Topic Outlines 1-27
Early U.S. imperialism: the Mexican War
"Manifest Destiny" was a theme that promoted American expansion (and democracy) to the Pacific as willed by God. James K. Polk's Mexican War resulted in the acquisition of what became known as the "Mexican Cession". -The annexation of Texas in 1845 sparked a diplomatic crisis with Mexico and Polk "solved" the crisis with war. -Anti-slavery advocates saw the war as an attempt to enlarge the "slave power" of the South. -The protest prompted Thoreau to write "Civil Disobedience" and David Wilmot to float his famous "proviso." The war ended with the Treaty of Guadelupe Hidlago.
The Hoover administration's response
(1) hope it was a small downturn that would correct itself/present positive outlook (2) encourage local and state volunteer relief agencies to get help to the distressed (3) pass legislation to aid the economy: -the Reconstruction Finance Corporation (for banks) -Boulder Dam (public works jobs) -Federal Farm Board -tax cuts -protective tariffs (protect American jobs) (4) liken protesters (think the Bonus Marchers) to communists
Impact of Reconstruction
(1) it created a promise of citizenship for African-Americans (2) it created deep seated hostility in southern whites that would deny African Americans citizenship for a hundred years and would reinvigorate states rights
Abraham Lincoln, the election of 1860, and secession
-Abraham Lincoln was labeled a "Black Republican" by Stephen Douglas in their debates and the label effectively terrified white Southerners who saw his election in 1860 as a direct threat and challenge to their American way of life. -Secession of the lower South occurred before Lincoln gave his first inaugural address and tried to reassure the South that he was not hostile to slavery where it already existed.
Western migration and cultural interactions
-By 1840, one third of America's population was past the Appalachians and beginning to move to the "far west", ie, ---Oregon, California, and the Southwest. -Beyond the Native Americans, cultural interactions were first with the Spanish and then the Mexicans. -In both cases, cultural customs and products were exchanged through trade. -Mexicans invited Americans to settle in their northern provinces (Texas).
The politics of segregation: Jim Crow and disfranchisement
-Jim Crow refers to segregation of the races through state and local laws (housing, schools, jobs, public places), and was solidified by Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896 (not overturned until Brown v. Board in 1954). -disenfranchisement, that is, denying the 15th amendment to African Americans, was first done through terrorism (think KKK) and then through legal means: grandfather clauses, poll taxes, and literacy tests (not overturned until the Voting Rights Act of 1965).
Presidential and Radical Reconstruction
-Lincoln and Johnson's plans for reconstruction of the South are lenient: the key theme is quick restoration of the union (assumption: the states never left because the union is perpetual). -moderate Republicans are pushed into the radical camp by Johnson's actions. -the radicals get Johnson impeached and find in Grant a cooperative president to punish the South and grant citizenship to the freedmen.
Emancipation and the role of African Americans in the war
-Lincoln decided on Emancipation as a "fit and necessary war measure" but it galvanized abolitionist support and redefined the struggle as a war for freedom. -African-Americans fled their captivity when northern armies were near and signed up to fight (180,000), so the Proclamation was in fact an effective war measure.
Competitors for the West: miners, ranchers, homesteaders, and American Indians
-Miners start as 49ers in the California gold rush. Gold and silver strikes in Colorado, Nevada, and the Dakotas followed. Individualists, but self governing communities. Most famous=Mark Twain in "Roughing It" -Ranchers start in Texas adopting the vaquero style and use the Chisholm Trail to get their cattle over the open range to railheads like Abilene. -Homesteaders or "sodbusters" are spurred by the Homestead Act which initially gives farmers 160 acres of free land if they will develop it. -American Indians who fight in the post Civil War time period are largely Plains Indians (Sioux, Cheyenne, Pawnee, Kiowa, Apache, Comanche, etc).
Planters, yeoman farmers, and slaves in the cotton South
-Planters ruled. They were few. -Yeomen were Jacksonians who resented the "cotton snobs" but yearned to be a cotton snob. -Most white Southerners did not own slaves. -Slaves grew in population and the "peculiar institution" became entrenched and synonymous with King Cotton. -By the 1850's, loyalty to slavery became synonymous with loyalty to the South.
Roosevelt, Taft, and Wilson as Progressive presidents
-Roosevelt believed in a strong presidency that tried to promote a "square deal" for everyone in society. He became the first modern president, using the office as a "bully pulpit". -Taft, TR's hand picked successor, was a true "trust buster" but the more liberal Republicans labeled him as a friend of big business. TR ran against him in 1912 as a "Bull Moose" nominee. It was during Taft's presidency that the 16th and 17th amendments were passed (income tax and direct election of senators). -Wilson's "New Freedom" emphasized the role of government in protecting the liberty and opportunity of the common man. A flurry of legislation reshaped the role of the national government in the economy.
The New Deal coalition and its critics from the Right and the Left
-The New Deal coalition includes labor, minorities (who mostly found a friend in Eleanor Roosevelt), farmers, urban liberals, and rural southerners. -Famous critics included Father Coughlin (let's nationalize the banks) on the right and Huey Long (let's share the wealth) on the left. -Critic Francis Townsend's idea of an old age government pension was of course enacted into the Social Security Act in 1935 -Roosevelt was severely criticized in the general public for his court packing scheme and for the recession of 1937-38.
Impact of the Cold War on American society
-Unlike the Red Scare of 1919, this new red scare focused on native American citizens, particularly liberals who had flirted with communist ideas during the Depression in the 30's. McCarthy used fear, intimidation, and innuendo to do harm people and cast a shadow of fear in America. -Republicans regained the White House in 1953. -The economy grew fairly steadily with a significant infusion of federal spending directed either militarily or domestically at the cold war. Notable domestic expenditures include the interstate highway system and aid to education in response to Sputnik.
The War of 1812 and its consequences
-beginnings of early industrialization -renewed sense of nationalism -beginning of the end of the first two party system -creation of national heros (future presidents Jackson and Harrison) -elimination of Indian resistance in the South and old Northwest
Diplomatic strategies and policies of the Eisenhower and Kennedy administrations
-covert action in Guatemala -Dulles pioneered the threat of massive retaliation -Eisenhower doctrine was established in the middle east (Suez Crisis and Lebanon). Kennedy used "flexible response" to try to deal with communist threats, most famously in the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Jacksonian democracy and its successes and limitations
-focus of Jacksonian Democracy is on greater social and political equality and economic opportunity for white males/celebration of the common man -key successes: white male suffrage, "rotation in office", settlement of the trans-Appalachian frontier, maintenance of union -limitations: in the North, a workingman's lower class developed, in the South a poor yeoman farmer underclass; blacks, Native Americans, and women were excluded
Military strategies and foreign diplomacy
-military strategy for the North was the "Anaconda Plan" (1) capture Richmond, (2) capture the Mississippi River, (3) blockade the Southern coasts, (4) drive through the heart of the South with a conquering army -military strategy for the South was to defend itself until the North grew weary of fighting, then sue for peace. -foreign diplomacy: the key issue was recognition by Britain of the Confederacy; Lincoln successfully forestalled it with the Emancipation and key victories at Antietam and Gettysburg.
Role of African Americans in politics, education, and the economy
-several were elected to state and national government posts and did well on the whole, but were also caught in the patterns of corruption that were prevalent in national politics at the time (think Grant, Tweed, et. al.). -the Freedman's Bureau stimulated the education of freedmen of all ages. -at first most ex-slaves wandered away from their masters in search of economic opportunity, but eventually ended up back on the plantations, trying to work out a new system of employment.
Territorial acquisitions
-the "Convention of 1818" set the Canadian boundary generally along the 49th parallel up to the Oregon territory where joint occupation was agreed to for the time being. -East Florida in 1819 with the Adams-Onis Treaty after Jackson had occupied it. -Webster-Ashburton Treaty of 1842 solidified the Canadian boundary Maine to the Oregon territory. -Oregon was acquired in 1846 by treaty with the British (split at the 49th parallel).
Southern state governments: aspirations, achievements, failures
-the hope is to use the reconstructed state governments to stimulate the economy and to have blacks and whites cooperate in doing so. -on paper at least, state governments made advancements in expanding democracy, public education, and did in fact stimulate the economies with railroad building. -racism and the panic of 1873 stopped the state governments from achieving their goals.
Two societies at war: mobilization, resources, and internal dissent
-there was a great initial enthusiasm for the war, but when it was obvious the war would last, mobilization in the North was more successful than in the South: Davis had to deal with states rights and request men and material, whereas Lincoln could use far superior northern resources (railroads, manufacturing, working class, manpower). -internal dissent in the North was suppressed by the suspension of habeous corpus early in the war (especially in Maryland); dissenters were labeled "Copperheads". -internal dissent in the South was suppressed by "home guard" locally, but politically Davis had to deal with independent governors who sometimes criticized his government publicly.
Causes of the Great Depression
-worldwide political and economic instability in the aftermath of World War I -overproduction -inadequate worker compensation -overspeculation by banks and individuals in everything, famously Florida land and the stock market -failure of the Fed to act consistently to curb inflation and overspeculation -government leaders' overconfident and unrealistic view
Politics in a multicultural society
American political leaders have become increasingly aware of the multicultural nature of American society, making special appeals to Mexican and Asian Americans.
Demographic changes: surge of immigration after 1965, Sunbelt migration, and the graying of America
1965 Immigration Act: This law substantially revised the system of immigration quotas that had been in effect since 1924, allowing more Asians and Latin American immigrants into the United States. Sunbelt migration began during World War II when Americans moved to find jobs in defense industries, and continued in the late 20th century as old manufacturing industries declined and new technology moved to the west (think Silicon Valley) and the South. Graying of America: as the baby boomers aged and medical advances prolonged life, the population of Americans over age 55 has steadily risen.
Agrarian discontent and political issues of the late nineteenth century
Agrarian discontent focused on: (1) the decline in status in the wake of urbanization (as in "farmers are hicks") (2) a perceived assault on family farmers by -railroads and their discriminatory rates, -big business, especially debt-holding banks, -and unresponsive government Political issues: silver, tariffs, corrupt govern- ment, and regulation of big business (ie. RR's) Solution: The Farmers Alliance & Populist Party
Urban migration and demographic changes
Americans moved to urban areas to find war jobs in factories. This new workforce included large numbers of women and minorities. -Rural areas lost huge amounts of population -War production areas in the West and South (the "Sunbelt")received millions of Americans looking for work. -Families suffered under crowded housing conditions and schools were unable to cope with the influx of new people.
Early inhabitants of the Americas
Archeologists believe they came tens of thousands of years ago across the Bering Strait when ice covered the water between Asia and North America. Because they came at different times and because they settled in different areas, they became extremely diverse. Probably the earliest immigrants ended up farthest south.
The First World War at home and abroad
At home, mobilization was spurred by the creation and use of the "War Boards" and by calling on everyone (including women and African Americans) to work for the war effort. Espionage and Sedition Acts were passed to curtail free speech and stop interference with the war effort. "doughboys" were recruited and drafted into the "American Expeditionary Force".
War in Europe and American neutrality
At the beginning of the "Great War" (1914) most Americans believed neutrality the best policy. Neutrality was severely challenged and broken in 1917 principally by Germany's submarine warfare and Wilson's reaction to it ("the world must be made safe for democracy").
Resistance to colonial authority: Bacon's Rebellion, the Glorious Revolution, and the Pueblo Revolt
Bacon's Rebellion exposed tensions beteen the former indentured servants, who were poor, and the gentry (top class of planters) who were rich. As planters became more suspicious of former indentured servants, they turned to slaves as more reliable labor. -In the wake of the overthrow of Catholic King James II (formerly Duke of York) by William and Mary, the New England colonists rebelled against the governor of the Dominion of New England, Sir Edmund Andros. Pueblo- In the late 1600's, the Pueblo Indians of New Mexico rebelled against repressive Spanish colonial policies and drove the Spanish from Santa Fe.
Religious diversity in the American colonies
Because there was quite a bit of religious diversity in the colonies, the colonies grew increasingly tolerant over time because of increased contact-particularly in trade-with each other.
Revolutions in biotechnology, mass communication, and computers
Biotechnology is "the interdisciplinary frontier between biology, engineering, medicine and plant science--is also the scene of exciting scientific and technological developments in many areas of science." Important areas of development include: • Recombinant DNA • Producing New Crop Species • Clinical Diagnostics • Medical Therapy • Bioinformatics and Processing • Producing Biomaterials Mass communication: Ever since the first "Telstar" satellite was launched in 1962, Americans have used satellite/cellular technology to create world wide communication.
Reconfiguration of southern agriculture: sharecropping and crop-lien system
Both sharecropping and the crop lien system held the promise of freedmen gaining some economic independence, which they did but at a heavy cost: they lost their freedom because they remained tied to white-owned land in a cycle of debt. The crop-lien system was a way for farmers to get credit before the planting season by borrowing against the value for anticipated harvests.
Society and economy in the postwar years
Both the society and the economy faced uncertainty and hardship from 1918-20: The 1918 flu pandemic left 500,000 dead in the United States and shook up American confidence in the future. Harding appealed to Americans who were tired of trying to save the world at home and abroad by suggesting a "return to normalcy".
Migration and immigration: the changing face of the nation
By the 1890s, more than half of all immigrants in the United States were Eastern and Southern Europeans. Many labor unions opposed immigration, arguing that most immigrants would work for low wages. Nativists wanted to limit immigration. The United States did NOT restrict immigration during most of the 19th century for all of the following reasons: there was a continuous demand for cheap labor, population growth did not present serious ecological problems then, immigrants from China made excellent workers in building railroads, many Europeans wanted to immigrate to America. After 1890, increased immigration began to present a national problem because unskilled laborers tended to concentrate in crowded urban slums. New immigrants lived in urban areas and held lowpaying jobs.
The Cold War in Asia: China, Korea, Vietnam, and Japan
China: In 1949, the communists under Mao Tse Tung defeated the Nationalists under Chiang Ki Shek and drove them from the mainland to Taiwan. Korea: In 1950, the North Koreans invaded South Korea, and Truman responded by going to the United Nations to request assistance for South Korea. The resulting "UN police action" ended up becoming the Korean War. The Chinese came into the war and only ended when Eisenhower secretly threatened China with atomic war. Vietnam: In 1954, the French were defeated by Ho Chi Minh at Dien Bien Phu and Vietnam was divided by the Geneva Convention. Japan: Japan was rebuilt as a parliamentary democracy and became our principal ally in the Far East after China became communist.
Colonial governments and imperial policy in British North America
Colonial assemblies evolved in this time period into sophisticated lawmaking bodies that fancied themselves to be the defenders of the rights of the people. When the assemblies sparred with imperial policy, they did so with the enforcement agents, the royal governors. The assemblies used the "power of the purse" to bring most governors into line. Nevertheless, Britain's mercantilist policies guided economic life in the colonies even though those policies fell into "salutary neglect".
Transatlantic trade and the growth of seaports
Colonial cities served as mercantile centers or "entrepots" where British goods increasingly came to America. Trade from Britain increased by over 300% in the three decades before the Revolution. The effect was an "Anglicizing" American culture.
Population growth and immigration
Colonial population grew from 250,000 to 2.5 million, most born in America and thus loyal to America. In addition, several thousand immigrants came to America from places other than England, reinforcing a lack of allegiance to the crown.
First European contacts with American Indians
Columbus led the way with initial contacts. His descriptions of "Indians" as being less intelligent than Europeans, friendly and submissive set the tone for early contacts. Columbus remarked that the natives believe he was a "celestial being" descended from the heavens. The contacts were generally friendly, but occasionally ended in violence. When violence occurred, the Native Americans were ill-equipped to deal with Spanish iron weapons and gunpowder. In addition, disease was introduced by the Europeans and this led to the decimation of many native peoples and cultures.
National politics and influence of corporate power
Corporate power brought a great deal of money to bear to influence national politics. The Grant administration was notorious for its scandals, notably the Credit Mobilier scandal and the Whiskey Ring. The United States Senate increasingly became perceived by critics as simply a tool of big business which seemed to buy off state legislatures to get pro-business politicians into office. Politically this issue came to a head with the election of Cleveland who campaigned against the "vicious tariff" of the special interests.
Treaty of Versailles
Created by the leaders victorious allies Nations: France, Britain, US, and signed by Germany to help stop WWI. The treaty 1)stripped Germany of all Army, Navy, Airforce. 2) Germany had to rapair war damages(33 billion) 3) Germany had to acknowledge guilt for causing WWI 4) Germany could not manefacture any weapons.
American Indian empires in Mesoamerica, the Southwest, and the Mississippi Valley
Each of the empires was built on two foundations: cultivated crops (maize, squash, beans) and trade. Each varied in technological advancements but all had relatively sophisticated societies. -Mesoamerica: Aztecs, Incans, Mayans -Southwest: Pueblo -Mississippi Valley: Mississippians/Mound Builders
The French and Indian War
Ends in the Peace of Paris: Britain gains Canada and Florida and the French threat is removed -British soldiers remain in the colonies to "secure the peace" -colonial officers get experience -British army is not invincible -colonial pride in British empire -huge war debt leads to taxation after 1763.
American imperialism: political and economic expansion
Expansion is mostly in Latin America and in the Far East. High points include the acquisition of Hawaii, the War to Free Cuba (Spanish American War) and acquisition of the Philippines, the Open Door Policy, and the Roosevelt Corollary.
Wartime mobilization of the economy
FDR created a series of government organizations (like the War Production Board), and then borrowed heavily to finance an economic explosion of war industries.
Fighting a multifront war
FDR's primary focus was on Europe, but the fight was carried around the globe in two "theatres". In the Pacific, the strategy was called "island hopping". In Europe, the strategy was to attack first from the south, and then open up a "second front" in the west.
Emergence of political parties: Federalists and Republicans
Federalists- They were led by Hamilton who envisioned an industrial America of big cities. They were from the wealthy classes, such as merchants, bankers, manufacturers. They often lived along the eastern seaboard—the older regions that were close to the coast and trade. They were pro-British (since that was good for trade). They liked a strong federal government, run by the educated elite. They distrusted the common person as uneducated and unable to run a nation. They felt democracy was one step shy of "mobocracy." Republicans- They were led by Jefferson who envisioned an agricultural America of small towns. They felt that even an uneducated man can make common-sense decisions and thus run himself and his nation through voting. Republicans favored expanding the vote to more people (though it was still a very narrow group). They were mostly farmers and lived in the interior areas and along the frontier. They felt farming was good for the soul—it kept the farmer humble and close to God. They were pro-French (since France had helped the U.S. against England). Conflicts over domestic politics and foreign policy undermined the unity of the Revolutionary era
Civil liberties and civil rights during wartime
For African and Mexican Americans, it was a time of opportunity but also conflict and racism. Above are the three most famous conflicts involved: A.Phillip Randolph, the Zoot Suit Riots, and Relocation. -A. Phillip Randolph threated a march on Washington in 1941 and FDR responded with the Fair Employment Practices Commission -Mexican "zoot suiters" got into scrapes with servicemen in LA and eventually these scrapes led to riots. -California Japanese Americans were relocated in camps and kept there until 1946; attempts to overturn the order were denied by the Supreme Court in 1944.
Diplomacy, war aims, and wartime conferences
For the Soviets, the aim was to defeat Hitler and maintain control of eastern Europe. For the Americans, the goal was to build a collective security agreement to stop war in the future. For all three, unconditional surrender became the military goal. The "Big Three" met to primarily collaborate in the defeat of the Nazis and plan the post war world. At the Dumbarton Oaks Conference in 1944, they worked on the creation of the United Nations. The most famous meeting was at Yalta where the post world war was planned in the "Yalta Agreement".
Origins of the Cold War
Four key factors stimulated the Cold War: (1) the development,use, and monopoly of atomic power, (2) the occupation of Europe, (3) the question of American economic aid , and (3) fundamental ideological differences.
Gender, race, and ethnicity in the far West
Gender: women generally enjoyed greater equality in the Far West because of the rugged conditions. An illustration is that the first state to give women the right to vote was Wyoming in 1869. Race: African-Americans believed the west was an opportunity and tried to pursue it, notably the "Exodusters" in Kansas. They achieved greater equality on the mining and cattle frontiers, and as Indian fighters (notably the 9th and 10th cavalry). Chinese immigrants were used as a cheap labor supply, notably on the building of the transcontinental railroad, but were seen by nativists as a menace (think Chinese Exclusion Act). Ethnicity: Irish-Americans also helped build the transcontinental railroad; immigrants from all over the world participated in the mining frontier, especially in California.
The rise of fascism and militarism in Japan, Italy, and Germany
Hitler, Mussolini, and Tojo rose to power in their respective countries in the late 1920's and early 1930's capitalizing on economic, social, and political instability and finding scapegoats for their authoritarian solutions. Their targets were liberals, jews, and communists. Japan invaded China in 1931, Italy invaded Ethiopia in 1936, Germany helped the fascists in Spain in 1936 and then retook some of its lost territory in 1937. FDR's response was public condemnation ("Quarantine the Aggressors")but he could do little else.
The Enlightenment and the Great Awakening
In America the leader of the Enlightenment was Ben Franklin, who popularized the logic and the science of natural law in his Poor Richard's Almanac. The Great Awakening, America's first national experience, was a neo-Calvinist religious revival led in New England by Jonathan Edwards ("Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God") and spread through the rest of the colonies by the itinerant English preacher, George Whitefield.
The United States as a global power in the Atomic Age
In response to a plea by Einstein to FDR, the Manhattan Project was begun. The U.S. and U.K. worked together to develop the bomb and successfully tested it in Nevada in 1945. Truman dropped the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki primarily to end the war quickly and avoid an invasion of Japan's mainland.
The New Right and the Reagan revolution
In response to what seemed to be an impotent Democratic leadership, Americans elected Ronald Reagan in 1980. Reagan represented a return to a more hopeful time of stability and economic growth that celebrated (1) a strong military (2) family values (3) individual responsibility and morality To foster these values, Reagan asserted that Americans need get government off their backs.
Impact of changes in science, technology, and medicine
In science, the most significant discoveries included the DNA double helix and the ability to create a fusion reaction (hydrogen atomic power). In technology, one of the most significant developments was the computer. "Eniac" was the first-it filled up a few rooms-not exactly a pc. In medicine, the significant advancements included the wholesale use of penicillin and the development and use of the polio vaccine. In space, the most significant advancement was a Russian one: Sputnik.
Beginnings of the Second Great Awakening
In the South in revivals: because Southern states had few large towns, circuit preachers filled the preaching void; revivals became meetings places, times to marry, times to party, and times to be saved. In the North, the Second Great Awakening began as a reaction to the effects of Enlightenment philosophy on Congregationalism. Leaders of Harvard reacted specifically against the spread of Unitarianism in their own Divinity School.
The ongoing struggle for equality: African Americans and women
In the South, the twenties continued to be a decade of racial oppression. The Great Migration resulted in a significant new urban population of African Americans in northern cities. In 1919, race riots occured in some of those cities. Blacks created northern urban enclaves, most famously in Harlem, the "Negro capital of the world" where African-American culture experienced a renaissance in art, music, and literature (think DuBois, Johnson, Armstrong). 19th Amendment (women's suffrage) ratified in 1920.
Government policy toward American Indians
In the post Civil War era, two notable policies dominate: (1) reservation policy to avoid conflict with settlers; the most famous treaty used to illustrate the futility of reserved land is the Treaty of Fr. Laramie which promises land "as long as the sun shines" (2) assimilation of Native Americans into the "dominant culture", notably with the Dawes Severalty Act and the training of youth at places like the Carlisle School. Although advocates were well meaning, the results were usually unsuccessful.
From servitude to slavery in the Chesapeake region
Indentured servants played a key role in the growth of the tobacco plantation system in Virginia and Maryland. They were the chief source of agricultural labor in both of these colonies before 1675. Planters in VA and MD used the headright system- whoever paid passage of a laborer received the right to acquire 50 acres of land. Number of slaves increased dramatically in the last quarter of the 17th century. Slave labor in VA spread rapidly in the late 17th as blacks displaced white indentured servants in the tobacco fields.
Beginnings of industrialization and changes in social and class structures
Industrialization began in earnest in New England textile manufacture. Samuel Slater imported (snuck in) English technology for cotton mills. Lowell created the famous Lowell Mills in Massachusetts. Most of the early "operatives" were women-farmers' daughters, but as industry and immigration expanded, men replaced women. A lower working class emerged. Both women and men developed early unions, but the union movement died on the heels of the Panic of 1837 and the influx of Irish immigrants that came in the 1840's and 50's.
Intellectual and cultural movements and popular entertainment
Intellectual and cultural movements: -realism in literature, notably Mark Twain (Huckleberry Finn) and Stephen Crane (Red Badge of Courage) -realism also dominated American painting, notably Thomas Eakins -intellectual movements tended to criticize the excesses of the industrial revolution (Thorsten Veblen's Theory of the Leisure Class, and Edward Bellamy's Looking Backward), Popular Entertainment: ragtime begins in the late nineteenth century (think Scott Joplin), baseball solidifies itself as the national pastime, but basketball is invented, and so are bicycles. Popular games included cards, dominos, and checkers and rural life was punctuated with the occasional traveling circus (Barnum and Bailey).
The attack on Pearl Harbor and United States declaration of war
Japan attacked the U.S. in attempt to destroy the Pacific fleet and thereby stop America from interfering any further in Japanese expansion in Asia. FDR called December 7th a "day of infamy" and got Congress to declare war.
Federal authority and its opponents: judicial federalism, the Bank War, tariff controversy, and states' rights debates
John Marshall's Court enlarged the power of the federal government and protected private contracts. (A. Established the primacy of federal government over states in exercising control of economy (Gibbons v. Ogden ) B. Opened the way for an increased federal role in promoting economic growth (McCulloch v. Maryland) C. Affirmed protection for corporations and other private economic institutions from local governmental interference. This allowed for the growth of the new industrial capitalist economy. (Dartmouth College v. Woodward) D. First to use judicial review to strike down an act of Congress (Marbury v. Madison)). Jackson stated the National Bank was undemocratic, monopolistic, parasitical (meaning it was full of fraud and corruption), and because it was controlled by foreigners (European investors), a danger to the future of the U.S. It was called the Second Bank of the United States during Jackson's Presidency and in 1832, Jackson vetoed it's charter, it survived as an "ordinary" bank for a few years, then went bankrupt Tariff controversy: the nullification crisis (Jackson v. Calhoun) -States' rights debates: the Webster-Hayne debate (1832) Daniel Webster (union) Robert Hayne (states rights).
From the New Frontier to the Great Society
Kennedy's New Frontier became focused on foreign affairs early on (think his inaugural address), The New Frontier in domestic politics had three focal points: (1) civil rights (2) national health insurance (3) federal aid to education Sound familiar? It's the Fair Deal all over again, and the same opposition arouse to knock it down, so Kennedy focused on foreign affairs as a young Cold Warrior. His summit with Khrushchev sobered him and reinforced his decision to build up our armed services.
The War for Independence
King George declares the colonies in open rebellion and the fighting begins at Lexington and Concord (1775). Washington is appointed commander and in 1776 reluctant colonists are swayed by Common Sense to declare for independence. Jefferson's declaration is both an expression of enlightenment philosophy and a direct assault on the king. The war begins to look up when France, then Spain, then Holland declares war on England. Yorktown is the political victory the colonists need. Franklin negotiates a generous Treaty of Paris (1783).
Compromise of 1850 and popular sovereignty
Led by Henry Clay (aka "the Great Compromiser"), the Compromise of 1850 tried to pacify the North and the South but did not hold them together for more than a few years. Popular sovereignty was introduced in the compromise for the southwest territories. -California comes in as a free state -rest of the Mexican Cession is under popular sovereignty -N.Mex. and Texas border dispute resolved -harsher fugitive slave law is enacted -public slave auctions are outlawed in D.C. POPFACT: POPular sovereignty, Fugitive slave law, Abolition of slave trade in DC, California free, Texas gets money and land
Republican politics: Harding, Coolidge, and Hoover
Led by Herbert Hoover as Secretary of Commerce and Andrew Mellon, Secretary of the Treasury, these three presidents focused on stimulating the economy by creating a partnership between government and business. Mellon is famous for his tax cut proposals, and Hoover is famous for using government regulatory agencies to help big business expand. In Harding's case, that partnership went illegal with the "Teapot Dome" scandal. (bribery scandal involving land with oil reserves; destroyed Harding's reputation).
American Renaissance: literary and artistic expressions
Literary: Emerson ("Self Reliance"), Thoreau(Walden Pond), Melville (Moby Dick), Hawthorne (The Scarlet Letter) , Dickinson (poems), Alcott(Little Women) Artistic: Hudson River School: Asher Durand ("Kindred Spirits"), Thomas Cole ("The Course of Empire") Albert Bierstadt ("Emigrants Crossing the Plains")
Expansion into the trans-Appalachian West; American Indian resistance
Lots of stuff http://quizlet.com/15233211/expansion-into-the-trans-appalachian-west-american-indian-resistance-flash-cards/
Expanding movements for civil rights
Martin Luther King continued to put pressure on government to desegregate schools and public facilities, and to end job discrimination. This effort culminated in the March on Washington in 1963, the Civil Rights Act in 1964, and the Voting Rights Act in 1965. The Warren Court continued to find in favor of desegregation, and under attorney general Robert Kennedy, black Americans found a champion. But the civil rights movement was splintered by "Black Power" groups, notably SNCC, the Nation of Islam, and the Black Panthers who began to believe that integration would never result in equality and dignity for black Americans.
The culture of Modernism: science, the arts, and entertainment
Modernism was an avant garde movement that celebrated change in a new emerging urban culture. In science, the focus was on practical application to create new urban landscapes complete with automobiles and skyscrapers, and marketing new electric home conveniences. In the arts, painters and musicians tended to celebrate the era, whereas the most famous writers tended to criticize the materialism and shallowness of the era. In entertainment, radio, movies, and sports were gaining a national audience. In each case, the 20's preoccupation with individual heroes made celebrities out of entertainment personalities (think Charlie Chaplin, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Babe Ruth).
Urbanization and the lure of the city
Most Americans lived on the farm, but by the late nineteenth century cities had become specialized manufacturing centers of opportunity for displaced or poor farmers and new immigrants. Most Americans welcomed and were awed by the technological development of the cities without thought to its human ramifications. The term "skyscraper" began to be used and architects like Louis Sullivan (think "form follows function") began to build symbols of the industrial revolution. Chicago, having burned down in the 1890's was a prime target for new building. Carl Sandburg marveled about it his poem "Chicago".
Republican Motherhood and education for women
Mothers of the new Republic had the responsibility to preserve the nation by raising children who would be virtuous citizens and future leaders of the Republic. If mothers were to adequately educate their sons and daughters, then they needed an education too. Thus, the movement to educate women began.
State constitutions and the Articles of Confederation
New governments are created that attempt to protect the rights of the people by limiting the power of the central government and the power of the state executives. The Articles government's limited power make it ineffective in many ways but not in organizing settlement in the Northwest territories (think Northwest Ordinance). "Nationalists" call for a convention to amend the Articles government because of incidents like Shays Rebellion.
Social, political, and economic effects of war in the North, South, and West
North -the war increased a sense of respect socially both between and within races (though it was far from equality between races) -the central government gained a great deal of power, both over the states and in the economy -national corporate structures emerged during the Civil War to meet the needs of the War Department South -the war created confusion because of emancipation -the "compact theory" of government died so states rights takes a dive -economically, the South is ruined West -the war promoted greater social equality and economic opportunity through the free land giveaway (the Homestead Act), the Pacific Railway Act, and the Morrill Land Grant colleges -slavery is a dead issue in the western territories
Expansion of manufacturing and industrialization
One of the goals of the leaders of the "New South" was to build a diversified, more independent economy. This in fact began to happen in southern cities, but cotton remained the symbol of the South and southerners continued to rely principally on agriculture.
Growth of plantation economies and slave societies
Plantations built on tobacco, rice, and indigo continued to be the dominant economic, social, and political institution in the southern colonies. Within each plantation, the owner tried to create an independent economy with craftsmen/artisans to maintain productivity. Slave societies developed especially on large plantations where the concentration of people allowed social "creole" customs to develop including a "black" form of Christianity.
Surviving hard times: American society during the Great Depression
Poor, frugal, fearful, sometimes nomadic and out of work, American society was captured by WPA photographers and historians, most famously by Dorothea Lange's photography.
Origins of Progressive reform: municipal, state, and national
Progressive reform started when reformers called out corruption in cities like St. Louis ("Tweed Days in St. Louis" by Lincoln Steffens), in states like Wisconsin (LaFollette's "The Wisconsin Idea"), and at the national level. Progressives were educated, middle class urbanites who had faith in the people and the future. The philosophy of "Pragmatism" ("truth" has to be practical and workable in the real world), and scientific inquiry guided their reform ideas. "Muckrakers" as TR called them, brought society's ills to the public.
Proponents and opponents of the new order, e.g., Social Darwinism and Social Gospel
Proponents like Andrew Carnegie asserted in his "Gospel of Wealth" that natural selection had created the rich and the poor and that it was unavoidable. Nevertheless, he believed the rich had an obligation to become philanthropists and spend most of their money before their death. Opponents like Henry George asserted in his Progress and Poverty that the new order went against natural law and that a land tax was the only way to begin to rectify the great differences between the "House of Have and the House of Want." Washington Gladden in his Applied Christianity asserted the social gospel theme that we should treat each other with the golden rule in the workplace.
Transcendentalism and Utopian communities
Ralph Waldo Emerson Henry David Thoreau Goal: Transcend the material world, find individual spiritual fulfillment, and connect with the "oversoul" Utopian communities of Brook Farm, Oneida, and New Harmony all attempted to create a cooperative lifestyle based on greater equality and a simplified lifestyle; most failed to survive as communities.
Growth of slavery and free Black communities
Rapid growth of slavery in the South after 1800, slave life and resistance on plantations and farms across the South, as well as the impact of the cotton gin on the economics of slavery and Southern agriculture.
Compromise of 1877
Reconstruction ended when Hayes agreed to remove the last Union troops from the South after his inauguration; this opened the final doorway to the "white redeemers" who took back the south and put it firmly in control of local whites again.
Beginning of Détente
Richard Nixon was elected in 1968 after the Democrats imploded over the issue of the Vietnam War. His promise was "Peace With Honor", and it took him more than four years to negotiate the Paris Peace Accords (1973). Nevertheless, it was the beginning of an easing of tensions between America and both the Soviet Union and the Peoples Republic of China. Detente culminated in Nixon's visits to Russia and to China and his signing of the Strategic Arms Limitations Talks in 1972.
The election of 1968 and the "Silent Majority"
Richard Nixon's election in 1968 was heralded by some analysts as a backlash of the "excesses" of the 60's by the "silent majority" of Americans who were fed up with civil rights and anti-war protests and the counterculture movement. Nixon gained an advantage when the Democrats divided over the Vietnam War. The first dissenter in the Democratic ranks was Wisconsin senator Eugene McCarthy. Riots at the Chicago convention only amplified the divided image of the Democratic party. Nevertheless, in the popular vote the election was close. Note George Wallace's success in the white south, breaking from the Democratic Party.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the New Deal
Roosevelt reassured the nation that "we have nothing to fear but fear itself", and in his first "100 Days" declared a "bank holiday" and signed a flurry of laws to combat the Depression. The laws fall under three categories: Relief (for individuals, mostly with public works jobs-think WPA), Recovery (for businesses, including loans, subsidies, cooperative arrangements-think bank holiday & NRA) Reform (for government's role in the economy-it increased dramatically-think AAA, Wagner Act, and Social Security)
The eighteenth-century back country
Scots-Irish and German immigrants came by the thousands, going to the Appalachians and beyond. These folks became the pioneers of the colonial period.
Consensus and conformity: suburbia and middle-class America
Social critics like David Reisman (The Lonely Crowd, 1950) and Betty Freidan (The Feminine Mystique, 1963) criticized the new suburban culture as one of conformity that trapped people in an unfulfilling cultural sameness (remember "Little Houses on the Hillside"?) Conformity was stimulated by three factors: (1) patriotism and conformity drilled in by WWII, (2) fear of anything that would threaten the new prosperity (a prosperity unknown to the young adults of 1946), (3) fear of communism reinforced by political leaders. Suburbia represented for many Americans a chance to do something they had never done: own a home. The "GI Bill" helped that dream come true for veterans.
Environmental impacts of western settlement
Strip mining, timber harvestation, and wholesale killing of wild animals (think the destruction of the buffalo) led to an early conservation movement manifested by the creation of national parks and forests, the first being Yellowstone in the 1870's. By the turn of the century, Teddy Roosevelt would become its most famous political champion.
Social reforms
Temperance, asylum and prison reform, abolition, women's rights
The affluent society and "the other America"
The "affluent society" phrase was coined by economist John Kenneth Galbraith in his book by the same title. It refers what he perceived to be the conformity, shallowness, and wastefulness of the rising American affluence. Part of his stinging indictment was picked up by another critic, Michael Harrington, in his 1962 book, The Other America in which he describes the alarmingly high rate of unseen poverty in America: people who have been left behind during the nation's growing affluence. Nevertheless, Americans were probably more economically equal at this point in our history than any other time because of a combination of the New Deal and the War.
Ideals of domesticity
The "cult of domesticity" was promoted by Catherine Beecher -there are two "spheres" in the home, one for men, one for women; -women are the virtuous half and will naturally nurture the children and raise them to be virtuous citizens -women are placed on a pedestal of respect in the home -managing the home is the most important calling for women
Corporate consolidation of industry
The "industrial statesmen" or "robber barons" as they were called by their critics, used cutthroat competition to consolidate whole industries, notably Vanderbilt in railroads, Carnegie in steel, Rockefeller in oil, and J.P. Morgan in banking (and everything else). Rockefeller is especially famous for the creation of the "trust".
End of the Cold War
The Cold War ended in 1991 with the break up of the Soviet Union into smaller nations. In each of these nations communism eventually was voted out of office by a new hopeful wave of democratic revolutions. Historians disagree over which of the following factors were most important in making this happen, but most agree on the factors: -aggressive and sustained U.S. defense budgets that the USSRtried to match and economically could not, -the leadership of Gorbachev,introducing "perestroika" and "glasnost" into the Soviet Union -the nationalist movements in the Soviet Union -the Soviet citizens tiring of unproductive totalitarian regimes -the standard of living in the west that contrasted sharply with that of the Soviet Union.
American Indian cultures of North America at the time of European contact
The key point here is that the cultures were highly diverse. By the time Columbus arrived, historians estimate there were at least 300 different languages spoken in the Americas.
French colonization of Canada
The French encounters with the Eastern Woodland Indians in Canada were relatively friendly because the French courier du bois needed the Indians for the fur trade and because New France was sparsely populated. The French Jesuits also sought to convert natives to Catholicism.
The Kansas-Nebraska Act and the emergence of the Republican Party
The Kansas-Nebraska Act opened up what was free territory under the MO Compromise to the possibility of slavery. -This caused a mini-civil war in Kansas and in the Congress. -It led directly to the creation of the Republican Party, a coallition of antislavery Northern Whigs and Democrats who were opposed to further extension of slavery into the territories. -the Dred Scott decision solidified the Republican opposition.
Expansion and development of western railroads
The Pacific Railway Act set the standard and the tone of railroad "trunk line" development: -federal land grants to railroads -payment of subsidies to railroads -Union Pacific and the Central Pacific worked together and met at Promontory Point, Utah -first major national corporations -expansion was laced with corruption (famously the Credit Mobilier scandal: a major scandal in Grant's second term; a construction company, aided by members of COngress, bilked the government out of $20-40 million in building the transcontinental railroad. Members of Congress were bribed to cover up the overcharges.)
The federal Constitution
The Philadelphia Convention (1787) created a constitution that was a product of compromises between the north and the south and between the large and small states, the most famous compromise being the "Great Compromise." Madison is considered by historians to be the "father" of the constitution because of his leadership in the convention. Washington served as its president/chairman. The ratification of the constitution by 9 of the states seemed unlikely until a group calling themselves "the Federalists"(Madison, Hamilton, Jay were the writers) argued in favor of a large republic. This group labeled their opponents the "Anti-Federalists." The Anti-Federalists feared a strong central government would jeopardize liberty.
The business of America and the consumer economy
The Second Industrial Revolution focused on the marketing and sale of consumer goods. Business culture was celebrated: the "Coolidgism" that applies is his statement that "the business of America is business." This decade is the birthtime of modern America as we know it: driven by automobiles, materialism, and fads.
Spain's empire in North America
The Spanish encountered Indians in the area of Mesoamerica and the encounters were characterized by both violence and the destruction and/or enslavement of native cultures by the conquistadors and by peaceful attempts at conversion to Catholicism by the Dominicans. -the Spanish ruled directly from the monarchy through the Council of the Indies(in Spain) and the viceroys (in America). Encomienda system: A feudal system introduced by the Spanish when they conquered South and Central America. They placed Spaniards in charge of hundreds of natives and let them tax them or use them as free labor (= slaves) and in return they maintained order and taught them Christianity. The Dominicans established missions all over the Americas: notably Father Serra in California.
Labor and union recognition
The Wagner Act (National Labor Relations Act) put the government behind industrial unions and the result was (1)union recognition,notably the C.I.O. under John Lewis (2) working class becoming part of the middle class (3) labor moving squarely into the Democratic camp
Farmers Alliance and Populist Party
The antecedents of the Populist Party began in the mid-1870s in response to the debt incurred by farmers in Texas. Economic Panic broke out in 1873 and severely afflicted the farmers and the agrarian society. A drought hit the wheat growing areas of the Great Plains and Southern cotton prices plummetted . The farmers denounced those viewed as "arrogant capitalists and powerful cooperations". This lead to the instantaneous formation of the Farmers' Alliance in 1877. The Alliance was quite efficient in fostering new cooperation stores, which bought domestic goods from wholesalers and directly sold them to the farmers for lower prices. The Farmers' Alliance was a short-lived faction though, however, they later morphed into the Populist Party in 1889 which garnered a lot of support.
The antiwar movement and the counterculture
The antiwar movement began in the mid 1960's, but did not gain much attention until the 1967 Pentagon protest. In 1970, in an attempt to stop supply routes of the Viet Cong, Nixon ordered an invasion of Cambodia that brought storms of protest on 400 college campuses, including Kent State where four students were killed. The counterculture was a movement to challenge the values of the "affluent society" of the 50's and 60's and to try to find life's meaning in a new view of the world. Some of the most famous expressions of the counterculture were in the music of the 60's, which included a "rock opera", Hair. There are two famous incidents that capture some of the spirit of the counterculture: San Francisco's "summer of love" (1967) and Woodstock (1969). The person most famous for advocating the use of acid (LSD) was Harvard professor, Timothy Leary who advised youth (before he got fired) to "turn on, tune in, and drop out." Needless to say, this movement caused a bit of a generation gap and some serious backlash that helped lead to the election of Richard Nixon in 1968.
Cold War confrontations: Asia, Latin America, and Europe
The danger of confrontation subsided somewhat in Europe after the Soviets built the Berlin Wall in 1961. Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam expanded the Cold War. By 1963, Kennedy had raised our presence in Vietnam from 900 to 11,000 troops. In 1964, the Gulf of Tonkin incident gave Johnson the political backing to escalate the war in Vietnam. The Tet Offensive (1968) by the communist Viet Cong helped turn Americans against further escalation of the Vietnam War.
English settlement of New England, the Mid-Atlantic region, and the South
The early English settlements were generally small fortified villages that tried to keep Native Americans at a distance. In Jamestown, hostility developed between natives and colonists. Although there was a period of peace, 1622 brought an Indian retaliation (the massacre of 1622). The peace ended with King Philip's War in 1676. New England Colonies were dominated by Calvinists. The "mother" colony was Massachusetts Bay, established to, as the Puritan Governor Winthrop put it, be a "city on a hill"-a beacon of Christianity for the whole world. -New England from the first was to be a religious haven and a place for families to literally "plant" a new society. -Massachusetts Bay was intolerant and proud to be a "Bible Commonwealth." -Congregationalism defined the spread of settlements and helped foster town meetings. -small farmers and fisherman, and later on, shipping merchants, dominated the economy Middle Colonies were characterized by diversity and tolerance. -motives for emigration varied from colony to colony. -Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey had a variety of religious groups and nationalities: Quakers, Jews, Anglicans, Catholics and Germans, Dutch, Swedes, English, Scots-Irish. -These colonies were considered to be the "breadbasket" of the all the colonies because of their food crops. -Pennsylvania had the best long-lasting relationship with Native Americans in the colonial period. The Southern Colonies were characterized by their individualistic profit motives, their allegiance to England, their Anglican faith. -a cash crop economy that included tobacco, rice, and indigo in this time period. -although slavery existed all over the colonies, ultimately it was the Southern colonies that fostered slavery for life.
Significance of Jefferson's presidency
The election of 1800="the peaceful revolution". -trans-Mississippi expansion: Louisiana Purchase -maintained peace and stability leading the original opposition party thus establishing the "loyal opposition" concept -tried to put republican principles into political practice.
Expansion of government power
The government exercised a great deal of power over the economy and over the lives of Americans who signed up or were drafted into the armed services. Resources were channelled to the fighting men overseas and Americans had to endure shortages in food, clothing, and other consumer goods. Rationing and patriotism were used to ensure success. Government spending went from 9 B in 1940 to 98 B in 1944. Payroll deduction was introduced to insure income tax collection. Taxes were increased, disproportionately on the rich.
The Imperial Crisis and resistance to Britain
The imperial crisis starts with a fundamental disagreement over the power of Parliament to levy taxes on the colonies ("virtual representation" vs. "no taxation without representation") The Stamp Act (1765) results in colonial wide protest and spawns the "Sons of Liberty". The Tea Act(1773) provokes the Boston Tea Party; the Parliamentary response is the Coercive or Intolerable Acts, followed by the colonies First Continental Congress (1774).
The Red Scare and McCarthyism
The initial failures in Truman's foreign policy to stabilize the balance of power in the world, coupled with the Russian explosion of an a-bomb in 1949, created the climate for McCarthyism.
Responses to Modernism: religious fundamentalism, nativism, and Prohibition
The most famous illustration of religious reaction is the Scopes Monkey Trial featuring two old opponents: Clarence Darrow (modernist) v. William Jennings Bryan (fundamentalist). Nativism was expressed specifically against the "new" immigrants. The Red Scare kicked it off, followed by the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan, and culminating in the most restrictive immigration policies in our history: the Quota Acts ("Emergency" and "National Origins").
Social critics, nonconformists, and cultural rebels
The most famous nonconformists were the "beats" and various artists who blazed new cultural trails, notably Jackson Pollack with his surrealist canvasses painted on the floor.
Nixon's challenges: Vietnam, China, and Watergate
The promise of the Paris Peace Accords disintegrated when the North Vietnamese conquered South Vietnam. Ping pong diplomacy began the normalization of relations with China; that helped prompt the Soviets to invite Nixon to Moscow for a visit. Watergate ended the Nixon presidency when it became evident Nixon misused his powers to obstruct the FBI.
Pro- and antislavery arguments and conflicts
The proslavery arguments basically said that slavery was no longer a "necessary evil" but rather a "positive good" for everyone. Led by William L. Garrison, the antislavery arguments basically said that slaves were in fact human beings who, like everyone else, deserved freedom. Even though abolitionists were in the minority, confrontations occured in many forums and sometimes erupted in violence and death, most famously the Nat Turner Rebellion in 1832.
Forced removal of American Indians to the trans-Mississippi West
The removal of American Indians beyond the Mississippi had been advocated since the presidency of Thomas Jefferson and had been done incrementally ever since. The forced removal to the "Indian territory" in this time period focused on two distinct groups: (1) the Sac and Fox that resulted in the Black Hawk War and (2) the removal of the Five Civilized Tribes that culminated in the Trail of Tears.
Emergence of the second party system
The second party system includes the Democrats (descendant from the Democratic-Republicans) and the Whigs (a coalition of anti-Jackson groups). -The Democrats emerge from the "corrupt bargain" in 1824
The transportation revolution and creation of a national market economy
The transportation revolution involved the creation of canals, turnpikes, and steam-powered travel on the riverways. The concept of the national market economy emerged in the post war period of nationalism. It's champion was Henry Clay, (American System) from Kentucky. The goals was to link all sections of the country in an independent, self-sufficient economy. Clay believed that the federal government needed to take the lead by (1) establishing a protective tariff, (2) reestablishing a Bank of the U.S., and (3) building "internal improvements"(roads). B. I. T. Bank, internal improvements, tariff.
Emergence of the modern civil rights movement
There are two facets to the movement: (1) action in the courts, which had been started by the NAACP several years before and culminated in Brown v. Board in 1954, and (2) action in the streets by people fighting segregation of public facilities, most famously led by Martin Luther King and the SCLC. The backlash to both facets forced the judicial and executive departments to intervene with landmark decisions and force.
Truman and containment
Truman's state department, led by George Marshall, formulated the policy of containment, famously in the George Kennan essay. Communist insurgencies in Greece and Turkey sparked the "Truman Doctrine", a speech that became a sort of declaration of war on communism. That same year, Churchill coined his famous "iron curtain" phrase. The following year, a direct confrontation occured over the occupation of Berlin.
Prelude to war: policy of neutrality
Two factors stimulated isolationism and neutrality: (1) the Depression, and (2) the danger of war abroad. Neutrality was reinforced by the founding of the Nye Committee in 1935 and three subsequent "Neutrality Acts" in 35, 36, and 37. Unfortunately, these acts only serve to encourage fascist dictators to be more aggressive. When Hitler marched through France in 1940 and started the "Battle of Britain", American attitudes began to change, and Roosevelt began a series of moves to put America squarely in the Allied camp (think destroyers for bases deal(40), and Lend-Lease(41; think "Arsenal of Democracy"). In 1941, Roosevelt ordered the U.S. Navy to attack the German submarines (the "rattlesnakes of the Atlantic").
Immigration and nativist reaction
Two major groups immigrated in the antebellum period: the Irish, fleeing the potato famine, and the Germans, fleeing political turmoil and war. The Irish were poor and unskilled and ended up in the cities of the northeastern seaboard. The Germans were fairly well off, and thus moved to the west to find land to farm that remined them of home. The nativist response was directed principally at the Irish inhabitants of the city slums who, both as Catholics and as tools of corrupt politicians, seemed to undermine democracy. Congregationalist Bostonians perhaps hated them the most. The most famous manifestation of nativism was the "Know Nothing" party which elected Massachusetts' governor in the 1850's. Nativism took a back seat to the growing slavery controversy.
Labor and unions
Two patterns of labor union movement occurred: industrial and trade unions. The industrial unions organized everyone, skilled and unskilled, and are famously represented by the Knights of Labor. Trade unions focused on a skilled trade and were famously represented by the American Federation of Labor. The Haymarket Riot helped identify political radicalism (anarchism mostly) with the industrial labor movement, so skilled trade unions that stayed away from politics gained power. Nevertheless, throughout the last quarter of the nineteenth century, large scale strikes often resulted in violent battles between laborers and government or private enforcement agencies (examples: Homestead Strike, Pullman Strike)
City problems and machine politics
Two people are famous for exposing the problems of urbanization in the late nineteenth century: (1) Thomas Nast whose cartoon assault on municipal corruption brought down Boss Tweed and Tammany Hall (New York), (2) Jacob Riis whose expose' How the Other Half Lives detailed the horrific tenement conditions in the lower east side of New York. Jane Addams and her settlement house movement to help the poor.
Changes in the American economy: the energy crisis, deindustrialization, and the service economy
U.S. support of Isreal in the Yom-Kippur War prompted the Arab Oil Embargo of 1973 and ultimately the formation of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. The American economy-since 1950-had begun to change from a manufacturing base to a more technology-centered service economy. Futurist John Naismith in his 1982 book Megatrends summarized the history of mankind's economic changes in three words: farmer-laborer-clerk, declaring that most Americans in the late 20th century were paid mostly to provide information (not to make anything).
Unilateralism vs. multilateralism in foreign policy
Unilateralism is any doctrine or agenda that supports one-sided action. (Has section on Unilateralism in the United States). Multilateralism is a term in international relations that refers to multiple countries working in concert (together as one) on a given issue.
Black America: urban migration and civil rights initiatives
W.E.B. DuBois is the Black Progressive: -Souls of Black Folk -co-founds the Niagara Movement & NAACP -editor of the Crisis
War and regional development
Wartime production moved millions of people to war production areas, notably in the Sunbelt, but also up from the South into northern urban areas.
Washington, Hamilton, and shaping of the national government
Washington established the central government: the executive departments, the judiciary, and the relationship between all three branches.Hamilton's Grand Design-especially the Bank of the U.S. proposal-focused the debate over the elastic clause of the Constitution.
Women's roles: family, workplace, education, politics, and reform
Women continued to break into higher education, but most women tended to continue traditional roles in the family unless they were lower class factory or service workers. Middle class urbanites were active in progressive reform movements. Most famously, suffragettes and temperance reformers actively pursued prohibition and the vote (18th and 19th amendments). Margaret Sanger advocated family planning, eventually founding Planned Parenthood.
Women, work, and family during the war
Women worked at home and in factories and even signed up in the military. For women, it was both liberating and difficult. Many families moved to find work and ended up in crowded trailers or other makeshift housing. Child care was largely unavailable, and with fathers oftentimes in the service, families were strained often to the breaking point.
Effects of technological development on the worker and workplace
Workers became cogs in the machinery of production. Skilled workers and unskilled workers were paid very little (about 20 and 10 cents an hour respectively). There was no regulation of the workplace, so industrial jobs were often hazardous. Children, women, and the "new immigrants" were especially vulnerable to abuse in the workplace.
Evangelical Protestant revivalism
a spiritual neo-Calvinism that focused on "free agency" of all sinners to choose salvation/it resulted in a flurry of reform movements.