Name:___________________________________________________ Date:___________ Class:_____________
Study Guide:
Progressivism, Teddy Roosevelt, the Spanish American War, Imperialism, and William Howard Taft
Part A: Important Terms: Instructions: For each term below, on a separate sheet of paper, write at least one
sentence explaining why that term is significant for one to understand the impact of Progressivism, Teddy
Roosevelt, the Spanish American War, Imperialism, and William Howard Taft
1. Progressivism
2. Muckraker
3. Suffrage
4. Jacob Riis
5. Jane Addams
6. Prohibition
7. Capitalism
8. Socialism
9. Eugene V. Debs
10. The Sherman Antitrust Act
11. Leon Frank Czolgosz
12. Teddy Roosevelt
13. William McKinley
14. Assembly line
15. Henry Ford
16. The USS Maine
17. Social Darwinism
18. Monopoly
19. Unions
20. Upton Sinclair
21. Booker T. Washington
22. W.E.B. Du Bois
23. The Meat Inspection Act
24. John Muir
25. The Pure Food and Drug Act
26. The Anthracite Coal Strike
27. The Elkins Act
28. Imperialism
29. The Philippine-American War
30. Emilio Aguinaldo
31. William Seward
32. George Washington
33. William Howard Taft
34. Woodrow Wilson
35. The Bull Moose Party
36. The Payne-Aldrich Tariff
37. Guam
38. Cuba
39. Puerto Rico
40. The Russo-Japanese War
Part B: Open Response: Instructions: Write an answer to the questions below. Use this section to study for the
open response portion of the test. Use the back if you need more room to answer the question.
1. What led to the Spanish American War of 1898? What did the USA gain from the War?
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2. Why did Teddy Roosevelt originally support the Presidency of William Howard Taft? What changed his
mind? How did Roosevelt’s creation of the Bull Moose Party Impact the Election of 1912?
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3. What was the Progressive Movement? What were some issues that many Progressives supported?
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ANSWERS:
Study Guide:
Progressivism, Teddy Roosevelt, the Spanish American War, Imperialism, and William Howard Taft
Part A: Important Terms: Instructions: For each term below, on a separate sheet of paper, write at least one
sentence explaining why that term is significant for one to understand the impact of Progressivism, Teddy
Roosevelt, the Spanish American War, Imperialism, and William Howard Taft
1. Progressivism: This was a system of belief
that tried to defend the rights of common
workers, like factory workers and urban
dwellers. Specifically, they wanted to Promote
Social Welfare, Advance Moral Improvement,
Pursue Economic Reform, and Increase
Efficiency
2. Muckraker: These were journalists who liked to
expose corruption.
3. Suffrage: This is the right to vote.
4. Jacob Riis: He was a muckraker journalist who
exposed the terrible living conditions of cities.
He wrote How the Other Half Lives.
5. Jane Addams: She developed settlement
houses for the poor in urban areas.
6. Prohibition: This was the banning of alcohol.
7. Capitalism: An economic system in which
private businesses seek to make a profit.
8. Socialism: An economic system in which the
government controls a large portion of the
economy.
9. Eugene V. Debs: He was a politician who
supported socialism.
10. The Sherman Antitrust Act: This act tried to
make monopolies illegal.
11. Leon Frank Czolgosz: He was an anarchist
who killed President William McKinley.
12. Teddy Roosevelt: He rose to become
President from 1901-1909.
13. William McKinley: He was a President who
was assassinated by Leon Frank Czolgosz.
14. Assembly line: This is a method in which
many workers make one product.
15. Henry Ford: This is a business leader who
used the assembly line to make cars.
16. The USS Maine: The explosion of this ship led
to the Spanish American War.
17. Social Darwinism: The belief that strong
companies should get to dominate markets with
no government intervention.
18. Monopoly: This occurs when a business has
removed all competition.
19. Unions: This is when workers unite to make
demands from their bosses.
20. Upton Sinclair: A muckraker journalist who
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21. Booker T. Washington: He was an African
American leader that TR invited to the white
house for dinner.
22. W.E.B. Du Bois: He was an African American
leader who critiqued TR for not supporting Civil
Rights.
23. The Meat Inspection Act: This was an act that
tried to make meat safer for the public.
24. John Muir: He encouraged TR to set aside
lands for conservation.
25. The Pure Food and Drug Act: This act tried to
make food and drugs safer for the public.
26. The Anthracite Coal Strike: In this strike, TR
served as a mediator between labor and the
owners.
27. The Elkins Act: This law said railroad
companies could not give rebates (money
back) to certain businesses.
28. Imperialism: This occurs when larger nations
control weaker areas.
29. The Philippine-American War: This occurred
when the USA took the Philippines from Spain.
The Filipinos rebelled against the USA and lost.
30. Emilio Aguinaldo: He was a pivotal leader in
the Philippine-American War.
31. William Seward: He encouraged the USA to
buy Alaska.
32. George Washington: The first President of the
USA that set a precedent by only running for
two terms.
33. William Howard Taft: He became President
after Teddy Roosevelt.
34. Woodrow Wilson: He won the election of
1912.
35. The Bull Moose Party: A 3rd party started by
TR to run in the election of 1912.
36. The Payne-Aldrich Tariff: This was a weak
action that led many to believe that Taft would
not take a strong stand against tariffs.
37. Guam: The USA gained this area from Spain in
the Spanish American War.
38. Cuba: This nation gained independence during
the Spanish American War.
39. Puerto Rico: The USA gained this area from
Spain in the Spanish American War.
wrote The Jungle to expose poor food
conditions and working conditions for immigrant
workers.
40. The Russo-Japanese War: TR served as a
mediator in this conflict between Russia and
Japan.
Part B: Open Response: Instructions: Write an answer to the questions below. Use this section to study for the
open response portion of the test. Use the back if you need more room to answer the question.
1. What led to the Spanish American War of 1898? What did the USA gain from the War?
In the late 1800s, Spain had various territories around the world, Cuba being one of them. The USA
wanted Cuba to be independent. However, the USA was unwilling to use force to achieve this goal.
Yet, then, the USS Maine was sunk, nobody knows how, but, Spain was blamed. The USA then went
to war with Spain. Cuba did gain independence. Yet, the nation became a protectorate of the USA,
which meant the USA had great influence on the area. The USA then took the Philippines, Guam,
and Puerto Rico from Spain and claimed them as territories of the United States.
2. Why did Teddy Roosevelt originally support the Presidency of William Howard Taft? What changed his
mind? How did Roosevelt’s creation of the Bull Moose Party Impact the Election of 1912?
Teddy Roosevelt originally supported the Presidency of William Howard Taft because he believed that
Taft would continue his progressive policies. Yet, the perception arose that Taft was failing to maintain
TR’s legacy. Lands were being removed from the conservation list, tariffs were not being challenged,
and other occurrences came about that angered TR. In response to this TR ran for the Progressive
Party, which was nicknamed the Bull Moose Party, to try and defeat Taft for the Presidency. Ironically,
this simply divided the Republican Party. Since the Republicans were not unified, they opened the
door for a Democrat to win the Election of 1912, Woodrow Wilson.
3. What was the Progressive Movement? What were some issues that many Progressives supported?
The Progressive Movement was one in which progress was championed. There were diverse goals
for the movement. In the 1st goal, they wanted to Promote Social Welfare by helping the poor. In
terms of promoting social welfare, Progressivism taught that the government and charities should
aggressively pursue measures that would help the poor.
The 2nd goal of many Progressives was to Advance Moral Improvement. Many Progressives taught
that improved morality was vital to reforming society. In this time period, many viewed alcohol as
radically harmful to the moral life of the USA. Therefore, many Progressives wanted prohibition to
be enacted by the government, which is the banning of alcohol. Many women played a major role in
pursuing this goal.
A 3rd goal that many Progressives desired was to Create Economic Reform. The American
Socialist Party was formed in 1901 and began to oppose strict capitalism, the system in which
private businesses control a great deal of the economy. The Panic of 1893 was a massive economic
downturn. Many blamed capitalism as the causes for economic decline in the USA. Eugene V. Debs
and others pushed for socialism, a system in which the government would control a large portion of
the economy, instead of private businesses having that role.
A 4th Goal of the Progressive Movement was to Increase Efficiency. In this goal, Progressives
taught that experts and scientific improvement should impact the way businesses and the
government operated. Sociological and scientific data asserted long work days were NOT profitable
to factories.
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All Rights Reserved.
Copyright, USHistoryTeachers.com
All Rights Reserved.