United States History – Mrs. Reddy
Bulletin 2.0: Progressive Era and WWI c. 1896-1918
We are focusing on two major issues during this time period:
1. Attempted reform in reaction to the mass industrialism at home, to create a more “rationally”
organized society.
2. The expansion of American power and influence abroad, focusing on American imperialism and
involvement in World War I.
Essential Questions:
 What were the basic assumptions and impulses underlying the idea of "progressivism"?
 What were the major political, economic, and social reforms put forward by
 progressives?
 Why did the United States go to war with Spain in 1898?
 What developments prompted the rise of American imperialism during the late 19th
 century?
 What was the significance of Theodore Roosevelt's presidency, in terms of domestic
 policy and foreign affairs?
 What was the significance of the election of 1912?
 What were the major legislative achievements of Woodrow Wilson's presidency?
 Why did the United States get involved in World War I?
 What were the diplomatic initiatives of President Wilson, and to what extent were they
 successful?
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Due Date
Assignment
M 2/25 (day 7)
American Imperialism I – Brinkley pp. 498-516.
Terms: Alfred Thayer Mahan; “Butcher” Weyler; “yellow press”; the Maine; William McKinley;
Theodore Roosevelt; Rough Riders; Treaty of Paris (know the terms of the treaty); Platt
Amendment; “Open Door notes”
Issues:
 What developments prompted the rise of American imperialism during the late 19th
century?
 Why were Americans aware of / concerned about the Cuban revolt against Spain?
 What events in early 1898 pushed the United States towards war with Spain?
 Why was the Spanish-American War, in the words of Secretary of State Hay, a “splendid
little war”?
 What became of Puerto Rico as a result of the war?
 What were the major arguments for and against annexing the Philippines? Who were
the major proponents and opponents of annexation?
 What tactics did the US have to adopt to subjugate the Philippines?
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How did the US treat the Philippines subsequently?
What was the primary American interest with regard to China during the late 1890s?
W 2/27 (day 9)
The Progressive Era: Foner pp. 543-561 (ON MOODLE).
Things to think about:
 Why was the city such a central element in Progressive America?
 How did the labor and women’s movement expand the meanings of freedom?
Th 2/28 (day 10)
BUMP: The Progressive Era Continued: Foner pp. 561-573 (ON MOODLE)
AND
READ and BRING TO CLASS Roosevelt’s “The Doctrine of the Strenuous Life”
and Wilson’s “New Freedom” Speech (ON MOODLE)
Things to think about:
 How did the Progressive presidents foster the rise of the nation-state?
 What does Roosevelt’s statement say about the kind of nation he thinks America should be?
 What does he say about America’s past?
 How, according to Wilson, is today’s world different from that of the past?
 What is different about working in a corporation, for the average man?
 What is Wilson trying to say when he compares to life in a tenement house to life in a
corporation?
 How is the “war for freedom” in Wilson’s day different from the “war for freedom” of 1776?
 What “tyranny” does Wilson believe he is fighting now?
F 3/1 (day 1)
USA in World War I –Brinkley pp. 559-578 AND Wilson’s Wartime
Speeches: 1) Declaration of Neutrality 2) 1917 War Message 3) Wilson’s
Fourteen Points.
Wilson’s wartime speeches: 1) Declaration of Neutrality; and 2) 1917 War Message 3) Wilson’s
Fourteen Points.
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Consider what arguments Wilson made to support his request for a declaration of war, and
how his point of view changed between 1914 and 1917.
Wilson’s Fourteen Points – what does this program suggest about how the United States
intends to deal with the defeated powers (Germany and Austria-Hungary) after the war?
Terms: Lusitania; “Peace without Victory”; Zimmerman telegram; “Liberty Bonds”; War Industries
Board; National War Labor Board; Espionage Act; Sedition Act; Fourteen Points; Paris Peace
Conference; David Lloyd George; Georges Clemenceau; League of Nations; Henry Cabot Lodge;
Marcus Garvey; A. Mitchell Palmer; Sacco and Vanzetti; Nineteenth Amendment;
Issues:
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What was President Wilson’s public stance towards the war when it began in 1914?
Why was it difficult for the United States to remain neutral?
What was Wilson’s stance when he ran for reelection in 1916?
What factors finally prompted American intervention in the war in 1917?
What was the impact of the Bolshevik Revolution on the war effort?
In what ways was the nature of warfare new and different during World War I?
How did Wilson organize the government and the economy to fight the war?
In what ways did the government intervene or attempt to shape public opinion during the
war?
How did Wilson’s vision for the postwar world differ from those of the European powers?
The League of Nations fight very significant – why did Wilson’s push for American
membership fail?
Why was there social unrest in the aftermath of World War I?
Why was there a “great migration” of African-Americans, and what was its impact on the
country?
Why was there a “Red Scare”? What role did xenophobia play in it?
Why was conservative Warren G. Harding elected president in 1920?
Saturday 3/2
BLOG POST DUE by MIDNIGHT
Tu 3/5 (day 3)
REVIEW DAY
Th 3/7 (day 5)
TEST: Format TBA
Spring Break! RELAX AND ENJOY!