Download bwp student notes 2014 final

OUR MANIFEST DESTINY
1. The United States became a leading industrial producer because of the
economic and industrial development of the late 19th century. This
contributed to the nation’s rise to world power. This economic growth led
many Americans to support a larger role for America in the world to gain
more raw materials and increase markets for our products made in our
factories overseas.
a. The US was also becoming more involved with international affairs. Part
of becoming a big power and force in the world involved increasing our
land (or empire).
b. Many believed it was our “God-given right” to expand across the seas like
we had across our continent. This is called our Manifest Destiny.
c. This new Manifest Destiny was also motivated by the missionary spirit
and the idea of American superiority (Social Darwinism) as well as by
economics which fueled this belief of expanding beyond our borders.
d. All of these motivations would play a role in the US declaring war against
Spain, being involved in the revolt in Panama leading to the building of
the Panama Canal, and our involvement in WW1.
2. People accused the US of imperialism or empire building after gaining the
lands of Alaska and Hawaii. This led to many conflicts with nations in
Europe, especially Spain.
a. Alaska was purchased from Russia for 7.2 million dollars ($7,200,000)
with Secretary of State William Seward’s insistence.
 Some called it the “Polar Bear Garden” because it was so far north.
 Gold was discovered, so many people flocked there. It was also full
of natural resources such as fish, timber, copper, and coal.
b. Hawaii was ruled by kings and queens. Queen Liliuokalani (Lili) was a
popular leader of the Hawaiian people and didn’t want Americans to have
so much control in Hawaii.
 Hawaii began to be settled by Christian missionaries and business
people in order to convert people and make money because the
weather was good for sugarcane and pineapples.
 A revolt led by American businessmen overthrew the Hawaiian
queen and the US quickly annexed (took control of or added) the
land.
 Hawaii is located in the Pacific Ocean, and is an ideal fueling stop
on the way to trading with China.
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THAT SPLENDID LITTLE WAR
& THE PANAMA CANAL
3. Spain controlled Cuba and Puerto Rico. Many Cubans wanted their
independence from Spain but failed in two revolutions. Many Americans
supported the Cubans fight for independence. So what led to the US to
declare war on Spain? Well, it’s complicated!
a. Yellow journalism helped prepare the public for the decision to sell more
newspapers (and make profit-$$- for the company) and influence readers.
 Yellow journalism spoke to the Americans’ hearts to support saving
Cuba from Spain
 Joseph Pulitzer sold many papers due to the use of yellow
journalism.
b. President McKinley sent the USS Maine to Havana, Cuba to protect the
Americans living there.
 It exploded in the harbor and Spain was blamed for the explosion
and the deaths of 200 American soldiers. [Much later, it was
determined the explosion was set off by a spontaneous combustion
fire and not by Spain at all.]
 This blame was fueled by yellow journalism, which widely reported
the event in newspapers and used it to take advantage of the
situation to sell papers for profit.
c. President McKinley asked Congress to declare war. They were willing to do
so for a few reasons.
 American economic interests in Cuba.
 Humanitarian concerns for the Cuban people.
 We wanted to show our strength and power in the world.
 Our battleship (USS Maine) exploded in the harbor.
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d. This Spanish American War, declared on Spain, lasted for 3 months.
 It started with the takeover of Manila Harbor in the Philippines
(which Spain controlled) by our naval fleet stationed in the Pacific
led by Commodore George Dewey.
 Teddy Roosevelt’s Rough Riders and the Buffalo Soldiers (African
American soldiers) helped fight in Cuba.
 An armistice (or an agreement to stop fighting a war) called the
Treaty of Paris was signed and led to the annexation (addition and
control of) of territories.
 It gave the US control of Cuba, Guam, the Philippine Islands, and
Puerto Rico. Guam and Puerto Rico are still territories of the US
today.
 The Philippine Islands were another ideal location to gain access to
China’s trade market.
 Cuba was occupied (on and off) by US forces for more than 30
years, and today we have a permanent naval base there (called
Guantanamo Bay).
e. So the outbreak of the Spanish American War led to the annexation of
territories by the US.
4. The Panama Canal was a goal of TR to link the Atlantic and Pacific
Oceans (the east coast to the west coast) as a quick ocean route to expand
trade in the Far East.
a. An isthmus (narrow strip of land that connects two larger land areas)
joined North and South America. If we could build a canal across it,
commercial and military ships could travel from ocean to ocean more
quickly and help contribute to America’s commercial and military strength
and to its image as a world power.
b. But there was a problem. Colombia controlled the Isthmus of Panama
and refused to accept Teddy’s offer for money to build the canal.
c. A revolution occurred and formed a new nation called Panama which did
give permission to the US to lease the isthmus and build the canal.
d. It was found that mosquitoes carried diseases like yellow fever and
malaria, so areas where they laid their eggs were drained so people
could continue to build the canal. These diseases had caused many
problems in the building of the canal.
e. The Canal officially opened August 15, 1914. A treaty with Panama gave
the US full control of the canal until 2000.
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THE GREAT WAR
5. While a single event sparked the beginning of WW1, deeper causes
existed many years prior to its beginning. In 1914, these conflicts among
European countries exploded into war. The United States hoped to maintain
a neutral role (not take sides) and stay out of this war, also called the Great
War. There were four MAIN causes that led to the beginning of the War in
Europe.
a. MILITARISM- a belief that using military force was a good way to solve
problems. Nations tried to develop weapons more powerful than those of
their neighbors. This was called the “arms race.”
b. ALLIANCES- partnerships some countries had with each other. Partners
agreed to help each other in the event of an attack. Countries with alliances
with each other were called allies. “I’ve got your back.”
c. IMPERIALISM- empire building- countries fought for control of colonies in
places like Africa and Asia. Britain and France had large empires all over
the world, making Germany, Russia, and Italy jealous. With imperialism,
stronger nations take control of weaker areas.
d. NATIONALISM- sense of pride or loyalty to a nation and the desire for
independence. People from different ethnic groups who wanted to break
away and form their own countries showed nationalism.
6. The spark of the war occurred on June 28, 1914 in Sarajevo when
Archduke Ferdinand and his wife Sophie were assassinated by a Serbian
terrorist named Princip. Ferdinand was heir (next in line) to the AustriaHungry throne.
a. When Austria declared war on Serbia, alliances came into play.
b. There were two big alliances during the war:
 Allied Powers or The Allies (a.k.a. Triple Entente) included Britain,
France, Russia, Italy, and eventually the USA
 Central Powers (a.k.a. Triple Alliance) included Austria-Hungry,
Bulgaria, Germany, Ottoman Empire (Turkey). These countries were in
the central part of Europe
7. The United States wanted to remain neutral at first, but was eventually
drawn into the conflict due to several factors.
a. Wartime propaganda (like yellow journalism) and our sympathies and close
trading ties with Great Britain made it difficult to remain neutral.
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b. Germany declared unrestricted warfare on the high seas (even on neutral
ships trading with Britain and France). They developed submarines, or
underwater boats called U-boats. One of these sunk a British passenger
ship called the Lusitania May 1915. There were many Americans on the
ship.
c. The Zimmerman note- a telegram was intercepted from a German official
(Arthur Zimmerman) to the German Minister in Mexico. In this note, he said
if the US declared war on Germany, then Mexico should enter into an
alliance with Germany. With the support of Germany, Mexico could regain
lost territory in the states of New Mexico, Texas, and Arizona. This telegram
was published in the US press and led to public support for America entering
the war.
d. On May 1917, President Woodrow Wilson asked Congress to declare war
on Germany after their U-boats sank three American merchant ships ”to
make the world safe for democracy.”
8. The US joined forces with the Allies in June 1917, even though we were
not ready because our Army was relatively small and we had few weapons.
The war had been going on for 3 years before we entered it.
a. Our forces sent to Europe were called the American Expeditionary Force (or
the AEF) and were nicknamed the “doughboys.” They were led by General
Pershing.
b. Upon arriving in Europe, soldiers were sent to France where most of the
fighting was occurring. They were instrumental (important) in the western
front (the French trenches) against Germany and in breaking the deadlock of
trench warfare. Our presence there created a huge turning point for the
Allies since we provided more manpower and weapons.
c. Eight Choctaw Native American soldiers transmitted radio messages for the
Allies in their native language as a “secret code” that no other country could
decipher.
d. The two fighting sides were separated with a “no-man’s land” area which
was land not held by either side but filled with barbed wire and land mines
(which were bombs buried in the ground). Women were not allowed to fight
in the war, but they helped out by taking over the jobs of men at home who
left to fight in the war. They worked in the fields as nurses, clerical positions,
and in factories.
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e. Soldiers lived and fought in trenches (ditches) dug into the ground. These
trenches averaged about 6.5 feet deep and were cold, damp, and dark.
Bathing was not an option and many men wore the same clothing for days
and weeks. In addition to mud, the trenches contained human wastes and
unburied corpses (dead bodies), which of course attracted flies and rats.
Lice was also a problem.
f. New kinds of technology and weapons were used in the war:
 Germany invented a faster machine gun, which was fought off by
Britain’s tanks.
 The Germans tried to use poisonous gas against the tanks. Some
of these gases included chlorine, tear, and mustard gases, which
caused blindness, burned the flesh, and rotted the throat and lungs.
 Gas masks were used to fight the gases.
 Submarines- used torpedoes to blow up ships.
 Airplanes- for dropping bombs and spying on other troops.
9. Changes took place back in America during the war as all Americans were
asked to “do their part” to help out in the war effort.
a. Some factories stopped making “normal” products and began to make
necessary war supplies such as weapons and ammunition.
b. Farmers were asked to grow crops for the troops overseas.
 Americans were encouraged to eat less (like wheatless and meatless
days), and grow their own victory gardens.
 The government also encouraged Americans to use less coal and oil,
which led to Daylight Savings Time.
 Americans were asked to conserve other resources. Dresses were
made shorter so the extra cloth could make uniforms.
 Families recycled metals
c. The government raised taxes and sold war bonds to help finance war
expenses
d. Many people hated Germany and anything related to the country. People
began calling hamburgers “liberty sausages,” sauerkraut was “liberty
cabbage,” and many schools quit teaching the German language.
e. Propaganda was used to persuade people to feel a certain way about the
war. One example was the use of political cartoons.
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10. On November 11, 1918, Germany signed an armistice that ended the war
on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. This important date was
later known as Armistice Day, and eventually Veteran’s Day. They signed
the peace treaty called the Treaty of Versailles (pronounced “ver-sigh”).
Items included in the treaty were based on Wilson’s 14 Points.
a. Germany was punished for their part in the war:
 pay $33 million in damages to other nations.
 forced to give up territories/land to France, Belgium, Denmark, and
Poland.
 reduced the numbers in their Army and they could no longer use
submarines or aircraft.
b. Woodrow Wilson shared his 14 Points (principals) for peace in Europe. He
played a significant role in peace negotiations even though many of his 14
points were ignored by other nations.
 Helped redraw state borders in Europe that better reflected nations and
groups of people with the same language, ethnic heritage and religion.
c. Set up the League of Nations to help find peaceful ways to solve problems.
 We didn’t join this international peace-keeping organization because we
wanted to stay out of other countries’ problems and put an end to war.
 It was called a policy of isolationism, or being separate from other
countries. Some Senators thought it would compromise Congress’
constitutional right to declare war.
d. We did continue to be involved in world trade after the war and into the
1920s. But there was limited American involvement in world affairs due to a
series of laws in the 1930s called the Neutrality Acts, which attempted to
keep the US out of the war that as brewing in Europe by addressing what
Americans thought were the causes of our involvement in WW1.
e. Results of the war:
 Some say the harshness shown to Germa5sny was a major cause of
WW2.
 8 million men died fighting on 3 continents and millions more were
wounded
 5 million civilians died due to bombs, disease, and hunger.
 Roughly 1:8 men who served in the war died in the war.
 Many people were left homeless, and disease and hunger were rampant.
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