PROGRESSIVE ERA
Define the Progressive Era and its goals
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what/who were "muckrakers" ? (name one example)
the Progressive Era was a time of reform when many of the problems created by industrialization were corrected
Goals: 1.) expand democracy 2.) achieve economic and social justice
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muckrakers -> investigative journalists that exposed corrupt business and government practices/leaders, as well as social problems such as racism (EXAMPLES INCLUDE...)
- Jacob Riis and "How the Other Half Lives" (exposed living in city tenements), John Spargo (exposed child labor in the coal mines, Upton Sinclair and "The Jungle" (exposed the Meat-packing industry), Ida Tarbell (exposed the Standard Oil company and abuses of monopolies), and Lincoln Steffens (exposed corruption in urban government)
What is the main acronym for remembering how WWI began? Explain at least one of these.
M.A.N.E - militarism (European powers became more industrialized, military spending increased exponentially), alliances (Russia joined an alliance with Britain and France (Triple-Entente), Germany with Austria-Hungary and Russia), imperialism (imperialists compete with one another which increases tension), and nationalism (serves as both a unifying and dividing force; divides France and Germany and causes Balkans ethnic groups to fight for independence)
What was the Purchase of Alaska?
1867 - U.S. purchased Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million (although critics viewed this land as useless and referred to the purchase as "Seward's Folly" or "Seward's Icebox")
Describe the Roosevelt Corollary - give examples on how TR's "Big Stick Policy" was enforced
stated that the U.S. would act as an international police power in Latin American to ensure that Europeans would not "re-colonize"
- strengthened the position U.S. had in Latin America under the Monroe Doctrine (1823)
- used to justify involvement in Haiti, Honduras, and the Dominican Republic
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Russo-Japanese War (where TR helped negotiate the Treaty of Portsmouth between Japan and Russia), the Great White Fleet (battleships sent around the globe to illustrate U.S. power in 1907), the Root-Takahira Agreement in 1906 (U.S. and Japanese agree to respect each nations Pacific possessions and to support the Open Door Policy in China)
What was the (1)Espionage and Sedition Act of 1918
OR
Describe the (2)Schenk v. United States (SCOTUS case)
Name the similarity between the two (what are they both examples of?)
(1) - Wilson and Congress pass these two laws that criminalized any disloyal or abusive language about the U.S. government
(2) - this case is where the Supreme Court ruled that the freedom of speech protection afforded in the first Amendment could be restricted if the words spoken or printed represented to society a "clear and present danger" - EX: Yelling "fire in a movie theatre or "gun" on an airplane
Both restricted civil liberties during time of war (more specifically, WWI)
What is the "Square Deal" ? Who initiated this deal?
TR’s plan to assure honesty and fairness to all groups in society (business leaders, workers, farmers, consumers
TR condemned wealthy people who resisted change and abused their power
What was "The Shot that Rang Throughout Europe?"
the bullet that killed Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand (heir to the Austrian throne), as he is assassinated by a Serbian nationalist (6/28/1914) in Bosnia (SPARKS WWI, ALLIANCES TAKE SIDES AND WAR BEGINS SHORTLY AFTER)
Give at least 3 examples of American involvement on the world stage and describe them (other than the Purchase of Alaska)
- Pan-American Conference (1889) - representatives from various nations of Western H. agree to form an organization (Pan-American Union) that cooperates on trade and other issues
- Open Door Policy in China (1889) - China, which had previously been divided into spheres of influence, is then opened to all nations as John Hay declares "all nations should have equal trading privileges in China" (leads to Boxer Rebellion)
- Annexation of Hawaii (1898) - American settlers aid in overthrowing Hawaiian monarch, then make Hawaii a territory in 1900 and a state in 1959
- The French in Mexico (following Civil War) - during Civil War, Napoleon III had sent troops to Mexico; they were withdrawn from Mexico shortly after U.S. threatened military action enforcing the Monroe Doctrine
Describe the building of the Panama Canal and how it started
→ building started in 1904 and ended in 1914
The U.S. was able to gain the rights to build this canal following the Panamanian Revolution from Columbia (which was supported by the United States under TR)
Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty → gave U.S. the rights (Canal remained a possession until 1999)
What effects did the U.S. have on WWI? (name at least one example)
- U.S. provided fresh, young troops to help tip the scale in favor of the Allies (4.7 million served)
- convoy system allowed for shipping to France and Britain
- allowed for fighting to end (armistice) on November 11, 1918
What were some progressive reforms of Theodore Roosevelt? (Name and explain at least 2 examples)
- The breaking up of “bad” trusts (Northern Securities Company)
- Pure Food & Drug Act and Meat Inspection Act
- Elkins Act (1903) and Hepburn Act (1906) expanded powers of ICC
- Settling the Anthracite Coal Strike (1902) 🡪 TR offered to arbitrate the strike and awarded a wage increase and shorter hours for workers (TR emerged as a friend of labor)
- Forest Reserve Act (1891), Newlands Reclamation Act (1902)(promoted irrigation in the western states), and National Conservation Commission (1908)
What is the Selective Service Act (1917)
law passed by Congress which required all men (over 18 to 45) to register for war (better known as being drafted)
1. Economic - U.S. businesses had invested $50 million in Cuba. The Cuban Revolution that broke out in 1895 endangered these investments
2. Humanitarian - Americans sympathized with Cuban revolutionaries (thousands placed in camps where 25% died of starvation and disease)
3. Expansionist - some Americans saw an opportunity to take land from Spain (Roosevelt, Henry Lodge, John Hay, Alfred Mann, and Josiah Strong)
What was William Howard Taft's "Dollar Diplomacy"?
Taft's foreign policy of supporting U.S. business interests abroad (U.S. participated in international effort to construct railroads in China and marines were stationed in Nicaragua to oversee financial affairs)
Also included the Lodge Corollary (where non-European powers (specifically Japan) would be excluded from owning territory in the Western Hemisphere
What were the results of the Versailles Conference?
Wilson's 14 points are rejected (except for his suggestion to create the League of Nations, an organization that the U.S. ends up not joining because many Americans believed that joining would cause the U.S. to become too involved in European affairs)
- Germany is given all the blame/war guilt as stated in the Treaty of Versailles (Germany must pay huge amount of reparations, give up navy (demilitarization), give up territory, and give up overseas colonies
What was Woodrow Wilson's "New Freedom" plan? List at least one example of an Act that was passed under it and what it did.
it was a plan for preserving and strengthening the democratic, capitalist society by lowering the tariff (Underwood Tariff Act), improving the banking system (Federal Reserve Act), regulating business (Clayton Antitrust Act), protection for workers and unions (La Follette Seamen’s Act & Adamson Act)
Name at least one direct cause for U.S. involvement in WWI
Direct --> German Unrestricted Submarine Warfare (February 1917) and Zimmermann Telegram (March 1917)
Name at least two immediate causes of American involvement in the Spanish-American War and define how jingoism is related:
1. Yellow Journalism → newspaper publishers printed sensational stories and pictures that pulled at the heartstrings of the Cuban Revolution
2. De Lome Letter → a personal letter, written by Spanish minister Depoy DeLome, was published by the press (it insulted the U.S. President, McKinley, which increased anti-Spanish feelings)
3. Sinking of the Maine → U.S. battleship exploded and sinks in Havana, Cuba, killing 266 Americans (Public blamed Spain, but it is now known that Spain was the not the cause)
jingoism is the aggressive, threatening patriotism that creates a warlike mood (like how these events were escalated to encourage war against the Spanish)
What was Woodrow Wilson's "Moral Diplomacy"?
Name two examples of this foreign policy in action
Wilson's goal of increasing respect of other nations' rights and promoting the spread of democracy (the image of America had come to be disliked due to previous presidents foreign policies such as the Roosevelt Corollary (angered Latin America) and the Lodge Corollary (angered Europe, but more specifically Japan))
- The Philippines → Jones Act of 1916 set stage for Philippine Independence
- Puerto Rico → limited self-government and citizenship rights
- Panama Canal → ended U.S. exemption to paying toll
What effects did WWI have on the U.S. (name at least 3 examples)
- expansion of military
- Selective Service Act established the drafting system
- increased government role in the economy
- jobs were filled by women and African-Americans while men were away at war (a time to prove what they are worth, what they can do)
- increased nativism
- restriction of civil liberties
- increased propaganda and patriotism
To what extent did the lives of woman/African Americans change politically, economically, and socially during the progressive era from 1895-1920? (give at least 1 example for each group or 2 examples for one group)
Expanding democracy - creation of secret ballot (1888), initiative, referendum, and recall (the powers given to voters to propose or repeal legislation, or to remove an elected official from office), 17th Amendment (direct election of Senators)
Women gained the right to vote in four states by 1896; women also gained the rights to control their own earnings, own property, and the right to take custody of their children in the case of divorce
African Americans - Tuskegee Institute (school led by Booker T. Washington focused on teaching/training young black students), formation of National Association of Colored Woman (NACW), Niagara Movement (a meeting of blacks at Niagara Falls in 1905, including Du Bois, where they created a list of demands )
Name at least one indirect cause for U.S. involvement in WWI
Indirect --> cultural links with Allies, economic ties to Allies (trade), propaganda, Sinking of the Lusitania (1915)
What was the Treaty of Paris (1898)? What was the significance of this war and its results?
A treaty where Cuba receives independence (where the Platt Amendment allowed for U.S. involvement), Puerto Rico and Guam are given to the U.S., and the Philippines are sold to the U.S. for $20 million
Significance? - U.S. emerges from the war as a world power with colonies in the Caribbean and Pacific (U.S. marked as an imperialist power)
What was the one area/country specifically left out of Woodrow Wilson's "Moral Diplomacy"? Describe the military intervention in this country under Wilson
Central America/Mexico:
→ Wilson refused to recognize the military dictatorship of General Huerta (who gained power after having democratically-elected president killed)
Describe how German Americans were treated during WWI...how can this relate to the future? (Similar situation/repeated)
German-Americans could often be found as victims of beatings (some chose to make changes to themselves so people would not discriminate against them for their heritage-many stopped celebrating German traditions, and many changed their last names to sound more American)
- similar to treatment of Japanese Americans during WWII (Except Japanese Americans were also sent to interment camps or "relocation centers")