where a stronger country gains control over a weaker country's land, government, and economy, usually to acquire power, natural resources, or new markets.
• U.S.S. Maine: An American battleship that exploded and sank in Havana Harbor, Cuba, in $1898$. This event served as a primary spark for the Spanish-American War.
• Yellow Journalism: Exaggerated or sensationalized news stories designed to shock the public and stretch the truth to increase newspaper sales.
• Panama Canal: A man-made waterway in Panama connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. It significantly decreased travel time for ships and expanded U.S. trade and maritime power.
• Roosevelt Corollary: An addition to the Monroe Doctrine by President Theodore Roosevelt. It established that the U.S. could act as an international "police power" in Latin America to maintain order and protect American interests.
• "Speak softly and carry a big stick": Refers to Theodore Roosevelt’s foreign policy, which emphasized using diplomacy while maintaining a strong military presence as a deterrent.
• Open Door Policy: A U.S. policy advocating that all nations should have equal trading rights with China, ensuring no single nation controlled Chinese trade.
• Boxer Rebellion: A $1900$ uprising in China where a group known as the "Boxers" sought to expel foreign powers and Christian missionaries. An international force, including U.S. troops, intervened to suppress the rebellion.
• Platt Amendment: Provisions added to the Cuban constitution following the Spanish-American War. It gave the U.S. the right to intervene in Cuban affairs and established a naval base at Guantanamo Bay.
• Great White Fleet: A group of U.S. battleships painted white that sailed around the world from $1907$ to $1909$ by order of Theodore Roosevelt to demonstrate American naval might.
• Spanish-American War Impacts:
  • Nickname: "The Splendid Little War."
  • President during the war: William McKinley.
  • Territorial Gains: The U.S. took control of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines.
  • Pros and Cons of Imperialism: Positive effects included the construction of roads, schools, and railroads in controlled areas. Negative effects included native populations losing control of their land, government, and culture.

World War I (WWI)

• Timeline: The war lasted from $1914$ to $1918$. The United States officially joined in $1917$, led by President Woodrow Wilson.
• The "MAIN" Causes: Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, and Nationalism.
• The Spark: The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.
• Key Parties:
  • Germany's Allies: Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire.
• Technology of Warfare: New weapons included machine guns, tanks, poison gas, airplanes, submarines, and improved artillery.
• Trench Warfare Terms:
  • Stalemate: A situation where neither side can win or advance.
  • No Man’s Land: The dangerous, open territory between opposing trenches.
• The Path to U.S. Involvement:
  • The Lusitania: A British passenger ship sunk by Germany in $1915$, which caused American outrage.
  • Zimmerman Telegram: A secret $1917$ message from Germany to Mexico proposing an alliance against the U.S.
• Domestic Laws and Social Issues:
  • Selective Service Act: A $1917$ law requiring men to register for the military draft.
  • Treatment of African-Americans: Served in segregated units and faced persistent racism and discrimination.
• Key Events and Peace Efforts:
  • Christmas Truce: A brief, unofficial cease-fire in $1914$ where soldiers stopped fighting for Christmas.
  • Armistice: Signed on November $11$, $1918$.
  • Fourteen Points: Woodrow Wilson’s plan for lasting peace after the war.
  • League of Nations: An international organization intended to prevent future wars (later succeeded by the United Nations after WWII).
  • Treaty of Versailles: The peace treaty that blamed Germany for the war, forced them to pay reparations (payments for war damages), reduced their military, and seized their land.
• Post-War Psychological State: Many soldiers returned home traumatized, disillusioned, and suffering from PTSD.

The Roaring Twenties

• Constitutional Amendments:
  • $18^{\text{th}}$ Amendment: Prohibited the sale and manufacture of alcohol in the U.S.
  • $19^{\text{th}}$ Amendment: Granted women the right to vote.
• Social and Cultural Movements:
  • Flapper: A young woman of the $1920s$ known for modern fashion and independent behavior.
  • Harlem Renaissance: A cultural movement in Harlem celebrating African American art, literature, and music. Key figures included Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, and Bessie Smith.
  • Great Migration: The movement of African Americans from the rural South to Northern cities seeking jobs and better opportunities.
  • Red Scare: A period of fear that communists and radicals would spread their ideologies within the United States.
• Industry and Economy:
  • Assembly Line: Made production faster, cheaper, and more efficient.
• Scandals:
  • Teapot Dome Scandal: A government scandal involving the secret leasing of federal oil reserves for bribes during President Harding’s administration.
• Notable Figures:
  • Charles Lindbergh: Famous for the first solo non-stop flight across the Atlantic.
  • Babe Ruth: Legendary baseball player known as "The Great Bambino."
  • Al Capone: Infamous gangster involved in bootlegging and organized crime.
• Effects of Prohibition: Led to illegal alcohol sales, speakeasies, bootlegging, and an increase in organized crime.

The Great Depression and the New Deal

• The Crash: The stock market crashed in $1929$, initiating the Great Depression.
• Unemployment: At the height of the depression, $25\,\%$ of Americans were out of work.
• The Dust Bowl: A period of severe drought and dust storms on the Great Plains.
• Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR): Elected to the presidency four times. He introduced the New Deal program.
• The New Deal Components:
  • Relief: Immediate aid for people in need.
  • Recovery: Efforts to help the economy grow again.
  • Reform: Changes to fix systemic problems and prevent future depressions.
  • FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation): Protects money placed in bank accounts.
  • Bank Holiday: A temporary closing of banks to prevent panic-driven withdrawals.
  • Fireside Chats: Radio addresses used by FDR to communicate directly with the American public.
• Legacy of the New Deal: It expanded the federal government's role and created social safety nets like Social Security.
• Ending the Depression: The Great Depression was ultimately ended by the onset of World War II and the resulting increase in wartime production.

World War II (WWII)

• The Conflict Begins: Started on September $1$, $1939$. The U.S. entered after the attack on Pearl Harbor on December $7$, $1441$.
• Key Alliances:
  • Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, and Japan.
  • Non-aggression Pact ($1940$): Signed between Germany and the Soviet Union.
• Key Leaders:
  • Adolf Hitler: Dictator of Nazi Germany; wrote Mein Kampf to explain his plans.
  • Benito Mussolini: Fascist dictator of Italy.
  • Hideki Tojo: Military leader and Prime Minister of Japan.
• Major Concepts and Events:
  • Munich Agreement ($1938$): Allowed Hitler to take part of Czechoslovakia to avoid war.
  • Blitzkrieg: "Lightning war" involving fast attacks with planes, tanks, and troops.
  • Lend-Lease Act ($1941$): Allowed the U.S. to send war supplies to Allied nations.
  • Double V Campaign: An effort by African Americans to achieve victory over fascism abroad and victory over racism at home.
  • D-Day: The Allied invasion of Normandy, France.
  • Island Hopping: The strategy of capturing strategic Pacific islands while bypassing others to get closer to Japan.
  • Battle of Stalingrad: A major turning point where the Soviet Union stopped the German advance.
  • Iwo Jima: A critical base for U.S. air attacks and emergency landings near Japan.
• The Holocaust: The systematic genocide targeted at Jews, Roma (Gypsies), people with disabilities, Slavs, political opponents, and homosexuals.
• Ending the War:
  • V-E Day: Victory in Europe, May $8$, $1945$.
  • V-J Day: Victory over Japan, August $1945$.
  • Manhattan Project: The secret U.S. program that developed the atomic bomb. Albert Einstein encouraged this research and created the relevant equations.
  • Atomic Bombs: Dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki by President Harry S. Truman to force a quick Japanese surrender.
• Domestic Issues: The U.S. government incarcerated Japanese Americans in internment camps. Women were expected to take wartime jobs but return to traditional roles at home after the war ended.

Postwar America and the Cold War

• Civil Rights Movement:
  • Martin Luther King Jr.: Promoted nonviolent protest for civil rights.
  • Brown v. Board of Education ($1954$): Supreme Court case that ended legal school segregation.
  • Rosa Parks: Refusal to yield her bus seat sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
  • "I Have a Dream" Speech: Delivered at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C.
• Cold War Policies:
  • Containment: Policy of stopping the spread of communism.
  • Domino Theory: The belief that if one nation fell to communism, neighboring nations would follow.
  • NATO: North Atlantic Treaty Organization; alliance between U.S., Canada, and Western Europe.
• Conflicts and Crises:
  • Korean War: Ended in an armistice in $1954$, leaving Korea divided at the $38^{\text{th}}$ parallel.
  • Bay of Pigs ($1961$): A failed U.S.-backed invasion of Cuba.
  • Cuban Missile Crisis ($1962$): Confrontation over Soviet missiles in Cuba.
  • Berlin Wall: Built to stop East Germans from fleeing to West Berlin.
  • Vietnam War: Triggered by the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution ($1964$). Ended in $1975$ when North Vietnam captured Saigon. Nixon's policy of "Vietnamization" aimed to transfer fighting to South Vietnam. The war caused deep division and distrust in the U.S. government.
• The Space Race:
  • Sputnik ($1957$): First artificial satellite, launched by the USSR.
  • Apollo 11 ($1969$): U.S. mission that landed humans on the moon. Neil Armstrong was the first man to walk on the moon.

Modern America

• Presidents and Elections:
  • Election of $1960$: First televised debate (Kennedy vs. Nixon).
  • Gerald Ford: Became president after Richard Nixon resigned due to the Watergate scandal.
  • Ronald Reagan: A Republican president.
  • Bill Clinton: Impeached in the $1990s$.
  • Election of $2000$: Florida became the center of the election controversy.
  • Barack Obama: First African-American President.
  • Kamala Harris: First female Vice President.
• Key Policies and Events:
  • S.A.L.T.: Strategic Arms Limitation Talks between the U.S. and USSR to limit nuclear weapons.
  • Watergate: A political scandal involving a break-in at the Democratic Party headquarters and a subsequent cover-up.
  • War on Poverty: Programs by Lyndon B. Johnson to reduce U.S. poverty.
  • Iranian Hostage Situation: Occurred in Tehran, Iran.
  • Fall of the Berlin Wall: $1989$.
  • September $11$, $2001$: Terrorist attacks by Al Qaeda.
• Notable Milestones:
  • Sandra Day O’Connor: First woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court.

Questions & Discussion

• Who came up with the term Gilded Age?
  • Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner.
• Who dominated the steel industry?
  • Andrew Carnegie.
• Where were most immigrants from?
  • Northern and Western Europe (countries like Italy, Poland, Russia, Ireland, Germany, and the UK).
• What lands did the U.S. take over because of the Spanish-American War?
  • Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines.
• How did many WWI soldiers feel after the war?
  • Traumatized, disillusioned, and emotionally scarred/PTSD.
• How often are nuclear weapons used in war today?
  • They are not used in war today.
• What percentage of Americans were out of work during the Great Depression?
  • $25\,\%$.
• What state became the center of the $2000$ election?
  • Florida.