TEST #6 Lecture Notes The United States from 1890-1941 VUS.9-10

Imperialism 1800s: Americans justified their taking over North America by the idea of Manifest Destiny The idea of Manifest Destiny will lead many in the U. S. to believe that they are culturally and morally superior to other people in the world Many Americans believed it was their duty to instill the American way of life on other people in the world After 1850, the U. S. will develop an imperialist foreign policy The US believed it had the right to expand outside the continental borders of the U. S. The US was searching for overseas markets for its products By 1900, the US had become an imperialistic nation with many colonies over the world Americans looked to Latin American and Asia as markets and raw materials for the increased industrialization

Land gained after Spanish American War Began with Cuban war for independence from Spain Sinking of the battleship Maine in Havana harbor, February 15, 1898 united American opinion for war Congress declared war April, 1898 Battle of Manila Bay, May 1, 98, entire Spanish fleet sunk US Army troops attacked Cuba in June United States received Puerto Rico and Guam and the Philippines in the Pacific Cuba was granted independence from Spain The US had the right to intervene in Cuban affairs

Hawaii The U. S. wanted to expand into the Pacific region 1820s and 1830s: U. S. missionaries had gone to Hawaii Over time, the U. S. began to dominate the economy of Hawaii The U. S. also wanted to depose the monarchy in Hawaii 1887: the U. S. gained the right to build and fortify a naval base on Hawaii at Pearl Harbor 1898: The U. S. annexed Hawaii

The Panama Canal Many people in the world wanted a canal that crossed Central Americalinking the Atlantic with the Pacific 1903: Plans were made to construct a canal in the Colombian-owned region of Panama Pres. T. Roosevelt saw many benefits to the creation of a Central American canal 1903: the U. S. and Colombia began working on a treaty to negotiate a price for the narrow strip of land where the canal was to be built Colombia held out for more money

The U. S. supported a revolution in Panama that would make Panama independent from Colombia Once independent, the U. S. and Panama negotiated a treaty that gave the U. S. the land where the Canal would be built

1904: Construction began on the Canal The Canal took 10 years to complete 1914: the Panama Canal was opened Pres. T. Roosevelt felt proud of his accomplishment

Big Stick Diplomacy Created by Pres. Theodore Roosevelt He believed that one should not brag about Americas power The U. S. should just be very strong so other nations would bow down to the U. S. Speak softly and carry a big stick; youll go far. Pres. Roosevelt used the Big Stick diplomacy in the Caribbean and South America Part of his Big Stick diplomacy was his support for the Panamanian Revolution

1904 and 1905: problems were occurring the in the Dominican Republic Pres. Roosevelt issued a corollary to the Monroe Doctrinethe Roosevelt Corollary Said that any chronic wrongdoing by a Latin American nation entitled the U. S. to intervene in the nations affairs The Roosevelt Corollary caused the U. S. to commit itself to maintaining stability in the Western Hemispherelike a police force

Open Door Policy Create by Secretary of State John Hay in 1899 and 1900 Created to strengthen the U. S. position in gaining control over specific regions of China Hay sent out a note to Japan and key European powers asking them not to control a specific area of China He wanted to leave the door open for ALL nations in ALL parts of China All nations would have equal trading rights in China Most other nations agreed to the Open Door Policy The goal of the policythe U. S. would get a share in the trade with China

John Hay

Dollar Diplomacy 1909: William Howard Taft became President of the U. S. Taft wanted to influence foreign governments by using American investment ($) Taft encouraged American banks to lend money to Central American nations To help the nations pay off their debts to Great Britain Taft hoped the loans would gain the U. S. more influence in the Western Hemisphere He also encouraged many businesses to invest in Latin America He promised the Latin American nations that the U. S. would step in if unrest threatened their investments

William Howard Taft

World War I World War I will dramatically change the world There were 4 underlying causes that helped lead to WWI in Europe Nationalism Imperialism Militarism Alliances June 28, 1914: The war will start in the Balkans when Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in Bosnia Austria-Hungary blamed Serbia for the attack Russia comes to help Serbia The alliances will be brought in bringing Europe into a major conflict

Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand

Allied Powers in WWI at beginning of war Great Britain Russia France Serbia Belgium Japan Central Powers in WWI at beginning of war Germany Austria-Hungry Bulgaria Ottoman Empire

At the outbreak, President Woodrow Wilson immediately declared the United States neutral The U. S. will stay out of WWI for the first 3 years Many in the U. S. did not want the U. S. to get involved at all During these 3 years, the war had turned into a stalemate, with neither side having a decisive advantage

Several factors contributed to the U. S. finally entering WWI in 1917 1.) Germanys use of unrestricted submarine warfareviolating the freedom of the seas Germany continued using U-boats (submarines) to attack ships In 1915, a U-boat sank the Lusitania, killing 1,200 civilian passengers. The press publicized the event, greatly influencing public opinion against Germany Germanys sinking of ships also disrupted American trade

Sinking of the Lusitania

2.) Zimmerman Telegram In early 1917 the British intercepted the Zimmerman telegram from the German government to their Mexican ambassador. A German plan to keep the US out of the war by urging Mexico to declare war against America. The press printed the telegram and public opinion changed to war

Original coded telegram

Decoded telegram

3.) Americans wanted to make the world safe for democracy (Woodrow Wilson) 4.) It was difficult because of the close relations with Britain, the leader of the Allied powers As Great Britain reached stalemate, it became difficult for the U. S. to stay out of the conflict

Americas involvement in the war helped turn the tide in favor of the Allies The U. S. sent much needed resources and fresh soldiers to help aid the Allies Because of Americas involvement, the Allies were able to defeat Germany and the Central Powers After the war, peace treaties were laid out with the defeated Central Powers The Most important treaty was the Treaty of Versailles which dealt with Germany

Wilsons 14 Points Even before the war was over, Pres. Woodrow Wilson had created a peace plan His plan to eliminate the causes of war Key parts to Wilsons 14 Points Self-determination Freedom of the seas Freedom of trade League of Nations (Wilsons 14 th Point) Mandate System Wilson believed the most important part of his plan was the creation of the League of Nations This was to be an international mediating body to discuss problems in Europe and the world with the hope of deterring future wars

President Woodrow Wilson

Treaty of Versailles Treaty dealing with Germany at the end of World War I The French and English insisted on harsh punishment of Germany Taking of German territory Germany had to pay huge war reparations Created the League of Nationsone of Wilsons 14 Points National boundaries were redrawn, creating many new nations

Meeting over the Treaty of Versailles

The Treaty of Versailles created new nations in Europe Finland Estonia Latvia Lithuania Poland Czechoslovakia Yugoslavia

The Treaty of Versailles also divided the old Ottoman Empire (an ally of Germany) into mandates The victorious Allied nations began dividing up the old Ottoman Empire (Mandates) Great Britain gained control of Jordan, Iraq, and Palestine France gained control of Syria and Lebanon In the Middle East, conflicts between Jews and Muslims began to arise Great Britain had promised the Arab nations independence after the war Great Britain broke that promise once GB and France took over the Arab areas and turned them into Mandates Helps explain why many Arab nations do not like western European nations today

League of Nations Debate in the U. S. The US Senate refused to approve the Treaty of Versailles Pres. Wilson (Democrat) had upset many Republicans by urging the American people to vote Democratic in the upcoming mid-term elections Republicans won the elections, and voted against Treaty of Versaillesbacked by a lot of public support to stay out of European affairs Therefore, did not join the League of Nations The U. S. was NOT a member of the League of Nations Many did not like the idea of US foreign policy decisions being made by an international organizationnot the U. S. The U. S. became isolationist after World War I The U. S. began to focus more on itself instead of other worldly problems

America in the 1920s and 1930s When World War I ended, the U. S. developed an intolerance toward those that spoke against the government This period was also known for new developments in music and art At the end of the 1920s, the US will fall into a depression that will impact the entire world

1.) Red Scare: A violent wave of anti-communist panic that swept through the U. S. between 1919 and 1920 1917: the communist Bolsheviks in Russia took over the Russian government during the Russian Revolution Many in the U. S. were afraid the same thing could and would happen 1919: there were 2 small communist parties in the U. S. People were afraid that these 2 small parties would lead a communist revolution in the U. S. People in the U. S. started seeing any foreign born people as a threat to democracy The Attorney General of the U. S. directed the Red Scare Mitchell Palmer

2.) Palmer Raids: Mitchell Palmer believed that communists were about to take over the U. S. Palmer was a Quaker He was against the idea of revolution June 2, 1919: Palmers fears nearly became reality Bombs exploded in 8 cities in the U. S. One exploded in front of Palmers house After the bombings, Congress gave Palmer $500,000 to search out and destroy any radical people in the U. S. Palmer created the Central Intelligence division Palmer appointed J. Edgar Hoover as the head of the new government division Palmer began to raid different organizations suspected of radical ideas Over 4,000 people were arrested Over 550 foreigners were deported

Mitchell Palmer

3.) Sacco and Vanzetti: 2 men were accused of robbing and killing a guard at the Massachusetts shoe factory Both men were immigrants Both men had radical political views Many believed the only reason for their conviction was because of their immigrant status and radical views No real evidence pointed to the 2 mens involvement in the crimes Even the judge at the trial denounced the 2 defendants for the immigrant background Both men will be executed Many protests sprang up after their execution

Sacco and Vanzetti

4.) Mass Media and Communications: Radio: Broadcast jazz and Fireside Chats Brought immediate information the peoplenews A new form of entertainmentmusic, radio shows, etc. Jazza new form of music developed in the 1920s Began in New Orleans and spread Started as African American music, but whites soon took interest Movies: Started as silent films, then talking movies appeared First talking picture: The Jazz Singer During the Great Depression, movies offered people a chance to escape Newspapers and magazines: Shaped cultural norms and sparked fads

5.) Agricultural Overproduction: During WWI, US farmers began producing lots of food The US government bought most of the farmers harvests to send to the troops In the 1920s (after WWI was over), the military needed less food stuffs The government stopped buying the harvests from farmers US farmers now had an oversupply of food Caused crop prices to plunge, meaning less money for farmers Many farmers lost their land and homes on defaulted loans

6.) Scopes Trial: 1920s: science and religion will square off in this trial 1859: Charles Darwin published The Origin of Species by Natural Selection Said animals (and humans) had evolved from more primitive creatures Many scientists used Darwins work to challenge the religious idea of creation 1920s: Fundamentalist Christians began attacking the idea of evolution These people believed the Bible was absolute truth Many southern states outlawed the teaching of evolution in schools

1925: Butler Act in Tennessee outlawed the teaching of evolution in schools The ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) announced it would defend any biology teacher who challenged the Butler Act John T. Scopes accepted the offer and read about evolution to his students Scopes was arrested and placed on trial The case started small, but became a national news story Scopes was found guilty and fined $100 Later, the Supreme Court overturned the decision

Scopes Monkey Trial

7.) Prohibition: Many people saw alcohol as the cause of crime and violence These people wanted to prohibit alcohol in the U.S January 1920: The 18 th Amendment (Volstead Act) was passed National law prohibiting the manufacture, transport, and sale of liquor (alcohol) in the United States At 1 st, it looked like Prohibition might work The consumption of alcohol in the U. S. did drop Many people were against Prohibition Bootleg liquor became very popular Homemade alcohol Alcohol brought in from Canada Very difficult for the U. S. to keep illegal alcohol from crossing into the U. S.

Many began breaking the law Illegal drinking establishments developed around the nationSpeakeasies Many made fortunes in alcohol smuggling

Prohibition began to have a negative effect on the people Everyone took a casual attitude to breaking the law Many government officials were bribed to let illegal drinking continue Mob crime became a problem Mob gangsters were big into bootlegging liquor Al Capone ran a Chicago bootlegging gang Video on ProhibitionVideo on Prohibition

Al Capone

8.) Harlem Renaissance: A Black cultural movement in New York City in the 1920s Mostly a literary movement (writing) The Harlem area of New York City had attracted lots of African Americans in the 1920s Harlem housed Jazz clubs, night clubs, and cafes Jazz rhythms were used in poetry Many works spoke out against racism

The most famous writer from the Harlem Renaissance was Langston Hughes Hughes was a gifted poet He used jazz and blues rhythms in his poetry

50-50 Im all alone in this world, she said, Aint got nobody to share my bed, Aint got nobody to hold my hand The truth of the matters I aint got no man. Big Boy opened his mouth and said, Trouble with you is You aint got no head! If you had a head and used your mind You could have me with you All the time. She answered, Babe, what must I do? He said, Share your bed And your money, too. Langston Hughes

9.) KKKthe Second Klan: In the early 1900s, the KKK saw a revival The movie Birth of a Nation helped to revive the KKK The film glorified the original KKK Starting in 1921, it adopted a modern business system of recruiting (which paid most of the initiation fee and costume charges to the organizers) and grew rapidly nationwide at a time of prosperity Membership grew most rapidly in cities, and spread to the Midwest and West out of the South Claimed to have between 4 and 5 million members

The second KKK preached Americanism and purification of politics It believed in: Racism Anti-Catholicism Anti-Communism Nativismdislike for immigrants Antisemitismdislike for Jews

10.) Women in the 1920s: After WWI, women gained lots of independence 19 th Amendment (1920): Gave women in the U. S. the right to vote Women began asking for more freedoms In the U. S. womens fashion and social trends changed drastically in the 1920s Make-up was more liberally appliedespecially rouge and lipstick Hem lengths on skirts rose above the knee Women began to bob their hair and bind their chests What they created was the Flapper

Business Cycle Sequence of ups and downs in a nations Gross Domestic Profit (GDP) GDPtotal value of goods and services a nation creates within its borders The cycle consists of periods of expansion, a period of contraction, and a trough (bottoming out) 1.) Expansion (BOOM) Production increases GDP rises Employment is high Wages=good Prices=stable 2.) Contraction (BUST) Unemployment rises GDP declines Production slows Wages fall Prices fall The lowest point in the cycle is a depression

BOOM BUST depression

Early 1920s: The American business cycle was expanding By the end of the 1920s into the 1930s, the business cycle sharply contractedcausing the Great Depression

Causes of the business cycle of the 1920s and 1930s: Easy credit Easy availability of capital for businesses Installment buying Unbalanced foreign trade Mechanization of American Industry

Effects of the business cycle fo the 1920s and 1930s: Overproduction of goods Over speculation in the Stock Market Buy stocks cheap with the hope of prices going up Increase in personal debt Lack of foreign markets for U. S. goods Fluctuation in employment and wages

Causes of the U. S. Stock Market Crash Oct. 29, 1929: The U. S. Stock Market crashed, resulting in world wide depression Several underlying factors and direct factors will lead to the crash Underlying factorsspiraling of events Crop prices falling due to overproduction of food after WWI With no $, farmers could not buy stuff Manufactures sold less goodswarehouses were full of unsold merchandiseoversupply of manufactured goods Gap between the rich and poor was growing in the 1920s

1.) Overspeculation: Many Americans invested in the Stock Market Some sank their life savings into buying stock with the hope of making it rich Speculators would by cheap stocks, hoping the price would increase When the price rose, the speculator would sell the stock for a profit Many speculators bought stock on marginwith borrowed $ As more people invested, stock prices became over inflated

2.) Panic Selling: 1929: the market was saturated with so many investors A few investors began selling theirs stocks Fall of 1929, stock prices started to slowly fall Many stock brokers began to call in their marginsasking for people to pay off their loans Many of the investors could not pay the loans Brokers were forced to sell the stocks to get their $ back This selling drove stock prices even lower People began to panic and sell their stocks Stock prices fell even quicker

By the end of Oct. 1929, the stock market had crashed The crash affected those with money in the bank This money was not insured Many banks had loaned $ to stock brokers who had loaned the $ to investors When the $ was lost, the brokers could not pay back the banks The money was lost for good

Stock Market Crash and Depression Video

Causes of the Great Depression 1.) The U. S. stock market crash of 1929 Many had lost everything in the market Banks had lost peoples $ 2.) High Protective tariffs (Hawley-Smoot Tariff) Place high tariffs on imported goods Resulting in retaliatory tariffs in other countries, strangling world trade We tax their goods, so they place high taxes on ours 3.) FED Policy The Federal Reserves failure to prevent widespread collapse of the nations banking system in the late 1920s and early 1930s The Federal Reserve got rid of all credit after the crash The supply of money in circulation dried upnot enough money in circulation to allow the economy to recover

Impact of the Crash and Depression The Crash and Depression had a very damaging effect on the American people President Herbert Hoover issued upbeat statements to keep the people encouraged Hoover, however, and the government failed to act to help ease or end the Depression Hoover wanted local governments to stimulate the local economies Hoover was seen as a failure for his inability to help

Herbert Hoover

Hoovervilles: Millions of Americans were unemployed Millions had lost their life savings Farmers had lost farms Many Americans had to sell off their homes They needed the $ to pay off debt As a result, they became homeless These homeless families built Hoovervilles Makeshift houses of boxes and crates Many were built in city parks People had to wait in line to get bread Many children had little food or health care Many homeless became hobos Drifters from town to town looking for work

Video on Hoovervilles

Unemployment and lack of demand: Since many people no longer had money or homes, the demand for manufactured goods severely decreased Businesses lost profitsfired workers Unemployment began to soar Many businesses shut their doors due to lack of profit

Farm Foreclosures: Farmers were struck hard with low crop prices after WWI After the stock market crash, crop prices fell even more Very little income for farmers Farmers could not pay off mortgages Banks began foreclosing on farm loans Banks took the land and property of the farmers in place of the $ for the loan Once the land was gone, farmers were not given a chance to try and pay off the rest of the mortgage

Dust Bowl: 1931: the climate of the Great Plains region of the U. S. changed A severe drought struck the land Crops began to die No vegetation was able to hold the soil together Strong winds began to blow the topsoil up into big, black clouds of dust The soil was being blown to the east Many families packed up and moved to the west looking for jobs Oakiesfamilies from Oklahoma moved to California

Video on the Dust Bowl

John Steinbeck: Writer during the Depression Wrote Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men His books portray the hardships of the Depression, and the Dust Bowl, on the people of the U. S.

Bonus Army: As soon as the stock market crashed, WWI veterans began to lobby for aid for themselves and their families The Veterans were promised a bonus for serving the WWI The bonus was to be paid out in 1945 May 1932: A group of WWI vets from Portland, Oregon marched to Washington DC They were going to ask that the bonuses be paid out 13 years earlier than the 1945 promise The group started small, but quickly grew to over 17,000 members

Congress will defeat the Bonus Bill 2000 of the bonus army refused to leave Washington Congress will defeat the bill a second time The 2000 members of the Bonus Army still had not left The federal government thought the Bonus Army was not leaving fast enough The government sent Dwight Eisenhower and Douglas MacArthur to clear out the Bonus Army veterans Soldiers, tanks, and machine guns were used against the defenseless WWI vets The veterans fled in horror

Bonus Army Camp in Washington DC Bonus Army Video

New Deal: 1932: a new President is elected in the U. S. Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) He won by a landslide over Herbert Hoover He came to office with what he called a New Deal FDR used the radio to communicate with the American people He was trying to reassure them that the economy would improve He believed the federal government should aid the economy and provide unemployment relief His New Deal created a lot of legislation to counter the effects of the Depression

New Deal Legislation: 1.) Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA) Government could set limits on agricultural output AAA paid farmers a subsidy Paid farmers to CUT BACK their production An attempt to reduce agricultural supply to raise crop prices

2.) Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Give unemployed men jobs on environmental projects Helped build many state and national parks Men received room, board, and $30 a month

3.) Public Works Administration (PWA) Put people to work to build dams, schools, government buildings, etc. PWA spent massive amounts of $ on supplies to help stimulate the economy Randolph-Henry was a PWA project

4.) Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Built dams on Tennessee River to create electricity Many were given jobs working on the dams 5.) Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) Created by the Banking Act of 1933 Created to insure bank deposits in all member banks Many people began to gain confidence in banks again

6.) Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Created by the Securities Exchange Act Regulated the Stock Market 7.) Works Progress Administration (WPA) Put unemployed teachers, artists, and actors back to work Artists designed and painted murals for government and public buildings Writers wrote books on American History Built hospitals, airports, playgrounds, schools, etc.

8.) National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA) Designed to help struggling businesses Tried to break the cycle of wage cuts, falling prices, and layoffs Anti-trust laws were relaxed Business leader could limit production, set wages, and ban unfair competition Workers could organize labor unions Business hours were shortened

9.) Wagner Act and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) May 1935: NIRA was said to be unconstitutional by the Supreme Court Workers could no longer join unions and bargain collectively July 1935: The Wagner Act was passed Restored the rights of the NIRA Workers could join unions again National Labor Relations Board was created by the Wagner Act Created to make sure business owners would follow the Wagner Act Union membership began to steadily increase

10.) Social Security Act Created in 1935 The government accepted direct responsibility for meeting the basic needs of the citizens Gave pensions and survivors benefits for the elderly and orphaned Gave aid to people in industrial accidents

Effects of the New Deal The New Deal provided the 3 Rs for the people Relief Reform Recovery The New Deal changed the role of the federal government President and Congress extended their powers into the economic and social areas that were at once only part of the private sector The number of civil servants working in the government doubledincreased the size of the bureacracy Many federal agencies created in the New Deal era are still around today Social Security FDIC SEC

Effects of the New Deal The nature of the American economy changed Federal deficit increased Deficit spendingborrowing $ to spend more than what was collected in taxes A welfare state was created People feel that it is the governments responsibility to deliver public services, intervene in the economy, and act in ways that promote general welfare

Effects of the New Deal The New Deal did ease some of the depression, but it did NOT end it High unemployment continued in the US until the beginnings of WWII The depression revealed major problems with the free enterprise system The New Deal showed that the government could and would intervene in the nations economy

Documents

TEST #6 Lecture Notes The United States from 1890-1941 VUS.9-10