US History March Notes

Read page 407-422

Pg 411 # 2 and 4

• Q2) Compare and Contrast the ideologies of Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois.

• A2) Booker T. Washington believed in economic equality while W.E.B. Du Bois believed in social equality. Washington believed that African Americans had to achieve economic independence before civil rights. Black people must tolerate discrimination while they proved themselves equal to white people. Slowly, civil rights would come. Du Bois believed that black Americans had to demand their social and civil rights or else become permanent victims of racism. African Americans must fight every day for the rights given to them in the Constitution.

• Q4) Summarize What were the goals of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)?

• A4) The NAACP aimed to help African Americans be “physically free from peonage [forced, low-paid labor], mentally free from ignorance, politically free from disfranchisement, and socially free from insult.” Later, the NAACP focused on the battle for equal access to decent housing and professional careers like teaching.

Pg 422 # 2 and 5

• Q2) Compare Points of View Explain why some people supported President Wilson’s graduated income tax and why others opposed it.

• A2) President Wilson proposed changes to the Tax System. One change was the Revenue Act of 1916, which increased rates on Income Tax in order to increase Federal Revenue. People that supported it understood the necessity of the Government in increasing its revenue in order to be able to spend more with the population, and social programs. People who opposed it mainly had to pay even more than they already had to. People with incomes over five hundred thousand dollars had to pay 16% on Income Tax, rather than the former 6% rate. 

• Q5) Generate Explanations Explain how President Wilson affected workers’ rights.

• A5) The US passed legislation that protected labor unions and established workers' compensation under President Wilson. He negotiated with both laborers and business leaders in order to prevent strikes. Unfortunately, the Ludlow Massacre showed the reality that not all workers' unions were protected.

Read page 423-443

Pg 427 # 1 and 5

• Q1) Generate Explanations Explain why many world powers developed extractive economies during the 1800s, and why this was less important for the United States.

• A1) The Industrial Revolution was going on in the 1800s. Most world powers at that time had strong industrial bases and so they developed extractive economies. At the time, new advances in technology enabled production of machines, chemicals, and production processes that enabled goods to be produced faster, cheaper, and with manual labor. The United States was expanding westward, while acquiring quantities of farmland and making high returns in agriculture. The U.S. would have to wait to fully industrialize. 

• Q5) Generate Explanations Explain how the United States gained influence in Latin America.

• A5) Latin America was often unable to pay back loans, thus foreign lenders threatened to collect the debt by force or taking over facilities they funded, therefore controlling Latin American industries. The Spanish-American War made the United States the dominant imperial power in Latin America because the war let the US put a puppet government in place in Cuba and gain control of Spain's remaining colonies; Guam, the Philippines, and Puerto Rico.

Pg 435 # 1 and 3

• Q1) Identify Cause and Effect Explain how the Yellow Press affected relations between the United States and Spain.

• A1) A1) William Randolph Hearst is famous for having used his newspapers to push for American involvement in the war. He did this by heightening the public dislike of the Spanish government. By doing so, they inflamed American opinion against Spain. The yellow journalists were especially effective in pushing the U.S. into the war after the sinking of the USS Maine in the harbor of Havana, Cuba.

• Q3) Summarize the results of the Treaty of Paris and the Teller Amendment, and explain why these proved to be complicated for the United States.

• A3) The Treaty of Paris allowed Guam, the Philippines, and Puerto Rico to the United States, with the U.S. assuming the balance sheet of these territories. The Teller Amendment was an amendment to the declaration of war on Spain which states that the U.S. would return Cuba to the Cubans following the conclusion of the war. The U.S. wanted indirect control over Cuba, and did not want its debt. They negotiated that Spain would take on the 400 million dollars, and that the U.S. would build a base on Cuba.

Pg 444 # 1 and 5

• Q1) Summarize What was the impact of the Platt Amendment?

• A1) The Platt Amendment was an amendment to a U.S. Army appropriations bill. It established the terms under which the United States and they would end its military occupation of Cuba and leave the government and control to its people.

• Q5) Generate Explanations Explain the purpose of the Roosevelt Corollary.

• A5) Roosevelt's 1904 extension of the Monroe Doctrine states that the United States has the right to protect its economic interests in Latin America by using military force, first put into effect in Dominican Republic. This was out of fear that the European powers would loan money to Latin America and thus become involved in the western hemisphere.

Read page 450-465 page 458 # 1,2 and 3 page 465 # 1,2 and 3

Pg 458 

• Q1) Analyze Information Discuss the form of nationalism that prevailed in Europe before World War I, and explain how it contributed to the start of the war.

• A1) The form of nationalism that prevailed in Europe before WW1 was Social Darwinism. It forced the people to believe that the fittest of all nations would win the war. This contributed to the start of the war since there was a strong sense of nationalism and this increased the confidence of the people. 

• Q2) Identify Cause and Effect Explain why the assassination of Francis Ferdinand led to more than a localized quarrel.

• A2) The assassination of Francis Ferdinand led to more than a localized quarrel because he was assasinated by a group of Bosnians. They assassinated Ferdinand because they believed Bosnia rightfully belonged to Serbia, and they saw Ferdinand as a tyrant. This was simply the incident that caused WW1 since nations were already bubbling with nationalism, and everything was already prepared for the war. 

• Q3) Generate Explanations Explain why President Wilson initially opposed U.S. involvement in World War I, and why he later changed his mind.

• A3) Wilson was opposed to having the U.S. involved in WW1 because he wanted to remain a neutral, peaceful nation. He didn’t want the nation to set Americans against one another. He declared war after the Zimmerman note, which was from the German foreign minister. It proposed an alliance with Mexico, stating that if the US declared war on Germany, Mexico should declare the war on the US. 

Pg 465

• Q1) Explain how the role of the federal government changed during World War I.

• A1) The role of the federal government changed during WW1 since they started regulating industrial and agricultural production as well as working to shape the public opinion and establishing a new military draft. The government began regulating many more factors compared to the minor role in the daily lives of most Americans that they previously played. 

• Q2) Discuss the purposes and effects of the Committee on Public Information.

• A2) The Committee on Public Information had the job to educate the public about the causes and nature of the war. They had to convince the Americans that the war effort was a just cause. They released posters, newspapers, and advertisements to support the war. 

• Q3) Discuss the constitutional issues raised by the government's response to anti-war sentiment.

• A3) The Espionage Act was passed which allowed for authorities to bad treasonable or seditious newspapers, magazines, or printed materials from the mail. This caused a limit to the freedom of speech since people were not allowed to state their opinions if it was against the war. The government then defended this act by saying that there are times when the need for public order is so pressing that the first amendment does not apply. Anybody who was found obstructing army recruiters, aiding the enemy or generally interfering with the war effort could be punished with up to a $10,000 fine and 20 years of imprisonment.