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Theodore Roosevelt becomes President
With the assassination of President McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, not quite 43, became the youngest President in the Nation’s history. He brought new excitement and power to the Presidency, as he vigorously led Congress and the American public toward progressive reforms and a strong foreign policy. -
Election of Woodrow Wilson
On election night, Wilson retreated home to his Princeton residence to await the nation's verdict with his family. When the results were in, three-quarters of the American electorate had voted for parties of change. There was clearly a mandate for reform, but not necessarily for Wilson. He had garnered six million votes, but together Taft and Roosevelt had polled a million more. And there were another million who had chosen Debs and the Socialists. -
Federal Reserve System Begun
The Federal Reserve System was created on December 23, 1913, when President Woodrow Wilson signed the Federal Reserve Act into law. The system is composed of a central, independent governmental agency--the Board of Governors--in Washington, D.C., and 12 regional Federal Reserve Banks, located in major cities throughout the nation. -
World War 1 Begins
The outbreak of war in 1914 was generally greeted with confidence and jubilation by the peoples of Europe, among whom it inspired a wave of patriotic feeling and celebration. Few people imagined how long or how disastrous a war between the great nations of Europe could be, and most believed that their country’s side would be victorious within a matter of months. The war was welcomed either patriotically, as a defensive one imposed by national necessity, or idealistically. -
Lusitania Sunk
Great Britain announced intention to mine North Sea and transform it into a military area. German Government viewed action as both an illegal blockade and an attempt to starve out Germany. Great Britain's action led to retaliation on the part of Germans. May 7, 1915, German Submarine fired torpedo and sank ocean liner
1,198 people killed, including 128 Americans. -
Russian Revolution
Czar Nicholas II had been overthrown in March 1917 by a group of forces who wanted change. Then, the radical Bolsheviks decided they also wanted change - from the new system headed by Alex Kerensky. -
U.S Enters WW1
A few days after this announcement, the Wilson administration obtained a copy of the Zimmermann Telegram, which urged Mexico to join the war effort on the side of Germany and pledged that in the event of a German victory, the territories of Arizona, Texas, and New Mexico would be stripped from the United States and returned to Mexico. The publication of the Zimmermann Telegram and the escalation of German submarine attacks on US merchant vessels led the US Congress to declare war on Germany. -
WW1 Ends
By the end of 1917, the Bolsheviks had seized power in Russia and immediately set about negotiating peace with Germany. In 1918, the infusion of American troops and resources into the western front finally tipped the scale in the Allies’ favor. Germany signed an armistice agreement with the Allies on November 11, 1918. -
Eighteenth Amendment prohibits alcoholic beverages
The 18th Amendment to the US Constitution was the “National Prohibition amendment.” It banned the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcoholic beverages in the U.S. and possession. Contrary to common belief, it did not prohibit the purchase or consumption of alcohol.
Congress proposed the Amendment on December 18, 1917 and the Senate passed it that day. The day earlier the House had passed it. The necessary number of states ratified it on January 16, 1919. -
Nineteenth Amendment gives women the right to vote
Beginning in the mid-19th century, several generations of woman suffrage supporters lectured, wrote, marched, lobbied, and practiced civil disobedience to achieve what many Americans considered a radical change of the Constitution. Few early supporters lived to see final victory in 1920.