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U.S. Gained Alaska
William Seward convinced the House of Representatives to purchase Alaska from the Russians for $7.2 million dollars. It was believed that Alaska wouldn't be valuable to the U.S. but it turned out to be a great purchase. Alaska is important to the U.S. becuase it has timber, minerals, and oil. -
Pearl Harbor
Americans wanted to build up their Navy forces and they knew that their was value in the Hawaiian Islands, so they got Hawaii to allow them to build a port there. This port was important because it was used as a refueling station for ships, it was the best port, and having a strong Navy would allow the United States to compete with other strong nations. -
The De Lome Letter
The De Lome letter was written by the Spanish minister to the United States. The letter called President McKinely weak which angered Americans. This was important because it gave the U.S. more reason to dislike the Spanish and the public favored war. -
U.S.S. Maine Explosion
U.S.S. Maine was sent to Cuba to return Americans to the U.S. a few days after the De Lome letter was published. It was blown up near Havana and 260 men were killed. Although it is unknown why it blew up it was believed that the Spanish were the ones to blame. This was a major event becuase it later led to the United States declaring war on the Spanish. -
The Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris ended the war between America and Spain. Spain gave us Guam, Puerto Rico, and freed Cuba. They also sold us the Philippines for $20 million. This was important to American leaders because gaining these islands could help us expand our country and to become the Imperialistic power that we wanted to be at the time. -
Pure Food and Drug Act
The pure food and drug act forced companies to honestly lable their products and medications. Before this campanies made ridiculous claims as to what their products could do or cure. In reality many of them contained harmful chemicals. I think this was very important because many products were harmful to consumers and they had the right to know what was in the products. This is still important today. Almost everything we buy lists the ingredients. -
The Seventeenth Amendment
The Seventeenth Amendment allowed senators to be directly elected. This meant that the senators had to please the people in order to be elected. Before this the senators were chosen by their state's legislature. Since the state's legislature chose the senators it gave them more power. I think that this is a major change in American history because now the politicians had to be more for the people and less power was given to party leaders. We still have the 17th Amendment. -
Clayton Antitrust Act
The Clayton Antitrust Act stopped companies from being monopolies. It did this by not allowing them to aquire the stocks of other companies. It also allowed strikes, and boycotts to become legal. This act was important because of its ability to hinder the formation of monopolies. This act was enacted while Wilson was president. -
The Assassination of Franz Ferdinand
Franz Ferdinand was the heir to the Austrian throne when he was assassinated in Serbia. The assassination angered Austria-Hungary so much that they declared war on Serbia. This was important because it was the start of WW1. -
Schlieffen Plan
The Schlieffen Plan was for Germany to invade Belgium to get to Paris, while holding Russia. They would defeat France and then try to defeat Russia. This angered a lot of nations becuase Belgium was neutral. Another effect of this plan was trench warfare, which caused the deaths of about 1.2 million men. This was an important thing becuase it drug other nations into the conflict. -
American's Join The War
President Wilson declared that the United States would go to war after trying to stay out of it for years. They only decided to join after many attacks on ships by Germans, and when the Russian monarchy was replaced. The U.S. joining the war was a huge event because it meant they would need many supplies and men to help the war effort. Joining the war would affect the lives of every American. Even the people who stayed at home. -
Selective Service Act
The Selective Service Act forced every man to register so that they could be selected to go to war. This increased the number of soldiers America had in the war although many of the men didn't know how to fight. Women were not allowed to enlist so the Selective Service Act didn't include them. This was important because it was the first time men could be drafted to war and America needed a way to increase their military. -
Nineteenth Amendent
The Nineteenth Amendment was finally passed by Congress in 1919. It allowed women to vote for the first time in history. These was definately an important event for progressivism. Congress had been pressured by women for 72 years before the 19th Amendment was passed. Now women were getting more rights, and were beginning to be treated as equals to men. -
The Treaty of Versaillles
The Treaty of Versailles was created after WW1 was over. It created nine new nations, banned Germany from having an army, made them take full responsibility for starting the war, and pay $33 billion dollars as reparations. This was important because it angered the Germans and eventually led to WW2. -
Prohibition
The prohibition was when alcohol was banned. Many people believed that not drinking alcohol would improve the lives and morals of people. Women were some of the main supporters of the the Prohibition. They hoped that the 18th Amendment would reduce the amount of crime and drinkning, but it had almost opposite effects. It eventually ended in 1932. It was important because it was supposed to improve the morals of people.
