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Transforming The West
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Morrill Land Grant College Act
Morrill wanted to make college tuition cheaper, since he was not able to attend. His proposal passed in the Senate in 1859. Land was then divided equally among the states and later made a profit. For every representative that a specific state had, they were given 30,00 acres per representative. All of this money was granted to agriculture and mechanical arts majors. This allowed for the building of new universities in less populated areas and the fixture of schools already there. -
Homestead Act
The Homestead Act allowed land in the western United States to be claimed by landless farmers, former and freed slaves, and single women. Anyone who had a family could get this grant. One hundred and sixty acres of land would be given to them and they would be able to live on the land for five years. These people who were granted the land were required to cultivate and improve the land. This act was significant because it played an important role in westward expansion at the time. -
Steel
Steel is known as the building block of America because it was the first big item to be mass produced and thus becoming a basis for the industrial side of things. Andrew Carnegie, a Scottish immigrant, was the first person to invest in the Bessemer process, which is the mass production of steel at low prices. Carnegie's company was a vertical integration based company. He was also a philanthropist because he donated much of his fortune to charity and learning like libraries and foundations. -
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Becoming An Industrial Power
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Knights of Labor
The Knights of Labor was a labor organization created in Philadelphia. Terence Powderly created this union and he allowed any type of people in it; race, sex and nationality did not matter. They were very secretive, so their employers would not find out about it. It became a political success through two strikes. They wanted an 8 hour work day, more safety and equal pay; they boycotted businesses to make these things happen. Labor Day was established to celebrate American Labor Movement of 1882. -
Laissez Faire
Laissez Faire, also known as "lazy fair," was a type of commerce that occurred during this time. It meant that the government should stay out of the private sphere (commerce). This translated to that the market is able to take care of itself; there was no need for rules or regulations. This was somewhat a bad thing because businesses just did whatever they wanted to; they held monopolies. They also price gouged and manipulated the stock prices. This made the working conditions very poor and bad. -
Red River War
There was a campaign to remove Indian tribes into reservations by the United States army. The tribes involved were Kiowa, Comanche, Southern Cheyenne and Southern Arapaho. Buffalo started to become extinct and both sides didn't have enough supplies. Tribes and settlers had conflict because the settlers were taking their land. The settlers were protected by the army, but they stopped. The United States won the war, but the Indians were not allowed to roam freely in their old lands (plains). -
Farmer's Alliance
This organization was made up of farmers and stock men; it united all of the farmers at a regional level. Their goal was to have more available farm credits and federal regulation of railroads. They took the reins from the Granger Movement. Their group consisted of 5 million members, all of them being white. Farmers started to charger higher on their crops, which led to high interest loans. They also negotiated higher crop prices. They won big in 1890 in a political battle with monopolies. -
Battle of Little Big Horn
During the battle, General George Custer led the U.S Army and the Native Americans (Sioux) were led by Sitting Bull. The United States government wanted to obtain the land that the Natives lived on for gold, but the Natives fought back. Custer underestimated the size of the Natives, so he didn't wait for reinforcements to come and attacked them. During the battle, Custer got most of his men killed including himself. He wanted to be seen as a hero and the media did that, but he was not. -
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The Gilded Age
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Slums (Tenements)
Cities were booming because many people were moving there for economic opportunities; this soon led to overpopulation in some places. Slums and Tenements were created as a result. These places had very bad living conditions that were almost unbearable. They were very tightly packed and families there didn't make enough money to be able to support and live. This led to crime being very high in these neighborhoods. Prostitution became a thing and young, single men would take advantage of this. -
Chinese Exclusion Act
This act banned anymore immigration of Chinese people into America; it was one of the first significant immigration restrictions. It didn't let Chinese people into America for ten years. The native-born Americans were angry that immigrants were taking over their jobs in agriculture and railroads. People in the west coast were especially upset because the Chinese migrated there during the time of the Gold Rush. The act became a "basis" for other immigration bans. It was later repealed in 1943. -
Pendleton Act
The Pendleton Act, or the Civil Service Reform, was the act that stopped people from being in federal positions based on a bias; the positions should be based on the quality of the work. This was known as a spoil system: political parties giving jobs to people based on their relationship with them. For this act to be implemented, President James A. Garfield was assassinated by Charles Guiteau, who was denied a position in the government. This act also established the civil service exam. -
Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show
William Fredrick Cody gained his nickname, "Buffalo Bill," when he had to supply buffalo during the American Civil War. The show was a romanticized version of how the rest really was because it portrayed a fake reality of how the wild west really was. It was founded in 1883. It featured Indian fights, lassoing, marksmanship, cowboys and cattle drives. Many people participated and were featured in the show like cowboys, sharpshooters, and even Indians (Sitting Bull). -
Political Machine
A political machine was a way to organize politics, but it was based on a spoil system. They got immigrants to vote by rewarding them with jobs in return. The mobilization of immigrants consisted of voting, and jobs and services. The order of power goes from ward boss, precinct captains, ward captains, district captains; this is a machine boss. Boss Tweed, or Tammany Hall, is one of most famous political machine. A graft is a type of political corruption for a politician's personal gain. -
Robber Barons
Robber barons were greedy capitalists that became rich through shady business practices. These practices were things like trusts and mergers, which sometimes led to monopolies. The well-known robber barons of the Gilded Age were Vanderbilt, Rockefeller, Carnegie and Morgan: Vanderbilt built railroads, Rockefeller through oil, Carnegie through steel production, and Morgan through banks. They became like this through political manipulation and worker exploitation in their businesses. -
Great Upheaval of 1886
This upheaval was a series of protests and strikes of workers and laborers. They were trying to gain better working conditions for everyone. On May 1, 1886, worked stopped nationwide; people stopped doing jobs, so they could get what they wanted. An example of this would be the reaper plant in Chicago. Many workers were killed by the police during their strike. This went on till the Revolution was over. This will change the way that workers are treated and how the quality of work is in America. -
American Federation of Labor
This union labor organization was founded and led by Samuel Grompers. They were similar to the Knights of Labor in a sense that they both wanted to improve their working conditions; they replaced the KOL. They were more restrictive on who they allowed into their group. Immigrants, women, blacks and unskilled labor weren't allowed, which was very different from the KOL. Strikes were how they got what they wanted. In 1904, they had over one million members, but by 1938, they were all expelled. -
Haymarket Riot
The riot started off as a meeting to get an eight-hour work day; the audience had 2000 to 3000 people. People had horrible working conditions and they were tired of it. A very important factor that led to the start of the riot was the death of six union members. Policemen come to stop the riot before it even starts. A bomb was thrown at them and seven policemen will die. The police start to fight the crowd with their guns and batons. This will damage the labor movement in the early 20th century. -
Dawes Severalty Act
This act lasted from 1887 to 1934 and it was a way to assimilate Native Americans into an American Christianity way of life. It broke up the Native reservations and they were split up. The government gave each family 160 acres of land for farming purposes. Natives had to take care of the land and be self-sufficient if they did not do this, the land would be taken from them. The government also forced Native children to start attending American schools even though it was against their culture. -
Horizontal Integration
Horizontal Integration is a tactic used to improve businesses and companies. Industrialists would acquire control of a market without managing all aspects of the "line"; they would only control their specific phase of production. A company would purchase competing companies in the same industry; companies that bought out their competition achieved greater efficiency because they would be the only company in that industry. Robber barons like Rockefeller used this strategy in his oil production. -
Great Migration
The Great Migration was the movement of African Americans from the South to the North because they wanted to escape Jim Crow laws. African Americans thought the segregation was less harsh and there were also better economic opportunities in the North. They were able to escape war, persecution and starvation. During 1890 and 1910, there were 300k that were moving; between 1890 and 1970, there were 7 million that were leaving. "Ethnic enclaves" were created and this changed the American culture. -
Sherman Anti-Trust Act
John Sherman was the one to propose this act and it was signed off by Benjamin Harrison. This was an act that banned monopolies in businesses. It meant that a corporation couldn't control everything in their specific area. There were many laws for this in different states, but this would be the first one at a national level. The act was not successful at first because corporations will buy politicians and this will lead to the creation of robber barons, but it will be successful later on. -
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Imperialism
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Wounded Knee
This massacre occurred near the Wounded Knee Creek. Sitting Bull was the chief of the Sioux during the this time. A message was said that if the Natives wanted to be rid of the white men, they had to perform ghost dances. The whites wanted to prevent an uprising, so they killed Sitting Bull. At a ghost dance, a gun was accidentally set off by one of the men and the other calvary started firing their arms at the Natives. They tried to flee, but it was too late; about 300 of them died. -
Depression of 1893
The Depression of 1893 was one of the worst economic downfalls during this time; it can be compared to The Great Depression. This was a worldwide situation; there was about a 25% unemployment rate. This happened because of over speculation and labor disorders. Coxey's Army, led by Jacob Coxey, was a march by unemployed people to protest. The march took place in the second year of the depression, 1894. The march is significant because it was the first well-known march to take place in Washington. -
World's Columbian Exposition
It celebrated the 400th anniversary of Columbus discovering the New World. The exposition ran from May 1st to October 30th in Chicago; about 27 million people came to the exposition. It was the first successful exposition that showcased art and trade goods through thousands of exhibits. The purpose was to display the accomplishments of the U.S, who was now a world leader in technology and invention. It was part of the "city beautiful movement," which created public awareness and urban planning. -
Pullman Strike
This strike occurred nationwide between labor unions and railroads. After the Depression of 1893, George Pullman started to increase hours but cut wages. The workers from the American Railroad Union started a protest known as the Pullman Strike. The ARU shut down some railroads to get the strike in effect; they stopped transportation from Chicago to the Pacific Coast. President Cleveland intervenes by ordering the army to prevent the strikers from blocking the trains, so they can run again. -
Vertical Integration
Vertical integration occurs in business settings. It means when a company/corporation/business controls all phases of production. They own or oversee the whole line; this occurs when the company wants to expand their business, so they produce and put out. This was a good thing because it lowered costs for the companies and it allowed for there to be better quality control of the products. On the other hand, it was bad because it decreased flexibility and created issues with the anti-trust act. -
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Progressive Era
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Klondike Gold Rush
This gold rush took place from 1896 to 1899. Robert Henderson and George Carmack founded the gold rush beside the Bonanza Creek because of a possible gold deposit, that actually was there. Stampeders came to the gold rush in need of income and jobs because of the recession that America was in; people found jobs in mining even though they were inexperienced. The end of the rush was caused by the gold declining, therefore the populations in nearby towns decreased and unlucky people went home. -
Election of 1896
The Election of 1896 was between William McKinley, Republican, and William Jennings Bryan, Democrat. McKinley supported the Gold Standard Act, while Bryan supported free silver. Gold represented the rich and silver represented the workers. William Jennings Bryan would deliver the Cross of Gold speech, which states the he supported free silver and it would bring prosperity. The Wizard of Oz has many analogies that reference the feud between gold and silver, but it was not made for that intent. -
Siege of Santiago
The Siege of Santiago was an important battle because the Spanish fleet was defeated. The Americans started to surround the city of Santiago, Cuba because that is where Admiral Cervera and the fleet was. He had hid in the Santiago Harbor to try to flee to Cuba, but the Americans came so he tried to escape. The United States Navy easily destroyed the fleet and every single ship was gone. This will be end of the Spanish controlling Cuba. After this, Cuba will end up falling in July of 1898. -
Social Gospel Movement
The Social Gospel Movement began in England in the early 20th century and it was an effort among Protestant Christians to improve working conditions. It advocated for poor working classes. Religious leaders became upset, so social Darwinist views towards the poor were bad too. The YMCA, or Young Men's Christian Association, was created. It included libraries, kitchens, exercise rooms, and housing. The salvation army was also created and led to soup kitchens; these gave free food to the poor. -
William Randolph Hearst
William Randolph Hearst was a newspaper publisher. The way he published headlines would change American media forever. He was the most famous "yellow journalist" in this era. Yellow journalism was a type of journalism that was dramatic, highly exaggerated and sensationalist; it exploited and distorted stories for reader attraction. Hearst once said "you furnish the pictures, I will furnish the war"; he said this because his headlines made the tension of the Spanish-American War stronger. -
U.S.S Maine Incident
On February 15, the battleship known as the U.S.S Maine was sent to the Havana Harbor in Cuba to protect and evacuate the United States citizens from war, but while it was there, it exploded. This incident killed 268 men, but half of the crew were able to escape. This event cause the Spanish-American War to start because American media at the time will blame the explosion on the Spanish due to a harbor mine. A faulty ship design is the most likely reason of the explosion and not the Spanish. -
Battle of Manila Bay
This was the first battle in the Spanish-American war. The American naval admiral was George Dewey and the Filipino army admiral was Emilio Aguinaldo. This battle occurred because Americans were scared of a Spanish attack. They will be able to destroy the Spanish Pacific fleet during battle. Americans will win the battle and Spanish forces will surrender. The public of America will now feel like liberators and it will mark America as an upcoming world power. The Philippines will fail in August. -
Battle of San Juan Hill/San Juan Heights
The Battle of San Juan Hill was one of the most well-known battles and it is the bloodiest. The battle took place on a hill near Santiago de Cuba. During this battle, Roosevelt was leading the Rough Riders into the battle and won against Spain; Roosevelt says this is their greatest victory. This placed America at an advantage. Americans race to the top of the hill because they think it holds a more secure position. The yellow journalism made Roosevelt seem like a hero and everyone loved him. -
Treaty of Paris 1898
The Treaty of Paris 1898 was the treaty that ended the Spanish-American War. The conditions of the treaty: for Cuban independence to be recognized by Spain; United States will gain Puerto Rico and Guam; and the U.S will get the Philippines by paying $20 million to Spain. Imperialists favored gaining the islands because they could use them as a base for operations; republicans also favored ratification. This means that Spain will have to give up Cuba, but Cuba will become a puppet state. -
American Media
American media became even more intense throughout the time of the Spanish-American War; it was a reason that the war started. Yellow journalism was a type of "advertisement" that newspapers used in their articles and headlines; it was dramatic, sensationalist, and highly exaggeration. This increased newspaper sales. The headlines also were against the Spanish, which stated that white women were abused, raped and murdered while in Cuba. The most famous journalist was William Randolph Hearst. -
China
China had a weak economy and military; they traded with foreign powers. The Spheres of Influence was the exclusive right to trade with China. The Open Door Policy made the Chinese market open to everyone. The Chinese were angry with foreign domination and stopped Europe from colonizing them. The Society of Righteous & Harmonious Fists, secretly funded by the gov, were attacking foreigners all over China. Europeans & Americans started rescuing the foreigners and China was fined with $333 million. -
Child Labor
Child labor became a very "popular" thing in the Progressive era and many companies used them. By 1910, there were about 2 million children working in factories from 18 to 20 hours a day. Employers thought children were more convenient because they were less likely to strike, and they could pay them less. Children were more useful because they could fit into smaller places and get items that fell without having to stop the production line. As a result, there were many injuries and deaths. -
President McKinley
William McKinley was a Republican and he was the 25th president. He won the election of 1900 against William Jennings Bryan; he would win easily with most of his votes coming from the urban areas. His vice president was Roosevelt, who would take over for him when he gets assassinated. He was nominated because he supported imperialism, so the United States became an imperial power under his presidency. During his presidency, he wanted high protective tariffs because he supported big business. -
Teddy Roosevelt
Roosevelt became the 26th president after McKinley was assassinated. He implemented American power and increased the navy size by the Great White Fleet; this was when Roosevelt had new ships made and painted white to sail them around the world. The Roosevelt Corollary was basically an add on to the Monroe Doctrine. The "Big Stick" policy was created; it means to "speak softly and carry a big stick". Roosevelt also ended up winning a Nobel Peace Prize for putting an end to the Russo-Japanese war. -
Schlieffen Plan
The Schlieffen Plan was created by the Germans to avoid having war on the two fronts; it was proposed by Schlieffen. The plan was that Germany would have to attack France. They would go through Belgium, a neutral country; Belgium resisted Germany, which caused their trip to elongate. This plan had assumptions like: Russia's army taking a while to mobilize, Belgium would let them pass, France would surrender, Britain wouldn't come in time, and Germany could only beat one opponent at a time. -
Meat Inspection Act
Upton Sinclair wrote a novel called "The Jungle," which caused for the Meat Inspection Act to come about. President Roosevelt decided to send people in to the meat industry and it proved Sinclair to be right. This will forever change the food industry because it will set strict and tight standards for how meat is packaged and processed. A rating system will be established. The government will have to inspect meat and they have the right to condemn meat; this will make sure it is sanitary. -
Henry Ford
Henry Ford became a well-known industrialist as a founder of the Ford motor company. The assembly line process and standardized auto parts were a method that reduced costs of production. The Model T car is still used as some models of cars today. The workers had benefits like getting paid $5 a day and only having 8-hour work days. To get the $5, there were rules they had to follow; he was very strict. Workplace safety became a thing where you had to pay more attention to it to reduce accidents. -
Muller v. Oregon
There was a law in Oregon that states that women could only work up to 10 hours in factories. Muller went against this law when he ordered a female employee to work more than 10 hours. It questioned if the Oregon law would violate women's freedom of contract protected by the 14th amendment. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Oregon saying that their law was constitution. This court case is one the most important in this era because it went hand-in-hand with the protective labor legislation. -
Civil Rights
During the Progressive Era, there were many people and cases that influenced the need for civil rights. The Plessy v. Ferguson case challenged the Jim Crow laws and made it possible for black facilities to have the same quality as white facilities. Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois both had different beliefs and plans on the way to civil rights; both of them made an impact on society. Ida B. Wells was a journalist who published about lynchings and urged other African Americans to protest. -
Election of 1912
In the Election of 1912, the democrat representative was Woodrow Wilson, and the republicans were split between William Taft and Theodore Roosevelt. Wilson won due to this division. The "Bull Moose" party created by Roosevelt was a Progressive Republican third-party. This party supported New Nationalism. New Nationalism was a doctrine that stated for the national government to increase their power over economic (consolidation of trusts and labor unions) and social issues (women suffrage). -
Federal Reserve Act
The Federal Reserve Act was passed in 1913 under Woodrow Wilson's presidency. It set up a system to stabilize banks and keep them in business by creating 12 district banks. They set loan rates, issued currency, and had private institutions of banks. This act also took part in helping the creation of the Federal Reserve, which is the central banking system and holds bank funds in times of emergencies. The Public Board of Governors were also created, and they were appointed by the president. -
Seventeenth Amendment
The seventeenth amendment was the amendment that allowed for the direct election of U.S senators. The United States Senate was now composed of two senators from each state; the senators are now elected by the people instead of the state legislators. Whenever there is a vacant seat in the senate, another election must be ordered. The governor can have the power to give the seat to a temporary holder if the state legislator gives the power to them. The senators at the time were not affected. -
Mexican Revolution
Pancho Villa, a Mexican Revolutionary, kidnapped and killed 16 American mining engineers in Mexico. He also raided Columbus, New Mexico to kill 19 more people. President Wilson put General John Pershing in charge of the troops that were meant to go capture Pancho Villa, but they never did. They fought against Carranza's and Villa's troops, while they were in Mexico. World War I came, so Pershing had to go back to fight in the war. In the end, Pancho Villa would be murdered by a Mexican rival. -
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World War I
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Archduke Franz Ferdinand Assassination
Archduke Franz Ferdinand was the heir to the Austrian-Hungarian Empire. He was assassinated in Sarajevo, Bosnia by Gavrilo Princip, who was a member of the Serbian group — the Black Hand. He was a main target because of his position and wealth. He was killed as a protest to Austria-Hungary having control of this region; this led to them declaring war on Serbia. An important result of his assassination was that it eventually led to the start of World War I; alliances were starting to form. -
Mustard Gas
During World War I, there were many new developments of weapons on the Western Front; one of them being mustard gas. Mustard gas was created by the Germans. The gas would be released, and it would affect the soldiers by making them go blind, creating severe blisters and causing them to choke. It was a brownish-yellow gas that would almost instantly work right after the gas was released. It would be used in World War I as a first "distraction" to the soldiers, so it would be easier to kill them. -
Sussex Pledge
The Sussex Pledge was an agreement that Germany could not target passenger ships and blow them up if they did not have evidence that there were weapons on them; this ensured passenger safety. This happened because the Germans sunk the Sussex, a French passenger ship, on March 24, 1916 and it killed many Americans. The German government promised that their U-boats would warn the ships before they attacked; also an agreement for Germany to stop submarine warfare if the British would stop mining. -
American Expeditionary Force (AEF)
The American Expeditionary Force was under the command of General John Pershing. They were consisted of 14,500 armed forces of the United States; they were sent to Europe, specifically France, to aid in the fight of World War I. The American Expeditionary Force were fighting as allies with French and Britain against German forces; this happened in the last year of the war. After fighting against the Germans, the American Expeditionary Force will be able to push them back into their trenches. -
Espionage Act
The Espionage Act was the law that made it illegal for a person to obstruct military recruitment, encourage mutiny, and to spread lies. They could not mail or print things that was against what the Americans were doing in their war effort. People could not get in the way of recruiting for the military like trying to get someone to not do it. No one was allowed to encourage or influence anyone to have a rebellion against officers. They could also not spread lies about anything of America. -
Sedition Act
The Sedition had come around once with the 'Alien and Sedition Acts', but this time it is partnered with the Espionage Act. This act basically was a law that made it illegal to speak, write or publish anything bad about the government or military. The government would have harsh penalties to anyone who would talk about being against the United States participating in World War I. This act was created because of the concern that United States' citizens would be helping the enemy in WWI. -
Paris Peace Conference
The Paris Peace Conference was the conference that led to the Treaty of Versailles. The main delegates at the conference were Britain, France, Italy and the United States; Russia and Germany were not invited. Woodrow Wilson created the 14 Points that he thought to be the perfect solution; France and Britain liked some things, but not all. There were a total of 5 sub-treaties made for each losing country. War guilt and reparations were big provisions because it was harsh on the German side. -
Volstead Act
The Volstead Act, also known as the National Prohibition Act, was created as a law to enforce the eighteenth amendment. The eighteenth amendment is the abstinence or outlaw of alcohol; the government really wanted it to work, so they made this act. It specifically stated "no person shall manufacture, sell, barter, transport, import, export, deliver, furnish or possess any intoxicating liquor except as authorized by this act." It never states that you could not buy or use it, but it was implied. -
Eighteenth Amendment
The eighteenth amendment was the banning or prohibition of selling, manufacturing and transportation of alcohol. This happened under the Temperance Movement; this was a women's movement trying to fight for prohibition because they didn't like the way men acted when they were drunk. They thought it would reduce crime and social problems. It did the opposite because people made and sold alcohol illegally. This law lasted for fourteen years before it was repealed by the twenty-first amendment. -
First Red Scare
The Red Scare refers to a time period in the U.S – the 1920s – where there was a suspicion of communism going around and this showed how paranoid people really were. This fear was sourced from the Soviet Union and World War I. Immigration restrictions became stricter in response; the Immigration Act of 1924 came about. Anarchists and communists were deported, while people feared that there were Germans in the U.S. Sacco & Vanzetti were sentenced to death for causing riots around the world. -
Susan B. Anthony
Susan B. Anthony was a strong suffragette. Anthony illegally voted in the Election of 1872 and was then arrested for it; the judge found her guilty to discourage other women from trying to vote. She was strongly involved in the women's suffrage movement to persuade people that women were educated enough to be able to vote. Susan B. Anthony traveled around the world giving speeches to persuade people to support the movement; Elizabeth Cady Stanton wrote many of Anthony's speeches for her. -
Nineteenth Amendment
The nineteenth amendment finally gave women the right to vote. It was proposed on June 4, 1919, but it was ratified in 1920. The Seneca Falls Convention in 1848 was the first meeting to start the journey for women's rights. In 1917, women march outside of the White House for months silently with banners. Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton were two of the most important women suffragists that made it possible. After women got the right to vote, they would restore power to the people. -
League of Nations
The League of Nations was a major point in the '14 Points' that was an international organization that was to promote world peace after the Great War, but it became weak when the United Stated refused to join. There were three ways that the league would stop an aggressive country: verbally, economically and through military. The league was created through the Treaty of Versailles as a provision under Woodrow Wilson. Henry Cabot Lodge did not want the U.S to be in the league and was successful. -
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1920s
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Tea Pot Dome Scandal
Albert Fall, who was a Secretary of Interior, was in charge of leasing out oil preserves, but he started to accept leases without any bidding. After getting suspicious, he was vigorously investigated by the senate and was found guilty; he was convicted and taken to prison for accepting these bribes. This scandal was significant because Fall became the first cabinet member in U.S history to go to prison and it would be the largest 20th century scandal to come about until the Watergate Scandal. -
Warren Harding
Warren Harding, president after Woodrow Wilson, rejected the League of Nations because it would limit foreign power. American mediation is paramount and they would handle international disputes. Harding also believed in disarmament, so he wanted to disarm the world powers. The military also had a conservative budget; U.S, Japan, France, and Britain will agree to set ship building limits. The Kellogg-Briand Pact was a pact to outlaw aggressive war and to resolve differences through negotiation. -
American Indian Citizenship Act
President Coolidge signed for the law to be passed, but the idea was brought up by Homer P. Snyder. This act legally granted Native Americans citizenship in the Unites States. Some Native Americans were not included in this because they didn't reach the "requirements" and it also did not give Natives the right to vote; both of these will be obtained in the 1940s. Some Native Americans did not like the idea of citizenship due to assimilation but others will see it as a long overdue right. -
Scopes Monkey Trial
In 1925 in Dayton, Tennessee, there was a conflict with the law that stated that people could not teach evolution in schools; this law was known as the Butler Act. John Scopes was a substitute teacher that was told to teach evolution by the American Civil Liberties Union to challenge the law. William Jennings Bryan was the prosecutor and a fundamentalist. Clarence Darrow defended Scopes in the trial; he was agnostic. This led to countrywide debate on evolution or creationism through the media. -
Eugenics
Eugenics became a big topic in the 1920s. It was a movement that wanted to make society "better" by picking and choosing what the genetic composition would be for future generations; they advocated selective breeding of desirable traits to improve the human race. The supporters of this believed in the use of birth control so that they could eliminate the traits they didn't want. There were sterilization programs for people with mental illnesses, epilepsy, criminals and African Americans. -
Marcus Garvey Policy
Marcus Garvey was a Jamaican immigrant; he believed that economic empowerment would lead to equality like Booker T. Washington. He created the UNIA, Universal Negro Improvement Association. Garvey was a separatist; he wanted blacks and whites to be separate and not integrate because he felt that blacks would lose their culture in the process. Because Garvey had these views, he was against getting rid of Jim Crow laws. He also wanted to buy land in Africa for black people around the world. -
Charles Lindbergh
Charles Lindbergh was an American pilot who was the first person to sail across the Atlantic Ocean in his airplane. the Spirit of St. Louis, without stopping in 1927; he was headed from New York to Paris, which was 3,610 miles. He decided to do this for a $25,000 prize. Lindbergh was in the plane for 33.5 hours; prior to his flight, he didn't sleep for 55 hours because of his nerves. He became famous for this flight, and it is significant because his trip promoted the idea of commercial air. -
Herbert Hoover
Herbert Hoover became president in 1928. The beginning of his presidency was good, but it quickly started going downhill. His personality wasn't that good therefore he was not a good public speaker; he could not relate to the common man that. He was blamed for the Great Depression and the Stock Market Crash. He didn't believe in direct gov't. relief, so gov't. intervention was limited. Even though his personality and presidency were not that good, Hoover was a humanitarian and had charities. -
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The Great Depression
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Valentine's Day Massacre
The Valentine's Day Massacre took place on February 14, 1929. At the time in Chicago, there were 2 rival gangs who both wanted power: South side Italian gang of Al Capone and the North side Irish gang of "Bugs" Moran. Capone sent 3 of his men dressed in police uniforms as disguise and killed 7 of the rival members. Calvin Goddard, the investigator, was able to link it to Capone through bullet casings, but he was in Florida during the time of the massacre, so he got convicted by tax returns. -
Hoover's Response
The Great Depression started to happen near the start of Hoover's presidency; it was over ten years, making it the longest crisis in American history. President Hoover barely took any action in the early stages because he thought it was just a minor fall in the economy; this is why he partially gets blamed for the depression happening. The Emergency Relief Act was the act that gave the president the ability to regulate transactions, foreign exchanges and to reopen banks to inflate the economy. -
Election of 1932
The Election of 1932 was against Franklin D. Roosevelt (Democratic) and Herbert Hoover (Republican). Hoover lost because he was not a "people person" and the Bonus March. FDR had a conservative campaign and he will win overwhelmingly. During his presidency, Roosevelt will get polio; he hides it with the help of the media, so the people will not think that he is weak. Roosevelt was a very nice person, charismatic and likable person. He also was a good speaker and delivered his speeches well. -
Eleanor Roosevelt
Eleanor Roosevelt was the wife and fifth cousin of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Eleanor was FDR's right hand; she did almost everything for him. She was a great person, and she genuinely cared for everyone & their plight. She fought for African Americans and hated the South b/c of the way that they were treated there. She also traveled a lot to persuade people, so she was never really in Washington. Eleanor was the first modern First Lady because of how she was involved in politics and her causes. -
Glass-Stegall Act
The Glass-Stegall Act was the prohibition of commercial banks from participating in the investment banking business. It was created to put peoples' confidence back into banks, and to separate investment & commercial banking, which is thought to be the reason for the market crash. The act was passed during the Great Depression as an emergency for bank failure. It created the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), which the government insured small accounts & had a deposit limit in banks. -
21st Amendment
The 21st amendment would finally repeal the 18th amendment, which was the prohibition of alcohol. This makes selling and making of alcoholic beverages legal again in the United States. Laws in states and counties that state whether it is "dry or wet" will still be upheld; it would still be a federal offense to bring alcohol into a dry state. The repeal happened because the prohibition crime rate was too high & it was making the country worse. With the repeal, there was less crime and more jobs. -
Reconstruction Finance Cooperation (RFC)
The Reconstruction Finance Cooperation (RFC) happened under the Hoover administration. This was Hoover's attempt to try to deal with the depression. It was the government lending bank; it's purpose was to give indirect relief through life insurance companies, railroads and banks. It was an agency that will be the predecessor for other agencies that will come out of the New Deal. This was a time where Republicans realized that federal action was necessary to assist the Great Depression. -
20th Amendment
The 20th amendment was the amendment that would shorten time between the inauguration and the election; it would change the term dates for the President and Congress. Election day is in November and the inauguration would usually be in March with a five month waiting period, but now the inauguration was moved to January with a two month waiting period only. The waiting period is nicknamed the "lame-duck" period, so now it would be shorter. Congressional terms would be on January 3rd from now on. -
Works Progress Administration (WPA)
The Works Progress Administration (WPA) was the largest New Deal agency out of them all. It was later renamed as "Work Projects Administration." The point of this agency was to give people back jobs during the Great Depression. They employed about eight million unemployed people; these people were mostly made up of unskilled men. They were given jobs that would be carrying out public work projects like construction work and building public services (buildings). This agency would end in 1943. -
Social Security Act
The act was created by Dr.Francis Townsend. It set up federal insurance system that was based upon collection of taxes. People could only begin to receive this money at age 65 through monthly pensions. Townsend campaigned for old age pensions because of how the old people suffered and went into poverty because no one would hire them, so they had to rely on their family. The depression would worsen this. The system also took care of the unemployed, disabled and mothers with dependent children. -
German-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact
The German-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact was the pact that said that Germans and Soviets could not fight or invade each other for the next 10 years. They were enemies shortly before the breakout of World War II, so everyone was shocked when they signed. This document was signed by Hitler and Stalin; it was kept a secret. Germany invaded Poland shortly after it was signed. It also allowed for Germany to invade them without any interference of the USSR and Germany got to take control of power. -
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World War II
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The Holocaust
The Holocaust was a genocide of Jewish people that occurred in Germany during World War II and was carried out by Adolf Hitler. Concentration camps were created to imprison the people; there were about 40,000 camps during the genocide. Auschwitz was one of the largest concentration camps during World War II. Buchenwald was one of the first camps and also one of the largest; it was a camp that used forced labor. Denazification was when allies would try to get rid of all the Nazis in Germany. -
Dunkirk
Dunkirk is a city located in Northern France. It is also the name of the evacuation during World War II in 1940, also known as Operation Dynamo; it was the military of evacuation consisting of 340,000 British and French troops, so Germany put a pause on their attack. They had to be evacuated from the beaches along the North Sea because the enemy fire was too strong to be able to hold it off. These troops evacuated using 300 boats. The good thing about this is that it saved all of the troops. -
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor located in Hawaii was surprise attacked at the Naval base by Japanese planes. The Japanese attacked b/c it would prevent the U.S from interfering with their conquest of Southeast Asia countries. Their goal was to cripple the U.S Navy, but they failed. The Japanese wanted to target battleships and aircraft carriers, but they only succeeded in destroying the U.S.S Arizona. FDR declared war on Japan the very next day through speech. American and British Pacific territories were seized. -
Hitler
Adolf Hitler was the leader of Germany and the NAZI party; people called him the Chancellor. He blamed the Jews for Germany's troubles, which led to the Holocaust. He wrote a book while he was in prison called "Mein Kampf" – meaning "My Struggle." Hitler's honorary title was "Fuhrer." This meant that the people of Germany saw him as their leader or their guide. This word is mainly only associated with him because he is the only person that has been a position, Nazi dictator, to be called that. -
Executive Order 9066
The Executive Order 9066 was signed by FDR during World War II; it was passed after the Pearl Harbor incident. It was the authorization that allowed there to be military areas that would exclude people. This order was the order of Japanese-Americans to be put into concentration camps for national security purposes; it led to the deportation of these people. It mainly took place in California, Nevada and Arizona, so the West coast became a hostile military zone. Japanese-Americans became enemies. -
U.S. Office of War Information (OWI)
The United States Office of War Information (OWI) was a government agency created during World War II. It was created as a way for the government to control all of their information into only one line of information about the war to the public. Patriotism was something that they wanted promote during times of the war to keep the U.S united; they used propaganda to do this. Radio, posters, films and newspaper promoted it abroad and in the U.S. Films gave news updates about social and war life. -
Second Battle of El Alamein
The 2nd Battle of El Alamein was located near the city of El Alamein; it started on Oct. 23, 1942 and lasted until Nov. 4, 1942. General Bernard Montgomery was the leader of the Allies at this battle. The Allies were victorious because they had twice as many men & tanks as the Germans did, so they were forced to retreat. This was the turning point in the war because it finally ended the fight for the Western Desert & it was the first major win of the Western Allies; it revived moral for allies. -
The United Nations
The United Nations was created in 1944 with the United States, United Kingdom, the Soviet Union and Republic of China meeting to talk about what the world and international organization will be after the occurrence of World War II. The UN consists of the Assembly, Secretariat and Council. Their security council had five permanent members, which are: United States, China, France, Great Britain, and Russia. New York City is the headquarters, which shows the rise of the U.S to global leadership. -
Death of FDR
Franklin D. Roosevelt died of a stroke during his fourth term as president and just a few weeks before the end of World War II. He had an affair with his secretary because Eleanor was never really around, so he got lonely. He went on a trip with his secretary to Warm Springs, Georgia because he knew that Eleanor would never go to find them in the South. He died there with his mistress instead of his actual wife. After Roosevelt died, Harry Truman, his vice president, will become President.
