The Progressive Era: Developments and Events in the United States from 1900 to 1920
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The Boxer Rebellion
The U.S. had announced their goal of maintaining an open-door policy with China. However, anti-foreigner and anti-Christian sentiment was festering and gathered into a radical group who became known as the Boxers. After many Christian Chinese and Americans began flocking to Peking, the refugees telegrammed for help and the Boxers laid siege on the city. U.S. marine forces arrived on May 31 and fought alongside troops from other countries in the struggle to crush the uprising until September. -
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Theodore Roosevelt's Presidency
Roosevelt served two terms. In that time, he expanded the navy and sent the Great White fleet on a tour around the world as a display of power. He also established many nature reserves and passed the Hepburn Act in his mission against business trusts. Additionally, he employed significant executive power in his foreign policies, adding the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine, which asserted America’s authority in the Caribbean and allowed him to push for the creation of the Panama Canal. -
The Wright Brothers fly
After several failed attempts, the Wright brothers managed to achieve the first successful flight in a motorized airplane of their own creation. Their last flight that day covered 852 feet in 59 seconds. This was a major step in the direction of modern airplanes. -
The Panama Canal
The U.S. bought the unfinished Panama Canal from France and Panama and completed it in 1914. In 1977, President Carter promised the U.S. would return to Panama's control by 1999. Ultimately, the canal lowered import costs and inflation and made the U.S. powerful in trade between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. It boosted the economy, and returning the canal to Panama improved U.S. relations with South America while still allowing America to benefit from it. -
Founding of the NAACP
W. E. Du Bois was a major black activist who fought to validate black personhood and expose the inhumanity of white supremacy. He established the Nation Association for the Advancement of Colored People, which became one of the largest civil rights organizations in the U.S. It originally focused particularly on anti-lynching, which had become a major issue. It eventually won major legal victories for blacks' rights. -
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William Howard Taft's Presidency
Taft was elected mainly for his promise to continue Roosevelt’s work of progressive reforms. Initially, he vigorously continued Roosevelt's anti-trust policy. However, he also passed the Payne-Aldrich Act, which continued high tariffs. This strongly displeased the progressive Republicans, and he continued to side with the conservatives. Nevertheless, he also enabled railroad fees to be set a fair and consistent rate, and he supported federal income tax and election of senators by the people. -
Henry Ford implements the assembly line
Henry Ford invented the assembly line, which, through the process of trial and error, he managed to implement into his factories to significantly increase their manufacturing output. This revolutionized many factories and the entire manufacturing industry as this practice spread to more companies. It encouraged the unprecedented production rate that flooded the market with manufactured goods. -
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Woodrow Wilson's Presidency
Wilson was studious in his efforts to listen to the will of the people. He passed many progressive acts like the Underwood Act to lower tariffs, the Federal Reserve Act, and laws that established the Federal Trade Commission. Keeping America out of WW1 in his first term propelled him into his second term, but he decided America should rise up to protect democracy and freedom. Thus, he led America victoriously through WW1, and his Fourteen Points became a staple of democracy and national policy. -
Sinking of the Lusitania
German submarines targeted ships around Great Britain during WWI. They sunk the Lusitania, which had been carrying munitions for the British but had also been ferrying 128 American citizens, all of whom died. This is often cited as one of the sparks that lit the fire under America to eventually join WWI. -
The Sussex Pledge
The Germans sunk an unarmed French vessel sailing the English Channel. When President Wilson threatened to cut off all friendly ties and communication to Germany, they cut back significantly on the use of U-boats in what was called the “Sussex pledge” to pacify the United States. They agreed to not attack boats that were carrying innocent passengers and to allow the sailors on merchant ships time to evacuate to avoid being destroyed alongside with their ship. -
The Zimmermann Telegram
This telegram was an encoded message that had been sent from the German government to the Mexican leadership proposing an alliance in the case of the U.S. joining the war. The British cracked the code and informed President Wilson in order to convince the U.S. to join the war effort. -
Germany announces unrestricted submarine warfare
After the German leaders were pressured into releasing the restrictions on utilizing submarines to win the war, the German ambassador informed President Wilson of this decision the day before it began. This prompted President Wilson to sever their political ties and communications with Germany two days later. -
The U.S. declares war on Germany.
On this date, President Wilson stood before Congress to petition for a declaration of war against Germany. He cited their many violations of international policies, and Congress agreed. Thus, America was officially thrust into WW1 and began shifting into wartime production and military rallying. The U.S. declared war on Austria-Hungary on December 7th of the same year. -
Congress passes the 19th amendment
After years of suffragists fighting for this moment, the 19th amendment won two-thirds of the vote in the senate house. This new addition to the law allowed women the right to vote. On August 6, 1920, Tennessee became the last state needed to ratify the amendment and solidify the victory. -
Treaty of Versailles
After Germany surrendered on November 11, 1918, this treaty formally ended WW1. In the agreement, Germany was punished harshly, which only expounded on the country's issues. The treaty failed to fix any of the issues that led to the war in the first place. Nevertheless, it was an uneasy end to the first World War.
