Lecture Objective
• Understand and explore an aggressive U.S.
foreign policy in the early 1900s.
• Understand the factors that resulted in U.S.
involvement in World War I.
• Understand the impact the war had on
minority groups, for example, women,
African-Americans, and GermanAmericans.
Theodore Roosevelt
• His goal was to increase American
economic and political power.
• Roosevelt believed that to achieve
economic and political power the U.S.
needed a strong military.
• The “big stick” stick represented a strong
military.
The Panama Canal
Roosevelt’s Top Priority
• A Panama canal could
connect the Atlantic
and Pacific Oceans
• Roosevelt attempted
to make an agreement
w/Colombia.
• Colombia rejects U.S.
offer (1903).
Roosevelt’s Reaction
•
•
•
Roosevelt supported
revolt against Colombia.
Revolt of native forces
and foreign promoters.
In Nov. 3, 1903, Panama
declared independence.
Minister, Philippe BunauVarilla, granted the U.S. a
canal zone.
The Panama Canal
Concerns over Canal
• Concern over
European
interference in the
region.
• Important to always
have a stable region.
Impact
• Roosevelt Corollary
gave the U.S. authority
to intervene in Latin
American to protect
region.
• Justification for future
U.S. military
intervention.
The World’s Constable, 1905
cartoon
William Taft: Dollar Diplomacy
• Replace the “big stick” militarism and
instead relied on business investments.
• Taft believed that business investments
would result in political influence.
• Dollar diplomacy failed because military
support was also needed.
a) Example: Marines in Nicaragua until 1933.
American Investments in Central
America
• U.S. investments in Central America went
from $41 mill (1908) to $93 mill (1914).
a) Investments: Railroads, mining, and
plantations.
• United Fruit Company owned 160,000 acres
of land by 1913.
Wilson and Mexico
Mexican Revolution
• Porfirio Diaz
overthrown by F.
Madero in 1911.
• Problem: U.S.
companies owned 130
million acres of
Mexican land.
a) Mining, timber, and
petroleum
Politics of Revolution
•
Madero assassinated by
Huerta.
•
Venustiano Carranza
opposed Huerta, bought
U.S. weapons in 1914.
•
Huerta isolated by Britain
and the U.S.
• U.S. bombarded/occupied
Veracruz in April 1914.
1914 political cartoon
U.S. in Mexico
• Carranza denounced U.S. occupation.
• Wilson’s then shifted his supported to
Francisco Villa
• Villa dealt blow by Carranza’s forces.
• A frustrated Wilson recognized Carranza’s
government. Also, Wilson concern over
war in Europe.
Francisco “Pancho” Villa
•
Villa felt betrayed by Wilson and
retaliated by raiding a New Mexico town.
• Gen. John J. Pershing was dispatched in
March of 1916 to capture Villa.
• U.S. Army of 15,000 failed to captured
Villa.
• Mexico and U.S. on brink of war.
World War I Begins
European Alliances
• Central Powers:
Germany, AustriaHungary, and Italy
• Allies: Great Britain,
France, and Russia
The Great War Begins
• Archduke Franz
Ferdinand assassinated
in June 28, 1914 by a
Serbian nationalist.
a) Where: Sarajevo,
Bosnia
Reaction
• July 28, 1914, Austria-Hungary fully
supported by Germany declared war on
Serbia.
• Serbia seek help from Russia.
• Germany invaded Belgium and then France.
American Neutrality (Wilson)
• Problems with neutrality:
a) American support divided.
b) Economic ties w/Britain made neutrality
impossible.
1) U.S. stopped trade w/ Germany
2) U.S. increased trade w/ Allies.
Germany: Submarine Warfare
(Feb. 1915)
• Germans declared British Isles a war zone.
• Lusitania (Brit liner) sank in May 7, 1915.
a) 128 dead Americans
• Sussex, French passenger, torpedoed by the
Germans in March 1916
a) Four Americans injured.
The Lusitania
U.S. Drawn into War
• Germany (Feb. 1 1917) declared unlimited
submarine warfare.
• U.S. broke diplomatic ties w/Germany.
• Zimmerman telegraph (March 1, 1917)
asked for Mexican and German alliance.
a) April 6, 1917: U.S. declared war on
Germany.
Selling the War
• Committee on Public Information “sold”
war through films, newspaper articles, and
posters.
• Germans depicted as monsters
a) German music banned from concert halls.
b) “liberty cabbage” instead of sauerkraut.
c) Attacks on German/Americans.
1918 poster, Halt the Hun
WWI Recruiting
Poster
Selective Service
Act
a) Registered men
between 21-35
years.
b) 2.8 million
served
Intelligence tests
showed 25% of
recruits illiterate.
69th NYC Infantry going off to WWI
African American
soldiers, 369
Infantry
Regiment 1918
African Americans
served in segregated
units.
Barred from Marines
and Coast Guard.
Mostly cooks and
laundrymen.
American Expeditionary Force
• Commanded by John J. Pershing.
• Americans made it to the European front in early
1918.
• Tactic: total war
• 70,000 A.E.F. and French troops stopped
Germany
a) 250,000 Americans were landing per month.
American Troops in Southampton Embarking
for France, by Thomas Derrick 1917(AEF)
American Soldiers, near Chaussers,
France (June 1918)
The Treaty of Versailles (June
28, 1919)
• Germany made responsible for war.
• New states created: Yugoslavia and
Czechoslovakia.
• Nov. 11, 1918 war ends
• 60,000 dead Americans
• Cost the U.S. $33 billion to fight war.
Signing of the Treaty of Versailles,
1919 by John C. Johansen
War and Economy
• War Industries Board (1917)
a) Reorganized industries
b) 3,000 contracts given to big businesses
• Food and Fuel (1917)
a) Regulate production and distribution of food.
• Food Administration control prices on grain and
wheat.
War’s Impact on Women
• Defense related jobs available to women.
• About 16,000 served overseas.
a) Nurses and telephone operators
• Suffrage movement was taken to the national
level. Women’s support for the war tied to
suffrage movement.
a) 19th Amendment (Aug. 1920) gave women right
to vote.
National Woman’s Party, picket
the White House in 1917
Midvale Steel in Pennsylvania
1918
WWI’s Impact on African
Americans
• Great Migration: The massive migration of
blacks from the south to the north.
• Why ?
a) Defense job opportunities and escape
southern racism.
• Community networks aided migrations
The Great Migration (Chicago)