Progressive Era Unit: 1900-1920:
President Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft and Woodrow Wilson
Teddy Roosevelt 1901-1909
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Overview: This era addressed many of the issues caused by laissez faire, immigration, government, etc. Changes in laws
and policy began to create a more modern America. Progressive activist came from upper- middle class society: teachers,
lawyers, ministers, doctors, etc.
The Gilded Age problems were addressed with solutions during the Progressive Era.
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Muckrakers- journalists who exposed corruption in society in hopes of bringing about change; other muckrakers include Tarbell,
Riis, Norris and Steffens
Upton Sinclair and The Jungle: Sinclair wrote a book trying to expose the hardships of immigrant workers in the meatpacking
industry in the north. In the process, he described horrendous, unsanitary, meatpacking practices, that grossed out the American
public. As a result, the following two acts were passed:
*Meat Inspection Act- required that meat be inspected when transported from one state
to another.
*Pure Food and Drug Act- required labels on goods to list all ingredients in foods.
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Triangle Shirtwaist Fire- 146 people died when a fire started in a garment factory on the 9th and 10th floor, around closing time.
Exit doors were locked, and the fire escape collapsed, so many women couldn’t get out the building to save themselves. Several of
the 146 jumped to their deaths. The owners of the building were brought up on manslaughter charges, but got off. It resulted in
building and fire codes. (Several women were able to make it to the roof and evacuate to a neighboring rooftop)
Capitalism: an economic system that includes private ownership of businesses and goods that are manufactured and sold
depending on supply and demand. (much more complex, but this is the jist of it.)
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Women’s Christian Temperance Union(WCTU): worked to abolish (make illegal) alcohol
NAACP- organized by both blacks and whites to help achieve equality for AF-Am
Direct primary- election held to select whom the candidates will be in the upcoming general election
Secret ballot: when voters may vote on an unmarked ballot without being intimidated by political machines (also called an Australian
ballot).
Initiative: Allows voters to introduce NEW legislation
Referendum: Allows voters to CHANGE a law already in place. (WAYNE COUNTY VOTES IN ALCOHOL)
Recall: Allows voters to REMOVE an elected official from office by holding a new election.
Amendments: 16th-graduated income tax; 17th –direct election of U.S. Senators;
Robert LaFollette: progressive governor of Wisconsin
Theodore Roosevelt- Progressive president (conservation, big stick, gunboat diplomacy, Panama Canal, Meat Inspection Act,
Square Deal, arbitration, trust busting)
United Mine Workers Strike and arbitration: TR urged mine owners and workers to settle differences through arbitration, which is
when a neutral third party hears both sides and reaches a settlement that both must accept
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“Square Deal”: phrase that came from Mine Workers strike that means both sides got a fair deal; became 1904 campaign slogan
trust busting- breaking up monopolies.
“good” trusts”: monopolies that, even though they controlled a market and limited
competition, they still provided a quality service. TR didn’t touch those, but warned
them
that the government was keeping an eye on them.
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“bad” trusts”: monopolies that locked down an industry, stifled competition, and saw no need to “look out” for it’s customers.
TR broke these up.
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TR and conservation- 1st president to recognize need; set aside millions of acres for animal refuges and national parks
1912 election- Teddy Roosevelt was not pleased with the job Taft was doing, so he decided that he was going to run for President in
1912. When he failed to get the Republican nomination he formed the Progressive Party which was also called the Bull Moose
Party. Teddy and Taft split the Republican vote, which allowed Woodrow Wilson to win.
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Underwood tariff- Wilson lowered tariffs significantly which made American companies lower their prices; good for the consumer
Federal Reserve Act- 3 level banking system that controls the flow of money in the US by controlling interest rates; Ben Bernanke is
the Fed Chairman today
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Clayton Anti-trust Act- reinforced the Sherman Anti-trust act .
Workmen’s Compensation- allows workers to be paid if injured in a job-related accident
Women’s Suffrage- movement to achieve the right to vote
Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth C. Stanton, and Lucretia Mott- all fought for women’s suffrage
Imperialism: 1867 – 1914 Johnson ( Alaska); Cleveland, Harrison, McKinley, T. Roosevelt
Summary: During the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, the United States pursued an aggressive policy of expansionism,
extending its political and economic influence around the globe. The United States expanded its role as an imperialistic nation in the
19th century to gain economic benefits. Overseas areas provided a cheap labor force and plenty of raw natural resources with which to
fuel the U.S. economy. They also provided the U.S. with a valuable market for manufactured goods. That pivotal era in the history
made our nation a dominant country in world affairs.
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Key Terms and People
Imperialism Unit
• imperialism – policy by which stronger nations extend their political, economic, and military, control over weaker territories
• extractive economy – colonial economies based on an imperialist nation extracting or removing raw materials
• Alfred T. Mahan – naval historian who advocated for naval power as the basis for a great nation; urged the U.S. to build a
modern fleet
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Social Darwinism − belief that Darwin’s theory of the survival of the fittest should be applied to societies, justifying
imperialism
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Frederick J. Turner – historian who noted the closure of the American frontier; his ideas were used by others to urge U.S.
overseas expansion
Matthew Perry – U.S. naval commander who sailed a fleet into Tokyo Bay and opened trade with Japan in 1853
Queen Liliuokalani – Hawaiian monarch dethroned in 1893 by rebel American planters in an action backed by U.S. Marines
José Martí – Cuban patriot who launched a war for independence from Spain in 1895
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William Randolph Hearst – owner of the New York Journal who, along with Joseph Pulitzer of the New York World, started
the Yellow Press
Yellow Press – sensationalized and exaggerated reporting on Spanish atrocities in Cuba
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jingoism – aggressive nationalism
George Dewey – commodore of the U.S. squadron that destroyed the Spanish fleet in Manila Bay
Emilio Aguinaldo – leader of Filipino nationalists who defeated the Spanish Army
Rough Riders – volunteer cavalry unit assembled by Theodore Roosevelt, famous for their 1898 charge at San Juan Hill
Treaty of Paris – ended the Spanish-American War and included U.S. acquisition of Puerto Rico and the purchase of the
Philippines
insurrection – a rebellion or revolt
guerrilla warfare – form of non-traditional warfare, generally by small bands of fighters
William Howard Taft – future president, appointed governor of the Philippines in 1901
sphere of influence – zones in China that gave European powers exclusive access to commerce
John Hay – U.S. Secretary of State who asserted the “Open Door Policy” in China
Boxer Rebellion – 1900 revolt by secret Chinese societies against outside influences
Open Door Policy – Secretary of State John Hay’s policy of opposing European colonies and “spheres of influence” in China
Russo-Japanese War – war launched by Japan in 1904 to remove Russian influence in China; settled by Theodore Roosevelt
in the Treaty of Portsmouth
“Gentlemen’s Agreement” – allowed Japanese children to attend public schools with whites in California while Japan agreed
to limit emigration to the U.S.
Great White Fleet – 1907 world cruise by an armada of U.S. battleships to demonstrate American naval strength
Foraker Act – established civil government in Puerto Rico with an appointed governor
Platt Amendment – addendum to Cuba’s constitution restricting Cuba’s independence from the United States
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“big stick” diplomacy – Theodore Roosevelt’s approach to international relations that depended on a strong military to
achieve its aims
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Panama Canal – waterway dug across Panama to shorten the trip between the Atlantic and the Pacific
Roosevelt Corollary – Roosevelt’s addition to the Monroe Doctrine, which stated that the U.S. would intervene in Latin
America in order to prevent European intervention
“dollar diplomacy” – President Taft’s policy to encourage investment rather than use force in Latin America
“moral diplomacy” – President Wilson’s policy to encourage human rights and opportunity rather than act in our own selfinterest in Latin America
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Francisco “Pancho” Villa – Mexican guerrilla and outlaw who eluded capture by General Pershing for 11 months in 19161917
WWI: 1914-1918: Woodrow Wilson
Summary: World War I was a watershed moment for America, a time when an isolationist nation involved itself in world affairs and
began the rise to the economic and military power that America is today. After keeping out of the conflict that had been ravaging
Europe for nearly three years, President Woodrow Wilson took America to war only months after winning an election on the slogan
"He Kept us Out of War." Claiming that American intervention was needed to "make the world safe for democracy," Wilson sent over
two million men to Europe, of whom over 100,000 would never return. World War I marked the end of the old order in Europe, and
the beginning of what has been called the "American Century."
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Causes of WWI in Europe-
 Militarism (building up one’s military),
 secret Alliances (forming partnerships in case of war),
 Imperialism (when a powerful country takes control of a smaller one, usually to gain access to natural resources, cheap labor
and new markets),
 Nationalism (pride in one’s country). What set off WWI was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the
Austrian-Hungarian empire.
Allies- US, France, Russia, Italy, Great Britain, Japan,
Central Powers- Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, Ottoman Empire
New weapons- U-boats (submarines), poison gas, tanks, machine guns, airplanes
Sedition Act and Espionage Act: passed to limit criticism of the U.S. entry into the war.
Schneck v. U.S. - (1919), was a United States Supreme Court decision that upheld the Espionage Act of 1917 and concluded that a
defendant did not have a First Amendment right to express freedom of speech against the draft during World War I. Ultimately, the
case established the "clear and present danger" test, which lasted until 1969
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Lusitania- British ship that was sunk by a German u-boat; 128 Americans died; we were mad but didn’t enter war yet
Unrestricted submarine warfare- Germany’s practice of sinking ships that aided the Allies. This will prove to be a major cause of
the US entering WWI.
Zimmerman Telegram- letter sent from German official to German official in Mexico asking Mexico to attack the US if we enter the
war; they wanted to pre-occupy us so we couldn’t help the Allies; Mexico would gain back most of the western US if they cooperated
“to make the world safe for democracy”- Wilson’s justification for asking Congress for a declaration of war.
Selective Service Act- established the draft once the U.S. was involved in WWI.
Woodrow Wilson- elected in 1912 and 1916. Only President to serve during WWI.
Liberty bonds and victory gardens (war propaganda)- people bought war bonds (allowed the govt to borrow money) and planted
their own gardens to help conserve food for the troops
Hoover and the Food Administration: encouraged the American public to conserve food in order to ensure their was enough food
for the troops. (meatless Mondays and wheatless Wednesdays)
armistice- a cease-fire when both sides agree to stop fighting; signed on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month- Nov. 11, 1918
(now is celebrated as Veteran’s Day)
Fourteen Points- Wilson’s peace plan after WWI; only achieved one point- the 14th point
League of Nations- Wilson’s 14th point which established a world-wide peace keeping body.
Treaty of Versailles- ended the war and established the League of Nations (without the US); punished Germany harshly; Germany
had to pay billions in war reparations and had to admit full guilt; Germany and other Axis powers lost land; new countries were
formed; this treaty helped bring about WWII (The U.S. didn’t sign the Treaty of Versailles because it would mean joining the
League of Nations and an attack on one member would be considered an attack on all.)
Bolshevik Revolution- resulted in the emergence of a communist Russia.
Isolationism- US belief that we needed to stay out of world affairs after WWI. This would be the center of our foreign policy for the
next 20 years.
*Great Migration (1910-1940) - mass movement of African Americans from the south to the north in search of jobs. They hoped for
a better way of life. (African Americans, and women helped fill the void in the factories, when many men were drafted and sent to
Europe)
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