Unit 7 : 1898 - 1945 Flashcards
What is imperialism?
the expansion of one country’s political, economic, and military influence over another country
What happened around the purchase of Alaska? Who competed with the US for this land? What did people think of Alaska?
Purchase of Alaska in 1867:
- Russia and Britain lay competing claims to this territory
- William Seward, who is Lincoln, and then Johnson’s secretary of state proposed a purchase of the territory for 7.2 million
- act named “Seward’s Folly” because the territory was viewed as a polar icebox with no particular value, until gold was discovered in 1898
What occurred as a result of sudden interest in Alaska after gold was discovered?
- imperial expansion seemed more desirable
- two opposing sides emerged
Who were Imperialists? What ideologies emerged from them? Who were the people who represented these emerging ideologies?
- ideology: if there were valuable raw materials in Alaska, they might be in other places as well, so they could take them
- new markets for American-made goods, both manufactured and agricultural
- SOCIAL DARWINISM: if they did not join the race for influence, they might be seen as a second class nation
- Racial Motivations:
– JOSIAH STRONG: wrote book (Our Country: It’s Possible Future and Present Crisis, published in 1885)
– strongly argued that the white Anglo Saxon race was the pinnacle of human evolution, and therefore was the fittest to survive
– Christian Duty: bring the glories of Christianity and Western Civilization to the “dark and backward” lands of the world
– ALFRED THAYER MOHAN: another book writer (Influence of Sea Power on History)
– argued the world stage get that way because of robust navy
– only way to secure foreign markets
– Congress approved the construction of a massive new steel fleet of ships
– race began to secure Pacific and Caribbean territories that could facilitate American naval dominance
Who were Anti - Imperialists? What ideologies emerged from them? Who were the people who represented these emerging ideologies?
- ideology: self determination for nations
– nations should decide for themselves who ruled it and what laws were passed
– what colonial Americans used to reject British rule - America had a long history of isolationism from foreign affairs and Washington had warned against foreign entanglements
- would have consequences beyond their control (wars, economic disputes)
- Racial Arguments: did the constitution follow the flag? do the countries they colonize and the people living there become American Citizens with right?
- Anti-Imperialists BELIEVED it SHOULD be like this
- BUT this was a ruse to hide the true intentions to prevent expansion and giving rights to other nations, so might as well not expand at all
What is the context of Cuba during this period? How was the US involved in any of this? What emerged in Journalism?
- Industrialists and Imperialists wanted to expand
- one of the nations being Cuba
- Cuba at this time was a Spanish Imperial Colony
- in 1895 Cuba nationalism fought against Spain BUT Spanish crushed the rebellion
- YELLOW JOURNALISM: group of journalists competing to get greater readership under competing leadership
Who were Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst?
- contributed significantly to Yellow Journalism
- got peoples attention through stories that were on the edge of truth
- began publishing stories with exaggerated atrocities committed by the Spanish against the Cubans
– “America MUST intervene in Cuba because it is the only Humanitarian thing to do”
What happened after the US got involved in Cuba, before war?
- US established naval presence on the island
– in 1898, one of the American Battleships (the USS Maine) exploded in Havana Harbor, killing over 200 Americans - Yellow Journalist claimed it was ignited by Spanish
– found to be accidental, but did not matter to Yellow Journalist - McKinley issued an ultimatum to Spain: back off or we go to war
– Spain AGREED
– America still declared war
– US WON SPANISH AMERICAN WAR
What happened to US after the Spanish American War?
What about Cuba?
- launched US into imperial game
- Cuba gained independence as a result, but severely qualified by the PLATT AMENDMENT
– America insisted it to be included in the Cuban constitution
– allowed America to intervene militarily in Cuba if economy was threatened - made it hard for Cubans to establish own foreign policy
What happened with annexation of the Philippines? When did the US become interested and took action to take it? What did this interest result?
- also taken from Spain
- before the Spanish America war was even over, Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Theodore Roosevelt sent Navy to Philippines and began attack on Spanish fleets there
- Allied Filipino nationalists for land invasion
- overthrew Spain with the treaty that ended the Spanish American War at the same time
– Philippines ceded to US for $20 million
What did the Filipinos think about the US throughout the annexation process? How did it change? What did this result in?
- Filipinos believed US was helping them achieve independence BUT soon realized US true intentions of colonizing them
- EMILIO AGUINALDO: leader of the war against US rule
- war lasted 3 years, with smaller conflicts stretching out to 10 years
- BUT US held Philippines until after WWII
What was the problem with colonizing Philippines? What solution did the US find?
- only problem: Philippines was really far away from US
- BUT halfway between was Hawaii (this became the solution… eventual annexation of Hawaii in 1898)
What was a significant foreign policy the US had achieved earlier in this period? Which nations were involved and in what ways?
OPEN DOOR POLICY:
- due to industrial strength of Europeans, China was taken over economically and carved up into EUROPEAN SPHERES OF INFLUENCE
- John Hay (McKinleys secretary of state) saw economic opportunities in China disappearing, so he took action
- OPEN DOOR NOTE to European powers in China
– was ignored but not rejected
What were Progressive causes (problems they saw) to take action?
- growing power of big businesses
- uncertainties in the economy
- increasingly violent conflicts between labor groups and their employees
- political machine power
- Jim Crow segregation in the South
- Lack of Women’s suffrage
- alcohol
Who did the Progressives consist of? What was their ideal?
- diverse group of people
– protestant church leaders, feminists, labor union leaders, African Americans, etc
WHAT THEY AGREED ON DESPITE BEING PROGRESSIVES FOR DIVERSE REASON: - “society on some lever was deteriorating, and the only cure was significant gov. intervention”
- moving out of laissez faire capitalism
Who was the Progressive Journalist? What did they do? What nickname was given to them and others with the same goals and actions?
- major issue of the day became public knowledge
- new type of Journalist emerged:
– investigative and sought to expose corruption in America - TEDDY ROOSEVELT: called them MUCKRAKERS (name wasn’t a compliment…)
– Journalists accepted and continued their work
What are some people and work of the Progressives?
- UPTON SINCLAIR’S “The Jungle”
– exposed the unsanitary conditions of the meat packing industry
– disgusting realities that society focused on instead of main theme of the book: immigrant struggles in America
IDA TARBELL:
- another muckraker who did expose on John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Company
JACOB HILLS:
- photo journalist
- “How the other half lives”
- exposed unsanitary and disease ridden living conditions of the poor and working class in New York
- all of these peoples goals were to show the corruption in society
- hoped this would influence the people to put pressure on the gov. to make changes
Why was the Expansion of Democracy a priority for Progressives? What did their efforts result in? What was the 17th, 18th and 19th Amendments?
- wanted more voting power in hands of the people (unlike Tammany Hall and other political machines)
- SECRET BALLOT: voting done in secret, in contrast to the past method of voting done in public (slip of paper and a jar)
- DIRECT ELECTION OF SENATORS: during the Gilded Age, big businesses got Senators into power, not the vote of the people
17th Amendment:
- 1913
- transferred responsibility of electing Senators to the hands of the people
18th Amendment:
- established American prohibition (short lived)
- largely women fought for this
- ANTI SALOON LEAGUE + AMERICAN TEMPERANCE SOCIETY
19th Amendment:
- 1920
- Women’s right to vote
What legislative reforms took place? What did they adress?
- initiative, referendum, and recall
– answers to the basic problems - once a politician was elected, they could decide to ignore the will of the people
– INITIATIVE: voters require legislatives to consider a bill they chose to ignore
– REFERENDUM: voters themselves could vote on the adoption of proposed laws
– RECALL: a way to remove a corrupt politician before their term was complete
Government Efficiency:
- Frederick Taylor
– wrote book in 1909 advocating scientific management
– time management in factories
Who were Black Progressives? What was some organization they create? Why was their efforts different from other Progressives?
- goal: social justice among races
NIAGARA MOVEMENT:
- W.E. Du Bois
- protest
- other actions
NAACP:
- abolish segregation and expand educational opportunities for black children
- all of them had to work for themselves
- they were barely on the Progressive Agenda
What was Progressivism on the National Stage? How was Teddy Roosevelt involved, and what did he do? What was the Square Deal?
- progressivist presidents
TEDDY ROOSEVELT:
- SQUARE DEAL: brought businesses owner and miners themselves to show that he took no side
– applied this method to other domestic issues
- nickname: TRUST BUSTER:
– enforced Sherman Anti Trust Act
– took down “bad trusts” that hurt the workers and the general people
- took cause of Consumer Protection:
– after the book “The Jungle”, Roosevelt led Congress to pass the Pure Food and Drug Act + Meat Inspection Act (sanitation) - took cause of Conservation:
– forests + natural resources disappearing
– Forest Reserve Act of 1891: reserved 150 million acres
What was the difference between Conservation and Preservation when it came to nature and resources?
CONSERVATIONIST:
- sough to regulate human use
PRESERVATIONIST:
- sought to eliminate human impact all together
When did WWI start? What did the sides in the war consist of? What was US position in the beginning?
- started July 1914 in Europe after assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
- 2 coalitions formed against each other:
– TRIPLE ENTENTE (Allied Powers): Britain, Russia, France
– TRIPLE ALLIANCE (Central Powers): Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy - US held neutrality in the BEGINNING
What were the three main events that led US to join the war?
- Sinking of Lusitania in 1915
- Germans sunk ships in war zone with submarines (U-Boats)
- US Citizens also died
- enraged America, but still MAINTAINED NEUTRALITY
- Germany continues to sink ships despite US telling them to stop
- US threatens them to cut diplomatic relations
– Germany backed off - Unrestricted Submarine Warfare
- Germany went back to blowing ships
- neutrality still there - Zimmerman Telegram
- US intercepted telegram that Germany had sent to Mexico:
– note encouraged Mexico to start war with US
– promised to help them gain back Mexican Cession
- Woodrow Wilson asks for Declaration of War in 1917
What was the US role in WWI? What was Woodrow Wilsons argument for war? How did war end?
- US plays limited role during war overall
- only in war for 20 months before it ends
- American expeditionary first only took out weaknesses in British/French lines
- BUT as hundreds of thousands of American troops showed up, America took over a portion of command at war in western front
- US entry tipped balance of war over to the Allies
- Woodrow Wilson deeply involved/invested in treaty:
– argument: “make the world sage for Democracy” - War officially ended on November 11, 1918 with the TREATY OF VERSAILLES (Congress did not accept this treaty)
What was Woodrow Wilson Fourteen Points? What was the League of Nations? Was the US able to join?
- Wilson knew Allies wanted revenge, but not good for peace, so he laid out a vision for a post war world
FOURTEEN POINTS: - included Freedom of the Seas
- Self Determination of Nations
- League of Nations(worldwide representative body for negotiation + peace
- Wilson fought tirelessly for these, BUT he came down with Spanish flue and will to fight dwindled with his health
- League of Nations eventually created, BUT REJECTED by Congress
– did not want to go against Washington’s advice of being neutral, fearing they will be dragged in to war
What is total war? How did the US apply this? What was War Industries Board? What was Food Administration?
TOTAL WAR: when a country pushes most of its economic, industrial, and social resources in order to win
- President Wilson went on to create WAR TIME AGENCIES that operated with Progressive efficiency - Taylorism…
WAR INDUSTRIES BOARD:
- coordinated labor and management to keep factories in producing the war related materials like uniforms, armaments, etc.
FOOD ADMINISTRATION:
- ensured food production was sufficient for troops and people at home
What did the people think of the war? How did the US restrict civil liberties, and what was their reason? What was the two acts that came out as a result of this? What was the Supreme Court case that featured these outcomes.
- many people moved from rural to urban industrial cities
- not everyone was happy about US going to war, so they spoke out against it
- fed. gov. tried to restrict civil liberties and silence dissentiry speech so that internal conflicts wouldn’t arise
1917 ESPIONAGE ACT/1918 SEDITION ACT:
- made it a crime to oppose the war or interfere with drafting
- Supreme Court approves of these laws, despite its “unconstitutionality”
SCHENCK v US:
- Shenck and his friends urged young men to resist the draft and was arrested for espionage
- appeal made it to Supreme court
– Supreme court upheld restriction of civil liberties bc “freedom of speech is NOT absolute”
- fed. gov. also suppressed the severity of reports of the Spanish flue bc it “would damage morale for the war effort”
What was the Red Scare?
- began after the war
- growing anti-communist sentiment beginning in 1919, after Russian Revolution
- Xenophobia increased
– further immigration restricitions
What was the Palmer Raids? What was its impact?
- Attorney General Mitchell Palmer tasked official J. Edgar Hoover to secretly gather information on suspected radicals
- mass arrest of socialists, radicals, labor union leaders, etc.
- over 6000 arrests and 500 deportations
- this fueled the Red Scare
What was the response to immigration after the war? What was the Great Migration?
- before WWI, immigration at peak
- backlash of Nativism
- immigration quotas (EMERGENCY QUOTA ACT OF 1921 and NATIONAL ORIGINS ACT OF 1924)
– set quotas for accepting new immigrants very low
GREAT MIGRATION:
- huge portions of Southern Black population moved to urban centers of North to escape oppressive South that treated them as second class citizens (JIM CROW LAWS, POLL TAXES, LITERACY TESTS)
- BUT also for sake of finding jobs
- black migrants still faced discrimination in North, but only different since it is not so entrenched in legal structures of North
What were the race riots? What was the Tulsa Race Riot?
- still Race Riots occurred, despite Great Migration and change of times
TULSA RACE RIOT
