The Progressive
Era
America Seeks Reforms in the
Early 20th Century
Origins of Progressivism
• As America entered the 20th
century, middle class
reformers at the municipal,
state, and national levels
addressed the problems of the
Gilded Age, including:
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Economic inequities
Environmental issues
Social welfare
Working conditions
Rights for women and children
Four Goals of Reformers
1. Protect social welfare
2. Promote moral
development
3. Secure economic
reform
4. Foster efficiency
Protect Social Welfare
• Industrialization in the
late 19th century was
largely unregulated.
Employers felt little
responsibility toward
their workers.
• As a result, settlement
houses and churches
served the community
and organizations like
the YMCA and the
Salvation Army took on
service roles.
Salvation Army Shelter
Promote Moral Development
• Some reformers felt that
the answer to society’s
problems was personal
behavior. They proposed
such reforms as
prohibition.
• Groups wishing to ban
alcohol included the
Woman’s Christian
Temperance Union
(WCTU)
Secure Economic Reform
• The Panic of 1893
prompted some
Americans to question
the capitalist
economic system.
• As a result, some
workers embraced
socialism. Eugene
Debs organized the
American Socialist
Party in 1901.
Debs encouraged workers to reject
American capitalism
Muckrakers Criticize Big Business
• Though most Progressives
did not embrace socialism,
many writers saw the truth
in Debs’ criticism.
• Investigative journalists,
known as “Muckrakers,”
exposed corruption in
business. For example, Ida
Tarbell exposed Standard
Oil Company’s cut-throat
methods of eliminating
competition.
Fostering Efficiency
• Many Progressive
leaders put their faith in
scientific principles to
make society better.
• In industry, Frederick
Taylor began using time
and motion studies to
improve factory
efficiency. Taylorism
became an industry fad
as factories sought to
complete each task
quickly.
Cleaning Up Local Government
• Efforts at reforming
local government
stemmed from the
desire to make
government more
efficient and
responsive to
citizens.
• Some believe it also
was meant to limit
immigrants’ influence
on local
governments.
Regulating Big Business
• Under the progressive
Republican leadership of
Robert La Follette,
Wisconsin led the way in
regulating big business
and implementing the
Wisconsin Idea – a
partnership between
government and the
experts at the University
of Wisconsin.
Robert La Follette
Protecting Working Children
• As the number of
child workers rose,
reformers worked to
end child labor.
• Children were more
prone to accidents
caused by fatigue.
• Nearly every state
limited or banned
child labor by 1918
Efforts To Limit Hours
• The Supreme Court
and the states
enacted or
strengthened laws
reducing women’s
hours of work.
• Progressives also
succeeded in
winning worker’s
compensation to aid
families of injured
workers.
Election Reform
• Citizens fought for
and secured such
measures as secret
ballots, referendums,
and recalls. Citizens
could petition and get
initiatives on the
ballot.
• In 1899, Minnesota
passed the first
statewide primary
system.
Direct Election Of Senators
• Before 1913, each
state’s legislature
had chosen U.S.
senators. To force
senators to be more
responsive to the
public, Progressives
pushed for the
popular election of
senators.
• As a result, Congress
passed the 17th
Amendment in 1913.
Women in Public Life
• Before the Civil War,
American women were
expected to devote
their time to home and
family.
• By the late 19th and
early 20th century,
women were visible in
the workforce.
Domestic Workers
• Before the turn-of-thecentury women without
formal education
contributed to the
economic welfare of
their families by doing
domestic work.
• Altogether, 70% of
women employed in
1870 were servants.
Women in the Work Force
• Opportunities for
women increased
especially in the
cities. By 1900, one
out of five women
worked.
• The garment
industry was popular
as were office work,
retail, and education.
Women Lead Reform
• Many of the leading
Progressive
reformers were
women. Middle and
upper class women
entered the public
sphere after
graduating from the
new women’s
colleges.
Colleges like Vassar and Smith
allowed women to excel
Women and Reform
• Women reformers
strove to improve
conditions at work and
home.
• In 1896, black women
formed the National
Association of Colored
Women (NACW).
• Suffrage was another
important issue for
women.
Three-Part Strategy for
Winning Suffrage
• Suffragettes tried
three approaches to
winning the vote:
1. Convincing state
legislatures to adopt
the vote.
2. Pursuing court
cases to test 14th
Amendment.
3. Pushing for national
Constitutional
amendment.
Teddy Roosevelt’s Square Deal
• When President
William McKinley was
assassinated six
months into his
second term,
Theodore Roosevelt
became the nation’s
26th president
McKinley was assassinated by an
anarchist in Buffalo in September of 1901
Roosevelt and the Rough Riders
• Roosevelt captured
national attention by
advocating war with
Spain in 1898. His
volunteer cavalry
brigade, the Rough
Riders, won public
acclaim for its role in
the battle of San Juan
Hill in Cuba.
• Roosevelt returned a
hero and was soon
elected governor of NY
and later McKinley’s
vice-president.
Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders
Film clip of Theodore Roosevelt and Rough Riders
The Modern President
• When Roosevelt was
thrust into the
presidency in 1901, he
became the youngest
president ever at age 42.
• He quickly established
himself as a modern
president who could
influence the media and
shape legislation.
Trust-Busting
• By 1900, trusts –
legal bodies created
to hold stock in many
companies –
controlled 80% of
U.S. industries.
• Roosevelt filed 44
antitrust suits under
the Sherman AntiTrust Act
1902 Coal Strike
• In 1902, 140,000 coal miners
in Pennsylvania went on
strike for increased wages,
a 9-hour work day, and the
right to unionize. Mine
owners refused to bargain.
• Roosevelt called in both
sides and settled the
dispute. Thereafter, when a
strike threatened public
welfare, the federal
government was expected
to step in and help.
“The Jungle” Leads to
Food Regulation
• After reading The
Jungle by Upton
Sinclair, Roosevelt
pushed for passage of
the Meat Inspection Act
of 1906.
• The act mandated
cleaner conditions for
meatpacking plants.
Pure Food and Drug Act
• In response to
unsubstantiated
claims and
unwholesome
products, Congress
passed the Pure
Food and Drug Act
in 1906. The Act
halted the sale of
contaminated foods
and medicines and
called for truth in
labeling.
Roosevelt and the Environment
• Before Roosevelt’s
presidency, the
federal government
paid very little
attention to the
nation’s natural
resources.
Roosevelt made
conservation a
primary concern of
his administration.
Film clip of Theodore Roosevelt
Roosevelt’s Environmental Accomplishments
• Roosevelt set aside
148 million acres of
forest reserves, 1.5
million acres of
water-power sites, 50
wildlife sanctuaries,
and several national
parks.
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Roosevelt and Civil Rights
• Roosevelt failed to
support Civil Rights
for African Americans.
He did, however,
support a few
individuals such as
Booker T. Washington,
who founded the
Tuskegee Institute to
provide a technical
education for African
Americans.
NAACP Formed to Promote Rights
• In 1909 a number of
African Americans and
prominent white reformers
formed the National
Association for the
Advancement of Colored
People. The NAACP had
6,000 members by 1914.
• The goal of the
organization was full
equality among the races
through the court system,
a position supported by
W.E.B. Du Bois.
Progressivism under President Taft
• Republican William Howard
Taft easily defeated
Democrat William Jennings
Bryan in the 1908
presidential election.
• Among his
accomplishments, Taft
“busted” 90 trusts during his
four years in office – more
than Theodore Roosevelt
during his eight years in
office.
Taft, right, was Roosevelt’s War Secretary
Taft Loses Power
• Taft was not popular
with the American
public or reformminded Republicans.
He called the
Presidency, the
“lonesomest” job in
the world.” By 1910,
Democrats had
regained control of
the House of
Representatives.
1912 Election
• Republicans split in 1912
between Taft and
Roosevelt (who returned
after a safari to Africa).
• Convention delegates
nominated Taft and
discontented
Republicans formed a
third party, the
Progressive Party
(nicknamed the Bull
Moose Party), and
nominated Roosevelt.
• The Democrats put
forward a reform-minded
New Jersey governor,
Woodrow Wilson.
Wilson’s New Freedom
• With a strong mandate
from the American
people, Wilson moved
to enact his program,
the “New Freedom.”
• He planned his attack
on what he called the
triple wall of privilege:
trusts, tariffs, and high
finance.
Clayton Anti-Trust Act
• In 1914 Congress
enacted the Clayton
Anti-Trust Act that
strengthened the
Sherman Act.
• It had an anti-trust
provision that
prevented
companies from
acquiring stock from
another company
and supported
workers’ unions.
Federal Trade Commission Formed
• The FTC was formed
in 1914 to serve as a
“watchdog” agency
to end unfair
business practices.
The FTC protects
consumers from
business fraud.
Federal Income Tax Arrives
• Wilson worked
hard to lower
tariffs, however,
the lost revenue
had to be made up
and was when the
16th Amendment
instituted a
graduated federal
income tax.
Women Win Suffrage
• Native-born,
educated, middleclass women grew
more and more
impatient. Through
local, state, and
national organization,
as well as vigorous
protests, women
finally realized their
dream in 1920.
Limits of Progressivism
• While the
Progressive era was
responsible for many
important reforms, it
failed to make gains
for African
Americans. Like
Roosevelt and Taft,
Wilson retreated on
Civil Rights when he
entered office.
The KKK reached a membership
of 4.5 million in the 1920s
The Rise of American
Imperialism
Hawaii, Cuba, the Philippines,
and Latin America
Anti-Imperial Sentiment
• From the Civil War until the
1890s, most Americans
had little interest in
territorial expansion:
• Imperial rule seemed
inconsistent with
America's republican
principles.
• The US did not welcome
people with different
cultures, languages, and
religions.
Acquisition of Alaska
• The exception to the
rule was Alaska. In
1867, Sec. of State
William Steward
arranged to buy Alaska
from the Russians for
$7.2 million. Rich in
natural resources
(timber, minerals, and
oil), Alaska was a
bargain at two cents
European Imperialism
• By the mid-1890s, a shift
had taken place in
American attitudes toward
expansion. Why?
Between 1870 and 1900,
the European powers
seized 10 million square
miles of territory in Africa
and Asia. About 150
million people were
Fear of Competition
• In the United States, a
growing number of
policy makers, bankers,
manufacturers, and
trade unions grew
fearful that the country
might be closed out in
the struggle for global
markets and raw
materials.
Belief in Darwinian Struggle
• A belief that the world's
nations were engaged in
a Darwinian struggle for
survival and that
countries that failed to
compete were doomed
to decline also
contributed to a new
assertiveness on the
part of the United
Dependency on Foreign Trade
• By the 1890s, the
American economy
was increasingly
dependent on foreign
trade. A quarter of the
nation's farm products
and half its petroleum
were sold overseas.
A Desire for Sea Power
• Alfred Thayer Mahan, a
naval strategist and the
author of The Influence of
Sea Power Upon History,
argued that national
prosperity and power
depended on control of the
world's sea-lanes.
"Whoever rules the waves
rules the world," Mahan
The White Man’s Burden
• During the late 19th
century, the idea that
the United States had a
special mission to uplift
"backward" people
around the world also
commanded growing
support.
A New Assertiveness
• During the late 1880s,
American foreign policy
makers began to display
a new assertiveness.
The United States came
close to declaring war
on Germany, Chile, and
Great Britain.
The Annexation of Hawaii
• In 1893, a small group of
sugar and pineapplegrowing businessmen,
backed by the U.S. military,
deposed Hawaii's queen,
seized 1.75 million acres of
land, and conspired for
U.S. annexation of the
islands, which was
achieved in 1898. Hawaii
became a state in 1959.
Origins of Spanish American War
• The Tariff of 1894,
which put restrictions
on sugar imports to the
United States, severely
hurt the economy of
Cuba which was then a
Spanish colony. Angry
nationalists began a
revolt against the
Spanish colonial
regime.
The USS Maine
• The US, which had many
businessmen with
investment interests in
Cuba, became concerned
and dispatched the USS
Maine to rescue US
citizens who might be
endangered by the
conflict.
The Effects of Yellow Journalism
• On February 15, 1898 the
Maine mysteriously blew
up and the US blamed a
Spanish mine. When the
American public was
stirred into an anti-Spain
frenzy by the yellow
journalism of men like
Hearst and Pulitzer,
President McKinley gave
the OK for war.
Teller Amendment
• Congress agreed, but
only after adopting the
Teller Amendment that
made it clear that the
United States did not
harbor imperialist
ambitions and would
not acquire Cuba.
Shocked by Anti-Imperialism
• European leaders
were shocked by this
declaration. Britain's
Queen Victoria called
on the European
power to “unite...
against such
unheard [of]
conduct."
The Platt Amendment
• After the US defeated
Spain, it passed the Platt
Amendment which gave the
US the right to intervene in
Cuba to protect "life,
property, and individual
liberties." The 144-day war
also resulted in the US
taking control of the
Philippines, Puerto Rico,
and Guam.
The Philippine American War
• As a result of the
Philippine American
War, a sequel to the
Spanish American
War, Spain ceded
the Philippines to
the United States
for $20 million.
American Atrocities
• To suppress Filipino
insurgency, the
American military
forcibly relocated or
burned villages,
imprisoned or killed
non-combatant
civilians, and used
vicious torture
techniques (including
the water cure) on
suspected insurgents.
Philippine Independence
• During the war, more
than 4,000 American
soldiers, about 20,000
Filipino fighters, and
an estimated 200,000
Filipino civilians died.
After a long struggle,
the Filipinos received
their independence in
1946.
The Roosevelt Corollary
• In 1904, when Germany
demanded a port in the
Dominican Republic as
compensation for an unpaid
loan, Theodore Roosevelt
announced the Roosevelt
Corollary to the Monroe
Doctrine, declaring that the United States would be
the policeman of the Caribbean and Central America.
Interventions in Western
Hemisphere
• To enforce order, forestall
foreign intervention, and
protect economic interests,
the United States intervened
in the Caribbean and Central
America some twenty times
over the next quarter century - in Cuba, the Dominican
Republic, Haiti, Mexico,
Nicaragua, and Panama.
American Support of Dictators
• Each intervention
put into power a
dictator
supportive of
American
interests (Somoza
in Nicaragua,
Trujillo in the
Dominican
Republic, and
Duvalier in Haiti).
Somoza
Protection of American Interests
• On the whole, the United
States’ actions in Latin
America protected US
commercial and strategic
interests, but the goal of
spreading democracy went
mostly unfulfilled. The
frequent use of military
force also engendered
widespread resentment in
the region.
Causes of World War I
• The immediate cause of the Great War, later to
be known as World War I, was the
assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand in
Sarajevo, Bosnia, on June 28, 1914. However,
the main causes of the war existed long before
1914.
• At the time of his assassination, Francis
Ferdinand, heir to the throne of the AustroHungarian Empire, had been visiting Bosnia, a
new Austro-Hungarian province. He was shot
by Gavrilo Princip, a 19-year-old Bosnian
nationalist who believed that Austria-Hungary
had no right to rule Bosnia.
Causes of World War I
Main Causes of World War I
Imperialism
Competition for colonial lands in Africa and elsewhere led to
conflict among the major European powers.
Militarism
By the early 1900s, powerful nations in Europe had adopted
policies of militarism, or aggressively building up armed
forces and giving the military more authority over
government and foreign policy.
Nationalism
One type of nationalism inspired the great powers of Europe
to act in their own interests. Another emerged as ethnic
minorities within larger nations sought self-government.
Alliances
In a complicated system of alliances, different groups of
European nations had pledged to come to one another’s aid
in the event of attack.
The Conflict Expands
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Convinced that Serbia was behind the Archduke’s assassination, AustriaHungary declared war on Serbia on July 28, 1914.
Russia, as Serbia’s protector, began mobilization, or the readying of
troops for war.
France, Russia’s ally, and Germany, Austria-Hungary’s ally, also began
mobilization.
Germany, located between France and Russia, wanted to conquer France
quickly to avoid the need to fight on two fronts. To get to France, German
forces had to pass through neutral Belgium; the invasion of Belgium
brought Britain into the conflict as well.
One week after the war started, all the great powers of Europe had been
drawn into it. Germany and Austria-Hungary formed the Central Powers,
while Russia, France, Serbia, and Great Britain were called the Allies.
The War in Europe, 1914–1918
When Austria-Hungary
declared war on Serbia,
the complex alliance
system in Europe drew
much of the continent
into the conflict.
Stalemate and Modern Warfare
Stalemate
• By September 1914, the war had
reached a stalemate, a situation in
which neither side is able to gain an
advantage.
• When a French and British force
stopped a German advance near
Paris, both sides holed up in trenches
separated by an empty “no man’s
land.” Small gains in land resulted in
huge numbers of human casualties.
• Both sides continued to add new
allies, hoping to gain an advantage.
Modern Warfare
• Neither soldiers nor officers were
prepared for the new, highly efficient
killing machines used in World War I.
• Machine guns, hand grenades,
artillery shells, and poison gas killed
thousands of soldiers who left their
trenches to attack the enemy.
• As morale fell, the lines between
soldiers and civilians began to blur.
The armies began to burn fields, kill
livestock, and poison wells.
The American Response
• Because many Americans were European immigrants or the
children of European immigrants, many felt personally involved in
the escalating war. Although some had sympathies for the Central
Powers, most Americans supported the Allies.
• Support for the Allies was partially caused by Germany’s rule by
an autocrat, a ruler with unlimited power. In addition, anti-German
propaganda, or information intended to sway public opinion, turned
many Americans against the Central Powers.
• To protect American investments overseas , President Wilson
officially proclaimed the United States a neutral country on August
4, 1914.
The Preparedness and Peace
Movements
The Preparedness Movement
• Americans with business ties to
Great Britain wanted their country
to be prepared to come to
Britain’s aid if necessary.
• In an effort to promote
“preparedness,” the movement’s
leaders persuaded the
government to set up military
training camps and increase
funding for the armed forces.
The Peace Movement
• Other Americans, including
women, former Populists,
Midwest progressives, and social
reformers, advocated peace.
• Peace activists in Congress
insisted on paying for
preparedness by increasing
taxes. Although they had hoped
that a tax increase would
decrease support for
preparedness, the movement
remained strong.
German Submarine Warfare
• To break a stalemate at sea, Germany began
to employ U-boats, short for Unterseeboot,
the German word for submarine. U-boats,
traveling under water, could sink British
supply ships with no warning.
• When the British cut the transatlantic cable,
which connected Germany and the United
States, only news with a pro-Allied bias was
able to reach America. American public
opinion was therefore swayed against
Germany’s U-boat tactics.
The Lusitania and the Sussex
Pledge
The Sinking of the Lusitania
• On May 7,1915, a German Uboat sank the British
passenger liner Lusitania,
which had been carrying both
passengers and weapons for
the Allies.
• Since 128 American
passengers had been on
board, the sinking of the
Lusitania brought the United
States closer to involvement
in the war.
The Sussex Pledge
• More Americans were killed
when Germany sank the
Sussex, a French passenger
steamship, on March 24,1916.
• In what came to be known as
the Sussex pledge, the
German government
promised that U-boats would
warn ships before attacking, a
promise it had made and
broken before.
Moving Toward War
Unrestricted Submarine Warfare
The Zimmermann Note
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On January 31, 1917, Germany
announced its intent to end the
Sussex pledge and return to
unrestricted submarine warfare.
This action caused the United
States to break off diplomatic
relations with Germany.
Despite this announcement, the
German navy did not attack any
American ships in February,
causing the United States to
continue to hope for peace.
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During this time, Britain revealed
an intercepted telegram to the
government of Mexico from
Germany’s foreign minister,
Arthur Zimmermann.
In this telegram, known as the
Zimmermann note, Germany
offered to return American lands
to Mexico if Mexico declared war
on the United States.
Neither Mexico nor President
Wilson took the Zimmermann
note seriously, but it brought
America closer to entering the
war.
The War Resolution
• When the Russian Revolution replaced
Russia’s autocratic czar with a republican
government in March 1917, the United States
no longer needed to be concerned about
allying itself with an autocratic nation. This
removed one more stumbling block to an
American declaration of war.
• As Germany continued to sink American ships
in March, President Wilson’s patience for
neutrality wore out. On April 6, 1917, the
President signed Congress’s war resolution,
officially bringing the United States into the war.
Moving Toward War
Building an Army
• Despite the preparedness
movement, the United States
lacked a large and available
military force. Congress therefore
passed a Selective Service Act in
May 1917, drafting many young
men into the military.
• Draftees, volunteers, and
National Guardsmen made up
what was called the American
Expeditionary Force (AEF), led
by General John J. Pershing.
Training for War
• New recruits were trained in the
weapons and tactics of the war
by American and British lecturers
at new and expanded training
camps around the country.
• Ideally, the military planned to
give new soldiers several months
of training. However, the need to
send forces to Europe quickly
sometimes cut training time short.
The Convoy System and Americans
in Europe
The Convoy System
American Soldiers in Europe
• To transport troops across the
Atlantic, the United States
employed convoys, or groups
of unarmed ships surrounded
by armed naval vessels
equipped to track and destroy
submarines.
• Due to the convoy system,
German submarines did not
sink a single ship carrying
American troops.
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By 1918, European nations had
begun to run out of men to
recruit. Energetic American
soldiers, nicknamed doughboys,
helped replace the tired fighters
of Europe.
Many African Americans
volunteered or were drafted for
service. However, these men
served in segregated units and
were often relegated to
noncombat roles.
Turning the Tide of War
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New methods of military transportation, including tanks, airplanes, and
German zeppelins, or floating airships, influenced the manner in which
the war was fought.
In the spring of 1918, Germany provided safe passage for Vladimir
Lenin, leader of the Russian Bolsheviks, from Switzerland to Russia.
The Bolsheviks successfully overthrew the Russian republican
government and made peace with Germany.
The resulting truce ceded valuable Russian land to Germany and also
meant that the German military could concentrate exclusively on the
Western front. Before the arrival of American troops, Germany was
able to gain ground in France, coming within 50 miles of Paris.
General Pershing’s troops, however, pushed back the Germans in a
series of attacks. Finally, the German army was driven to full retreat in
the Meuse-Argonne Offensive begun on September 26, 1918.
Ending the War
• In the face of Allied attacks and domestic revolutions,
the Central Powers collapsed one by one. AustriaHungary splintered into smaller nations of ethnic
groups, and German soldiers mutinied, feeling that
defeat was inevitable.
• When the Kaiser of Germany fled to Holland, a
civilian representative of the new German republic
signed an armistice, or cease-fire, in a French
railroad car at 5am on November 11, 1918.
• Although guns fell silent six hours later, many more
deaths were to follow. The influenza epidemic of
1918 killed more people, both in the United States
and Europe, than all of the wartime battles.
Results of the War
Some Results of World War I
Dead and
Wounded
The estimated death toll of World War I was 8 million soldiers
and civilians, including tens of thousands of Americans. Many
more had lost limbs or been blinded by poison gas. However,
the efforts of the Red Cross and other agencies had helped save
many lives.
Loss of
Young Men
Many sensed that the war had destroyed an entire generation of
young men and grieved for the loss of their talents and abilities.
Genocide
In an act of genocide, or organized killing of an entire people,
the Ottoman Empire had murdered hundreds of thousands of
Armenians suspected of disloyalty to the government.
Financing the War
• Modern warfare required huge amounts of
money and personnel.
• Many sacrifices within the United States were
needed to meet these demands.
• The government raised money for the war in
part by selling Liberty Bonds, special war
bonds to support the Allied cause.
• Like all bonds, these could be redeemed later
for their original value plus interest.
• Many patriotic Americans bought liberty
bonds, raising more than $20 billion for the
war effort.
Managing the Economy
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United States entry into the war caused many industries to switch from commercial
to military production. A newly created War Industries Board oversaw this
production. New labor-related agencies helped ensure that labor disputes did not
disrupt the war effort.
Using the slogan, “Food will win the war,” Herbert Hoover, head of the Food
Administration and future President, began to manage how much food people
bought.
Although he had the power to impose price controls, a system of pricing determined
by the government, and rationing, or distributing goods to customers in a fixed
amount, Hoover preferred to rely on voluntary restraint and increased efficiency.
Daylight savings time was created to save on fuel use and increase the number of
daylight hours available for work. This involved turning clocks back one hour for the
summer, creating one more hour of daylight.
Enforcing Loyalty
Enforcing American Loyalty During World War I
Fear of
Foreigners
Fear of espionage, or spying, was widespread; restrictions on immigration
were called for and achieved.
“Hate the Hun”
The war spurred a general hostility toward Germans, often referred to as
Huns in reference to European invaders of the fourth and fifth centuries.
German music, literature, language, and cuisine became banned or
unpopular.
Repression of
Civil Liberties
Despite Wilson’s claim that the United States fought for liberty and
democracy, freedom of speech was reduced during the war. Sedition,
or any speech or action that encourages rebellion, became a crime.
Political
Radicals
Socialists, who argued that workers had no stake in the war, won
popular support in some states.
The radical labor organization Industrial Workers of the World (IWW)
tried to interfere with war production; vigilantes took the law into their
own hands.
Changing People’s Lives
African Americans and Other
Minoritis
• With much of the work force
in the military, factory
owners and managers who
had once discriminated
against minorities began
actively recruiting them.
• The flood of African
Americans leaving the
South to work in northern
factories became known as
the Great Migration.
New Roles for Women
• The diminished male work
force also created new
opportunities for women.
• Many women joined the work
force for the first time during
the war. Some found work on
farms with the Woman’s Land
Army; others took jobs
traditionally reserved for men.
President Wilson’s Proposals
• As the war neared an end, President Wilson developed a program
for peace around the world known as the Fourteen Points, named
for the number of provisions it contained.
• One of Wilson’s Fourteen Points called for an end to entangling
alliances; another involved a reduction of military forces. Another
dealt with the right of Austria-Hungary’s ethnic groups to selfdetermination, or the power to make decisions about their own
future.
• Although both Wilson and the German government assumed that
the Fourteen Points would form the basis of peace negotiations,
the Allies disagreed. During peace negotiations, Wilson’s Fourteen
Points were discarded one by one.
The Paris Peace Conference
Wilson Forced to Compromise
• Although Wilson claimed that he
was not interested in the spoils,
or rewards, of war, his Allied
colleagues were interested in
making the Central Powers pay
for war damages.
• Wilson was forced to compromise
on his views, especially
concerning self-determination for
former German colonies.
The League of Nations
• One of Wilson’s ideas, the
formation of a League of Nations,
was agreed upon at the Paris
Peace Conference. The League
of Nations was designed to bring
the nations of the world together
to ensure peace and security.
• Republicans in Congress,
however, were concerned about
Article 10 of the League’s charter,
which contained a provision that
they claimed might draw the
United States into unpopular
foreign wars.
The Peace Treaty
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The treaty which was negotiated at the Paris Peace Conference redrew
the map of Europe to the Allies’ advantage.
Nine new nations were created from territory taken from Austria-Hungary,
Russia, and Germany. Although most borders were drawn with the
division of ethnic minorities in mind, the redivisions created new ethnic
minorities in several countries.
France insisted that Germany be humiliated and financially crippled. The
peace treaty required Germany to pay billions of dollars in reparations, or
payment for economic injury suffered during the war. Wilson, however,
opposed this plan, claiming that these demands would lead to future wars.
On June 28, 1919, the peace treaty, which came to be known as the
Versailles Treaty, was signed at Versailles, outside of Paris.
Redrawing the Map of Europe
• At the Paris Peace
Conference, Britain,
France, and the United
States redrew the map
of Europe.
Reactions at Home
Congress and the Treaty of
Versailles
• Despite Wilson’s intensive
campaign in favor of the
Versailles Treaty, Congress
voted against ratifying it in
November 1919.
• The United States declared the
war officially over on May 20,
1920. It ratified separate peace
treaties with Germany, Austria,
and Hungary. However, the
United States did not join the
newly formed League of Nations.
Difficult Postwar Adjustments
• The war had given a large boost
to the American economy,
making the United States the
world’s largest creditor nation.
• Soldiers returned home to a
hero’s welcome but found that
jobs were scarce.
• African American soldiers,
despite their service to their
country, returned to find
continued discrimination.
• Many American artists entered
the postwar years with a sense of
gloom and disillusionment.