American Society and Government
years 1880-1920
Industrialization-political
The Industrial Revolution brought forth change in the manufacturing processes of large companies. Inventions such as the steam engine and the cotton gin made transportation and the manufacturing of clothes easier.
Industrialization-Economic
Industrialization is the period of transformation from an agricultural economy to an urban, mass-producing economy. During this time, factories replaced the home as the center of production.
Turning Points in History - Industrial Revolution
Industrialization-social/cultural
Inventions in the late 19th-century, such as the spinning frame brought forth an Industrial Revolution.
Immigration-Economic
Immigrants fled their homeland after a disease on potatoes caused the Great Potato famine and led to mass starvation.
Immigration-Social/cultural
Irish immigrants faced prejudice, because they were Roman Catholic and poor. Protestant mobs in big cities constantly harassed them.
Urbanization-political
Rapid urbanization brought many immigrants to live in dirty, crowded slums. One solution to housing problems was urban renewal. The National Housing Act of 1949 was passed to provide a decent home and a suitable living environment for every family.
Urbanization-Economic
Engineering innovations, such as the Brooklyn Bridge, laid the groundwork for modern american life and helped build outward and upward.
Urbanization-social/cultural
The growth of major cities brought many people to the cities where the worked togather to expand.
The Growth of Cities
Progressivism-political
Reformers felt that morality held the key to improving the lives of poor people. They started banning Alcohol beverages which was known as prohibition.
Progressivism-economic
Mukrackers were journalists who wrote about the corrupt side of business and public life. The term refers to "Pilgrims progress" by John Bunyan in which a character is so busy using a rake to clean up the muck of the world that he does not raise his eyes to heaven.
Imperialism-political
In 1867, the United States purchased Alaska and took over the midway islands. On August 12, 1898, congress proclaimed Hawaii an American territory. In 1959 Hawaii became the 50th State of the U.S.
Imperialism-Economic
The United States was established as an imperialistic power in the Caribbean and Pacific after the victory in the Spanish-American war in 1898
Imperialism-social/cultural
Culture factors were used to justify imperialism. Americans combined the philosophy of social Darwinism with a belief in the racial superiority of Anglo-Saxons.
World War I-political
Deaths of Empires and the birth of nation were a result of WWI
World War I-Economic
Wages in most industries rose during the war years. Wages for blue-collar workers rose about 20 percent.
World War I-social/cultural
During the war, women had to fill jobs that had been held exclusively by men. At the same time, they also filled more traditional jobs as nurses, clerks, and teachers.