Download File - MS. Hines` Classroom!

Station Four
The Triangle Waist Fire: New York
* Immigrant women, most only 16-23 years of age.
* fire broke out, probably from a carelessly tossed cigarette.
* Exits from the work floors were limited. The door to the other staircase was
locked. (Factory workers were often locked in during work hours to keep them on
the job and to prevent pilfering.)
* 146 women were dead.
The Triangle Shirtwaist Company Fire
In 1911, a gruesome disaster in New York inspired progressives to fight
for safety in the workplace.

About 500 women worked for the Triangle Shirtwaist Company, a highrise building sweatshop that made women’s blouses.

Just as they were ending their six-day workweek, a small fire broke out,
which quickly spread to three floors.

Escape was nearly impossible, as doors were locked to prevent theft, the
flimsy fire escape broke under pressure, and the fire was too high for fire
truck ladders to reach.

More than 140 women and men died in the fire, marking a turning point
for labor and reform movements.

With the efforts of Union organizer Rose Schneiderman and others, New
York State passed the toughest fire-safety laws in the nation, as well as
factory inspection and sanitation laws.

New York laws became a model for workplace safety nationwide.
Progressive Era : Reform Leaders
The Jungle =
a book written by Upton Sinclair
about the pertaining to the
corruption of the American
meatpacking industry during the
early-20th century.
* poor immigrants
* unpleasant living and working
conditions
* hopelessness among the
working class
* corruption on the part of those
in power
“THE JUNGLE” LEADS TO
FOOD REGULATION
• After reading The
Jungle by Upton
Sinclair, Teddy
Roosevelt pushed
for passage of the
Meat Inspection
Act of 1906
• The Act mandated
cleaner conditions
for meatpacking
plants
United States Imperialism
Big Stick Diplomacy: was the slogan describing President Theodore
Roosevelt's corollary to the Monroe Doctrine.
U.S. had the right not only to oppose European intervention in the Western
Hemisphere, but also to intervene in the domestic affairs of its neighbors if they
proved unable to maintain order and national sovereignty on their own.
He used the Great White fleet to show U.S. Naval Superiority around the world.
United States Imperialism
• Roosevelt Corollary:
Under Roosevelt, the U.S.
adopted the role of
policeman for the Western
hemisphere.
He also supported the
construction of the
Panama Canal, allowing
the U.S. to expand trade
and move navies from the
Atlantic to Pacific.
He said that this was
necessary to ensure the
stability of Latin America.
United States Imperialism
Spanish American War
1898 = American interests
in Cuba combined with
“Yellow Journalism”
sensationalizing events in
Cuba and the sinking of the
U.S. battleship Maine led to
a declaration of war against
Spain in 1898.
The war resulted in
America’s emergence as a
world power with colonies
of Puerto Rico, Guam, and
the Philippines. (Cease Fire
1898 = Spanish American War
Reasons for U.S. entry: German U-boats
sinking American merchant ships
German
U Boats
German “unrestricted submarine warfare” sank neutral U.S.
vessels and interfered with U.S. trade. Survivors were not
assisted after the attack.
Reasons for U.S. entry: Sinking of the Lusitania
Lusitania = A British luxury cruise liner which was sunk by a German
submarine. These subs were called U-boats.
Reasons for U.S. entry: Germany asks Mexico to
join their cause. Zimmerman Note/telegram.
It was a telegram from the
Germans to the Mexican
government calling for
Mexico to join with
Germany and fight the U.S.
It promised to return
(restore) Texas, Arizona,
and New Mexico to
Mexico.
Reasons for U.S. entry: U.S. Declares War!!!!
Woodrow Wilson is the
president of the United
States during WWI.
He request for Congress to
declare war to make the
world “Safe for democracy”.
Homefront and Aftermath of World War I:
Domestic Policy changes
Isolationism =
The policy of noninterference in foreign
conflicts.
The United States wanted to
stay clear of conflicts
through this policy.
It isolated us by staying
neutral and at the same time
it protected us.
Homefront and Aftermath of World War I: League of
Nations
League of Nations = was an intergovernmental organization founded
as a result of The Treaty of Versailles
in 1919–1920.
The League's goals included
upholding the new found Rights of
Man, disarmament, preventing war
through collective security, settling
disputes between countries through
negotiation, diplomacy and
improving global quality of life.
Similar to today’s United Nations.