ACE Class Report – US History 1890 – 1933
Begin: 2/27/2024
Finished 4/14/2024
Title: US History 1890 – 1933
Instructor: Rodrigo Santos
Why I choose to take this class:
History of US from 1890 – 1933 , after the civil war to the great depression. To understand the evolution of laws, reforms for the country. The conflicts and expansion of the country.
What I learned from this class:
The long process of settling the US from Coast to coast drew to a close after the civil war. The settlement of the West brought end to American Indian way of life. Farmer occupied and fenced in much of the land. They slaughtered the Buffalo heard which the Indians depended on for survival. Some Indian retaliated against the white, the Federal Government sent in soldiers to crush the Indians. The Spanish-American war of 1898, Us quickly defeated Spain and ended inn the Treaty of Paris December 10, 1898, US received Guam, Puerto Rico and Philippines from Spain. In 1898 US annexed Hawaii at the urging of the sugar cane planters. Strong spirit of reform swept through the US from 1800’s to 1900. By 1917 the reformers had brought about many changes. In 1886 – The AFL – CIO – American Federation of Labor – Congress of Industrial Organization to gain better wages and working conditions for workers. The drive for Woman Suffrage – to promote woman right to vote in 1869 in Wyoming; other states followed suit. In 1887 – Interstate Commerce Act – to eliminate unfair business practice and to ensure reasonable and just shipping rates from Interstate Railroads. However the Federal Government seldom enforce them in practice before 1900. The first three presidents elected after 1900 – Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft and Woodrow Wilson – supported certain reform laws.
Theodore Roosevelt: Became president in 1901. He won fame as a “Trust Buster”. He filed suit in 1906 , broke up John D Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Company in 1911 to more than 40 companies. In 1902 aided miner and labor in strike for better wages and working conditions. Urged Congress to pass the Meat Inspection Act and the Federal Food and Drugs Act to regulate food and drug processing.
Taft and Wilson: Taft extended the Civil Service and called for a Federal Income Tax. the reform movement flourished under Wilson. The 16 th Amendment gave the Federal Government power to levy and income tax. The 17th Amendment, election of US Senate by the people. Federal Reserve System to regulate nations banking and financial service industries. He signed the Federal Trade Commission government agency to oversee big business.
World War I and Postwar growth: World War I started in 1914, US declared war on Germany on April 6, 1917 after it repeatedly sank US merchant ships. World War I ended on November 11, 1918. But the US did not participate in the League of Nations. In the 1920 majority of Americans lived in urban areas. In August 26, 1920, the 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote in all elections. City life tended to weaken the strong family ties and lead to antisocial behaviors. The 18 th Amendment – The Prohibition Amendment caused unforeseen problems it outlawed the sale of alcoholic beverage. That led to bootlegging. The Roaring twenties adopted a new lifestyle: new clothing styles, bobbled hair, new flapper dress, speeding in cars, speakeasies, football, baseball and golf.
The economy boom and bust: The US Economy soared to spectacular heights. Henry Ford refined car manufacturing to a science. The number of cars tripled between 1920 – 1930 from 8 million to 23 million. The thriving auto industries triggered growth in the steel, road building, gasoline sales and tourism industries. Despite the growth, the distribution of wealth grew lopsided, agriculture and labor did not share in the prosperity and cut in the demand for manufactured goods, a contributing factor to the upcoming depression.
The Stock Market Crash of 1929: Much stock speculation involved buying stocks on margin – paying a fraction of the cost and borrowing the rest of the purchase price. Finally in 1929, wild speculation led to a stock market crash that toppled the economy. Panic selling followed lower prices drastically and dragging investors to financial ruin. It had cost investors over $40 Billion. The crash sent shockwaves through the Financial, business, employment, spending, farm, banks, and foreign trade. By 1930 the nation’s economy was paralyzed. the stock market crash of 1929 and other weakness in the nations economy to bring on the Great Depression of the 1930, the worst and longest depression in US history and lasted more than 10 years. Franklin D. Roosevelt promised government action to end the great depression and reforms to avoid future depression. He won a landslide victory. Roosevelt’s program for recovery was called the New Deal. It’s many provisions included: public work projects, relief for farmers, aid to manufacturing firms, regulation of banks. Roosevelt proposed new government agencies: Civilian Conservation Corp, Work Progress Administration, Farm Credit Bureau and Social Security Board. the New Deal offered direct aid to Americans, subsidies for farmer, tuition grants for students, works for unemployed, pension for elderly, electric power for rural homes, and food for the desperate and hungry. The new deal help relieved the hardship but hard times dragged on until World War II military spending stimulated the economy.
How will this class contribute to my success upon release:
The history of this era was important to see how the country went through hard times and the programs used to revive the economy. This information will help my analytical and critical thinking skills. This information will be shared with communities which I will volunteer my teaching, tutoring and mentoring services upon my release.
