Study Material Compiled by Dr. E. VIJAYALAKSHMI & Dr. N. SETHURAMAN DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY PERIYAR ARTS COLLEGE CUDDALORE – 607 001 MASTER OF ARTS M.A. HISTORY DEGREE COURSE CBCS PATTERN (With effect from 2017-2018) PAPER-12 HISTORY OF THE USA FROM A.D.1900 TO A.D. 2000 Objectives This Paper helps the students to know the political, Economics, Scientific and Technological developments in the USA from A.D.1900 to A.D.2000 UNIT-I Progressive Era - Theodore Roosevelt and the Square Deal Policy - Big Stick Policy - William Taft-Woodrow Wilson-New Freedom - Role of USA in the First World War. UNIT-II Warren Hardinge - Washington Conference - Coolidge - Hoover - Great Depression - F.D. Roosevelt and New Deal - USA in the Second World War. UNIT-III Truman - Fair Deal - Truman Doctrine - N. A.T.O - Cold War - Eisenhower - S.E.A.T.O. - John.F.Kennedy - New Frontier - Civil Rights Movements - Martin Luther King. UNIT-IV L.B.Johnson - Great Society - Foreign Policy - Richard Nixon - Watergate Scandal - Ping Pong Diplomacy - Man on the Moon. UNIT-V America under President - Jimmy Carter - Ronald Reagan - George Bush (Sr) – Bill Clinton. Books for Reference 1. Beard and Beard, New Basic History of the United States, New York, USA, 1985. 2. Dharmaraj, J.C., History of the USA (1800-2002), Denshi Publication, Sivakasi, 2001. 3. Krishnamurthi, History of the United States of America, 1492-1965, Madurai Printers, Madurai, 1980. 4. Majumdar, R.K. & Srivastva, A.N., History of the United States of America - From 1845 to Present Day, SBD Publishers and Distributors, New Delhi, 1998. 1 Contents Page No. Lesson 1 PROGRESSIVE ERA ................................................................... 3 Lesson 2 THEODORE ROOSEVELT ......................................................... 9 Lesson 3 WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT .................................................... 15 Lesson 4 WOODROW WILSON ............................................................. 21 Lesson 5 ROLE OF USA IN THE FIRST WORLD WAR .................... 30 Lesson 6 WARREN G. HARDING .......................................................... 34 Lesson 7 CALVIN COOLIDGE ................................................................ 42 Lesson 8 HERBERT HOOVER ................................................................. 50 Lesson 9 FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT .................................................. 71 Lesson 10 USA IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR ................................. 84 Lesson 11 HARRY S. TRUMAN ................................................................ 91 Lesson 12 NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY ORGANIZATION............. 98 Lesson 13 COLD WAR ............................................................................... 104 Lesson 14 DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER ................................................. 107 Lesson 15 SOUTHEAST ASIA TREATY ORGANIZATION ............ 115 Lesson 16 JOHN F. KENNEDY ................................................................ 120 Lesson 17 CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT ............................................... 129 Lesson 18 MARTIN LUTHER KING ...................................................... 136 Lesson 19 LYNDON B. JOHNSON ......................................................... 145 Lesson 20 RICHARD NIXON ................................................................... 153 Lesson 21 JIMMY CARTER ...................................................................... 167 Lesson 22 RONALD REAGAN ................................................................ 173 Lesson 23 GEORGE H. W. BUSH ............................................................ 185 Lesson 24 BILL CLINTON ........................................................................ 198 2 Lesson 1 PROGRESSIVE ERA What is the Progressive Era? The Progressive Era (1896–1916) was a period of widespread social activism and political reform across the United States of America that spanned the 1890s to the 1920s. The main objectives of the Progressive movement were addressing problems caused by industrialization, urbanization, immigration, and political corruption. The movement primarily targeted political machines and their bosses. By taking down these corrupt representatives in office, a further means of direct democracy would be established. They also sought regulation of monopolies (trustbusting) and corporations through antitrust laws, which were seen as a way to promote equal competition for the advantage of legitimate competitors. They also advocated for new government rules and regulations, and new agencies to carry out those roles, such as the Food and Drug Administration. Background During the industrialization of the 1800s, more people went to work in big factories instead from home, on a farm, or in small shops. Factory jobs were dangerous, and people worked long hours in difficult conditions. With more jobs available in factories, more immigrants arrived from other countries. With more people in cities, there wasn't enough clean water or proper plumbing, and disease spread easily. This is what America was like when the Progressive Era began. With the help of muckrakers, journalists and reporters who wanted to see big change in the country, reform started to happen. Let's go through some of the biggest events and the changes they led to. The Problems of Industrialization Though industrialization in the United States raised standards of living for many, it had a dark side. Corporate bosses sometimes referred to as “robber barons,” pursued unethical and unfair business practices aimed at eliminating competition and increasing profits. Factory workers, many of them recent immigrants, were frequently subjected to brutal and perilous working and living conditions. Political 3 corruption enriched politicians at the expense of the lower and working classes, who struggled to make ends meet. The gap between the “haves” and the “have-nots” was widening. The Progressive movement arose as a response to these negative effects of industrialization. Progressive reformers sought to regulate private industry, strengthen protections for workers and consumers, expose corruption in both government and big business, and generally improve society. The Ideology and Politics of Progressivism The worldview of Progressive reformers was based on certain key assumptions. The first was that human nature could be improved through the enlightened application of regulations, incentives, and punishments. The second key assumption was that the power of the federal government could be harnessed to improve the individual and transform society. These two assumptions were not shared by political conservatives, who tended to believe that human nature was unchanging, and that the federal government should remain limited in size and scope. Some of the most famous Progressive reformers were Jane Addams, who founded Hull House in Chicago to help immigrants adapt to life in the United States; Ida Tarbell, a “muckraker” who exposed the corrupt business practices of Standard Oil and became an early pioneer of investigative journalism; and Presidents Woodrow Wilson and Theodore Roosevelt, who both expanded the power of the federal government to impose regulations on private industry and implement protections for workers, consumers, and the natural environment. Progressive reformers successfully influenced the passage of much substantive legislation, including several amendments to the US Constitution. The Sixteenth Amendment established a federal income tax, the Seventeenth Amendment allowed for the direct election of Senators, the Eighteenth Amendment prohibited sales of alcohol, and the Nineteenth Amendment guaranteed women the right to vote. Legislation aimed at strengthening protections for workers and consumers included the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906, which created the Food and Drug Administration to guarantee the safety and purity of all food products and pharmaceuticals, and the Clayton Antitrust Act of 1914, which sought to curb business practices aimed at stifling competition. 4 Important Dates Theodore Roosevelt became president in 1901 and pushed for many changes that were important to Progressives. In 1902, the United Mine Workers of America went on strike and stopped working to demand better treatment. President Roosevelt supported the workers, which was a big deal. A famous muckraker named Upton Sinclair published a book called The Jungle, full of very yucky details about the meat-packing industry. The information in the book increased support for more laws about how food, medicine, and meat could be made. In 1906, the Meat Inspection Act and Pure Food and Drug Act became law. A terrible event in 1911 helped make people more aware of safety issues in buildings and factories. A fire at the Triangle Waist Factory in New York City killed 146 people. Cities created better building codes to make these places safer. In 1912, Theodore Roosevelt ran for president again, but this time for the Progressive Party. After he lost, the political party did not stay together. The Progressive Era ended around 1920. The Progressive Movement and U.S. Foreign Policy, 1890-1920s The Progressive movement was a turn-of-the-century political movement interested in furthering social and political reform, curbing political corruption caused by political machines, and limiting the political influence of large corporations. Although many Progressives saw U.S. power in a foreign arena as an opportunity to enact the Progressive domestic agenda overseas, and to improve foreign societies, others were concerned about