Semester Test Blog

[3Kara]

Semester Test Blog


1. Students will understand the impact the Industrial Revolution had on the United States. (Ch. 6)

After the Civil War, the economy of the United States was still dominated by agriculture. By the 1920’s the U.S. became the world’s leading power in industry. This was mainly due in part by a wealth of natural resources such as oil; the government began supporting businesses, and a rise in urban population, leading to increased workers and cheap labor. With the start of the Bessemer process, steel could be produced rapidly, leading to inventions such as railroads, skyscrapers, the steel plow, electricity, the typewriter, and many others. Industrialization also produced many jobs in factories and gave workers a better standard of living.

2. Students will understand the impact immigration and urbanization had on the United States. (Ch. 7)

When the Industrial Revolution began, there was a rise in job opportunities. As a result, many immigrants began moving to urban areas such as New York City and Chicago. They would live in tenement houses with usually 3 or more families living in each building. The rooms would get dirty and smelly and people would have to dump their trash out onto the streets. Even though crews were hired to keep streets clean, they often did poor jobs. Urban areas became disgusting and unsettling places to live. Also, clean water was often not available to everyone, which led to illnesses such as cholera and typhoid fever. With a lack of water, buildings made of wood, and a small amount of firefighters, large fires would spread throughout cities every day. The most famous being the Great Chicago fire.

3. Students will understand the impact of the Progressive Era on the United States. (Ch. 9)

Progressives aimed to help out the common people any way they could. Settlement houses were set up to give immigrants, poor, or African Americans a place to go to get a meal or stay warm. Many had community centers, churches, and social services to use as they needed. This period also brought about the YMCA and Salvation Army. The workplace was also improved by giving employees better conditions, pay and fewer hours. Child labor was also put to an end. Progressives also wanted to improve people’s personal behaviors by encouraging prohibition, believing that alcohol was the cause of most American’s low morals. Giving women the right to vote was another area that was pushed for at this time, although this would not be achieved for another 40 years. Another thing that was pushed for by Progressives was efficiency in the workplace by developing scientific management and assembly lines. Although this created some problems for workers, products were made much faster. President Teddy Roosevelt was a big trustbuster; he broke up monopolies that were being corrupt and unfair and also regulated the railroads by passing the Elkins Act and Hepburn Act. He also passed the Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act that improved the meat packing industry and the way products were labeled. He also set aside millions of acres of land for natural parks and conservation.

4. Students will understand the impact imperialism had on the United States and world. (Ch. 10)

Imperialism is when much stronger/bigger countries take over smaller/less powerful countries for economic, political, and military gains. The United States bought Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million. Although many people thought Alaska was just a big chunk of ice, it turned out to be one of the best purchases in our history because we eventually benefited from fishing, tourism, and oil industries. We also took over Hawaii much to their disapproval. Imperialism also allowed the United States to gain Puerto Rico, Guam, the Philippines, and Cuba. Imperialism spread across the world, especially Europe. Countries like Great Britain and Germany would dispute over land and began an arms race where they would try to out-do each other by building up their armies and navies as well as weapons such as Dreadnoughts. These disputes eventually became one of the causes of the First World War.

5. Students will understand the political, social, and economic changes that occurred in the 1920’s in the United States. (Ch. 12-13)

-Roaring 20’s –entertainment
• Radio
• Motion pictures with sound (Steamboat Willie)
• Dancing (Charleston, Swing, Foxtrot)
• Crosswords and mahjong
• Pole sitting
-Red Scare
• People were afraid of communists, radicals, and socialists
• Feared that communists would take-over the government and get rid of private property
• Communist theory states that poor people would rise up in society and overthrow the rich people and create a world where everyone is treated equally
• Karl Marx
• Vladimir Lenin was the first communist leader of the Soviet Union
• Palmer Raids—the government deported anyone who might be a communist and radicals out of the country
• The U.S. did not want to become the communist states of America
• The Ku Klux Klan were anti-black, immigrant, communist, and radical
• The Federal government supported them
-Republican Domination
• 3 Republican Presidents in 1920s
• Harding, Coolidge, and Hoover
• The 1920s were known as the “do nothing” decade
• Laissez Faire—French for “hands off” meaning that the government should stay out of business
• The 20s also kind of did the opposite of the Progressive Era in terms of business
• Trickle Down Theory: give tax cuts to the rich. By helping them, they would give poor people better working conditions, wages, and jobs
-War Prevention
• *4 Power Treaty
• U.S., Great Britain, France, and Japan
• Each country would respect each other's possessions in the Pacific (Primarily colonies)
• *5 Power Treaty
• Same 4 as above plus Italy
• Freeze navys at 1921 level
• Only applied to battleships so countries started to build up their other kinds of ships
• *9 Power Treaty
• All countries above plus Netherlands, Portugal, Belgium, and China
• Keep "open door" in China
• They could trade with China as much as they wanted but could not try to take them over
• Promised China their independence
• Japan signed it but eventually broke it
• Kellog -Briand Pact outlawed war as a means to end disputes. Over 70 countries signed it
-Automobile/Airplane
While Henry Ford was not the first person to invent the automobile, he drastically improved it. Ford began paying his workers $5 a day, which was very good pay at that time. This encouraged his workers to not go on strike, keep their jobs, and work hard for what they earn. His Model T car became very popular because it was very affordable and cheap. The airplane was mainly used for transporting mail and small groups of people. They were also used as air shows, like what they blue angels are today. Charles Lindbergh was the first person to fly non-stop across the Atlantic Ocean. Amelia Earhart was the first woman to fly trans-Atlantic though she disappeared on the way.

-Prohibition
Many women during the 1920s were big advocates for prohibition. This was due to their husbands coming home drunk, which in turn caused them to be abusive and mean. The 18th Amendment was finally passed, making it illegal to manufacture, transport, or sell alcohol. This led to a lot of good people committing organized crimes in an effort to get their hands on alcohol. Speakeasies were secret underground clubs/bars where people would go and drink. Many of them required secret passwords to get in. Bootleggers were people who would smuggle alcohol in their clothing and sell it to people. While alcohol wasn’t illegal to drink, it was thought that eventually people would run out. Alcohol was allowed, however, for religious and medicinal purposes. This led to a rise in prescription wine orders. Al Capone is famous for committing many crimes and murders in order to gain control of Chicago’s alcohol supply. The Prohibition Bureau had 1500 people in charge of patrolling the entire country, to make sure that no one was making illegal alcohol. Prohibition eventually ended with the addition of another amendment to the constitution that made it legal again.