Period 7: 1890-1945
In a Nutshell
An increasingly pluralistic United States faced profound domestic and global challenges, debated the
proper degree of government activism, and sought to define its international role.
Key Concepts
Part 1
A. Growth expanded opportunity, while economic instability led to new efforts to reform U.S. society and
its economic system.
B. The United States continued its transition from a rural, agricultural economy to an urban, industrial
economy led by large companies.
C. In the Progressive Era of the early 20th century, Progressives responded to political corruption,
economic instability, and social concerns by calling for greater government action and other political
and social measures.
D. During the 1930s, policymakers responded to the mass unemployment and social upheavals of the
Great Depression by transforming the U.S. into a limited welfare state, redefining the goals and ideas
of modern American liberalism.
Part 2
E. Innovations in communications and technology contributed to the growth of mass culture, while
significant changes occurred in internal and international migration patterns.
F. Popular culture grew in influence in U.S. society, even as debates increased over the effects of
culture on public values, morals, and American national identity.
G. Economic pressures, global events, and political developments caused sharp variations in the
numbers, sources, and experiences of both international and internal migrants.
Part 3
H. Participation in a series of global conflicts propelled the United States into a position of international
power while renewing domestic debates over the nation’s proper role in the world.
I.
In the late 19th century and early 20th century, new U.S. territorial ambitions and acquisitions in the
Western Hemisphere and the Pacific accompanied heightened public debates over America’s role in
the world.
J.
World War I and its aftermath intensified ongoing debates about the nation’s role in the world and how
best to achieve national security and pursue American interests.
K. U.S. participation in World War II transformed American society, while the victory of the United States
and its allies over the Axis powers vaulted the U.S. into a position of global, political, and military
leadership.
Period 7 / Page 1
Developed Using work by James L. Smith from the AP® U. S. History Curriculum
Framework, John Irish’s Historical Thinking skills & Pearson Reading and Note Taking
Guide
Significant Topics
1. Economic Developments during the Early 1900s
New technologies and manufacturing techniques helped focus the U.S. economy on the production of
consumer goods, contributing to improved standards of living, greater personal mobility, and better
communications systems. By 1920, a majority of the U.S. population lived in urban centers, which
offered new economic opportunities for women, international migrants, and internal migrants.
Episodes of credit and market instability in the early 20th century, in particular the Great Depression,
led to calls for a stronger financial regulatory system.
2. The Progressive Era, 1901-1917
Some Progressive Era journalists attacked what they saw as political corruption, social injustice, and
economic inequality, while reformers, often from the middle and upper classes and including many
women, worked to effect social changes in cities and among immigrant populations. On the national
level, Progressives sought federal legislation that they believed would effectively regulate the
economy, expand democracy, and generate moral reform. Progressive amendments to the
Constitution dealt with issues such as prohibition and woman suffrage. Preservationists and
conservationists both supported the establishment of national parks while advocating different
government responses to the overuse of natural resources. The Progressives were divided over
many issues. Some Progressives supported Southern segregation, while others ignored its presence.
Some Progressives advocated expanding popular participation in government, while others called for
greater reliance on professional and technical experts to make government more efficient.
Progressives also disagreed about immigration restriction.
3. U.S. Foreign Policy during the Late 1800s and Early 1900s
Imperialists cited economic opportunities, racial theories, competition with European empires, and the
perception in the 1890s that the Western frontier was “closed” to argue that Americans were destined
to expand their culture and institutions to peoples around the globe. Anti-imperialists cited principles
of self- determination and invoked both racial theories and the U.S. foreign policy tradition of
isolationism to argue that the U.S. should not extend its territory overseas. The American victory in
the Spanish–American War led to the U.S. acquisition of island territories in the Caribbean and the
Pacific, an increase in involvement in Asia, and the suppression of a nationalist movement in the
Philippines.
4. World War I, 1914-1918
After initial neutrality in World War I, the nation entered the conflict, departing from the U.S. foreign
policy tradition of noninvolvement in European affairs, in response to Woodrow Wilson’s call for the
defense of humanitarian and democratic principles. Although the American Expeditionary Forces
played a relatively limited role in combat, the U.S.’s entry helped to tip the balance of the conflict in
favor of the Allies. Despite Wilson’s deep involvement in postwar negotiations, the U.S. Senate
refused to ratify the Treaty of Versailles or join the League of Nations.
5. Postwar Red Scare
Official restrictions on freedom of speech grew during World War I, as increased anxiety about
radicalism led to a Red Scare and attacks on labor activism and immigrant culture.
6. Immigration and Domestic Migration during the Early 1900s
Immigration from Europe reached its peak in the years before World War I. During and after World
War I, nativist campaigns against some ethnic groups led to the passage of quotas that restricted
immigration, particularly from southern and eastern Europe, and increased barriers to Asian
immigration. The increased demand for war production and labor during World War I and World War II
and the economic difficulties of the 1930s led many Americans to migrate to urban centers in search
of economic opportunities. In a Great Migration during and after World War I, African Americans
escaping segregation, racial violence, and limited economic opportunity in the South moved to the
North and West, where they found new opportunities but still encountered discrimination.
Period 7 / Page 2
Developed Using work by James L. Smith from the AP® U. S. History Curriculum
Framework, John Irish’s Historical Thinking skills & Pearson Reading and Note Taking
Guide
7. Immigration from Mexico and Latin America
Migration to the United States from Mexico and elsewhere in the Western Hemisphere increased,
in spite of contradictory government policies toward Mexican immigration.
8. American Culture during the Early 1900s
New forms of mass media, such as radio and cinema, contributed to the spread of national culture as
well as greater awareness of regional cultures. Migration gave rise to new forms of art and literature
that expressed ethnic and regional identities, such the Harlem Renaissance movement.
9. Political and Cultural Conflict during the 1920s
In the 1920s, cultural and political controversies emerged as Americans debated gender roles,
modernism, science, religion, and issues related to race and immigration.
10. The Great Depression and the New Deal, 1929-1945
Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal attempted to end the Great Depression by using government power to
provide relief to the poor, stimulate recovery, and reform the American economy. Radical, union, and
populist movements pushed Roosevelt toward more extensive efforts to change the American
economic system, while conservatives in Congress and the Supreme Court sought to limit the New
Deal’s scope. Although the New Deal did not end the Depression, it left a legacy of reforms and
regulatory agencies and fostered a long-term political realignment in which many ethnic groups,
African Americans, and working- class communities identified with the Democratic Party.
11. U.S. Foreign Policy during the 1920s and 1930s
In the years following World War I, the United States pursued a unilateral foreign policy that used
international investment, peace treaties, and select military intervention to promote a vision of
international order, even while maintaining U.S. isolationism. In the 1930s, while many Americans
were concerned about the rise of fascism and totalitarianism, most opposed taking military action
against the aggression of Nazi Germany and Japan until the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor drew
the United States into World War II.
12. World War II, 1929-1945
Americans viewed World War II as a fight for the survival of freedom and democracy against fascist
and militarist ideologies. This perspective was later reinforced by revelations about Japanese
wartime atrocities, Nazi concentration camps, and the Holocaust. The mass mobilization of
American society helped end the Great Depression, and the country’s strong industrial base played a
pivotal role in winning the war. The United States and its allies achieved military victory through Allied
cooperation, technological and scientific advances, the contributions of servicemen and women, and
campaigns such as Pacific “island-hopping” and the D-Day invasion. The use of atomic bombs
hastened the end of the war and sparked debates about the morality of using atomic weapons.
13. Women and Minorities during World War II
Mobilization and military service provided opportunities for women and minorities to improve their
socioeconomic positions for the war’s duration, while also leading to debates over racial segregation.
Wartime experiences also generated challenges to civil liberties, such as the internment of Japanese
Americans.
14. World War II and American Power
The war-ravaged condition of Asia and Europe, and the dominant U.S. role in the Allied victory
and postwar peace settlements, allowed the United States to emerge from the war as the
most powerful nation on earth.
Period 7 / Page 3
Developed Using work by James L. Smith from the AP® U. S. History Curriculum
Framework, John Irish’s Historical Thinking skills & Pearson Reading and Note Taking
Guide
CH 19 - “Progressive Movements, and Progressive Politics, 1879 - 1917” Page 568 -595 (Reading
Quiz Tursday 2/23/17)
“The Revolt Of The Intellectuals”
1. As the challenges associated with industrialization, urban growth, and immigration intensified, a
number of scholars and thinkers began to look for more effective responses. As you read the
section, complete the chart below making a list of the most important social and economic
theorists discussed in the test. Be sure to note the importance of each individual you include.
Theorist
Importance
Period 7 / Page 4
Developed Using work by James L. Smith from the AP® U. S. History Curriculum
Framework, John Irish’s Historical Thinking skills & Pearson Reading and Note Taking
Guide
2. What solution did Henry George offer to the country’s economic and social problems?
3. How did William Graham Sumner apply Darwin’s biological theories to social issues?
4. What basic ideas did John Dewey, Richard Ely, and Albion Small have in common?
5. What were various meat packing plants doing to operate in ways that were consistent with
progressive standards?
6. What social theorist directly challenged the concepts of Social Darwinism?
7. What was the impact of Upton Sinclair’s novel “The Jungle”?
8. What were utopian idealists calling for?
9. How did scholars like John Dewey and Richard Ely challenge the social and economic status quo?
Period 7 / Page 5
Developed Using work by James L. Smith from the AP® U. S. History Curriculum
Framework, John Irish’s Historical Thinking skills & Pearson Reading and Note Taking
Guide
“The Transformation Of The Cities”
10. At the epicenter of many of the most important social and economic changes of the late 19th
century, cities were a major focus of progressive activism. In their efforts to promote urban
reform, progressives often found themselves at odds with existing political machines. As you read
the section, use the table below to compare and contrast the approach of political machines and
progressives to challenges of urban government.
Political Machines
Progressives
Period 7 / Page 6
Developed Using work by James L. Smith from the AP® U. S. History Curriculum
Framework, John Irish’s Historical Thinking skills & Pearson Reading and Note Taking
Guide
11. How did political bosses like William Tweed secure the political loyalty of poor urban voters?
12. What was Grover Cleveland’s political reputation based on?
13. Why did some urban residents, particularly poor immigrants, resent progressive efforts at urban
reform?
14. What did Tammany Hall control?
15. Who was the key figure in the settlement house movement?
16. How did initiative, referendum, and recall measures increase the direct participation of voters in
government?
17. What was the chief goal of Progressive urban reformers?
18. How were political cartoons like the one on page 573 used to shift public opinion about political
machines and their influence on the government?
19. Thinking about the chapter section that you just read, was the progressive critique of political
machines justified? Why or why not?
Period 7 / Page 7
Developed Using work by James L. Smith from the AP® U. S. History Curriculum
Framework, John Irish’s Historical Thinking skills & Pearson Reading and Note Taking
Guide
“Religious Responses to the Gilded Age”
20. What connection did Frances Willard make between temperance and women’s suffrage?
21. How did the Panic of 1873 spark a revival in the temperance movement?
22. What did the temperance movement suggest about the power of organized religion, particularly
Protestantism, in late 19th c. politics?
23. What was the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union?
24. What impact did Protestantism have on the temperance movement?
25. What was the Social Gospel? What kinds of initiatives did its proponents support?
26. How did the phrase “What would Jesus do?” impact the Social Gospel movement?
27. Where did temperance have its earliest success? Why?
28. How would you explain the heavy representation of women in the late nineteenth-century
temperance movement?
Period 7 / Page 8
Developed Using work by James L. Smith from the AP® U. S. History Curriculum
Framework, John Irish’s Historical Thinking skills & Pearson Reading and Note Taking
Guide
“Progressive Politics on the National Stage”
29. The elevation of Theodore Roosevelt to the presidency in 1900 marked the beginning of two
decades of progressive prominence in national politics. As you read the section, create a table like
the one included below to help you compare and contrast the accomplishments of three
progressive presidents: Theodore Roosevelt, William Taft, and Woodrow Wilson.
Theodore Roosevelt
William Taft
Woodrow Wilson
Period 7 / Page 9
Developed Using work by James L. Smith from the AP® U. S. History Curriculum
Framework, John Irish’s Historical Thinking skills & Pearson Reading and Note Taking
Guide
30. What political party did Theodore Roosevelt run for President under?
31. How did Theodore Roosevelt eventually become president of the United States?
32. What new tools did Roosevelt want to control large companies? What did he do once he got
them?
33. Who did Roosevelt invite to the White House for dinner?
34. How did Roosevelt help the African American cause?
35. What established the new merit system for the government?
36. How did Roosevelt impact nature conservation?
37. What was Taft heavily criticized?
38. What was “New Freedom”
39. In what areas did Taft prove to be a more vigorous progressive than Roosevelt?
40. What was one of Wilson’s most stand out accomplishments as president?
Period 7 / Page 10
Developed Using work by James L. Smith from the AP® U. S. History Curriculum
Framework, John Irish’s Historical Thinking skills & Pearson Reading and Note Taking
Guide
41. Despite his accomplishments, what supporters were most disappointed with Wilson’s performance
in office?
42. Thinking about the three presidents that you read about, which of the three were the most
successful at advancing the progressive agenda? Why?
Period 7 / Page 11
Developed Using work by James L. Smith from the AP® U. S. History Curriculum
Framework, John Irish’s Historical Thinking skills & Pearson Reading and Note Taking
Guide
IDENTIFY: Use a separate sheet of paper to create a collection of well-defined terms, which fully
explain that Person, Place or Things contribution to the time period we are currently discussing in
relation to the Historical Thinking Skills allowing you to utilize it in the future to fully expand on a
given topic and discuss in an educated manner.
1. Progressive Era, 1901-1917
2. muckrakers
3. Square Deal
4. Northern Securities Company, 1904
5. Pure Food and Drug Act, 1906
6. Meat Inspection Act, 1906
7. Election of 1912
8. New Nationalism
9. New Freedom
10. Underwood Tariff, 1913
11. Federal Reserve Act, 1913
12. Clayton Antitrust Act, 1914
13. Progressive Amendments
14. Teddy Roosevelt
15. “The Square Deal”
16. Ballinger Pinchot Affair
17. “Bull Moose Party”
18. “New Nationalism”
19. William Howard Taft
20. Woodrow Wilson
21. “Triple Wall of Privilege”
22. Social Gospel
23. Muskrakers
24. Ida Tarbell
25. Upton Sinclair
26. Hull House
27. Muller v. Oregon
28. Pure Food and Drug Act (1906)
29. Meat Inspection Act (1906)
30. Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire
31. Underwood Tariff (1913)
32. Federal Trade Commission (1914)
33. 16th Amendment
34. 17th Amendment
35. 18th Amendment
36. 19th Amendment
37. Florence Kelly
38. Clayton Anti-Trust Act
39. Temperance Movement
Period 7 / Page 12
Developed Using work by James L. Smith from the AP® U. S. History Curriculum
Framework, John Irish’s Historical Thinking skills & Pearson Reading and Note Taking
Guide