Study Guide for Social Studies Turn of the Century Test TUESDAY, Dec. 16
*immigrants-people from other countries who move to a new country
*Immigrants after 1870 mostly came from southern and eastern European countries like Italy, Poland, and
Russia. Many were poorly education, poor, and spoke little or no English.
*Immigrants came to the US for many reason such as: for a better life, for freedom of religion, to make
money, own land.
*Working conditions for immigrants were not always safe and they often worked for low pay.
*Many American citizens were unhappy about immigration because they feared their jobs would be taken away
and given to immigrants that would work for lower pay and in worse conditions.
*tenements-buildings that are divided into small apartments. Many immigrants lived in tenements with multiple
families.
*New technologies changed the way Americans lived and improved the US economy.
*Georgia Washington Carver was a botanist that made many inventions using peanuts.
*a botanist is a scientist that studies plants
*Thomas Edison made improvements in electricity by inventing the incandescent light bulb.
*Alexander Graham Bell made improvements in communication by inventing the telephone.
*The Wright Brothers made improvements in flight by inviting the air plane.
*In 1898 Congress declared war on Spain and the Spanish American War began.
*Causes of the War:*Cuba wanted independence from Spain.
*Spain treated Cuba badly which affected businesses in Cuba that were owned by American
Citizen.
*The explosion a US naval ship, the USS Maine, thought to have been torpedoed by Spain.
*Results: The United State won, Cuba gained independence from Spain, and the United States gain the Spanish
territories of Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines.
*More than 5, 000 American soldier died, but mostly from diseases.
*President William McKinley was President of the USA during the Spanish American War.
*President William McKinley was assassinated and Teddy Roosevelt becomes president.
*Roosevelt wants to make an easy route between the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean. Before the Panama Canal,
ships traveling from one ocean to the other had to sail around Cape Horn at the southern tip of South
America.
*The Panama Canal was built in southern Central America, on the Isthmus of Panama. It shortened the trip
from months to days.
*The canal was opened in 1914 and is 50 miles long. It became very important during war time for our naval ships
and for trade. It is still used today.
*In 1914 Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was assassinated by a Serbian nationalist, beginning WWI.
*The United States stayed neutral in the war for the first few years.
*In 1917 a German submarine sank a passenger ship the Lusitania. Many innocent people died including 128
Americans.
*The United States still remained neutral until the Zimmerman Note. The Zimmerman Note was a message from
Germany suggesting that if the United States became involved in the war, Mexico would attack the US and would
gain some of its land if Germany won the war. Mexico refused the offer, but the threat upset the US
government.
*On April 6, 1917 the US officially enters the war and joined the Allied powers.
(We will go into great depth of WWI after we return from the holidays)