Why are we a world power now?
Spanish american war & WW1 Module
Spanish American War
Reasons for Entry
Yellow journalism, which is the act of using the media to make people rally for what the media wants them to rally for. In this case it is the belief that the Spaniards sunk the USS Maine ship.
Results from War
The U.S. won the war and acquired new territory, Guam, Puerto Rico, Philippines. This acquisition of territory made the US a World Power because it set them up with strategic trade routes.
Alfred Thayer Mahan
Alfred Thayer Mahan was a United States naval officer and historian, whom John Keegan called "the most important American strategist of the nineteenth century." He believed in imperialism.
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt Jr., often referred to as Teddy Roosevelt or his initials T. R., was an American statesman, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer, who served as the 26th president of the United States from 1901 to 1909. Before becoming president he was part of the "Rough Riders" which was the name given to the First U.S. Volunteer Cavalry under the leadership of Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt resigned his position as Assistant Secretary of the Navy in May 1898 to join the volunteer cavalry. Later he becomes president.
Acquisitioned Territory
Alaska: Bought in 1867
Hawaii: Taken by the U.S., the queen thrown out, and Dole made Governor in 1898
Sanford B. Dole
Sanford Ballard Dole was a lawyer and jurist from the Hawaiian Islands as a kingdom, protectorate, republic, and territory. A descendant of the American missionary community to Hawaii, Dole advocated the westernization of Hawaiian government and culture.
Open Door Policy
The Open Door policy was a statement of principles initiated by the United States in 1899 and 1900. It called for protection of equal privileges for all countries trading with China and for the support of Chinese territorial and administrative integrity.
WW1
Causes -
M- Militarism=the beefing up of the military
A- Alliance=because of the current alliances between countries, when Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated by Serbian Nationalists who wanted Austria-Hungary to leave and stop their imperialistic ways. Unfortunately for the rest of the world, this caused Germany to declare war on Russia and 3 days later France. England and France declare war back, thus because of the Allied system, WW1 begins.
I- Imperialism=At this time countries would envelop smaller countries and use them for their benefit. Austria-Hungary was no exception. This angered the people of that country and created a love of nation called, nationalism, and the people were called, Nationalists.
N- Nationalists=believed their country was amazing and wanted it to stand on its own without the interference of other larger nations.
Zimmerman Note: The British intercept a telegram from Germany to Mexico, stating they will give property of the U.S. that they lost back if they join forces with them against the U.S., we declare war on Germany.
WW1
Reason for Entry
There were a few reasons for entry.
Propaganda: The US was shown propaganda to get them out of isolationism and into the war.
Lusitania: A British ship carrying U.S. passengers gets sunk by a German submarine.
Unrestricted Submarine Warfare: Germany stated it would continue in unrestricted submarine warfare.
WW1
Results
Germany is defeated and the Treaty of Versailles is drafted up. The Treaty doesn't look much like Woodrow Wilson had initially created in his 14 points, although the League of Nations did make it into the treaty, albeit a bit different than initially planned. The treaty will blame Germany for most of the issues and force them to pay reparations virtually leaving the country to bankruptcy and setting up the stage for WW2.
Allied v Central Powers
The alliances of the First world War.
Penicillin
This medicine was what saved many soldier's lives. Most that survived getting injured, died from infection. Now with the aid Penicillin men could live even if their wound became infected.
War Technology
WW1 technology was as follows...
Trench Warfare: a type of combat in which opposing troops fight from trenches facing each other. Led to stalemate because the machine guns gunned people down.
Machine Guns: fully automatic weapons that fired bullets rapidly, up to 450 to 600 rounds a minute.
Tanks: Large armored vehicle used to drive through the trenches and move the combat forward.
Airplanes: Mainly used for reconnaissance. The airplane was fitted with cameras and used to spy on the enemies outposts.
Battle of Argonne Forest
The Battle of Argonne Forest was part of what became known as the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, the last battle of World War I . It was a massive attack along the whole line, with the immediate goal of reaching the railroad junction as Seda. It was the final allied offensive that forced the Germans to agree to the armistice.
American Expeditionary Forces (AEF)
The American Expeditionary Forces was a formation of the United States Army on the Western Front of World War I. The AEF was established on July 5, 1917, in France under the command of Gen. John J. Pershing
Espionage Act
The law was extended on May 16, 1918, by the Sedition Act of 1918, actually a set of amendments to the Espionage Act, which prohibited many forms of speech, including "any disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive language about the form of government of the United States, the flag, or the uniform of the Army or Navy.
This was challenged by people who protested the war in Schneck v the United States, the U.S. won with the argument that the freedom of speech protection afforded in the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment could be restricted if the words spoken or printed represented to society a “clear and present danger.” According to the U.S. arguing against the draft put the country in danger, in that they wouldn't have people to fight the war.
General John Pershing
General of the Armies John Joseph "Black Jack" Pershing GCB was a senior United States Army officer. He served most famously as the commander of the American Expeditionary Forces on the Western Front in World War I, 1917–18
Woodrow Wilson 14 Points
Wilson wanted the end of the war to bring out lasting peace for the world. He gathered together a number of advisors and had them put together a plan for peace. This plan became the Fourteen Points. The main purpose of the Fourteen Points was to outline a strategy for ending the war.
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an international diplomatic group developed after World War I as a way to solve disputes between countries before they erupted into open warfare. The U.S. senate decided against joining the League of Nations because they didn't want to give up autonomy of their troops, which the League would have required them to do, because it stated they could send U.S. troops wherever they needed them without our consent. The League effectively ceased operations during World War II.
Congressional Medal of Honor
Alvin York
Dollar Diplomacy
Dollar diplomacy of the United States—particularly during President William Howard Taft's presidential term—was a form of American foreign policy to minimize the use or threat of military force and instead further its aims in Latin America and East Asia through the use of its economic power by guaranteeing loans made to foreign countries
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was the most important of the peace treaties that brought World War I to an end. The Treaty ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers but the United States did not ratify the treaty because the section about League of Nations where they would lose autonomy, or sole ownership, of their troops.
The treaty also set up Germany for economic ruin because it blamed Germany for the war and put heavy reoperations on the country, eventually leading to WW2 and the rise of Hitler.
Panama Canal
President Theodore Roosevelt oversaw the realization of a long-term United States goal—a trans-isthmian canal. ... Following heated debate over the location of the proposed canal, on June 19, 1902, the U.S. Senate voted in favor of building the canal through Panama.