ANC - A New Century Module Overview

A New Century

Introduction

In addition to forces such as immigration, industrialization, and urbanization, developments in science and technology also helped reshape life in the United States in the late 19th century. These developments--from the skyscraper to the amusement park--affected many aspects of life in cities, from education and the role of women to leisure activities. Despite these advances, however, social problems such as racial segregation and discrimination continued to plague society.

Rapid changes in American life brought new problems--increased poverty, changing moral standards, and corruption in government. Reformers who initiated the progressive movement demanded more attention to social justice, moral values, and clean government.

As progressives worked for reforms, others pushed for U.S. expansion overseas. This goal was achieved when the United States gained colonial possessions in both the Caribbean and the Pacific through a victory in the short but important Spanish-American War.

Complex causes, including a spirit of nationalism and economic competition for overseas empires, led to the First World War. President Wilson at first defended neutrality, but by 1917 he asked Congress to declare war. American forces helped secure an allied victory.

Essential Questions

• What factors led to a movement for the United States to become more involved in world affairs in the late 19^th and early 20^th Centuries?
• How did the Progressive Movement address inequalities and injustices in the U.S.? In what ways did it fall short?
• In what ways did World War I and it's aftermath impact the United States?

 

Textbook Assignment

 Read the chapter in your textbook that relates to this module. Your instructor will provide you with a specific reading schedule. 

 

Key Terms

Look over your key terms for this module. Then review them with the activity below.

• Progressive Movement - a reform movement that sought to address many of the shortcomings of the Gilded Age by advocating a larger role of the government.
• Muckrakers - journalists who exposed issues such as political corruption, child labor, and slum conditions. Often times the public would become outraged and demand change.
• Upton Sinclair - author of The Jungle which exposed poor labor practices and unsanitary conditions in the meatpacking industry; it led to government food inspection and regulation.
• Ida Tarbell - exposed political corruption and exposed some of the ruthless business practices of Standard Oil Company.
• Hull House - Jane Addams founded this settlement house that provided social services to the urban poor, including many recent immigrants.
• Initiative - the public can collect signatures to force a vote on an issue.
• Referendum - with enough public support an initiative may become a referendum where the public may vote on the it becoming law.
• Recall - a special election where a public official can be removed from office before their term is up.
• Direct Election of Senators - the 17th amendment was adopted in 1913 that gave voters the right to directly elect their U.S. Senators.
• Jim Crow - a character in an old minstrel song, the term was used to describe laws that segregated blacks and whites in many states.
• Plessy v. Ferguson - 1896 Supreme Court case that ruled that segregation was legal as long as the facilities were “separate but equal”.
• NAACP - National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, an organization that seeks full civil rights for African Americans.
• Anti-Immigrant Sentiment - the feeling that too many immigrants were coming into the country and changing the culture too much; was especially directed at Chinese immigrants in the western U.S.
• Chinese Exclusion Act - 1882 law that banned Chinese immigration to the U.S.
• Spanish-American War - brief war in 1898 where the U.S. defeated Spain, it freed Cuba from Spanish rule and established the U.S. as a world power.
• American Expansion - many imperialists supported the United States gaining territories and influence around the world for economic and military gain as well as to spread American ideals.
• Philippine-American War - the Philippines were won from Spain in the Spanish-American War. After this war Americans put down a rebellion of Filipinos who did not want the Americans ruling them either.
• Roosevelt Corollary - added to the Monroe Doctrine by claiming that the U.S. had a right to intervene in Latin American countries (but European countries could not).
• Panama Canal - biggest engineering project of the era, completed in 1914 and shortened the trip from San Francisco to New York by 8,000 miles
• Woodrow Wilson - 28th President of the United States who advocated for many Progressive reforms. He attempted to keep the U.S. out of World War I, but once the United States entered the war on the side of the Allies, he framed the conflict as a war to expand democracy, open government, and increase cooperation around the world.
• U.S. Neutrality - war broke out in Europe in 1914 and the U.S. remained neutral in the conflict until 1917.
• Unrestricted Submarine Warfare - German U-boats (submarines) were sinking merchant and passenger ships without warning, leading to calls by many in the U.S. to enter WWI against the Germans.
• Espionage and Sedition Acts - passed as the U.S. was entering WWI, forbade criticism of the U.S. war effort and expanded the power of the government to try people for treason.
• Eugene V. Debs - a several times Socialist candidate for president. He was the most well known person convicted under the Espionage Act for speaking against WWI.
• American Expeditionary Force - the United States military force that entered World War I and assisted the Allies in defeating the Central Powers.
• 18th Amendment - Progressive-supported amendment that banned the manufacture, sale, and transport of alcohol.
• 19th Amendment - Progressive-supported amendment which gave women the right to vote.
• Fourteen Points - when the U.S. entered WWI President Woodrow Wilson laid out these goals in a speech. He felt these would increase freedom and prevent future wars.
• League of Nations - a part of Wilson’s 14 Points. It proposed an international peacekeeping organization, but the U.S. would eventually reject joining it.

RESOURCES IN THIS MODULE ARE OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES (OER) OR CREATED BY GAVS UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED. SOME IMAGES USED UNDER SUBSCRIPTION.