Evaluate the extent to which the United States' foreign policy fostered change politically and diplomatically from 1900 to 1941
By norah0606
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The Foraker Act
This act gave Puerto Ricans limited popular government, which later led to their U.S. citizenship in 1917. -
Boxer Rebellion
This rebellion was a response to foreign powers trying to interfere with the Chinese, as well as to the Open Door note, which initially urged that foreign powers respect China's commercial rights. After the rebellion, the note included that Chinese territory and commercial integrity be respected by foreign powers. -
Jones Act
This act, singed by President Woodrow Wilson, granted the Philippines territorial status, as well as promised independence as soon as the territory established a stable government. -
The Espionage Act
As Americans feared communism more than ever and the U.S. government exponentially worried about their citizens turning against them, this act made it illegal to speak out against the government. People such as Eugene V. Debs were convicted under this act and were subject to punishment. This act was upheld by the case Schenck v. United States in 1919 when they argued that freedom of speech could be revoked if it posed a threat toward the nation. -
Fourteen Point Plan
Wilson's 14 Point Plan stated that WWI was fought for a moral cause, and it called for peace in Europe. It removed Germany from the blame for WWI, and it allowed Germany to have some political power/rights after the war. This plan created the League of Nations, which the United States did not end up joining in the end due to Washington's advice to not join a permanent alliance ever again. -
The Trial of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti
Sacco and Vanzetti were convicted of killing a paymaster and guard in Massachusetts, with very little evidence to uphold the claim. This trial reflected America's lack of foreign policy and diplomacy as they maintained an isolationist attitude after WWI and the red scare. In this trial, because both of the accused were Italian immigrants, who were also atheist, they were not given a fair trial, and they were sentenced to execution. -
Emergency Quota Act of 1921
This act placed a quota on the number of immigrants that were allowed into America from Europe each year. It was originally 3% of the people of their nationality, but the Immigration Act of 1924 decreased it to 2%. It also banned Japanese from coming to America. -
Washington "Disarmament" Conference
During this conference, several world powers met to discuss the disarmament of their navies. They created the Four Power Treaty, the Five Power Treaty, and the Nine Power Treaty. These treaties ranged from limiting the construction of large naval ships and applying to ratio limits, and it made it so that Britain and America would refrain from fortifying their Far Eastern possessions. -
Dawes Plan
The Dawes Plan was an attempt to revive the German economy as they had to pay reparations to the Allied powers for their role in WWI. Through this plan, there was a constant flow of money through the Allies, the United States, and Germany. This was helpful to Germany by keeping their inflation at a tolerable rate. This plan fell apart when the United States fell into the Great Depression because they could no longer uphold their role. The U.S. never received their payments in full. -
Kellogg-Briand Pact
This pact tried to outlaw all war, except it still permitted defensive wars. It was ratified by 62 nations. If not evident already, this pact was not successful. -
The London Conference
This conference was an attempt to respond to the global financial depression through stabilizing currencies and their exchange rates. Roosevelt opposed this conference because he did not want it to interfere with his plans to help fix the American economy. Without the United States' support, the conference disbanded and international cooperation grew more and more difficult. -
Tydings-McDuffie Act
This act granted the Philippines independence from the United States. It was not granted out of kindness, however, because the United States did not want to have to support the Philippines in case Japan attacked the islands. The passing of this act is another indicator of Roosevelt's isolationism as he withdrew from Asia and surrounding territories. -
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War was incited by Spanish rebels as they rose up against the left-wing republican government in Madrid. The rebels were led by Francisco Frannco, who was aided by both Hitler and Mussolini. American volunteers under the group name of the "Abraham Lincoln Brigade" fought against the rebels for the loyalists. -
The Neutrality Act of 1939
This act allowed for European democracies to buy American war materials if they transported the good themselves and only paid in cash. This let America avoid loans, war debts, and the sinking of American kids. The demand for war goods increased, which solved the unemployment issue in the United States. -
The Bombing of Pearl Harbor
Japanese bombers attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, killing 2,348 people on December 7, 1941. Most of America's battleships were damaged, and this event influenced the United States government to declare war on Japan on December 11, 1941.
