Period 7: 1890–1945

Period 7 is an era of Massive Transformation. The U.S. began 1890 as a regional power concerned with closing the frontier, and ended 1945 as the world’s dominant nuclear superpower.

With the Western Frontier closed, Americans looked overseas for new markets and naval bases. Alfred Thayer Mahan's book The Influence of Sea Power Upon History convinced leaders that a great navy = a great nation.

Triggered by Yellow Journalism (exaggerated news) and the sinking of the USS Maine in Havana. It was a short war that permanently changed the U.S.

Key Outcomes (Treaty of Paris)

• Territory Gained: Puerto Rico, Guam, Philippines (bought for $20M).
• Cuba: Became independent but controlled by the U.S. via the Platt Amendment (U.S. can intervene anytime).
• Hawaii: Annexed separately in 1898 for Pearl Harbor naval base.

A predominantly middle-class, urban movement to fix the problems caused by industrialization (corruption, trusts, poverty).

1. The Muckrakers (Investigative Journalists)

• Upton Sinclair (The Jungle): Exposed horrific conditions in meatpacking → Meat Inspection Act.
• Ida Tarbell: Exposed the predatory tactics of Standard Oil.
• Jacob Riis: How the Other Half Lives (Photos of slums).

2. Civil Rights Debate

Progressives mostly ignored African American civil rights, leading to an internal debate:

3. Progressive Amendments

• 💰 16th: Income Tax.
• 🗳️ 17th: Direct election of Senators (more democracy).
• 🍺 18th: Prohibition (banned alcohol).
• 👩 19th: Women’s Suffrage (1920).

Woodrow Wilson won in 1916 on "He Kept Us Out of War." By 1917, the U.S. joined due to:

1. Unrestricted Submarine Warfare: Germany sinking merchant ships (Lusitania).
2. Zimmermann Telegram: Germany asked Mexico to attack the U.S.
3. "Make the World Safe for Democracy": Wilson’s moral crusade.

The Home Front

• Schenck v. United States (1919): Ruled that free speech can be restricted if it presents a "Clear and Present Danger" (e.g., anti-war protests).
• Great Migration: African Americans moved North to fill factory jobs, escaping Jim Crow.

The Treaty of Versailles Failure

Wilson proposed the 14 Points (League of Nations). But the U.S. Senate (Henry Cabot Lodge) rejected it, fearing the League would force the U.S. into foreign wars without Congress's approval. The U.S. turned to Isolationism.

An era of deep cultural conflict: Modern vs. Traditional.

It wasn't just the 1929 Stock Market Crash. Underlying causes included:

• Overproduction: Factories/Farmers produced more than people could buy.
• Credit Bubble: Americans bought everything on installment plans.
• Dust Bowl: Drought + over-farming destroyed the Great Plains ecology, forcing "Okies" to migrate to California.

Hoover's Failure: He relied on "Rugged Individualism" and volunteerism. He signed the Hawley-Smoot Tariff, which killed international trade and worsened the depression.

FDR fundamentally changed the role of government: It was now responsible for the economic security of citizens.

The 3 R's

Critics of the New Deal

• From the Left (Huey Long): "Share Our Wealth" program. Thought FDR didn't do enough for the poor.
• The Supreme Court: Struck down AAA and NRA.
• Court Packing Scheme (1937): FDR tried to add 6 new judges to control the Court. Congress rejected it as a violation of Checks and Balances.

1. From Neutrality to War

The U.S. passed Neutrality Acts in the 30s but shifted to the Lend-Lease Act to help Britain ("Arsenal of Democracy"). The attack on Pearl Harbor (1941) ended isolationism instantly.

2. The Home Front

• Japanese Internment: Executive Order 9066 forced 100k+ Japanese Americans into camps. Upheld in Korematsu v. US as a "military necessity."
• Rosie the Riveter: Women took industrial jobs in massive numbers.
• Double V Campaign: African Americans fought for Victory abroad (fascism) and Victory at home (racism).

3. Victory & The Atomic Bomb

Island Hopping strategy in the Pacific brought the U.S. closer to Japan. Truman ordered the atomic bombs (Manhattan Project) on Hiroshima/Nagasaki to avoid a bloody invasion and (arguably) to intimidate the Soviets.

The Great Transformation:

• Foreign Policy: Shifted from isolationist regional power to the founder of the United Nations and a global superpower.
• Domestic Policy: Shifted from a small federal government to a large Welfare State (New Deal legacy) that regulated the economy.