Homework 12/2/10

1.) The USA's industrial strength -

• Vast country filled with natural resources
• Extremely high population increases at this time
• Most of the population at the time lived in cities, worked in large industries
• Coal, oil, iron, and gas just a few of the resources America had to offer
• AMERICAN INDUSTRY IS GROWING VIGOROUSLY
• By the time of WWI USA had led world in most areas of industry
• New Technology: Motor-vehicles, electric lighting, and telephones
• Film and Chemical industry high as well
  

The First World War -

• America tried to stay out
• Gave a lot of money of money and weapons to the allied group
• By end of WWI America stripped Germany of chemical power
  

New industries -

• Car/automobile
• Trucking
• Road making
  
• Building in the cities (skyscrapers and buildings)
  

Republican policies -

• Laissez-Faire - interfere as less as possible in affairs
  
• Tariffs - import tariff = good
  
• Low Taxation - benefits to working people = happy
  
• Trusts - huge "super-competitions" which dominated the industry
  

A state of mind -

• Most beneficial thing for any prospering nation
• America had growth state of mind
• Helped them in the long run with the "boom"
  

2.) I completely agree with the statement that the boom in industry would have been almost impossible without the mass production in automobiles. This is because the purchasing of automobiles contributed greatly to rising industries (car industry) and it provided new businesses. New businesses included roadwork/road making and truck driving/truck building. All of these industries were a huge factor of the increase in industry during this time.

Homework 11/5/10

1.) List four principles of the Fourteen Points. Which of the Fourteen Points did Wilson think was most important?
• Eliminate secret treaties and causes of war through open diplomacy
• Securing freedom of the seas
• Develop free trade
• And encouraging disarmament
• Wilson believed the most important was the 14th - general association of nations
2.) List three types of anti-German propaganda used by the U.S. during the war.
• German institutions and organizations closed
• Symphonies restricted to play German composer's music
• 14 states banned the learning of German in public schools
3.) What was the purpose of the Committee on Public Information?
• Promote war domestically
• C.P.I shaped information Americans got about the war and encouraged support
• Hoped for more enlistment by increased showings of patriotism

Homework 11/4/10

1. What was President Wilson’s initial stance toward U.S. involvement in the war?

• President Wilson wanted to keep the United States neutral and out of the war initially
• Wanted US to act as a "model" to other countries
• Stay out of Europe's problems
  

2. Why was it difficult to maintain neutrality?

• Both countries wanted US on their side - choosing stalled the progressive of the war
• Ethnic groups and immigrants choosing sides
• Pro-Allied sympathies of the Wilson administration
• US has economic links with the Allies
  
• Britain flew American flags and sunk ships using them
  
• As a result, Germany thought America was apart of the war
  

3. After the Lusitania sank, two groups of people criticized President Wilson’s actions. Who were they, and what problems did they see with his actions?

• Teddy Roosevelt - want war because of Americans killed by the Germans
  
• Henry Cabot Lodge - angered that Germany did that
  

4. What two actions did Germany take which led Wilson to declare war?

• Renewal of of unrestricted submarine warfare
• Disclose of the Zimmerman telegraph - promising Mexico that it will help it reclaim land from America if they helped Germany
  

Homework 10/27/10 and Class notes

1.) Was Taft a true “progressive”? Make a list of points for and against.
Yes
• Deep belief in the law and people - has progressive ideas
• Man-Elkins Act - improving working conditions
• 16th and 17th amendment
No
• Still believes that big businesses should succeed
^--->Payne-Aldrich Tariff (example)
2.) Who were the contenders in the 1912 election? What were the election returns?
• Eugene V. Debs - Socialist
• Woodrow Wilson - Democrat
• Teddy Roosevelt - Progressive Party
• William Taft - Republican
• Woodrow Wilson won
3.) Define Wilson’s, “New Freedom”, platform
• Based on Progressive lawyer Louis Brandeis
• “Concentrated economic power threatens individual liberty” (602)
• Wilson also believed that monopolies had to be broken up so marketplace could be “more open”
4.) What reforms were passed during Wilson’s presidency?
• Blend New Freedom competition w/ New Nationalism comp.
• Federal Trade Commission
- Federal "Watchdog" Agency
- Investigated illegal business activity
• Wilson's Progressive Reforms
• Federal Tax & Underwood Tariff
- Supplemented tariff income
• Clayton Anti-Trust Act 1914
- strengthens Sherman Antitrust Act
- prohibited monopolies
- Labor Unions are allowed to exist/right to boycott

Homework 10/25/10

1.) What role did President Roosevelt want the federal government to serve? P.597
• A small and uninvolved government would not work in the industrial era
• Wanted the government to act as an umpire
• Decide when big business was good and bad
2.) What reforms (think new laws, agencies, etc.) were achieved during Teddy Roosevelt’s presidency?
• Justice Department – antitrust laws to prosecute railroad, meatpacking, and oil trusts (he believed they were exploiting the public
• Pure Food and Drug Laws – protect from bad/expired food to be served to public
• Believed most efficient way to use and conserve resources would be for public management
^CONSERVATION^
• Hepburn Act - regulating price setting of railroads
3.) How did Teddy Roosevelt handle the 1902 United mine Workers’ Strike? How did this illustrate his stance toward unions?
• We need coal!
• Tried to stop the strikes
• The workers reasoned so they stopped striking
• Workers got less working time but no agreement to recognize the unions
• Teddy Roosevelt probably doesn’t like unions at this point in time

Homework 10/22/10

Being an American citizen in 1911 after reading the Triangle report, I would be a little concerned and scared. I would be scared because of the countless young people that died from one fire and the fact that many of them were as young as 15. It would also frighten me that the public thought this was a "fire-proof" building and that people were suffering for 30 minutes while the blaze was trying to be put out. My biggest concern would be that people were still working in these inhumane working conditions and that this was not the factory's first fire. I think action is definitely needed. Many buildings should have fire sprinklers installed and fire escapes should be located.

The events at the Triangle factory tie into the Progressive Era because of the harsh working conditions that people were fighting to eliminate, caused a holocaust. It shows that inhumane working conditions were not the best and that people didn't do anything to change them until a horrible event like the fire happened.

Homework 10/20/10

1.) Who were the "progressives"?

• people wanting to change the effect industrialization had on American society at the time
• "supported the assumption that gov't should ensure justice and well-being" (583)
• had "deep faith" that mankind could create a better world
  

2.) What projects/changes did they champion?

• the initiative - permitted voters to propose new laws
• the referendum - enabled voters to except or reject a law
• the recall - allowed voters to remove offending officials and judges before their terms expired
• WE WANT EFFICIENCY!
• they would reclaim gov't and replace the boss system with accountable managers
• inspired all types of new reformers