1890-1920
By: Shelby, Eric, and Ashley
Spanish American War
The immediate origins of the 1898 Spanish-American War began with the Wilson-Gorman Tariff of 1894. The American tariff, which put restrictions on sugar imports to the United States, severely hurt the economy of Cuba, which was based on producing and selling sugar. In Cuba, then a Spanish colony, angry nationalists known as the insurrectos began a revolt against the ruling Spanish colonial regime. When Spain sent in General "Butcher" Weyler to stabilize the situation in Cuba, he put much of the population in concentration camps. The US, which had many businessmen with investment interests in Cuba, became concerned. The American public was stirred into an anti-Spain frenzy by the yellow journalism of men like Hearst and Pulitzer. Nonetheless, President Grover Cleveland promised he would not go to war.
Presidents.
Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft and Woodrow Wilson were the main three presidents during this time period. Theodore Roosevelt became president in 1901. He was the 26th president. William Howard Taft was the 27th president and served from 1909 to 1913. He promoted the "dollar diplomacy". Woodrow Wilson was the 28th president and he served from 1913 to 1921. He tried to keep America out of the war in Europe.
WW1
World War I began on July 28, 1914, when Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. This seemingly small conflict between two countries spread rapidly: soon, Germany, Russia, Great Britain, and France were all drawn into the war, largely because they were involved in treaties that obligated them to defend certain other nations. Western and eastern fronts quickly opened along the borders of Germany and Austria-Hungary.