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SEVEN YEARS WAR
ENGLAND vs FRANCE over colonies in America
ended in 1763 - Peace of Paris
ENGLAND won >> needed $ >> levied taxes on the American colonies > conflicts -
STAMP ACT
Colonists had to buy special tax stamps and attach them to newspapers, licenses, and legal papers >>
AMERICANS: "No taxation without representation"
Stamp Act Congress > refusal to selling Br goods
The Stamp Act was removed, but this was followed by subsequent taxes -
FIRST CONTINENTAL CONGRESS
The Congress claimed to be loyal to the Br king but it called on to Americans to refuse buying Br goods. -
SECOND CONTINENTAL CONGRESS
Met to act as an AMERICAN NATIONAL GOVERNMENT
It set an army (under G. Washington)
1776 - it cut all ties with Britain and declared that the colonies were "free and independent states" -
Period: to
AMERICAN WAR OF INDEPENDENCE
ONSET: Br soldiers wanted to seize militia's ammunitions and weapons, colonists were warned, but later they met and an armed conflict took place. -
DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
Issued on the 4th of July, written by Thomas Jefferson
Officially named the United States of America
All men had the natural right to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness"
"The consent of the governed" -
ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION
Attempt to unify the country - first constitution
Each state retained its sovereignty, freedom, and independence..."
The central gov was very weak (...) -
TREATY OF PARIS
BRITAIN officially recognised her former colonies as an independent nation
Each individual state was acting as an indep country: 1st problem: how to join together these quarrelsome countries into one united nation -
CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION
PURPOSE: revise the Art. of Conf. >> CONSTITUTION OF THE US -
CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES
it came into effect in 1789
-Federal system of gov
-Three branches of power: ex, leg, jud.
-stronger central gov... -
BILL OF RIGHTS
Amendments to the Const to protect individual rights and freedoms:
-freedom of religion, free press, the right to carry arms, the right of a fair trial by jury... -
LOUISIANA PURCHASE
Napoleon was about to go to war with Britain and needed $
The size of the US amost doubled. -
WAR OF 1812
Br and Fr were at war, and they seized the cargoes of American ships > Am Congress declared war on Britain.
The stronger Br navy gained complete control of the coastal water of the US and blockaded Am ports.
1814: Peace traty between US and Br.Americans were forced to begin making goods of their own > start of American manufacturing industry.
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MONROE'S DOCTRINE
In the 1830S, Spanish colonies rebelled and Americans didn't want the armies and navies of powerful European nations in their part of the world >>
Pres. Monroe warned the European nations NOT TO INTERFERE IN LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS.
In case of attack, the US would consider it a danger for itself >> STATEMENT OF INTERVENTION -
INDIAN REMOVAL ACT
Pres. Monroe stated that Amerindians should be moved from lands wanted by white settlers to other lands, further west .
The Cherokees, among other ppls, suffered greatly. -
TEXAS ANNEXATION
War with Mexico -
OREGON COUNTRY
Found due to an expedition -
MEXICAN CESSION
After the Am-Mex war, a treaty forced Mex to hand lands to the US: west coast
Manifest Destiny: It was the clear intention of fate that the territory of the US should stretch across North America from the Atlantic to the Pacific. -
Period: to
CIVIL WAR
NORTH: against slavery, in favour of import duties
SOUTH: in favour of slavery, against import duties
11 states announced they'd become an independent nation:
THE CONFEDERATE STATES OF AMERICA" /CONFEDERACY
North: the UNION -
EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION
War measure taken by Lincoln
"All slaves were to be made free if they lived in areas that were part of the Confederacy" -
ABOLITION OF SLAVERY
13th amendment to the Const.
As an outcome of the end of the Civil War.
The US was finally one nation -Lincoln was assassinated -
CIVIL RIGHTS ACT
Intended to ensure that blacks in the south were not cheated of their rights.
Southerners hated Reconstruction, and some organised terrorist groups like the KKK.Congress then introduced the 14th amendment:
-full citizenship to blacks
-right to voteReconstruction was OVER: all southern states passed laws to enforce strict racial segragation (on trains, in parks, shcools, hospitals, etc)
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1ST RAILROAD ACROSS THE US
Two lines - the Union Pacific Railroad Company and the Central Pacific Railroad Company - met in Utah.
+ Gold Rush in California >> Amerindians' lands were taken and they were expelled and killed 8Sioux, Comanche, Kiowa) -
Period: to
SOCIAL DARWINISM - SPENCER
He favoured MINIMAL STATE INTERVENTION and FREE HAND IN ECONOMY (savage competition) >>
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST, NATURAL SELECTION leads to PROGRESS (GREATEST HAPPINESS OF THE FITTEST: BIG BUSINESSES AND TRUSTS)
ACCUMULATION OF WEALTH = ADAPTATION
STRUGGLE FOR EXISTANCE = ECONOMIC COMPETITION
NATURAL SELECTION = LAISSEZ-FAIRE -
Period: to
INDUSTRIALISATION IN THE US
Br's greatness (workshop of the world) was challenged
Ind > accelerated by the railroads
*Edison's electric bulb
*Carnegie Steel Corporation + Rockefeller's oil industry
*Henry Ford: father of mass production, introduced standardisation (produce more and more cheaply)
*emergence of trusts
*Flood of immigrants: WASP - desired imm, Mediterranean imm - undesired imm. -
SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR
1ST WAR OF INTERVENTION
The US had invested $ in sugar and tobacco plantations in Cuba, which was a Spanish colony. By 1895, Cubans rose in rebellion against Spanish rulers. The US demanded Spain to withdraw from Cuba >> war
War fought in Cuba and the Philippines Americans defeated the Spanish, the US got an overseas empire: "An empire for good"The US became a colonial power. Colonies menat trade, wealth, power and prestige.
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Period: to
PROGRESSIVISM
TEDDY ROOSEVELT, H.TAFT AND W.WILSON
Where necessary, gov should take action to deal with the problems of society
Progress could be achieved through reforms: social, economic, political, ecological and moral reforms.SOCIAL SERV STATE
EMERGENCE OF THE SOC SERV STATE
UNTIL US's involvement in WWI > RED SCARE -
PLATT'S AMENDMENT
Cubans' independence was just a pretense > they had to accept the Platt Amendment: the US could send troops to Cuba at any time it considered American interests to be in danger (whenever they wanted).
*military gov set up by Teddy Roosevelt
*American naval base in Guantanamo Bay -
ROOSEVELT'S COROLLARY
Addition to Monroe's Doctrine:
The US would intervene in Latin America whenever it thought necessary, "to ensure the internal stability of its Latin American neighbours" -
PANAMA CANAL
The US wanted to build a canal in Panama, but it belonged to Colombia. So the US sent warships to Panama to help a small group of Panamanian businessmen to rebel against the Colombian gov > the rebels declared Panama an independent state, and gave Americans control over the Canal Zone.
The Canal was finished in 1914. -
Pure Food and Drug Act
T. Roosevelt
to improve sanitary conditions (meat-packing industry and drug industry)
Sinclair's The Jungle -
The Hepburn Act
T.R.
Stricter regulation of railroads -
Immigration Restriction Bill
W. WILSON -
Period: to
WWI
US meutrality, preparedness and involvement -
HARDING becomes president
Business-minded presidency: back to normalcy
*laissez-fair
*low taxes
*DEATH OF PROGRESSIVISM -
Period: to
ROARING TWENTIES
BOOM: positive explosion
going back to NORMALCY
lot of trade with warring countries
Pres. Harding (Rep): reduction of taxes to foster business
impositon of tariffs to protect home industry
prosperity>> MASS PRODUCTION> equalising effect, prices went down
expansion of cities
Some suffered: farmers overproduced, unskilled workers were replaced by machines -
COOLIGE becomes president
After Harding's death -
HOOVER elected president
stressed the nation's prosperity
*belief that individuals were responsible for their condition>confidence jolted in the '29
1929 WSC: he rejected direct relief, fostered laissez-faire, no intervention of the state, extreme individualism.
Later, he increased expenditures for public works, gave loans to banks, companies. He also set a sales tax on manufacture goods: contraditcion (urge ppl to buy, but depriving them of spending $ with this tax). -
WALL STREET CRASH
causes:
*overproduction
*underconsumption (resultred from an unequal distribution of wealth
*Oligopolies dominated business> unbalance
*speculation on the stock market
*internat econ troubles: Am loans to Europe...
*Gov policies and practicies:failed to regulate speculation, income taxes weren't raised
abrupt fell in stock princes in WS-NY>financial crisis>economic recession -
Period: to
GREAT DEPRESSION
*banks, companies failed, profit fell
*unemployment, gross national product was cut in half
*deterioriation of health and housing
*plight of farmers
*marriage and family patterns changed
*lost of confidence in the syst. -
FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT ELECTED PRESIDENT
THE NEW DEAL (33-34)
*restore purchasing power by cutting production (Keynesian model)
*EMERGENCY BANKING RELIEF ACT(inspection before reopening)
*ECONOMY ACT (balance the fed budget)
*FIRESIDE CHATS: talked on the radio, to make pl regain confidence in the system.
*AGRICULTURAL ADJUSTMENT ACT (to make farmers produce less)
*CIVILIAN CONSERVATION CORPS (loans for needy citizens and public works)
*CIVILIAN CONSERVATION CORPS
*NATIONAL INDUSTRIAL RECOVERY ACT (Public Work Administration)
... -
SECOND NEW DEAL>SOCIAL SECURITY STATE
*EMERGENCY RELIEF APPROPRIATION ACT: massive public works programmes for the jobless (Works Progress Adm., National Youth Adm., Resettlement Adm. (destitute families and rural communities)
*WAGNER ACT (NATIONAL LABOUR RELATIONS ACT): granted workers the right to unionise and bargain collectively with management.
*REVENUE (WEALTH TAX) ACT
*SOCIAL SECURITY ACT: cooperative fed-state syst of unemployment compensation and old-age insurance (workers and bosses paid for these benefits while active) -
DEMISE OF THE NEW DEAL
*The economy faltered again between 1937 and 1939 > more unemployment and suffering.
*Europe was close to war, threatening to drag the US into it.
*To gain support for military policies, Roosevelt began to court conservatives
*Drastic cutbacks in gov spending
*The Federal Reserve Board tightened credit. -
Period: to
BOOMS IN THE US
*Baby boom > migration, housing boom, construction boom > AFFLUENT/CONSUMER SOC
*Minorities: HAVE NOTS, gap (black ppl, women, latin immigrants > countermovements: Martin Luther King Jr., National Org for Women, Free Speech Mov (sts > hippies...)
*DEFENSE BOOM (Cold War, arms race) -
DEP OF DEFENSE CREATED
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NATIONAL DEFENSE EDUCATION ACT
Gov grants to high schools and universities for programmes in maths, science, foreign languages > compete with the enemies, create weapons -
SPUTNIK
The Soviets launched the 1st satellite into space.
The US was falling behind in the arms race. -
NASA
Nat Aeronautics and Space Administration