Spring Semester Midterm Review

1. Spring Semester Midterm Review

2. What did Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle (1906) expose? Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle (1906) revealed the unsanitary conditions of slaughterhouses and led to government regulation of food industries

3. The Progressive Era led to demands for equal rights by African Americans Quick Class Discussion:In what ways were blacks discriminated against? 80% of lived in rural areas in the South, most as sharecroppers Lynching and violence were common Literacy tests and poll taxes limited black voting Jim Crow laws segregated blacks in schools, hotels, restaurants, trains, and other public facilities Plessy v Ferguson (1896) declared that segregation did not violate the 14th amendment

4. Progressive Movement • Four goals: • Protect Social Welfare • Foster economic efficiency • Moral Improvement • Economic Reform

5. Initiatives allow citizens to bypass the state legislature by putting an issue on a state ballot and voting to make it a law

6. Recalls allow citizens to vote to remove an elected official

7. States began using direct primary elections to allow voters to choose party candidates

8. U.S. Imperialism: DOMINICAN REPUBLIC When Theodore Roosevelt became president, he used “Big Stick Diplomacy”: Develop an active U.S. foreign policy with a strong navy to accomplish goals TR added the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine, giving the United States “police powers” to protect Latin America from European imperialism

9. Reasons for U.S. Imperialism • Americans were motivated by a variety of factors to imperialize: • In 1890, the U.S. census declared thatthefrontierwasclosed & there were no new lands in the “west” for Americans to expand into • During the Gilded Age, American industry grew so large that new overseas markets & new sources of raw materials were needed

10. European powers had acquired colonies & many Americans believed that the USA had to imperialize in order to keep up

11. Reasons for U.S. Imperialism • At the urging of Admiral Alfred Mahan, the USA developed a modern navy, allowing the U.S. to compete with other powerful nations • Many believed that Social Darwinism gave Americans a duty to “civilize” the “inferior races” of the world by introducing medicine, technology, Christianity, & democracy

12. U.S. Imperialism: CUBA In 1895, Cubans declared their independence from Spain; To put down the revolution, Spain used brutal tactics (like starvation) U.S. newspapers sensationalized the events in Cuba (known as “yellow journalism”) In 1898, the U.S. sent the USS Maine to Cuba to protect American interests there; After the ship mysteriously exploded, Americans declared war on Spain

13. Muckraking Journalism • New “muckraking” journalism drew attention to social problems, such as urban poverty, corruption, & big business practices: • Popular monthly magazines, like McClure’s & Collier’s, used investigativejournalism & photos • Jacob Riis’ How the Other Half Lives (1890) was the 1st exposé of urban poverty & slums

14. U.S. Imperialism: PANAMA TR used “Big Stick Diplomacy” to build the Panama Canal by encouraging a Panamanians to rebel from Colombia

15. TR decided to run for president in 1912 but the Republican Party picked Taft as their candidate… …so Roosevelt formed a new political party called the Progressive Party (“Bull Moose Party”) “I’m feeling as fit as a bull moose”

16. Republican voters were divided between Taft and Roosevelt… …and Democrat Woodrow Wilson won the election of 1912 Republicans divided by a Bull moose equals a Democratic victory!

17. The USA remained neutral in World War I from 1914 to 1917… Due to German violations of free trade, the USA declared war in April 1917

18. Personal liberties were restricted during World War I Charles Schenck, a socialist and anti-war critic, was arrested and sued arguing that the laws violated free speech Congress passed the Espionage and Sedition Acts which made it illegal to interfere with the war or saying anything disloyal about the war effort In Schenk v US (1919), the Supreme Court ruled that in wartime, speech that presents a “clear and present danger” is not protected During the war, over 2,000 citizens were prosecuted including newspaper editors, Socialists, anarchists, union leaders, and critics of the draft Anti-German sentiment was high across the nation

19. Wilson’s Fourteen Pointscontained 3 main themes Points 1-5 focused on creating new international rules that would eliminate future wars No more secret treaties or alliances Reduction of militaries Freedom of the seas and free trade International control over colonies to end imperialism

20. Wilson’s Fourteen Pointscontained 3 main themes Points 6-13 focused on dividing weak empires like Austria-Hungary and Ottoman Empire into new nations based on self-determination Wilson believed that new nations should havebordersdrawnwith consideration to ethnic and national identities He wanted new nations to be free to choose their own governments

21. Wilson’s Fourteen Pointscontained 3 main themes Point 14 focused on creating a League of Nations to settle all future international problems by diplomacy rather than by war

22. In 1920, the states ratified the 19th Amendment giving women to right to vote

23. During the Red Scare, immigrants were under attack In 1920, Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were arrested and charged with robbery and murder Sacco and Vanzetti were Italian immigrants and anarchists With only circumstantial evidence, they were foundguiltyandexecuted

24. Henry Ford’s mass production techniques made automobiles affordable for many Americans

25. The 1920s produced some of America’s most important literature The “Lost Generation” authors including T.S. Eliot, Ernest Hemingway, and F. Scott Fitzgerald rejected war and criticized 1920 consumerism and conformity

26. The 1920s saw a burst of personal prosperity and consumer spending Companies offered ways for consumers to buy on credit through monthly installment plans Mass production led to a huge number of new products: Cars, electric appliances, new fashions Advertising boomed to convince people to spend their money

27. The dominance of urban America divided society The values of these 2 societies clashed in the 1920s Rural society was characterized by religious fundamentalism, nativism, and tradition Urban society was characterized by diversity, consumerism, freedom, entertainment

28. Over-production and under-consumption By the end of the 1920s, factories produced too many durable goods (known as over-production) People did not need as many appliances and cars by the end of the decade (under-consumption) Too much inventory…Not enough buyers

29. Problems for farmers and industry The end of WWI led to a decline in demand for agricultural products and a 40% decline in crop prices Farmers could not pay back loans and many had their farms foreclosed Railroads, textiles, coal were losing money and faced competition from cars, synthetic fabrics, natural gas End of WWI

30. Increasing American debts Many Americans used credit to live beyond their means, generate large debts, and had to cut back on spending by the end of the decade

31. The effects of the depression were made worse by the Dust Bowl Decades of over-farming and droughts in the Plains led to windstorms that swept away soil and made farming impossible

32. When the Great Depression began, Republican President Herbert Hoover tried to solve America’s economic problems President Hoover believed that America could overcome the depression through “rugged individualism” (using hard work and perseverance) Hoover private charities to help (“volunteerism”) He encouraged business growth, wanted to keep taxes low, and avoided direct gov’t intervention

33. When FDR became president be promised decisive gov’t action to fight the depression FDR believed the gov’t should use deficit spending (spending that causes debt) to stimulate the economy

34. In his first 100 days in office, FDR and Congress passed a broad platform of legislation to attack the depression called the “New Deal”

35. The New Deal created long-term reforms to address weaknesses in the American economy and address the causes of the Great Depression The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) was created to bring electricity to the South and create jobs The TVA built hydroelectric power plants in seven Southern states providing issuedcheap power

36. One of the most important reforms on the New Deal was the Wagner Act The law protected workers’ right to strike and collectively bargain It created a Fair Labor Practices Commission to regulate unfair practices used by companies to discourage union membership Due to the Wagner Act, union membership in the USA increased

37. To combat poverty among the elderly and disabled, Congress created the Social Security Act • Social Security provided old-age pensions for Americans at age 65 Social Security was also America’s first welfare program because it provided payments for blind, handicapped, and needy children

38. In addition, two New Deal recovery programs (AAA and NRA) were declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court FDR feared that the Supreme Court would weaken the New Deal FDR threatened to “pack the Supreme Court” and increase the number of justices from 9 to 15 People were outraged as FDR appeared to be overstepping his Constitutional powers

39. The New Deal created long-term reforms to address weaknesses in the American economy and address the causes of the Great Depression Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) was created to regulate the stock market and prevent another crash

40. The New Deal focused on the three “Rs”

41. African Americans • During WWII, African Americans fought in the military & at home: • The war led to factory jobs & increased the Great Migration of blacks in the North & west coast • African Americans faced racial discrimination; civil rights leader A Philip Randolph forced FDR to offer equal pay for black workers by creating the Fair Employment Practices Commission

42. The Japanese dominated Asia, crippled the U.S. navy after the Pearl Harbor attack, & seized most Western colonies in the Pacific

43. However, U.S. entrance into the war in 1941 helped the Allies turn the tide and defeat the Axis by 1945 FDR & Churchill agreed that defeating Hitler was the top priority, but American troops would be deployed to fight Japan at the same time

45. By 1944, the Allies decided to open a Western Front by invading Nazi-occupied France Operation Overlord (called D-Day) in June 1944 was the largest land & sea attack in history

46. The Normandy invasion was deadly, but the Allied victory created a Western Front… America: Story of Us: D-Day

47. …and allowed the Allies to push towards Germany from the West At the same time, the Soviet army pushed from the East Forced to fight a two-front war, Hitler ordered a massive counter-attack at the Battle of the Bulge...but lost By March 1945, the Allies were fighting in Germany & pushing towards Berlin

48. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the USA sent troops to the Pacific theater The Pacific war revealed a new kind of fighting by using aircraft carriers The turning point in the war in the Pacific came at the Battle of Midway After Midway, the Allies began to regain islands controlled by Japan

49. Despite losing control of the Pacific & withstanding firebomb attacks, Japan refused to surrender By May 1945, the war in Europe was over & U.S. began preparing for a land invasion of Japan …But, perhaps a land invasion was not necessary…

50. In July 1945, the Big Three met at the Potsdam Conference to discuss the end of WWII Truman learned the atomic bomb was ready & issued the Potsdam Declaration to Japan: “surrender or face destruction”