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"The Influence of Sea Power upon History"
In this book, author Alfred Thayer Mahan argued that a nation's greatness and prosperity came from maritime power. It was asserted that it was America's "destiny" to control the Caribbean, build the Panama Canal, and spread American influence across the Pacific. -
Hawaiian Annexation
After foreign import tariffs caused a depression in the Hawaiian sugar market, many Americans had proposed that annexing the Hawaiian Islands would naturally cause the problem to disappear. -
Cuban Revolt
As a result of constant Spanish presence, Cuban Nationalists initiated a revolt, in which the Spanish responded by sending over 200,000 troops to the island. The Cuban insurrectos began wrecking Spanish property in hopes that either the Spanish would leave the island, or that the U.S. would intervene. -
Invention of the Radio
This invention allowed for the mass distribution of news and collective knowledge, which had a very large impact on early 20th century society. -
De Lome Letter
De Lome, the Spanish minister in Washington, sent a secret letter discribing President McKinley as weak. This event, along with the sinking of the Maine helped stir American support for war against Spain. -
Sinking of the Maine
After the explosion and sinking of the U.S.S. Maine in Havana Harbor, which killed 260, many Americans blamed Spain. While it later turned out to be caused by an internal explosion, the sinking was used by those who were eager for war with Spain. -
Teller Amendment
This amendment to the declaration of war against Spain proclaimed that the United States would not establish permanent control over Cuba. This came true after the U.S. only occupied Cuba until 1902. -
Open Door Policy
This American policy claimed that each of the world's powers should have access to a port in East Asia, only China could collect trade taxes, and that no world power should be exempt from paying taxes in East Asia. This came after the U.S. had just gained territory from Spain as a result of the Spanish-American war, and American markets were becoming interested in China. -
Platt Amendment
This follow-up to the Teller Amendment allowed the United States to further intervene in Cuba to preserve its independence if need be. -
Newlands Reclamation Act
This law allowed the federal government to sell public lands to raise money for irrigation projects, allowing the expanded agriculture on arid lands. -
Panamanian Revolt
After Columbia initially refused America's proposal to buy land for the Panama Canal, the U.S. gave a lot of support to Panamanian rebels, in order to guarantee Panama's independence and build the canal. -
Roosevelt Corollary
This foreign policy statement basically allowed the U.S. to intervene in the domestic affairs of other nations in the Western Hemisphere, in order to maintain stability. Roosevelt connected this policy to the Monroe Doctrine of 1823, despite the fact that the two policies had little to do with each other. -
Russo-Japanese War
After fighting a long war over territory in Korea and Manchuria, Japanese and Russian representatives met in Portsmouth, NH where Roosevelt mediated the Treaty of New Hampshire in 1905. -
National Child Labor Committee
This committee set out on a mission to promote the rights, awareness, and well-being of children in the workforce. -
"The Jungle"
This book by Upton Sinclair highlighted the horrors constantly seen in America's meatpacking industry, and helped lead to many reforms being passed that were designed to protect the consumer. -
Pure Food and Drug Act
In response to uproar created by Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle," this act forbade the sale of mislabeled or adulterated food and drugs, and gave the U.S. broad powers in order to ensure the safety of consumer goods. -
Meat Inspection Act
Also as a result of Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle," this act set strict standards of cleanliness in the meatpacking industry in order to further provide protection towards consumers. -
Great White Fleet
Stemming from the ideas in Mahan's "Influence of Sea Power on History," the U.S. sent 16 brand new battleships around the world in order to demonstrate America's naval power. -
Square Deal
This deal refers to Roosevelt's policies that focused on the control of corporations, consumer protection, and the conservation of natural resources. This idea originally came from Progressive ideals in the late nineteenth century, which argued for achieving improvements to American society. -
Triangle Shirtwaist Fire
This disaster, one of the most infamous events in American industrial history, led to the deaths of 145 workers due to neglected safety features within the factory. This event brought attention to the dangerous conditions of factories at the time, and led to a series of laws and regulations designed to better protect the safety of workers. -
17th Amendment
This amendment to the Constitution called for U.S. senators to be directly elected by voters instead of state legislatures. -
16th Amendment
This amendment to the Constitution gave the U.S. the power to tax income, in order to raise more money. -
Federal Reserve Act
This act created 12 regional banks around the country, governed by a Federal Reserve Board. This was meant to provide the U.S. with a flexible yet stable currency. -
Panama Canal
The construction of the Panama Canal connected the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the center of the continent, and allowed the U.S. East and West coasts to be more closely connected. -
Clayton Antitrust Act
Many industrial giants from the late 1800s remained unchecked, engaging in many unfair business practices. This antitrust act expanded upon the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890, allowing the government to more effectively restrict harmful business practices. -
Sussex Pledge
This was a promise made by Germany to the United States, after the sinking of a French passenger ferry, that they would cease all unrestricted submarine warfare. However, this was repealed a year later, and eventually led to America's involvement in WWI. -
Jones Act
This act signed by Woodrow Wilson gave all Puerto Ricans U.S. citizenship, and created a form of government to be used in the island. However, the U.S. still maintained a lot of power over the island nation. -
Zimmerman Telegram
This telegram was a proposal sent to Mexico by Germany which involved a Mexican invasion of America, in order to slow the export of American arms. However, this message was intercepted by British intelligence and sent to the U.S., helping to shift the American public's opinion away from Germany. -
Selective Service Act
This act, passed shortly after the U.S. entered WWI, allowed for the creation of a small military division composed of the general population, and created the Selective Service System. -
Sinking of the Lusitania
This British passenger ship was sunk by a German U-Boat, killing 128 Americans. This was one of the main reasons that the U.S. entered WWI. -
Espionage Act
As a method of total war, this act allowed people to be punished for obstructing military recruitment, or causing insubordination within the armed forces. -
Sedition Act
Another method of total war used to reinforce the Espionage Act, this made it illegal to insult the government, flag, Constitution, and military, as well as to agitate the production of war materials. -
WWI Armistice
Only a year after the U.S. entered WWI, Germany signed this armistice, ending the war. -
Harlem Renaissance
This was a cultural movement among African Americans that mainly revolved around African American pride and culture. This movement also brought African American culture into the mainstream. -
Schenck v. United States
After Schenck was convicted of convincing others to resist the draft, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the government was allowed to restrict the First Amendment in times of war. -
Fourteen Points
Wilson's fourteen points presented at the Paris Peace Conference following WWI were the United States's official position on a post-war world, offering ideas on how countries should interact peacefully. However, the U.S. never officially agreed to these points themselves. -
Treaty of Versailles
After WWI, this treaty was held for the Allied Powers to discuss Germany's reparations. Not only was Germany stripped of their military, but their borders were reassigned and fined billions of dollars as well. -
Red Scare
Following the end of WWI and the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, many Americans had feared a communist takeover in the U.S. as well. Innocent people were jailed for expressing their views, and civil liberties were ignored, until the scare ended as quickly as it began. -
Volstead Act
As a result of the growing Prohibition movement during the late 1800s, this act was passed in order to enforce the 18th Amendment, which prohibited the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages. -
Palmer Raids
This operation involved federal marshals raiding the homes of suspected radicals and radical headquarters in cities around the U.S. -
Sacco and Vanzetti Case
After the murder of two security guards in Massachusetts, anarchists Sacco and Vanzetti were arrested, but tried to claim that their prosecution was politically motivated. They ended gaining a lot of support from the left wing around the world. -
Teapot Dome Scandal
After the Secretary of the Interior under President Harding was found to have leased petroleum reserves in Wyoming without competitive bidding, one of the greatest scandals in American politics occurred, severely damaging the reputation of the Harding administration. -
Emergency Quota Act and Immigration Act
These two acts established the first limits on the entry of immigrants, in order to keep out "undesirable" ethnic groups. This was mainly due to the growing resentment of these ethnic groups within the U.S. at the time. -
Five-Power Naval Treaty
This treaty was signed among the major powers that won WWI, as an agreement to prevent an arms race by limiting naval construction. However, this treaty was renounced as the world grew closer to WWII. -
Nine-Power China Treaty
This treaty affirmed the sovereignty and territorial integrity of China, based off of the Open Door Policy. This was meant to prevent further conflict in China similar to the previous Opium Wars. -
Dawes Plan
This plan successfully resolved the issue of Germany's reparations from WWI, ending a crisis in Europe that followed the Treaty of Versailles. -
Scopes Trial
After teacher John Scopes was convicted of teaching evolution in a Tennessee public school, the issue of religion and education was brought to the forefront of American society and politics. -
Kellogg-Briand Pact
This treaty was an agreement between many different nations as a promise not to use war to resolve any disputes or conflicts. However, this would prove ineffective, as multiple states began to militarize during the 1930s. -
Black Tuesday
This was the day that the stock market completely collapsed after a prosperous decade, leading to the Great Depression. -
21st Amendment
This amendment to the Constitution was created to repeal the 18th amendment, making the sale of alcoholic beverages legal again in the U.S.