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De Lome Letter
The De Lome Letter was a letter written by Señor Don Enrique Dupuy de Lôme, the Spanish Ambassador to the United States, explaining his opinion on the Spanish involvement in Cuba and President McKinley's diplomacy. De Lome criticized McKinley in this letter by calling him weak and only concerned with the favor of people. This was kind of a factor pushing the U.S. into the Spanish-American war after the USS Maine was sunk. -
"Yellow Journalism"
Yellow Journalism was used between 1895 and 1898. It was journalism based off sensationalizing and exaggerating stories backed by almost no research. Eye-catching titles and graphics would attract readers and increase media circulation. This was one of the factors that pushed America and Spain into Cuba into war in Cuba and the Philippines, which lead to the U.S. acquiring overseas territory. -
Open Door Policy
The Open Door Policy was proposed by John Hay in 1899 and initiated 1899 and 1900. This policy would allow for a trade system in China openly and equally among all participating countries. This Policy would help establish American imperialism in overseas markets while keeping peace across nations. -
Platt Amendment
The Platt Amendment specified the conditions for U.S. intervention in Cuban affairs and allowed the U.S. to lease or buy lands for the purpose of the establishing naval bases, mainly Guantánamo Bay, and coaling stations in Cuba. It was established to attempt to satisfy Cuba and America. This set conditions under which the U.S. would end its military occupation of Cuba but the U.S. had the right to be involved in Cuban affairs to protect Cuban independence. -
Newlands Reclamation Act
The Newlands Reclamation Act is a law that authorized the federal government to fund water diversion, retention and transmission projects in arid lands, mainly in the far west. This aims to provide financial support to farmers who aren't able to carry out their irrigation due to financial struggles. -
Panama Canal
The U.S. got permission to take over the Panama Canal in 1904. The canal was built with the intentions of creating a faster travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. It was built when the U.S. sparked the beginning of the Panamanian Revolution. -
Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905)
The Russo-Japanese War was a war fought between Russia and Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and Korea that took place during 1904 and 1905. This was significant because it was the first all-out war of the modern era in which a non-European power defeated a European power. This loss resulted in the Russian Empire and Tsar Nicholas II lost considerable prestige, and two naval fleets. -
The Jungle
The Jungle was a novel written by Upton Sinclair that was originally published in 1905. This book was made to describe the harsh conditions in meat-packaging factories, and the exploited lives of immigrants in the U.S. in industrialized cities. Sinclair's explanation of the diseased, rotten, and contaminated meat shocked the public leading to new federal food safety laws. -
Meat Inspection Act
A law that was established in 1906, that made it a crime to sell adulterated or misbranded livestock, and ensured that meat was slaughtered and/or processed under strict regulation to make sure it is sanitary. This would help bring an end to harsh working conditions and make sure food was safe to consume. -
Pure Food & Drug Act
The Pure Food and Drug Act was one of the first acts of a series of important customer protection laws that were enacted by Congress and led to the to the creation of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The main objective was to ban foreign and interstate traffic in adulterated or mislabeled food and drug products, and it directed the U.S. Bureau of Chemistry to inspect goods and mention offenders to prosecutors. This act potentially saved lives of buyers across America. -
Meat Inspection Act
The Federal Meat Inspection Act is a law that makes it illegal to adulterate or misbrand meat products being sold as food, and ensures that meat products are slaughtered and processed under strictly regulated sanitary conditions. This was signed by Roosevelt in 1906 to improve the general health and welfare of the public and stop the unhealthy practices of the Meat Processing industry. -
Great White Fleet
The Great White Fleet refers to the powerful U.S. Navy battleships that completed a trip around the world from 16 December 1907, to 22 February 1909. This purpose for this journey to display American naval power to the rest of the world. Its successful return and completion of this journey also added credit to Roosevelt's presidency. -
NAACP Founded
The National Association of the Advancement of Colored People, or NAACP, was founded on February 12, 1909. It was formed in New York by all sorts of civil rights activists in an effort to ensure political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights in order to eliminate racial discrimination. It was kind of in response to ongoing violence against African Americans, and they would ensure all people's health and well-being. -
16th Amendment
The 16th Amendment was passed on July 2, 1909, but was ratified on February 3, 1913. It was established to allow the federal government to collect income taxes. This helped build up the federal government by enforcing a nationwide income tax, which became the federal government's largest source of revenue. -
Federal Reserve Act
The Federal Reserve Act was passed by the Senate, and signed by Woodrow Wilson on December 23, 1913. The purpose of this was to create some degree of financial stability by providing the nation with a safer, more stable, and more flexible monetary system. It introduced a central bank to oversee monetary policy. -
Federal Trade Commission
The Federal Trade Commission was found on September 26, 1914 in order to enforce the provisions of the Federal Trade Commission Act. Meaning they prohibited "unfair or deceptive acts or practices in commerce". -
Zimmerman Telegram
The Zimmerman Telegram was a secret diplomatic telegram sent from Arthur Zimmermann, from the German Foreign Office, in January of 1917. This document proposed an army alliance between Germany and Mexico. It basically stated that Germany would provide immense financial aid to Mexico if they agreed to enter any U.S. and Germany conflict, as a German ally. Britain intercepted the telegram signal and decoded the message and the U.S. was informed and warned. -
Espionage Act
The Espionage Act of 1917 was passed to make it a crime to convey information intended to interfere U.S. military prosecution of the war effort, or promote the success of the country's enemy. This meant that people also couldn't share public opinions that would interfere with the military's efforts or go against them. -
Red Scare (1917-1920)
The Red Scare was a period in history marked by widespread fear in the U.S. of Bolshevism and anarchism. This period was caused by the Russian Revolution in 1917 as well as anarchist bombings, and lasted until 1920. The "Red Scare" refers to the red flags that communists used. -
Sedition Act
The Sedition Act of 1918 was passed as an extension to the Espionage Act of 1917. It made it a crime to "willfully utter, print, write, or publish any disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive language about the form of the Government of the United States" or "willfully urge, incite, or advocate any curtailment of the production" of things "necessary or essential to the prosecution of the war." -
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was one of the most important negotiations of all time, it was a peace treaty that would bring WWI to an end. It brought the war state between Germany and its allied powers with America, to a halt. -
Schenck v. U.S.
Schenck v. U.S. was an important Supreme Court case in regards to the enforcement of the Espionage Act during WWI. The U.S. ruled that the freedom of speech could be restricted if words spoken or printed represented to society a “clear and present danger.” Schenck was charged with conspiracy to violate the Espionage Act by attempting to cause insubordination in the military and to obstruct recruitment by writing a pamphlet say that the military draft was illegal. He was found guilty. -
League of Nations
The League of Nations was the first worldwide intergovernmental organization created in an effort to maintain world peace. It was an international diplomatic group founded after WWI to solve conflicts between nations before they erupted into war. -
Jones Act
The Jones Act is a law that regulates maritime commerce. It requires goods shipped between U.S. ports to be transported on ships that are built, owned, and operated by United States citizens or permanent residents. This act significant because it plays a large role in maintaining the U.S. maritime industry. -
Sacco & Vanzetti Case
Sacco and Vanzetti were two Italian immigrant anarchists, and they were controversially charged of two murders that occurred during an armed robbery of a shoe store. They were tried and found guilty in 1921, and sentenced to death. Their names became very well-known, and many people believed that they were innocent and the trial was unfair. Sacco and Vanzetti were executed on August 23, 1927. -
Quota Laws of '21 & '24
The Emergency Quota Act of 1921 was a law that was passed establishing the nation's first limits on the number of immigrants who were able to enter the U.S. The Immigration Act of 1924 was a law that made prior quotas stricter and permanent. These Laws were legislative expressions of xenophobia, particularly towards eastern and southern European immigrants who came to America for a better life. -
Teapot Dome Scandal
The Teapot Dome scandal was a bribery scandal involving the administration of U.S. President Warren G. Harding from 1921 to 1923. The Teapot Dome Scandal was one of the biggest scandals in America's history because it involved national security, big oil companies, bribery, and corruption at the highest levels of the government of the U.S. -
Scopes Trial
John Thomas Scopes was a teacher who was accused of violating Tennessee's Butler Act which made it a crime to teaching human evolution.Scopes was found guilty and fined $100, but that verdict was overturned on a technicality. The significance of this was that the trial opened Americans' eyes and increased interest in the topic of teaching theology or modern science. -
Black Tuesday
On October 19,1929, the New York Market completely collapsed. This event is often called the beginning of the Great Depression. -
Hawley-Smoot Tariff
The Hawley-Smoot Tariff, or the Tariff Act of 1930, was a law that implemented protectionist trade policies in the U.S. It increased 900 tariffs by about 40% - 48%, so many economists blamed this for the worsening of the Great Depression. -
Bonus March/Army
The Bonus Army/March was a huge group of 17,000 WWI veterans along with their families and affiliates, that gathered in Washington, D.C. to protest for early cash redemption of their service certificates. Results of this march were the Bonus Army being dispersed, the demands being rejected, and Herbert Hoover losing the 1932 election. Although, in 1924, Congress rewarded veterans of WWI with certificates redeemable in 1945 for $1,000 each. -
20th Amendment
The 20th Amendment moves the dates on which federal government elected offices end and begin. For president and vice president it was changed from March 4th to January 20th, and for congress offices it was moved from March 4th to January 3rd. This shortened the lame duck period, referring to an elected officials attitude after losing an election or preparing to leave office. -
21st Amendment
The 21st Amendment repealed the 18th Amendment, allowing for the transportation and importation of alcohol to any territory under the U.S. Plenty of people were happy to have alcohol back and it would also help the federal government as a source of income/tax. -
Good Neighbor Policy
The Good Neighbor Policy was a foreign policy that was designed to improve relations with Latin America. It was adopted in 1933 under the FDR administration and encouraged interaction between the U.S. and Latin America as equals. The policy had two main principles that consisted of nonintervention and noninterference, basically meaning the U.S. would leave all Latin American domestic affairs to themselves. -
Wagner Act
The Wagner Act was a New Deal reform passed by FDR on July 5, 1935. It established the National Labor Relations Board and addressed relations between unions and employers in the private sector. It was essential in keeping employers from interfering with workers' unions and protests in the private sector. -
Social Security Act
The Social Security Act is another law that was enacted by FDR. It established a system of old-age benefits for workers, benefits for victims of industrial accidents, unemployment insurance, aid for dependent mothers and children, the blind, and the physically handicapped. This was the last part of Roosevelt's New Deal program. -
Neutrality Acts ’35, ’36, ’37, ‘39
These Neutrality Acts were passed by U.S. congress in response to growing threats and wars leading to WWII to limit U.S. involvement in future wars. These acts were based on widespread disillusionment with WWI in the early 1930s and the belief that the U.S. had been drawn into the war through loans and trade with the Allies. -
Spanish Civil War (1936-1939)
The Spanish Civil War was a civil war in Spain fought from 1936 to 1939. This war was caused by major socio-economic problems like poverty and inequality, and failure to compromise and to respect the rights and opinions of others. Each side consisted of the left side, the Republicans, formed by the Spanish government joined with unions, communists, anarchists, workers, and peasants. On the other side were the Nationalists, the rebel part of the army, generally upper class people. -
Quarantine Speech
The Quarantine Speech was a speech given by FDR on October 5, 1937 in Chicago. It was calling for a "quarantine" across the world against "the epidemic of worlds lawlessness" from aggressive nations rather than the political climate of American neutrality and non-intervention that was evident at the time. Nobody was directly addressed in the speech, but it was implied as referring to the Empire of Japan, the Kingdom of Italy, and Nazi Germany. -
Fair Labor Standards Act
The Fair Labor Standards Act is a federal labor law that establishes minimum wage, overtime pay eligibility, recordkeeping. As well as child labor standards affecting full-time and part-time workers in the private sector and in federal, state, and local governments. This benefits workers by regulating employment issues. Workers must remain compliant with applicable employment laws to avoid possible civil or criminal violations. -
Lend-Lease Act
The Lend-Lease Act was an act that set up a system allowing the U.S. to lend or lease war supplies to any nation deemed "vital to the defense of the United States," rather than selling the supplies. Due to this act, the U.S. could provide military aid to its foreign allies during WWII while remaining neutral in the conflict. It also allowed for Great Britain, struggling, to continue fighting against Germany on its own until America entered WWII late in 1941. -
Pearl Harbor Attack
Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 because war was unavoidable and their only chance was to surprise the U.S. and destroy the navy as quick as possible. The bombing was a military strike from the Japanese military on the U.S. naval base, Pearl Harbor, in Honolulu, Hawaii. The amount of U.S. military casualties was 2,335, including 2,008 navy, 109 marines, and 218 army. As well as 68 civilians, so a total of 2403 people were killed in this attack. -
Four Freedoms Speech
The Four Freedoms Speech is another speech by FDR that outlined four freedoms that symbolized America's war aims and gave inspiration for the future because people knew there was a push for freedom. These four freedoms were the freedom of speech, the freedom of worship, the freedom from want, and the freedom from fear. -
Braceros Program
The Braceros program was a series of laws and diplomatic agreements that brought millions of Mexican immigrant workers to the U.S. It was initiated in 1942 when the U.S. signed the Mexican Farm Labor Agreement with Mexico. It was created by executive order in 1942 since many growers believed that World War II would bring labor shortages to low-paying agricultural jobs.These Mexican workers would replace workers that were dislocated by the war -
Japanese Internment
Japanese internment began in WWII, Japanese people were forced to be relocated and incarcerated in internment camps, mainly on the West Coast. The mission was to “take all people of Japanese descent into custody, surround them with troops, prevent them from buying land, and return them to their former homes at the close of the war.” These were enforced as a reaction to Pearl Harbor, but these were a huge violation of American civil rights. -
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway was a naval battle in the Pacific Theater of WWII that happened in June 1942, six months after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. The U.S. Navy defeated a Japanese attack against Midway Atoll, marking a turning point in WWII. -
D-Day
June 6, 1944, or D-Day marks when 156,000 American, British and Canadian forces landed on five beaches along a 50-mile stretch of the heavily fortified coast of France’s Normandy region. This was one of the world's largest seaborne invasion ever, which required lots of planning to pull off. This marked the start of the Battle of Normandy of WWII. -
United Nations (UN)
The United Nations is another intergovernmental organization that aims to keep international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, and promoting social progress and better living standards and human rights. As of today there is 193 countries out of 195 in the world that are a part of the UN, those being the Holy See and the State of Palestine. -
Japan's Surrender
Japan's surrender was announced by the Japanese Emperor Hirohito on August 15, but formally signed on September 2, 1945. This surrender would bring all hostilities of WWII to an end. They surrendered because the Soviet Union entered the war, and especially after being bombed twice by the U.S., their best choice was to surrender. -
Yalta Conference
The Yalta was the WWII meeting of the "Big Three" (U.S., the U.K., and the Soviet Union) to discuss the postwar reorganization of Germany and Europe. They agreed that after Germany's unconditional surrender, it would be divided into four postwar occupation zones, controlled by U.S., British, French and Soviet armies. It was mainly an important meeting since it discussed postwar plans and plans for the future of the world as well.
