The Rise of Industry-ME-Jordan Fu

Although the Industrial Revolution reached the United States in the early 1800s, most Americans still lived on farms. However, after the Civil War, industry rapidly expanded, and millions of Americans left their farms to work in mines and factories. Factories began to replace smaller workshops as complex machinery began to substitute for simpler hand tools. By the late 1800s, the United States was the world’s leading nation. By 1914 the nation’s gross national product was eight times greater than it had been in 1865 when the Civil War came to an end.

                There were two necessary factors which affected the development of American industry, natural resources and human resources. An abundance of raw materials was one reason for the nation’s success. The United States had vast natural resources, including timber, coal, iron, and copper. This meant that American companies could obtain them cheaply and did not have to import them from other countries. The human resources available to American industry were as important as natural resources in enabling the nation to industrialize rapidly. Between 1860 and 1910 the population of the United States nearly tripled. This population growth provided industry with an abundant workforce and also created greater demand for the consumer goods manufactured by factories.

                Natural resources and labor were important for American companies at that time, but new inventions and technology were crucial as well. Bell’s telephone and Edison’s light bulb helped a lot in daily life and industrial development.

Andrew Carnegie-KI-Jordan Fu

The remarkable life of Andrew Carnegie illustrates many of the factors that led to the rise of the big business in the United States. Andrew Carnegie (November 25, 1835 – August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist who led the enormous expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century. He was also one of the highest profile philanthropists of his era; his 1889 article "Wealth" remains a formative advisory text for those who aspire to lead philanthropic lives.

                Carnegie was born in Dunfermline, Scotland; and immigrated to the United States with his parents in 1848. Carnegie started as a telegrapher and by the 1860s had investments in railroads, railroad sleeping cars, bridges and oil derricks. He built further wealth as a bond salesman raising money for American enterprise in Europe. He built Pittsburgh's Carnegie Steel Company, which he sold to J.P. Morgan in 1901 for $480 million, creating the U.S. Steel Corporation. Carnegie devoted the remainder of his life to large-scale philanthropy, with special emphasis on local libraries, world peace, education and scientific research.

                As part of his business activities, Carnegie frequently traveled to Europe. On one trip, he met Sir Henry Bessemer, who had invented a new process for making high-quality steel efficiently and cheaply. Then he set up his steel company in 1875 using Henry’s process and made a lot of money. To make his steel company more efficient, Carnegie began the vertical integration of the steel industry. A vertically integrated company owns all of the different business on which it depends for its operation.

Rebellion in the Philippines-Culture-Kelsie Hewitt

Emilio Aguinaldo had called the Americans decision to annex his homeland a “violent and aggressive seizure” and had his troops attack American soldiers. This mini war lasted for around three long years. Near 126,000 soldiers from America were sent to the Philippines to fight this war.

In the aftermath of this, 4,300, American soldiers had lost their lives. They died from a mixture of combat and disease from the foreign land.  When the death amount of the Filipinos was added up, they had come to realized that 50,000 to 200,000 Filipinos had died in this war. 

Foraker Act-ME-Kelsie Hewitt

Foraker Act established a civil government for the island. The law had provided and elected legislature. But it also had to have an governor and even an executive council, and the president had final authority. It said that Puerto Ricans we not American citizens and therefore did not get to have the rights that the Americans had. Gradually, the Puerto Ricans were allowed to have a greater self-government. In the year of 1917, Puerto Ricans were granted American citizenship.

After thirty more years, the people that lived on the island were finally allowed to elect their own governor. After all of this had taken place, there was a debate on whether or not Puerto Rico should become a state, independent, or just continue as they were. 

Woodrow Wilson - KI - Violet Litke

As the President at the time of WWI Woodrow Wilson he claimed that the war was a crusade to make the world “safe for democracy”.   Wilson was a major role in keeping America out of the war for as long as he did. Supplying the countries that needed it, and not taking action until the US was directly threatened. After the war when Germany had signed the Armistice Wilson Joined representatives from three other countries making up the “big four” his fourteen points were used as the basis of the Treaty of Versailles that was signed by Germany to give them full responsibility for the war. Though the US senate rejected the treaty after Wilson toured the nation to gain support of states to sign a treaty with Germany.  

Segregation-Culture-Mishael Theis

After the US was reconstructed, Southern states passed laws that took away the rights of African Americans. The biggest right that was taken away was the right to vote. While the 15th Amendment gives African Americans the right to vote, Southern states took this away by requiring poll tax. This required voters to pay $2 and voters had to be able to read and understand the state constitution. To keep the number of white people voting from dropping, states brought in the "Grandfather Clause". This clause let any man vote as long as he had an ancestor who could vote 1867, which most black men did not.

Three African Americans stood out more than the rest in fighting for their rights in the late 19th century, these three are Ida Wells, W.E.B. Du Bois, and Booker Washington. Wells was a strong advocate of the elimination of lynchings. While Congress rejected her ideas, she did have an effect; the number of lynchings dropped off in the 1900s. Du Bois believed in that African Americans must persevere for their civil rights, especially voting. Washington believed that instead of focusing on civil rights, African Americans should focus on succeeding in the economy. He believed that civil rights could be achieved later on, while getting an education and rising up in the economy was vital now. In the end, neither of their wishes happened anytime soon. The fight for civil rights was a long battle that would end many years later.

Booker T. Washington

W.E.B. Du Bois

The War's Impact - ME - Violet Litke

World War I effected American’s in many different ways, some reacted with support, and others lashed out against the country. As the war ended the government did away with rations, and the American people rushed to buy the food that had been limited. In return of the constant demand of these goods the prices were raised. Inflation was one thing that really bothered the American’s. Strikes started to form against manufacturers, and against products, the inflation of the products was wiping out the money soldiers had spent four years fighting to earn. Within a short amount of time strikes started to form everywhere, like Seattle and Boston over things such as the police and steel.

The strikes that had begun in the US created fear in Americans that Communist were going to begin a revolution in America. Over time the American people has become suspicious of the communist, accusing immigrants of importing socialist ideas. This panic became known as the Red Scare. Fearing that the communists or the “reds”, were attempting to take over the US. In April of 1919 the UPS had intercepted more than 30 home-made bombs in packages going to many important Americans. The United States Attorney General just believed that this was the work of radicals, attempting to destroy the American way of life.