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The Beginning of Civil Rights: Du Bois vs. Douglas
Frederick Douglas and W. E. B. Du Bois were both supporters of the African American Civil Rights Movement. Frederick Douglas was a runaway slave that continued to use his speaking skills to persuade America to abolish slavery. However, Du Bois came after the end of slavery, and wanted to end discrimination of freed African Americans. Du Bois stressed that freedmen should seek education and use their knowledge to change. -
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Labor Unions
Labor unions mainly began to form in the mid-1850s in response to industrialization. One of the big labor unions was The AFL led by Samuel Gompers (1886). Another union was United Mine Workers of America which was led by John Lewis (later merged with AFL). Lewis also helped found the Congress of Industrial Organizations. The Wagner act strengthened unions and the Taft-Hartley Act restricted them. -
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All Aboard! The Transcontinental Railroad
The Transcontinental Railroad was the first attempt at providing long-distance, mass transportation. It was built using government subsidies and bonds, and the land was provided by government grants.
The Credit Mobilier scandal took place, where Union Pacific overcharged and bribed Congress. The Transcontinental Railroad made Native American move.
The railroad allowed industry to boom with quick distribution and short travel times. -
Everyone is Happy, Except for Those Who are Not Happy: Freedmen after the Civil War
The freedmen of the south (former slaves) continued to experience oppression. The formation of the KKK, the ineffective 14th and 15th amendments (which were effectively countered by literacy tests and poll taxes), and the Jim Crow laws kept African Americans from truly being integrated into society.
Instead, many lived as tenant farmers forced into sharecropping. The Black Codes in the south kept freedmen from economic opportunities. -
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Rebuilding America: The Reconstruction Era
The Reconstruction Era was the time period following the Civil War. Congress passed the 13th, 14th, and the 15th amendments, which prohibited slavery, gave freedmen citizenship and "equal protection", and gave freedmen the right to vote, respectively.
Northerners who moved south were called carpetbaggers and southern white republicans were called scalawags. The south greatly resented to the northern plans for reconstruction -
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Dear Government: HANDS OFF!!!
Laissez-faire is a French word that describes the idea that an economy will function better when the government is not interfering with regulations.
During the industrial age after the Civil War, advocators for laissez-faire supported self-interest and competition while opposed the taxing of commerce. -
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The Second Industrial Revolution: Growth of Cities
The growth of cities during the late 19th century and the early 20th century was largely spurred by the new steel production boom. The invention of the elevator allowed construction of skyscrapers, which increased living space as cities grew upward. Unfortunately, coupled with the increase in population density came worse sanitation, increased pollution, and massive spread of disease. -
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The Titans of Industry
Starting with John D. Rockefeller, a slew of high-profile, wealthy businessmen quickly rose to become the most influential people of the time. These men came to be known as the Titans of Industry.
Men like Rockefeller (Standard Oil Co., Carnegie (Carnegie Steel Company), and J. P. Morgan (banker).
Vertical integration is the process of owning all the means to production, while horizontal means all the competition are bought out. -
Survival of the Fittest: Social Darwinism
In the late 19th century, the concept of Social Darwinism came to describe the idea that natural selection chose the better humans. This was used to justify the racism of whites against blacks. It also was used to justify the idea that the rich are supposed to be rich while the poor are supposed to be poor. -
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What Goes Up Must Come Down: Gilded-Age Business Cycles
With the rise of the Titans of Industry, production saw an increase as did the general economy of the United States. Yet beneath the surface, there was an up and down cycle of boom and bust. Long Depression (Panic of 1873) was a massive depression for the public. Then later in the 1880s the economy boomed again, only to suffer periods of contraction from 1883-1885 and the panics of 1893 and 1896 hit the economy. -
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Immigration from Southern and Eastern Europe
The new immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe were considered inferior to the old European immigrants from the North and the West. The new immigrants were discriminated against by the rest of America because of the differences in religious belief as well as the inability for most of the immigrants to speak English. Fearing job competition, America greatly discriminated against the new immigrants. -
Native Americans Were About as Happy as Freedmen: The Dawes Act
The Dawes Act divided Indian reservation land into 160 acre plots, which were then given to the Native Americans. The rest of the land was to be sold to white people to create schools for Native American assimilation. The intent behind this was to assimilate Native Americans into American society while providing land for farming. However, most of the land had too little rain for farming and too little land for livestock. -
Responsible Financing: The Gospel of Wealth
The Gospel of Wealth was a term coined mainly by Andrew Carnegie under the titular book. It came to describe the economic philosophy that justified the accumulated money of the wealthy. Carnegie argued that the wealthy should use their money to better those that didn't have their own wealth. Giving back to the community and providing philanthropic aid became the main goal of the Gospel of Wealth. -
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The Progressive Era
Progressivism was largely started as a result of the industrialization of cities. The corruptness of politicians and the bad practices of large corporations led to the rise of muckrakers who attempted to uncover the truth behind politics, the meat industry, the slums of cities, and companies such as Standard Oil Company. The election of Theodore Roosevelt allowed the Progressives to have a voice in politics. -
Sherman's Anti-Trust Act
Sherman's Anti-Trust Act was one of America's first attempts to regulate businesses. Sherman believed that the massive monopolies and trusts that the Titans of the Industry had built up needed to be regulated. Sherman's Anti-Trust Act was the first major legislation passed to address these monopolies. Unfortunately, there wasn't any enforcement for this Act, and because of its vague wording, companies actually used it against labor unions. -
The People's Party: Populism
The Populist Party was formed as a result of the Populist Movement, which started as a political revolt by farmers in the South and Midwest against the Democratic and Republican Parties. The Populist platform adopted a platform mainly centered around bettering the lives of farmers. This involves a graduated income tax, the increased circulation of paper money, as well as getting rid of the gold standard and replacing it with silver. -
Frederick Jackson Turner's Frontier Thesis
Turner's Frontier Thesis is an argument that stressed the closing of the west. The frontier thesis was based upon the idea that the America was expanding into the West, but all of the productive land was already taken up. This was used to justify the continuous expansion of America but through imperialism. -
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Civil Rights in the Supreme Court: Plessy v. Ferguson and Brown v. The Board of Education of Topeka
Two court cases played massive roles in civil rights. In Plessy v. Ferguson, Fuller ruled that racial segregation was allowed under the 14th amendment because of the doctirne "separate but equal." In Brown v. Board of Education, Warren overturned Plessy v. Ferguson by stating that separation of educational facilities is inherently unequal and abolished segregation in schools (but did no spell out any method for ending racial segregation. -
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The Splendid Little War: Spanish American War
The Spanish American War originated in the Cuban struggle for independence in 1895. Yellow journalism in the US portrayed Spain in a brutal light. The unexplained sinking of the USS Maine led to America declaring war on Cuba. The war only lasted three months and ended with the Treaty of Paris (1898). Spain renounced claims to Cuba and gave the United States Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines. -
Business with China: The Open Door Policy
Secretary of State John Hay proposed the Open Door Policy, which was intended to remove the spheres of influence in China. At the time America was scared of the strong European influences in China and wanted to be equal economic footing. Hay's proposal allowed America to maintain business interests in China. However, Chinese nationalists were upset by this and started the Boxer Rebellion in 1900. -
Ford, The Assembly Line, and the Model T
The assembly line was not a new concept, but Henry Ford is attributed to being the first to utilize it on such a large scale. By using the assembly line, the production of the Ford Model T greatly increased. Production time was drastically decreased so did the price of the car. Cars were more readily available to the public allowing quicker travel and increased employment. -
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The Draft: WWI vs. WWII
The difference between the conscription process in WWI and WWII was that the draft during WWII was instituted in peacetime. Wilson and the Selective Service Act was used to increase the size of US's military force after the war had already started and the government didn't hit the target number of troops, whereas Roosevelt and the WWII draft was started before the war began as a precautionary measure. -
Wilson's Brainchild: The League of Nations
[The League of Nations] (www.history.com/this-day-in-history/league-of-nations-instituted) was created by Wilson as an attempt to create an international organization that was responsible for keeping global peace. He proposed it as a part of his 14 points plan, but was unable to get it passed in Congress, because they wanted to avoid US involvement in further warfare. Without the US as a major superpower and the lack of a large military force, the League of Nations quickly failed. -
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Literature in the 1920's
Literature in the 1920s was heavily influenced by a group of Americans whom came of age during WWI called the Lost Generation. These became authors that wrote on topics such as gender roles and decadence. Examples are Fitzgerald, Eliot, Steinbeck, Tolkien, Lewis, and Hemingway. Sinclair Lewis wrote "The Jungle", which exposed the terrible practices of the meat industry. -
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Andrew W. Mellon's Economic Policies
Andrew Mellon was Secretary of the Treasury. Mellon mainly wanted to focus on debt reduction, tax reduction, and balancing the budget. He created his Mellon Plan, which mainly revolved around reducing taxes for businesses. The beginning of the Great Depression put an end to his economic policies. -
The Washington Naval Conference
The Washington Naval Conference was a meeting between the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan France, and Italy in order to reduce the size of global navies by restricting the number of warships that could be produced. The Four-Power, Five-Power, and Nine-Power treaties emerged from the Washington Naval Conference, later modified by the London Naval Treaty of 1930 and the Second London Naval Treaty of 1936. -
Evolution vs Religion: The Scopes Trial
The Scopes Trial (also called the Monkey Trial) began with John Thomas Scopes, who had taught evolution in school, which at the tie was considered a violation of a Tennessee state law. William Jennings Bryan was a fundamentalist and assisted the prosecution while Clarence Darrow joined the defense. Scopes was found guilty but this sparked a heated controversy over whether or not evolution religion should dictate education. -
Trying to End War: The Kellog-Briand Pact
The Kellog-Briand Pact was signed after World War One. The treaty was signed by the United States and other Powers to provide for the renunciation of war. -
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Hoover and the Great Depression
Herbert Hoover believed in a sense of "rugged individualism". He believed that government aid should be minimal and any aid should be temporary and mostly provided by state and local governments rather than the federal government. Hoover believed that government handouts would be damaging to the poor and unemployed and expected all loans to be paid back. -
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Isolationism in the 1930s
Following World War One, many Americans adopted an isolationist view. Congress rejected the League of Nations because they felt joining it would lead to America getting dragged further into European affairs. Furthermore, the Great Depression led to many believing America was unable to financially sustain foreign intervention. The Nye Committee said that bankers and manufacturers pushed for intervention for their own profit. -
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The Great Depression
In the 1930s, America (and the world) experienced the worst economic depression in all of history. In the US, speculation of stocks and use of credit led to a huge bust when the stock market crashed. worldwide GDP fell by 15% and unemployment in America rose to 25%. The farming community also heavily suffered as crop prices fell by about 60%. -
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Franklin Delano Roosevelt
FDR's presidency coined the term "First Hundred Days" because of his New Deal programs that focused on relief, recovery, and reform to reverse the Great Depression. He believed that the government needed to play a big role in controlling the economy. His second term saw judicial opposition so he tried to "court pack new justices". His Good Neighbor policy improved relations with Latin America. His lend lease act ended neutrality. -
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The Neutrality Acts
There were several Neutrality Acts passed in the 1930's to keep America out of World War II. There were a total of four neutrality acts: 1935, 1936, 1937, and 1939. 1935: Prohibited all arms shipments and forbade US citizens from traveling on ships of belligerent nations. 1936: Forbade the extension of loans and credits to belligerents. 1937: Forbade the shipment of arms to the opposing sides in the civil war in Spain. -
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The Second World War
During World War Two, America experienced the Pearl Harbor attacks, which led to Executive order 9066, which authorized the internment of Japanese Americans into concentration camps. Women filled traditionally male jobs in manufacturing, nursing, and services. Racism was less pronounced in the military, and the racism that continued after the war led to the civil rights mvt. -
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Harry S. Truman
[Truman's] (https://www.whitehouse.gov/1600/presidents/harrystruman Fair Deal policies aimed to further FDR's democratic ideals. He campaigned for a democratic Congress, increasing the number of democratic seats. Truman's doctrine of containment tried to contain communism. Truman sent aid to Turkey and Greece to contain Communism. The Berlin Airlift sent aid to the people cut off by the Soviet Union. The Korean War erupted as the US supported south Korea against the Communist North. -
The American Spirit: Attitude After WWII
The Second World War was largely a united effort by America. Following the Pearl Harbor attacks, the entire public at the home front was mobilized to help. Whether by enlisting, by planting "victory gardens" or by buying war bonds, the American public was invested in the United State's victory. After the war was won, America felt invulnerable and jubilant, as illustrated in the Post War celebrations. -
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McCarthyism
McCarthyism is derived from Senator Joseph McCarthy who is famous for giving a list of Communist members working inside the State Department. It now refers to the practice of accusing someone of treason without any evidence. This was more commonly seen during the Second Red Scare where America feared the spread of Communism within the United States. -
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The Fabulous Fifties: 1950's
The 1950's saw the rise of suburbs with the Interstate Highway Act under Eisenhower. Following WWII, the baby boom created a massive new generation. The nuclear war scare of this time between the Soviet Union and the United States led to the Cold War. The general public in the US experienced great prosperity with increased quality of living and the rise of consumerism. Better economic stances prevented a postwar bust. -
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The Civil Rights Movement
The Civil Rights Movement in the US aimed to end racial segregation and discrimination against African Americans. Sit-ins (ie Greensboro) involved sitting in segregated areas to force businesses to accept desegregation. School desegregation occurred with Brown v. Board. MLK was one of the key speakers for civil rights and lead protests and marches. The March on Washington was a massive march organized by MLK where he gave the "I Have a Dream Speech." Malcom X was a radical black leader. -
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The Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was on of the Cold War-era proxy wars between the North Vietnamese (backed by China and the Soviet Union) and the South Vietnamese (backed by US, Australia, and other anti-communist allies). The Gulf of Tonkin resolution gave Johnson the power to declare war without Congress. The Tet Offensive during Johnson's time led to anit-war. Nixon and his policy of "peace with honor" ended US involvement. -
Sputnik
Sputnik was the first artificial Earth satellite. It was launched by the Soviet Union into space to broadcast radio signals. It caught America by surprise because the Soviet Union was the first country to successfully send a satellite into space, which scared America into believing they were technologically inferior. This sparked the Space Race of the Cold War. -
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Protests of the 1960's
Anti-war opposition against Vietnam grew, particularly on college campuses where students would hold protests. Students were killed at Kent protests, and the Berkeley protests played a big role. The counter culture of the time protested traditional values and countered with the new "hippie" culture. The Women's movement involved the Feminine Mystique that encouraged women to get better jobs (Equal Pay Act). -
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The Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was one of the climaxes of the Cold War, where a US spy plane discovered that the Soviet Union had set up nuclear missile launch sites in Cuba. John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev were able to peacefully resolve the situation after the US agreed to never invade Cuba and pull out their own missiles that had been deployed in Turkey. -
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Lyndon Baines Johnson
[Lyndon Johnson] (www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/lyndon-b-johnson) had a policy of the Great Society. He supported and passed some of JFK's policies, such as civil rights. He also supported the education and the arts. His "War on Poverty" decreased the poverty line and reformed healthcare. He also helped initiate Medicare as well as Medicaid. His dealings with Vietnam, however, lost him approval with the public, especially with the Tet Offensive.
