Origins of America's Global Power

1. Identify five important changes that transformed America in the nineteenth century. 


A. Immigration: population growth recast the face of America in the late nineteenth century. More than 45 percent of the American population was immigrants.


B. Urban growth: the increase in immigration spurred urban growth. By the end of the nineteenth century, one-third of Americans were city dwellers.  


C. Manufacturing: by the end of the nineteenth century, manufacturing had overtaken agriculture as the leading source of national wealth.


D. New inventions and machines: New inventions and discoveries in electricity, chemicals, and oil made possible other industries. Machines made rapid inroads in the countryside, as farmers  relied on railroads to receive supplies and ship their crops to market.


E. Trade: the new immigrants helped to manufacture the goods that other countries valued. Towards the end of the century, international trade steadily gained significance in the U.S economy.


2. How did the economic depression that began in 1893 deepen the divisions in American society? Which groups suffered the most during the depression? 

The 1893 depression deepened an economic divide among the American people creating and highlighting the division of wealth and prosperity between bankers and business owners in the cities and blue collar laborers working in the fields and mines of rural America. There is no doubt that the working men and women who labored in the fields and the mines suffered greatly and were the most affected by the 1893 depression. Farmers were going into more and more debt. Crop prices were falling because of oversupply, manufactured goods were expensive, and the railroads charged high prices to move agriculture to market. Laborers struggled with low wages, poor working conditions, and long hours. On the other hand, wealthy business men who owned the factories that produced the expensive goods or the railroads which charged high prices to transport the farmers good had seen large profits prior to 1893.  The tremendous wealth of bank and factory owners in the big cities contrasted sharply with the poverty of the laborers in the country side.  


3. What were the values many Americans attached to the frontier? Why did many Americans fear that the closing of the frontier would harm America's national character? 

      White Americans viewed themselves as part of a dynamic opportunity filled society. Their concept of the Western frontier was closely related to the values with which they defined America, resourcefulness, bravery, pragmatism, ingenuity, individualism, egalitarianism, and patriotism. Many white Americans looked to the future of a closed frontier with concern. The identity that they attached to the frontier seemed to be in jeopardy. They worried that the nation’s prosperity could not be sustained without an abundance of land and unused resources.   

4. Why did some Americans suggest greater involvement overseas? 

     Many political elites felt the time was perfect for greater involvement overseas. The U.S had territorial control from East to West. Native Americans had been conquered and the issue of slavery had been resolved. In some ways the U.S was as powerful as European nations. The fear that the American character was changing and the belief in American power combined to convince people that a more aggressive approach with other nations would be the best way to ensure the economic success of the U.S. Business men and politicians believed that oversea expansion would create economic growth. They saw tens of millions of Chinese consumers who could buy American products. They also worried that Japan and European countries were making deals with China and imposing their regulations on China’s trade. The U.S feared that it had to act quickly to compete with these other powers.


5. How did the theories of social Darwinism and scientific racism lend support to the cause of American imperialism? 

Imperialists used social Darwinism and scientific racism to justify their beliefs. Scientific racism and social Darwinism offered the view that the United States and a small number of European nations were superior and more suited to be in a position of power than other countries. Because social Darwinists saw the differences among the world’s racial and ethnic groups in terms of evolution, they believed in survival of the fittest. They saw imperialism reflecting that belief. Scientific racism which was based on faulty research and historical analysis, believed that mental abilities and personality traits were racial characteristics. Whites were believed to be superior along with the northern Europeans, the English, and the Germans while blacks were believed to be the most inferior. These two pseudo-scientific theories bolstered the foundation beliefs of imperialism that America was destined to rule in the world.   


6. Summarize why the United States became involved in Samoa, Hawaii, and several Latin American nations.

     America became involved in all of these countries in order to protect or expand its own interest in civilization and export markets. In Samoa, the U.S agreed to a treaty, which gave the U.S access to Samoa’s harbor. In return, the Americans promised to help Samoa if any other nation tried to interfere. The United States ended up in a conflict with Germany, Britain, and various Samoan groups for eight years. However, in 1898, part of Samoa became an American territory. This made the expansionists happy because American interests now had a secure refueling point on their way to trade in Australia. The United States annexed Hawaii and made it a colony in 1898 because of the fear that Hawaii’s Japanese immigrant population would gain two much power and would demand rights. America feared also that it might not be able to make use of the U.S naval base at Pearl Harbor. In Nicaragua, the U.S negotiated and sent marines trying to ensure that a canal building company could continue to do business there. (The canal was eventually build in Panama)   

Teddy Roosevelt's Square Deal

1. 1902 COAL STRIKE

a. What steps did Roosevelt take to solve the problem? 

When 140,000 coal miners in Pennsylvania went on strike and demanded a 20 percent raise, Roosevelt stepped in and called both sides to the White House, eventually settling the strike. It was clear to Roosevelt that the federal government was needed to intervene in an orderly manner when a strike was threatening public welfare.  

b. Which legislation helped solve the problem?


the federal government stepped in to end the strike. 

2. TRUSTS

a. What steps did Roosevelt take to solve the problem? 

Roosevelt did not believe that all trusts were harmful. In 1902, Roosevelt made newspaper headlines as a trust-buster when he ordered the Justice Department to sue the Northern Securities Company, which had established a monopoly over northwestern railroads. Roosevelt's administration filed 44 antitrust suits.  

b. Which legislation helped solve the problem?

The Supreme Court dissolved the Northern Securities Company in 1904. 

3. UNREGULATED BIG BUSINESS

a. What steps did Roosevelt take to solve the problem? 

One of Roosevelt's real goals was federal regulation. Roosevelt urged for Congress to pass the Elkins Act in 1903. Roosevelt had to compromise with conservative senators who opposed the Hepburn Act of 1906, but the passage boosted the government's power to regulate the railroads.


b. Which legislation helped solve the problem?
  
Congress passed the Interstate Commerce Act in 1887, which prohibited wealthy railroad owners from colluding to fix high prices by diving the business in a given area. Congress passed the Elkins Act in 1903, which made it illegal for railroad officials to give, and shippers to receive,  rebates for using particular railroads. The Hepburn Act of 1906 strictly limited the distribution of free railroad passes.  

4. DANGEROUS FOODS AND MEDICINES

 a. What steps did Roosevelt take to solve the problem? 

After reading Upton Sinclair's novel The Jungle, Roosevelt appointed a commission of experts to investigate the meatpacking industry. In 1906, Roosevelt pushed for the passage of the Meat Inspection Act. 

b. Which legislation helped solve the problem?

In 1906, Congress passed the Meat Inspection Act, requiring strict cleanliness for the meat industries. Congress also passed the Pure Food and Drug Act, requiring truthful labels on medicines and haltering the sale of contaminated foods.  


5. SHRINKING WILDERNESS AND NATURAL RESOURCES

a. What steps did Roosevelt take to solve the problem? 

Roosevelt set aside 1.5 million acres of water-power sites and another 80 million acres of land that experts from the U.S Geological Survey would explore for mineral and water resources. In addition, Roosevelt also established more than 50 wildlife sanctuaries and several national parks. Roosevelt named Gifford Pinchot as head of the U.S Forest Service in 1905.  

b. Which legislation helped solve the problem?

The National Reclamation Act of 1902 established the precedent that the federal government would manage the precious water resources of the West. 

6. RACIAL DISCRIMINATION


a. What steps did Roosevelt take to solve the problem? 

Roosevelt failed to support civil rights for African Americans. However, Roosevelt supported a few individual African Americas. He appointed an African American as head of the Charleston customhouse. Some whites in Mississippi refused to accept the black postmistress Roosevelt has assigned, instead of giving in he chose to close down the station. In one incident, many African Americans were angry with Roosevelt when he dismissed an entire regiment of African American soldiers accused of conspiracy.    

b. Which legislation helped solve the problem?

none.

Explain the importance of each of the following:

7. Square Deal:                 

Roosevelt's "Square Deals" were important because they aimed to help middle class citizens while at the same time protecting big businesses. 

8. The Jungle:


The Jungle, written by Upton Sinclair, was extremely important because it led to the Meat Inspection Act, which required strict cleanliness for meatpackers.                           

9. Upton Sinclair:           
 

Upton Sinclair was important because his book The Jungle was read by thousands including Roosevelt who responded by appointing a commission of experts to investigate the meatpacking industry. The general public became aware of how unclean and contaminated the meat products were and acted quickly in response to the horrific conditions in the factories.    

10. NAACP: 

The NAACP (The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) aimed for full equality among races. The NAACP was important because it combined both blacks and whites together to try and end racial injustice.

11. Meat Inspection Act:


The passage of the Meat Inspection Act dictated strict cleanliness requirements for the meat industry. This act was extremely important because it prevented the passage of tainted meat. The Meat Inspection Act was mainly in response to the publication of The Jungle.                           


12. Pure Food & Drug Act: 

The Pure Food & Drug Act, passed by Congress in 1906, was important because it called for truth in labeling. Although this act did not ban harmful products, it required truthfulness in labeling which reflected the progressive belief that people would act wisely when given accurate information. 

13. Significance of the 1902 Coal Miners’ Strike: 


The miners of the 1902 Coal Miners' Strike won a 10 percent pay hike and a shorter, nine house workday. The actions Roosevelt took to deal with this strike were important because they allowed the federal government to step in when a strike was threatening the public welfare. This incident reflected the progressive belief that disputes could be settled in an orderly way with the help of experts. 

The Jungle - Exposing the Meatpacking Industry

1. In your opinion, which specific details in this excerpt most convincingly highlight problems in the meatpacking industry in the early 1900s? Why? Use specific passages and quote. Analyze at least five details. 

A.  The meat was suppose to be inspected by the government inspector, however, he let dozens of carcass of possibly tubercular pork pass right by so that they got a stamp of government approval but hadn't actually been inspected.

B. They used spoil meat. "They cleaned out the waste barrels only once a year and in the barrels would be dirt and rust and old nails and stale water and cartload after cartload of it would be taken up and dumped into the hoppers and sent out for the public's breakfast."

C. They never paid the least bit of attention to what was in the sausage. For example, "There would could all the way back from Europe old sausage that had been rejected and that was moldy and white-it would be dosed with borax and glycerin, and dumped into the hoppers, and made over again for home consumption." "There would be meat that had tumbled out on the floor, in the dirt and sawdust, where the workers had tramped and spit uncounted billions of consumption germs."

D. Rats would run all over piles of stored meats and men would "sweep off hand fulls of the dried dung of rats. These rats were nuisances, and the packers would put out poisoned bread for them: they would die, and then rats, bread, and meat would go into the hoppers together. The meat would be shuffled into carts, and the man who did the shuffling would not trouble to lift out a rat even when he saw them-there were sings that went into the sausage that a poisoned rat was a tidbit."

E. "There was no place for the men to wash their hands before they ate their dinner, and so they made a practice of washing them in the water that was to be ladled into the sausage."

2. What is the overall tone of the story?

The overall tone of the story is horrified disbelief and very serious. The narrator states "this is no fairy story and no joke." He wants the reader to not only understand that there were problems in the meat packing industry but to have a complete picture in their mind of the absolutely disgusting conditions so that they couldn't just forget it.

3. Based on your reading of this excerpt, why do you think Sinclair titled his novel The Jungle?

Sinclair decided to title his novel The Jungle because the conditions were so primitive and there was such a lack of high gene and lack of enforcement of any kind of rules or regulations with men doing whatever they wanted, that it was as though the meat packing plants were jungles themselves in the city.  

Challenges of Urbanization Homework

The People: why were the three groups below drawn to cities in the Northeast and Midwest? 

1. Immigrants

Immigrants were drawn to cities in the Northeast and Midwest because of the new opportunities for work. Natural and economic disasters hit farmers in Europe and the promise of industrial jobs in the United States drew millions of people to American cities. 

2. Farmers


Farmers were drawn to the cities in an effort to find whatever work they could. Due to rapid improvements in farming technology and inventions work was scarce for farmers. The invention of the McCormick reaper and the steel plow required fewer laborers to work the land. Farmers were forced to move to cities to find whatever work they could.

3. African-Americans 


African-Americans were drawn to the cities in the Northeast and Midwest especially Chicago and Detroit in an effort to escape racial violence, economic hardship, and political oppression. Many of the Southern farmers who lost their livelihoods were African Americans. Once they had moved, job competition between blacks and white immigrants caused further tension.  


The Problems: What was done in response to the following five problems? 

4. Lack of safe and efficient transportation

With the population rapidly increasing, it had been hard to create an efficient transportation system. With the innovations in mass transit, transportation systems designed to move large numbers of people made transportation a whole lot easier. Street cars were introduced in San Francisco in 1873 and electric subways in Boston in 1897. By the early 20th century, mass transit systems linked city neighborhoods to one another and to outlying communities.   


5. Unsafe drinking water

With the expanding population, cities faced the problem of supplying safe drinking water. Many cities built waterworks however, many of the residents had grossly inadequate piped water. In response to this rising problem, filtration was introduced in the 1870's and chlorination, the method of purifying water by mixing it with chlorine, in 1908. 

6. Lack of sanitation 

As the cities continued to grow, so did the challenge of keeping them clean. The streets were being piled with horse manure, sewage flowed through open gutters, and factories spewed foul smoke into the air affecting the resident's health. In response to the lack of sanitation, many cities developed sewer lines and created sanitation departments. 


7. Fire Hazards

The spread of fires was a leading problem in most cities. With limited water supplies in many cities major fires occurred in almost every large American city. Most cities were packed with wooden dwellings and the use of candles and kerosene heaters posed a fire hazard. Most of city firefighters were volunteers and not always available when needed. Cincinnati, Ohio, established the nation's first paid fire department in 1853 and by 1900, most cities had full-time professional fire departments. With the addition of fire departments and the introduction of a practical automatic fire sprinkler, cities became safer.

8. Crime


With the increasing population, the number of pickpockets and thieves flourished. New York City organized the first full-time salaried police force in 1844 however, many other cities' law enforcement units were too small to have much impact on the crime.

Immigration

1. What major areas or countries of the world were immigrants coming from?

Europe, Asia, the Caribbean and Mexico were major areas and countries of the world were immigrants were coming from.

2. What were the two major immigration processing stations in the United States?

Ellis Island and Angel Island were the two major immigration processing stations in the United States. Europeans arriving on the East coast went to Ellis Island while Asians mostly Chinese arrive on the West Coast and went to Angel Island.

3. Define Melting Pot.

The term Melting Pot refers to a mixture of people of different cultures and races who blend together by abandoning their native languages and customs.


4. Define Nativism.

Nativism is overt favoritism towards native born people in this case native born Americans.

5. According to the Immigration Restriction League, list the desirable immigrants.

According to the Immigration Restriction League desired immigrants as being British, German and Scandinavian people historically free, energetic, and progressive.


6. According to the Immigration Restriction League, list the “wrong” immigrants.

According to the Immigration Restriction League the "wrong" immigrants were Slave, Latin and Asiatic races, historically down trodden and stagnant. 


7. Why did nativists’ sometimes object to an immigrant’s religious background?

Many native born Americans were Protestants and thought Roman Catholic and Jewish immigrants would undermine the democratic institutions established by the country's Protestant founders.

8. Why was the Chinese Exclusion Act passed?


The Chinese Exclusion Act banned Chinese immigration, except to a few such as students and teachers for ten years beginning in 1882. The law was renewed in 1892 and then extended indefinitely until 1943. The reason for the law was that native born workers particularly in the west worried that jobs were going to Chinese immigrants who worked for less pay. The depression of 1873 increased anti Chinese sentiment in California as work was very scarce. Labor groups backed native workers and pressured the government to restrict Asian immigration. These efforts eventually resulted in the Chinese Exclusion Act.