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Growth of the Cities
60% increase in urban population - issues over clean drinking water and cheap public transportation. Poor sanitation leads to high mortality rates and the rise of typhoid, dysentery, typhus, and cholera epidemics. The poor live in slums with terrible living conditions. Results in machine politics - promised financial assistance in return for votes. http://columbusneighborhoods.org/neighborhood/downtown/downtown-lesson-plan/the-growth-of-business-the-new-middle-class-and-gilded-age-corruption/ -
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Laissez-faire economics
"Hands off government" - Economic theory prevalent during the early 20th century that denoted that big businesses should self-regulate without government involvement. http://www.investopedia.com/terms/l/laissezfaire.asp -
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Social Darwinism
Darwin's Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection, which applied to animals or plants in nature, was commonly appropriated by Americans in the latter half of the 19th century in order to target individuals or groups of people, and was used to justify racism and imperialism under the claim that “survival of the fittest" applied to human society. https://www.britannica.com/topic/social-Darwinism -
Emancipation Proclamation
A display of executive power by Lincoln against the Confederacy. Freed the slaves, not affecting the border states, largely in order to send a message to the South. -
Post Civil War southern society
Black codes were laws passed in the Southern states that restricted black freedom and often left freed slaves working in a labor economy based on low wages and debt.
Freed slaves, in the absence of opportunity in the South, often had no choice but to resort to sharecropping, a type of agriculture in which a landowner allows a tenant to use their land to farm in return for a share of the crops produced. -
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Republican Reconstruction
After the Civil War, Republicans sought racial political equality and thought the South should be punished.
Election of 1876 - Hayes, a Republican candidate, wins the electoral vote but loses the popular vote to Democrat Samuel J. Tilden. After much political controversy, the Compromise of 1877 (AKA the second Corrupt Bargain) elected Hayes into office. Upon his success, he pulled all troops from the south and ended reconstruction.
http://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/reconstruction -
Transcontinental Railroad
Connected the the Eastern U.S. to the Western U.S.
Financed by government bonds and land grants, the railroad provided for the growth of U.S. markets and cheaper distribution of goods. -
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Gilded-Age business cycles
During the Gilded Age, the economy grows by 400% - The U.S. experiences great technological advances, a rapidly expanding population, improved transportation systems, financial innovation, and new business practices. The titans of industry built monopolies and rapidly accumulated wealth while unskilled workers endured poverty. Laissez-faire economics become prominent in this time period.
http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/era.cfm?eraid=9 -
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Southern and Eastern European "New" immigrants - 1880s
Second wave of immigrants - from Southern/Eastern Europe. Ethnic neighborhoods were formed. Used as a source of cheap labor, they faced discrimination by nationalist Americans due to job competition/racism. Some urban reforms were made to help them assimilate, but faced worsened working conditions. https://globalboston.bc.edu/index.php/home/eras-of-migration/test-page-2/ -
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Progressivism
Initially began as a liberal social movement but transitioned into a political movement with a belief in social welfare and in solving the social problems of the time via educational aid, a safer environment, and a more efficient workplace.
The movement was made up largely of urban, Northeastern, educated, middle-class, Protestant reform-minded men/women. Influential members of the movement include Jacob Riis, Jane Addams, and Ida Tarbel. http://www.ushistory.org/us/42.asp -
Titans of Industry
Successful business tycoons in the 19th and early 20th centuries, including Carnegie, Vanderbilt, J. P. Morgan, and Rockefeller.
Horizontal Integration was a technique used by Rockefeller - joining or consolidating with competitors in order to create a monopolize certain markets.
Vertical Integration was used by Carnegie - combined all phases of manufacturing into one organization, which controlled the quality of the product at all stages of production. -
Dawes Act
Permitted the President to divide tribal-owned land and divide it into sections for individual American Indians - those who accepted and chose to live separately from the tribe were granted U.S. citizenship. While the intent was allegedly to lift Natives out of poverty, it was largely an attempt to assimilate them into mainstream society and much of the land was given to white settlers. -
Gospel of Wealth
An article written by Andrew Carnegie in June of 1889 - claimed hard work led to wealth and designated the responsibility of philanthropy and contributing to society/helping the poor to the rich. -
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Populism
AKA the "People's Party," the Populist movement was a political party created to improve conditions for U.S. farmers and agrarian workers as a result of crop failures, falling prices, poor marketing, and lack of credit facilities during the Gilded Age. Did not support railroads, bankers, or corporations. Ultimately, it failed as a result of fraud, intimidation, and violence by Southern Democrats. https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-us-history/period-6/apush-gilded-age/a/the-populists -
Sherman Anti-Trust Act
First federal act to outlaw monopolies/prohibit trusts. Step away from laissez-faire economics. Used against labor unions, which were considered by courts to be illegal combinations. Outlawed "restraint of commerce" across state lines + courts ruled that union strikes and boycotts were covered by law.
https://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=true&doc=51 -
Frederick Jackson Turner Thesis
Turner's Frontier Thesis stated that all the land in the West had been claimed, resulting in the disappearance of the frontier that he argued was an essential asset to American democracy. Brought into question whether 'manifest destiny' would continue now that the west had been claimed. -
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Spanish American War
U.S. declared war after a warship, the Maine, was sunk by Spain in Havana. The U.S. joined to protect its citizens and businesses in Cuba.
First battle - Battle of Manila Bay > U.S. destroyed the Spanish fleet.
"Yellow journalism" (sensationalized and exaggerated news) was employed - this became the first "media war".
Spain lost colonies including Puerto Rico, Cuba, the Philippines, Guam - the Treaty of Paris officially ended the conflict. http://www.history.com/topics/spanish-american-war -
Open Door Policy
A statement issued to maintain equal privileges among the major powers trading with China - dispatched to Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan.
Terms:
1) Each power should keep free access to a treaty port or other varied interest within its sphere,
2) Only the Chinese government should collect trade taxes, and
3) No one with a sphere should be exempt from paying railroad charges or harbor dues. -
Ford/Model T/assembly line
Henry Ford installs the first assembly line to mass produce the Model T car - reduces the amount of time it takes to build a car from 12 hours to 2 1/2 hours. Made factory production vastly more efficient, and mass production becomes more prevalent. -
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League of Nations
On Jan. 8th, 1918, Wilson proposed his Fourteen Points to Congress, with the League being the 14th. Despite failing to convince them that the U.S. should join (Henry Cabot Lodge denied him, fearing it would prevent the U.S. from defending its own interests), several countries joined with the intent of fostering international peace and cooperation.
The League was composed of five primary members, four rotating members, and a Court of Justice.
https://history.state.gov/milestones/1914-1920/league -
Post-WWI attitude of Americans
After WWI, the gov. leans toward isolationism while the public embraced nativism or "Americanism."
A mass culture and consumerism form - Youth culture was also prevalent, introducing new dances and lifestyles - widespread rejection of Victorian ideals.
People were optimistic for the future, and wanted to avoid another war if possible - the public opposed the League of Nations because they didn't want the U.S. to be tied to other countries' affairs. -
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1920s literature
Modernist writers flocked to cities. Authors brought an "outpouring of fresh and insightful writing" that defined the 1920s.
The Lost generation was a group of U.S. writers who came of age during the war and established their literary reputations in the 1920s.
Sinclair Lewis was an American novelist who wrote Main Street and Babbitt - satirized small-town America and chronicled Midwestern life.
http://cultureof1920s.weebly.com/musicliteraturearts.html -
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Mellon economic policies
Andrew Mellon, the Secretary of Treasury, philosophized tax reduction, balancing the budget, and debt reduction. He thought that lightening the tax load on business would transfer relief to the nation - his plan, the Mellon Plan, was designed to put this into action. The Great Depression overshadowed his plan in 1929, putting Mellon under heavy criticism in the U.S. He was replaced by Mills when he left to become a British ambassador.
https://www.treasury.gov/about/history/Pages/awmellon.aspx -
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Naval Building limitations
Concern over rising Japanese militarism and the international arms race prompted policymakers to work on minimizing the threat of another World War. U.S. Secretary of State Charles Evans Hughes invited 9 nations to Washington to discuss reduction of naval capacity and the conflict in the Far East.
Three major treaties emerged from the Washington Naval Conference: the Five-Power, Four-Power, and Nine-Power Treaties.
https://history.state.gov/milestones/1921-1936/naval-conference -
Scopes Trial and cultural conflict
John Scopes stood trial in Dayton, Tennessee, for violating the state law against the teaching of evolution - symbolizes the conflict between science and theology, faith and reason, individual liberty and majority rule. It was the first trial to be broadcast on radio.
The jury found Scopes guilty of violating the law and fined him $100, although the verdict was thrown out on a technicality on an appeal. -
Kellogg-Briand Pact
In the wake of WWI, U.S. peace advocates begin a new movement to end all war, followed by disarmament and naval conferences in Washington.
French minister Briand proposes a peace pact to forbid war between the U.S. and France - U.S. suggests they include all nations. 15 nations sign.
AKA the "Pact of Paris," the pact was an international agreement not to use war to resolve disputes among signatory states. However, this did little to prevent the rising militarism of the 30s and ultimately WWII. -
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The Great Depression
Caused by the Stock Market Crash of 1929, which triggered bank failures - the subsequent loss of savings, prior excessive use of credit and accumulation of debt, dramatic decrease in consumerism that followed, and the absence of assistance from Hoover, who didn't believe the federal government should provide relief, resulted in a 10-year economic crisis in the U.S.
http://www.history.com/topics/great-depression -
Hoover's attitude toward welfare and handouts
Believed in self-reliance and public-private cooperation, rather than excessive intervention from the federal government, to stimulate recovery from the Great Depression. -
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1930s Isolationism
European nations owed the U.S. roughly $11.5 billion in World War I debt - The arrangement of German repayment fell apart after the stock-market crash of 1929.
The Great Depression and the losses of WWI push American public opinion/policy toward isolationism - advocates non-involvement in European/Asian conflicts and non-entanglement in international politics. Leads Congress to reject U.S. membership in the League of Nations.
https://history.state.gov/milestones/1937-1945/american-isolationism -
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Labor Unions
Samuel Gompers - Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions of the USA and Canada (1881), later pres. of the AFL
John L. Lewis: UMWA Pres. - 1920-1960
AFL (1866-1955) - didn't want unskilled workers
CIO - part of AFL until expelled
Wagner Act - legalize workers' right to organize unions
Taft Hartley Act - First major revision to Wagner
Immigrants accepted less into unions, especially w/ increased numbers
(See Sherman Antitrust Act)
http://depts.washington.edu/depress/strikes_unions.shtml -
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FDR
100 Days Legislation - passed 15 bills, basis of the New Deal
Hoover believed in "rugged individualism," FDR appealed to the working class + offered fed. relief
Planned to expand Supreme Court - speculated he was "packing" in more judges to neutralize New Deal opposition
Good Neighbor Policy - cooperation/trade above military force in the West, unlike Big Stick Policy
Lend-Lease Act (1941) allowed U.S. to lend ships to allies
http://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/franklin-d-roosevelt -
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Neutrality Acts
August 31, 1935 - first Neutrality Act passed, which prohibits the export of ammunition, arms, and any "implements of war".
Neutrality Act of 1937 forbade U.S. citizens from riding on belligerent ships and prohibited U.S. merchant ships from transporting arms to belligerents.
Neutrality Act of 1939 ended the arms embargo and implemented cash-and-carry, allowing for arms trade with belligerent nations (Great Britain and France).
https://history.state.gov/milestones/1921-1936/neutrality-acts -
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WWII
Feb 19, 1942 - Executive Order 9066 removes Japanese-Americans from military areas + puts 110,000 into Internment camps.
Women were allowed to enter the workforce at a higher rate due to high demand for supplies + absence of men.
Despite the prevalence of racism and discrimination in the workplace, Executive Order 8802 (1941) banned discrimination by contractors.
http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii -
World War II Draft
The Burke-Wadsworth Act is passed during the Roosevelt administration, creating Selective Service and therefore imposing the first peacetime draft in U.S. history. Initially, only men from 21-36 are drafted, but once the U.S. officially enters WWII, the draft expands to include men aged 18-37.
It differs from the WWI draft in that the U.S. imposed a draft prior to entering the war, rather than once they engaged. Additionally, blacks who were passed over in WWI could be drafted. -
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Harry S. Truman
Believed that the federal government should guarantee economic opportunity and social stability, but was met with opposition from the conservative "Do-Nothing" Congress who wanted to reduce the role of the federal government. These Republicans, with majorities in both houses of Congress after the 1946 congressional elections, were set on reversing the liberal direction of the Roosevelt years. https://millercenter.org/president/truman -
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Cold War (during Truman's presidency)
Truman believed that he must take a hard stance to contain the expansionist tendencies of the Soviet Union - his "Truman Doctrine" committed the United States to a policy of containing communism internationally by supporting Turkey and Greece to prevent its spread.
Truman asked Congress to support the Greek Gov. against the Greek Communist Party - worried that if the Communists won, the Soviets would influence Greek policy. -
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Berlin Airlift
Occurred as a result of competing occupation policies and rising tensions between Western powers and the Soviet Union post-WWII. Started when Soviet forces blockaded rail, road, and water access to Allied-controlled areas of Berlin - U.S. and U.K. responded by airlifting food and fuel to Berlin from Allied airbases in western Germany. The crisis ended when Soviet forces lifted the blockade on land access to western Berlin. -
Fair Deal
Truman’s liberal domestic reform program - called for expanded social security, new wages-and-hours and public-housing legislation + a permanent Fair Employment Practices Act that would prevent racial or religious discrimination in hiring.
http://www.americaslibrary.gov/jb/modern/jb_modern_fairdeal_1.html -
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1950s
Suburbs boom - Developers constructed fairly modest/cheap houses for returning soldiers
Baby Boom - These soldiers start families accompanying economic prosperity
Nuclear war scare - fear of Soviet nuclear power/communism (Red Scare)
Domestic tranquility - Most women returned to idyllic domestic life, sought normalcy
Rock and Roll - rebellious genre associated w/ counterculture movement
Economic boom - Unlike Europe, America went from Depression into a Boom
http://www.history.com/topics/1950s -
McCarthyism
When Alger Hiss, a high-ranking State Department official, was convicted on charges of espionage, public fear of communists intensified.
Senator Joseph McCarthy capitalized on this by proclaiming that he was aware of 205 Communists who worked for the U.S. Department of State and that he was America's only salvation. He questioned over 1,000 U.S. officials, violating safeguards promised by the Constitution. The public sent red-baiters (communist accusers) before the Senate and the House in 1950. -
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Korean War
Known as the "Forgotten War" due to a clear lack of support from American citizens, especially compared to WWII - began when soldiers from the Soviet-backed North Korean People’s Army invaded the Southern pro-Western Republic of Korea via the 38th parallel - this was the first military action of the Cold War.
American troops later entered the war on South Korea’s behalf - considered by the gov. to be a war against the forces of international communism. http://www.history.com/topics/korean-war -
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Civil Rights Movement
Sit-ins were peaceful acts of activism - black students sat in white-only facilities, waited to be served w/o violent response to white aggression.
Brown v. Board called for school desegregation "with all deliberate speed."
MLK was a prominent leader of the movement - famous for his "I Have a Dream" speech and nonviolent approach.
Radical leaders like Malcolm X urged followers to employ violent defense against white aggression.
http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/civil-rights-movement -
Brown v. Board of Education
Landmark U.S. Supreme Court case in which it was declared unconstitutional to establish separate public schools for black and white students - Separate but equal no longer constitutional.
This overturned Plessy v. Ferguson, a Supreme Court case from 1896 which ruled separate but equal facilities constitutional. -
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Vietnam War
LBJ has harsh stances on communism because of the "loss" of China and believes in "Domino Theory", the idea that if Vietnam falls to communism, so will the rest of SE Asia and so on.
Nixon promises "peace with honor" and promises to leave Vietnam while giving the South the means to win the war - secretly, however, he escalates the war.
Sparked anti-war protests > See "1960s protests" -
Sputnik I Launch
The Soviet Union successfully launched Sputnik I, the world’s first artificial satellite, catching the American public off-guard and marking the beginning of the U.S.-U.S.S.R space race.
The American public feared that the Soviets’ ability to launch satellites meant they could also launch missiles that could carry nuclear weapons from Europe to the U.S. -
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1960s Protests
Counter-culture arises, and with it comes new music, clothing styles, and drug use. Although discredited by excessive drug use and addiction, they opposed war, racism, and poverty.
Students at Kent State and Jackson state are fired at by police during anti-war protests, and students are killed. Campuses across the country are closed down by student protests.
Women pushed for equality, especially in the workforce. They are increasingly hired; however, the Equal Pay Act is not enforced. -
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Cuban Missile Crisis
The U.S. and Soviet Union, during a 13-day confrontation, were on the brink of nuclear war following installation of nuclear-armed Soviet missiles in Cuba just 90 miles from the U.S. coast. JFK alerts the public and creates a sea blockade around Cuba, making it known he is prepared to use military force - Khrushchev agrees to remove the weapons if America agrees not to invade Cuba. JFK also removes U.S. missiles from Turkey secretly.
http://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/cuban-missile-crisis -
March on Washington
200,000+ Americans gathered in Washington, D.C. for a political rally known as the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
Led by clergymen, civil rights leaders, politicians, and entertainers. MLK's “I Have a Dream” speech expressed the highest aspirations of the movement.
Followed by years of disillusion and racial strife, but represented the hope that blacks and whites could work together for racial equality. -
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Lyndon B. Johnson
LBJ's "Great Society" - sponsored the largest reform agenda since FDR's New Deal.
Passed the Civil Rights Bill that JFK promised to sign into law - banned race/gender-based discrimination in the workforce and ended segregation in public facilities.
Also passed the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 - created the Office of Economic Opportunity aimed at reducing American poverty. https://www.whitehouse.gov/1600/presidents/lyndonbjohnson -
Gulf of Tonkin Incident
Two U.S. destroyers caught spying in the Gulf of Tonkin in Vietnam radioed that they had been fired upon by North Vietnamese forces (but no damage was done) - LBJ requested permission from Congress to increase U.S. military presence in SE Asia.
Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution authorizing LBJ to take any measures necessary to retaliate/ promote international peace and security in SE Asia - became the legal basis for the Johnson/Nixon Administrations' undertaking of the Vietnam War.
