Review Think for a moment about the human body. It is extremely complex, with bones, organs, skin, flesh, and millions of tiny cells. When you take a look at human anatomy, you cannot help but marvel at its precision. Before you start thinking this is an introduction to a biology or anatomy class that got here by mistake, consider this: America is just a much larger version of the human body. It has a skeletal system (Constitution and laws), consists of organs (branches of government), skin (borders), flesh (states and territories), and millions of cells (people). Add blood vessels (transportation), and you have a complete picture. Ultimately, every part of the human body is composed of cells, and they are a diverse bunch at that. Your enduring understanding for this unit has been: America consists of different groups of people. Just like the human body, diversity in cells is needed for everything to function properly. This era in American history was all about different groups of people from different backgrounds making America a better place to live. Not coincidently, it is also the era in which the United States entered the world stage. Objectives Identify major people and events in American history from 1890 1918. Analyze changes in society, economics, and politics between 1890 and 1918. Vocabulary capitalism capitulate corollary expansionist imperialism militarism muckrakers nationalism recall referendum an economic system in which money is invested to make a profit to surrender or give up ideas added to an already established plan of action a type of policy decision that increases a nation's territory or economy the act of one country imposing its will over another by economic or military means the development of the military and its use as a tool of diplomacy journalists and writers who exposed wrongdoing in politics and business during the Progressive era policy or doctrine of devotion to one's nation procedure that permits voters to remove officials from office before their terms expire process that allows citizens to approve or reject a law passed by a legislature
reparations socialism payment or compensation for committing a wrongdoing economic and political philosophy favoring the public control of businesses and equal distribution of wealth to everyone America on The World Stage and the Spanish American War The United States has always been about change. Like a child growing up, change is inevitable; sometimes pleasant, sometimes forgettable. Before America entered the world stage, it had some growing-up to do. The latter part of the nineteenth century saw this happen. American politics began a radical transformation as citizens became less enthused with government power and the corruption that sometimes accompanies it. Feeling as though big government was not responsive enough to individual needs, people and organizations formed to better their living conditions. A series of very close presidential elections saw Grover Cleveland being elected twice in nonsuccessive terms while two other presidents were assassinated. In-between, leaders wrestled with economic worries stemming from tariffs and issues surrounding the gold standard. When thousands of people lost their life's savings during the Panic of1893, the Federal government established the FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation) to make sure citizens' money would always be protected. The Spanish-American War Even as America was getting its act together, a nation less than one hundred miles away was fighting for its very life. Cuba had been a colony of Spain's for nearly four hundred years and was in the process of trying to break away. The United States sent the U.S.S. Maine to Havana as a show of support for American citizens living there. When the Maine struck a mine and sank, the public demanded action.
Assistant Secretary of the Navy Theodore Roosevelt, and others, volunteered to fight in Cuba. The U.S. declared war on Spain early in 1898. For the first time, America fought a war on foreign soil. In the course of a few months, the United States navy had soundly defeated the Spanish navy on two fronts: Cuba and the Philippines. At the same time, the army met and defeated its Spanish counterpart. When the Spanish-American War ended, the U.S. gained territory in the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam, thus ending Spain's foreign holdings. Cuba was allowed to remain autonomous, with oversight from the United States. Expansionism and Theodore Roosevelt All of a sudden, America was responsible for international holdings. This forced the Federal government to engage in an expansionist policy. It also required the building of a large navy to provide for the needs of those living overseas. This new policy was put into place by President Teddy Roosevelt and eventually became known as the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine. In essence, Roosevelt stated that the United States would do whatever was necessary to maintain the stability of the Western Hemisphere, even if that meant becoming an aggressor. But America did not restrict the effects of the Roosevelt Corollary to just Latin America. Under the leadership of Secretary of State John Jay, the United States took an active role in seeing that fair trade relations were maintained in China via the Open Door policy. A short time later, President Roosevelt won the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in bringing the Russo-Japanese
War to an end. In the short span of just a couple of years, America's stock on world affairs had dramatically increased. President Roosevelt in the Spotlight Although often ill as a child, Theodore Roosevelt refused to use his infirmities as an excuse and set about a rigorous exercise program to build up his health. At the same time, he read books constantly and became an astute expert on natural history. His early political career consisted of stints as a New York state representative and governor, U.S. Civil Service Commissioner, and assistant secretary of the navy. He was also President William McKinley's running mate in the 1900 presidential election, which McKinley won. When the president was assassinated in late 1901, Roosevelt took office. As president, many people considered Roosevelt imperialistic, which he flatly denied. He had no interest in America gaining territories but rather wanted to ensure America's protection from foreign influences. This included involvement in making sure Panamanian rebels were able to break away from Colombia in exchange for the rights to build the Panama Canal, completed in 1914. Very popular with the public, Roosevelt won a second term and set about making major domestic changes. These included: passing the Pure Food and Drug Act, which set health standards for food production; giving teeth to the Interstate Commerce Commission, which regulated rates and fees for railroads, telephones, and telegraphs; establishing numerous parks and reserves throughout the United States, such as: o Pelican Island Bird Reserve (1903); o United States Forest Service to manage forest land (1905); o Grand Canyon (in Arizona); and o Devil's Tower National Monument (in Wyoming). The Progressive Era and Changes in American Society From 1880 to 1914, America experienced enormous changes in nearly every facet of life. industrial revolution; millions of new immigrants; changes in education; women's suffrage movements; Indian wars; burgeoning city populations; and technological advances.
Born out of these changes came the need for reform. One by one, individuals and organizations bonded together to induce government to improve the quality of life for American citizens. Some of these reforms included: political ones, dealing with more efficient government; economic ones, dealing with trusts, monopolies, and working conditions; social ones, dealing with suffrage, equality, and education; moral ones, keying on purity and religion. As reform movements grew, media muckrakers would lend support to people devoted to change. This need for change was at the heart of progressivism and took on four goals: improving the welfare of individual people; changing big business, with the individual worker in mind; improving the moral fiber of society; and voting for change in government. It also marked a time when American capitalism was challenged by socialistic thinking, particularly in the area of labor. Labor unions appeared, demanding better wages, fewer work hours, and decent benefits. Strikes were common, and violence was frequently a characteristic of them. At heart was the desire to see that American workers were treated fairly by big business. American Society Changes The reform movements mentioned above brought about changes in government and society. Governmental changes included: an active role in labor and management negotiations during strikes, including the use of arbitration to settle disputes; instituting laws protecting women and children in the workplace; the tearing-down or removal of political machines on the local and state levels that had a tendency to be corrupt. Legislation was passed creating recalls and referendums that helped to combat corruption; legislation such as the Clayton Antitrust Act and the Interstate Commerce Commission that controlled big business by breaking up large corporations to encourage competition. Societal changes were broader and included every area of American life. They centered on the ratification of four amendments from 1913 to 1920. These Progressive acts were the: Sixteenth Amendment, which dealt with the economic issue of taxation; Seventeenth Amendment, which covered the political issue of how U.S. senators would be elected rather than chosen by state legislatures; Eighteenth Amendment, which addressed the moral issue of alcohol by banning the sale and distribution of liquor; and Nineteenth Amendment, which dealt with the issue of women's suffrage.
Other areas of society changed as well. In the area of race relations, little was accomplished to overcome Jim Crow laws. None of the Progressive presidents (Roosevelt, Taft, Wilson) did anything to foster equality. Education was just beginning to come into its own with the creation of high school and compulsory education laws requiring children to attend school until the age of fourteen. John Dewey and Maria Montessori became leading education visionaries. Entertainment was undergoing transformation as well with the invention of cinematography. Ballroom dancing, jazz, and ragtime made it big. One of America's all-time greatest architects, Frank Lloyd Wright, began to make a name for himself during this era. Technological advances included: manned flight by the Wright brothers; color photography by Auguste and Louis Lumiere; Henry Ford's development of assembly-line production; the first talking motion picture. World War I and the Treaty of Versailles There were four main causes for World War I: nationalism brought on by territorial disputes, religious wars, and ethnic confrontations; imperialism mainly during the Scramble for Africa where a number of European nations divided the continent of Africa into pieces for the purpose of colonization and economic exploitation; militarism by European nations who believed the country with the most toys would win a war. Increased militarism made diplomacy more difficult because nations began to rely on weapons rather than on negotiation to solve problems; alliances that formed as a result of increased military spending. (Great Britain, France, and Russia formed the Triple Entente while Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy formed the Triple Alliance.) The war began with the assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie by Serbian anarchists. In response, Austria-Hungary attacked Serbia, which dragged Russia into the conflict. Germany declared war on Russia, France on Germany, and Great Britain joined in when Germany attacked Belgium. The war consisted of three main fronts with the Western being the most static as trenches were dug, resulting in a line that changed little during the course of the conflict.
America tried to stay neutral but was eventually forced to respond because of the Zimmerman telegram and unrestricted German submarine warfare against American shipping. As the United States entered the war, Russia bowed out due to the 1917 revolution that created Communist Russia. The influx of American troops turned the tide of the war, and Germany finally capitulated in 1918.
Using President Wilson's Fourteen Points speech made earlier in the year, the Treaty of Versailles officially brought an end to the war. The treaty imposed harsh measures on Germany, including: having to take sole responsibility for the war; making all reparations related to the war; the loss of some of its territory including those areas vital to rebuilding the economic backbone of the nation; and nearly the entire army, air force, and navy had to be dismantled and not allowed to be rebuilt. The Treaty of Versailles also provided for the creation of the League of Nations, and Congress subsequently refused to ratify the treaty.