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Chapter 23: The Progressive Era
During the start on the 20th century, America was heavily influenced by the Bible. Many
Americans read and taught the Bible to their children daily. These daily reading sessions lead to
the American youth to be good and productive citizens. The 20th was also a very inventive time
for America. New invention like the car, the central heating systems, and the internal heating system changed American life.
The way we communicated and transported ourselves changed in the 20th century with
the introduction of the automobile or more commonly called the “car” and the radio. In 1895
there was a very low number of cars in the United States but in 1900 there were over 8,000 cars
in America. One man responsible for this was Henry Ford. In the early 20th century cars were
really expensive to produce and buy. But Henry Ford wanted to change that. After he started the
Ford Motor Company Henry Ford wanted to make a car that any American could afford. So in
1908 he made the Model T which was inexpensive compared to most cars at the time. This car
was extremely popular but still not all Americans could afford it. That is when Henry started the
Ford assembly line. Which increased the volume and decrease the price of the Model T. Another
revolutionary invention was the radio. The radio was a result of the wireless telephone and
changed America. Almost every house in America had a radio in their homes.
The 20th century’s inventions and technology was nothing like anything anyone had ever
seen before. Electricity was being installed in homes in America which provided air conditioning. Inventions as simple as the Vacuum Cleaner or as complex as the internal combustion engine
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were changing America. Little things in American life became more convenient because of the
things like the Automated Tea Maker, Electric Washing Machine, Coffee Filter, Tea Bags and
Water Coolers.
One major thing that changed trading and traveling was the Panama Canal. The Panama
Canal is a canal that was built in Central America. Its main purpose was the shortcut it provided.
Instead of going around the tip of South America when traversing from the East Coast to the
West, ships could use the canal instead. Before the United States could start construction on the
canal, they had to get rid of the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty which prevented the construction of the
canal. The U.S eventually got ride of the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty with the Hay-Pauncefote Treaty.
After that a French company had already started work on the Panama Canal. The company offered to sell their equipment and their rights to built to the U.S for $100 Million. But then eventually lowered their price to $40 Million, the U.S accepted the offer and construction started a
while after that.
Teddy Roosevelt had a famous saying during his Presidency the saying was “Speak softly
and carry a big stick. This saying meant that the U.S will be peaceful unless they are being antagonized enough by other counties. This was the slogan of his “Big Stick” policy during the
time of the Spanish-American War. The United States Protect Cuba and Puerto Rico during the
war. Teddy Roosevelt Protected counties in Latin America especially during the opening of the
Panama Canal.