Unit+IV

=﻿ Unit IV: Chapters 16-21 =

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= The Frontier = __Myth:__ Idea of uninhabited, isolated, empty westen lands with the chance of great opportunity, resources, and challenges.

__Reality:__ lands of diverse regions and climates, was actually already inhabited by settlers and natives; Americans created a economy tied to capitalism of east, interacted with groups of people who already existed there

=﻿Development of the West=

//Chinese//

 * made up most of the labor force in the west
 * 90% of workers on the transcontinental railroad (12,000 worked on RR)
 * discrimination against Chinese
 * Americans viewed them as rivals b/c were hard workers who, like the Irish, would work for low wages with few demands
 * differences in culture: languages, religion, etc.
 * Chinese Exclusion Act
 * created cities with large populations of Chinese - Chinatowns

//Buffalo//

 * Hunted to almost extinction by Americans
 * hunted mostly for hide - clothes, material for machinery in factories
 * destroyed Native Americans' main source of food/resources
 * was a way for new white American settlers to create an impact in the west and removed Native Americans
 * make room for ranching/ new railroads

//Railroads//

 * connected West to East [[image:http://www.neilpeterson.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/map-of-transcontinental-rr.jpg width="306" height="209" align="right"]]
 * provided a better form of transportation
 * created support for removing Native Americans out of the way

//Government Policies//

 * motivated more Americans to settle west
 * economic growth
 * Homestead Act
 * American dream of everyone having their own land
 * Welfare capitalism
 * government intervention in economy

=﻿Myth vs. Reality of the West=
 * = Myth ||= Reality ||
 * Uninhabited frontier || Inhabited by a diversity of groups: Indians, Mexicans, Europeans, Americans, Chinese, Filipinos, etc. ||
 * Empty, open land || Different types of land with a variety of regions, climates, and natural resources ||
 * Cowboys were supposedly:
 * free from constraints of traditional society
 * had an exciting lifestyle
 * admired hero || Cowboys were actually:
 * low-paid workers
 * led a boring, lonely life
 * few chances of advancing in society ||
 * Unlimited opportunities || Chances of social mobility were about the same as the east ||
 * Miners could become instantly rich from striking gold || Miners didn't always become instantly rich because it wasn't as easy to find vast amounts of gold at once ||
 * Independent farmers - subsistence farming || Commercial farming - cash crops, overproduction ||

=Chapter 17 - Industrial Supremacy (The 2nd Industrial Revolution) Preview=
 * Industrial economy was producing "self-made man": people were responsible for own success
 * expanding opportunities, support for individualism
 * Social Darwinism:
 * people who were unsuccessful in society were hopeless and were that way out of own laziness and stupidity,
 * shouldn't let government interfere
 * explanation of american capitalism: "invisible hand"
 * With support of social darwinism, there was opposition
 * Andrew Carnegie: //The Gospel of Wealth//
 * wealthy people had the responsibility of supporting and expanding social progress, help the poor
 * Russell Conwell: every person had the opportunity to become successful
 * Industry grew because of large labor supply and more resources
 * Invention of the automobile and airplane
 * Research increased
 * Steel industry expanded b/c advances in technology
 * RR boom: mileage expanded
 * Corporations - "limited liability": only responsible for own share of company; investing became a better decision
 * Monopolies were in control and could benefit or destroy economy (later illegal)
 * Immigrants worked in factories: conflict, racism, discrimination
 * Reform for workers: age/gender, unions
 * Early unions were ineffective b/c monopolies and resulted in failure

=John D. Rockefeller and Standard Oil=

media type="custom" key="7893591"

Connections
 * "The Gospel of Wealth" was a softer view of Social Darwinism
 * Social Darwinism: survival of the fittest in society
 * the ones who are unfit deserve to be that way and there is no way of helping them
 * inequality is inevitable
 * "The Gospel of Wealth": it is the wealthy's responsibility to help the poor help themselves
 * create institutions to help people have more opportunities
 * Social Darwinism led ideas on the way American capitalism works
 * Economy was controlled by competition which was inevitable

=Chapter 18 - The Age of the City Preview=
 * more cities and expansion of cities
 * population growth
 * increased immigrants
 * nativism, restrictions on immigration
 * different ethnic communities
 * status of women = more subordinate
 * more professional institutions
 * fire departments
 * public health service
 * mass public transportation
 * entertainment

=The Age of the City= =media type="custom" key="7926256"=

=Chapter 20 - The Imperial Republic=

Imperialism - the belief/practice of: extending a nation's political/economic influence abroad/internationally; acquiring new territories; bringing underdeveloped nations under the influence of developed, industrial nations; expansion through colonization, annexation; new Manifest Destiny - expanding past continental borders; protectorate (gaining influence through protecting territory); sphere of influence

//Examples// Territorial expansion: U.S. annexation of Hawaii Extending nation's politial/economic influence: Venezuelan dispute with Britain - U.S. exerted political influence

Imperialist - one who believes in/practices imperialism

Motivations for Imperialism

 * Loss of the frontier
 * Compete with other powerful foreign nations
 * Natural resources - ivory, gold, sugar cane
 * Expansion of markets (customers) - overproduction
 * New Manifest Destiny
 * Military - expand sea power, strategic locations for military bases, refueling on trips
 * Spread of Christianity and democracy
 * Civilize natives of other nations
 * Experience from Native Americans made it easier to take over other natives
 * Expanding power and influence
 * Darwinism - races that were more "fit" should take over the unfit races; justification for imperialism

Examples of American Imperialism

 * Hawaii - resources and location
 * Philippines - Educate and assimilate islands natives taken over during the Spanish-American War; "take responsibility for"
 * Liberia - send free blacks back to Africa
 * U.S. Virgin Islands - fear of other nations forming military bases there in World War I
 * Puerto Rico - natural resources (coffee,sugar), large existing labor force, military bases
 * Samoan Islands - location for trading centers with Asia, naval bases
 * Guano Islands - guano deposits for agricultural fertilizer, feul, source of substance for gunpowder
 * Panama - construction of Panama Canal, efficient trading

=The Spanish-American War=

__Who: __
Spain, Cuban and Filipino Islanders under Spanish control and United States

__What: __
War between Spain and United States where Americans tried to help natives gain independence from Spain.

__When: __
April - August 1898

__Where: __
Cuba Philippines Puerto Rico (Aftermath) Guam (Aftermath)

__Why: __
Americans sympathized with the Cubans and wanted to help them become independent of Spain. Yellow journalism helped to increase American interest and sympathy in the conflict between Cuba and Spain. The explosion of the Maine, an American battleship sent to Cuban for American protection, was falsely blamed on Spain which intensified support of war with Spain.

= United States History (1781-1915) =

From 1781 to 1915, the United States went from being a small, struggling nation to becoming a threatening power to even the most powerful nations. Americans had expanded their territory, become more of an interventionist nation, and developed their own culture independent of those of their European predecessors.

Mona's Thesis:
Between the years of 1781 and 1915, the United States had been driven by manifest destiny, nationalism, and the advancement as well as expansion of their economy in addition to their societies. America had developed their own cultures and became one of the more powerful nations in the world.

Annie's Thesis:
From 1781 through 1915, America struggled to form itself as one nation of individual state and its own culture, then rapidly expand across the continent and launch into a major Capitalist world power.

Group Thesis:
From 1781 to 1915 American history was characterized by constant shifts between nationalism and sectionalism, expansion of territory, interactions between different cultures, and industrialization. The United States was becoming a powerful nation that was rapidly gaining worldwide influence.