Historia midterm

Unit 1: Industrialization and Progressivism

1. Gospel of Wealth by Andrew Carnegie (1889)

The speaker is Andrew Carnegie, a rich businessman who made his money from steel. He is telling people that wealthy people should share their money to help others, like by funding schools and libraries. In the last paragraph, Carnegie says that rich people should give away their money while they are still alive, so it can help others right away. He wrote this during a time when there were very rich people and very poor people in America, and he believed the wealthy had a duty to use their money to improve society.

2. How the Other Half Lives by Jacob Riis (1890)

The speaker is Jacob Riis, a photographer and journalist. He is showing how bad the living conditions are for poor people in New York City. Riis describes the dirty, crowded homes where the poor lived, hoping to make people care and help change these conditions. He wrote this during a time when people were trying to improve conditions for the poor and make life better for them. Riis used pictures and writing to show what the poor were going through.

3. Answering Objections by Alice Stone Blackwell (1917)

The speaker is Alice Stone Blackwell, a leader in the fight for women’s right to vote. She is answering the argument that voting would make women like men. Blackwell says that women will stay women, but they deserve to vote and have a say in how the country is run. In the part where it says, “It will turn women into men,” she argues that voting will not change who women are, and they should still have the right to participate in politics. She wrote this during the time when women were fighting for the right to vote, and many people thought women should not be involved in politics.

4. The Jungle by Upton Sinclair (1906)

The speaker is Upton Sinclair, a writer who wanted to show how bad the working conditions were in the meatpacking industry. He wrote about how meat was kept in dirty places, with rats around, to show how unsafe and unsanitary the industry was. Sinclair’s goal was to make people care about the workers and the quality of their food. He wrote this during a time when many people were trying to improve work conditions and make food safer. His book helped lead to new laws that made food production safer and cleaner.

Key Terms

-Business Owners

Business owners ran factories and cared more about making money than helping workers.

-Monopolies/Trusts: These were big companies that controlled entire industries. They made it hard for smaller businesses to compete. This caused unfair prices and led to new laws to stop them.

Immigration Push Factors: Reasons people left their home countries, like war, no jobs, or no freedom.

Immigration Pull Factors: Reasons people came to the U.S., like jobs, land, and freedom.

-muckrakers

Booker T. Washington vs. W.E.B. DuBois

-Goals: Both wanted Black people to have better lives.

-Strategies: Booker T. Washington wanted slow change by focusing on jobs and education. W.E.B. DuBois wanted fast change and equal rights right away.

Unit 2: Imperialism and World War I (WWI)

Sources

-How One Negro Officer Felt about Fighting, 1919

The speaker is an unnamed African American officer. He explained the racism and unfair treatment he faced, even after serving in the war. His audience was the Black community and the general public. This was written after World War I to highlight the struggles of African American soldiers.

-Request to Congress, by Woodrow Wilson, 1917

The speaker is President Woodrow Wilson. He asked Congress to declare war on Germany to protect democracy and American ships. His audience was Congress and all Americans. This happened right before the U.S. entered World War I.

-Schenck v. United States, by Oliver Wendell Holmes, 1919

The speaker is Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes. He said that during war, free speech can be limited if it creates a “clear and present danger.” His audience was the general public and legal experts, and this happened during World War I. The government wanted to stop any speech that could harm the war effort.

Key Terms

-Social Darwinism:The idea that only the “fittest” people or countries survive, used to justify imperialism.

-USS Maine: A U.S. ship that exploded in Cuba in 1898. It led to the U.S. blaming Spain and starting the Spanish-American War.

-Palmer Raids: Raids during the Red Scare to arrest people suspected of being communists or anarchists.

-Treaty of Versailles: The agreement that ended WWI. It punished Germany by taking land, limiting its army, and making it pay a lot of money.

Unit 3: The Great Depression and the New Deal

-Letter to Attorney General, by Rampy Burdick, 1928

The speaker is Ramppy Burdick. He wrote to the Attorney General about legal problems and asked for changes. His audience was the government. This letter was written in the 1920s when America was going through social and legal changes

-Debates on Immigration, by Meyer London, 1921

The speaker is Congressman Meyer London. He talked about treating immigrants fairly and keeping laws just. His audience was Congress and the public. This speech happened after World War I, when the U.S. was limiting immigration.

-Second Fireside Chat, by Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1933

The speaker is Congressman Meyer London. He talked about treating immigrants fairly and keeping laws just. His audience was Congress and the public. This speech happened after World War I, when the U.S. was limiting immigration.

Key Terms

-Government Laissez-Faire Policies: The government didn’t interfere with businesses, which allowed big companies to grow but also caused problems like unsafe working conditions.

-Impact of Ford Manufacturing: Henry Ford’s assembly line made cars cheaper and faster to produce. This made cars more affordable for regular people.

-Move to the Suburbs (1920s):Cars made it easier for people to live outside cities and drive to work. Suburbs grew because of this.

-New Deal Goals (The New Deal aimed to): Relief: Help people right away (like giving jobs).Recovery: Fix the economy. Reform: Change the system so it doesn’t happen again.

-Rural vs. Urban Impact: Rural areas stayed poorer and had less access to New Deal programs. Urban areas benefited more because they had more jobs and government support.

Unit 4: The Second World War

-Des Moines Speech, by Charles Lindbergh, 1941

The speaker is Charles Lindbergh. He said the U.S. should stay out of World War II. His audience was Americans who agreed with him. This speech happened before the U.S. joined the war.

-Meet the Girls Who Keep ‘Em Flying, 1942

The speaker is the article’s writer (unknown). They described how women were working in factories to support the war effort. The audience was Americans reading newspapers or magazines. This was during World War II when women helped with wartime production.

-Korematsu v. United States, 1944

The speaker is the Supreme Court. They decided it was okay to put Japanese Americans in camps during World War II to protect the country. The audience was legal experts, the government, and the public. This happened during World War II when the government was focused on national security

Key Terms

-Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms

FDR’s idea that everyone in the world should have: 1.Freedom of speech. 2.Freedom of religion. 3.Freedom from fear.4.Freedom from hunger.

-Europe First Strategy: The U.S. and its allies decided to focus on defeating Germany in Europe before turning to Japan in the Pacific.

-Levittowns (1950s): Mass-produced suburban neighborhoods where houses all looked the same. These made it easier for families to buy homes after WWII.

-Baby Boom Era: A time after WWII when lots of babies were born, leading to a big population increase.