Progressive Era Presidents Foreign Policy

• The Progressive Presidents were Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and Woodrow Wilson.

Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909)

• Advocated "Big Stick Diplomacy," which meant negotiating peacefully while maintaining military strength.
• The Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine asserted the U.S.'s right to intervene in Latin America to prevent European involvement.
• Pushed for the Panama Canal to enhance U.S. naval power and trade.

William Howard Taft (1909-1913)

• Promoted "Dollar Diplomacy," encouraging U.S. investment in Latin America to foster stability and protect American business interests.
• He emphasized economic influence over military intervention.

Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921)

• Advanced "moral diplomacy," focusing on spreading democracy and human rights.
• Initially sought U.S. neutrality in WWI but joined in 1917.
• Proposed the Fourteen Points, including the League of Nations.

Foreign Policy & WWI

• Wilson intervened in Mexico, refusing to recognize Victoriano Huerta's dictatorship and supporting democratic reforms.

World War I (1914-1918)

• Alliances: Triple Entente (Britain, France, Russia) vs. Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire).
• The U.S. remained neutral until 1917.
• The Lusitania, a British passenger ship, sunk by Germany in 1915, killing 128 Americans and intensifying anti-German feelings.
• Germany's resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare pushed the U.S. towards war.
• The Zimmerman Telegram in 1917, where Germany urged Mexico to attack the U.S., heightened tensions.
• In 1918, Wilson proposed the Fourteen Points for postwar peace, which included self-determination and the League of Nations, but the U.S. never joined.

Home Front During WWI

• The Committee on Public Information (CPI) used propaganda to boost war support.
• The War Industries Board regulated war production, set prices, and managed resources.
• The National Woman’s Party and Alice Paul advocated for women's suffrage through protests and hunger strikes.
• The Espionage Act of 1917 and Sedition Act of 1918 limited free speech against the war effort.
• The Great Migration saw many African Americans move from the South to northern cities for jobs in wartime industries.

The Roaring Twenties: Society, Politics, & Economics

Social & Cultural Changes

• The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural movement celebrating African American art, literature, and music. Langston Hughes was a key figure.
• W.E.B. Du Bois advocated for higher education and leadership roles for African Americans through the "Talented Tenth".
• Marcus Garvey led the Back to Africa movement, promoting black nationalism and economic independence.
• Flappers challenged traditional gender norms through new fashion, behaviors, and independence.
• The Scopes Trial in 1925 highlighted the conflict between traditional and modern values, focusing on teaching evolution in schools.

Political Trends & Republican Policies

• Warren Harding advocated for a "return to normalcy" but faced corruption, such as the Teapot Dome Scandal involving oil reserve bribery. (1921-1923)
• Calvin Coolidge believed in limited government and famously stated, “The business of America is business.” (1923-1929)
• Herbert Hoover promoted economic self-reliance but struggled during the Great Depression. (1929-1933)

Economic Changes

• Consumer Culture: Growth of advertising, department stores, and mass production.
• Mass Advertising: Encouraged consumer spending through radio and print ads.
• Credit & Buying on Credit: Increased debt as Americans bought goods on credit.
• Radio: Transformed entertainment and politics through music, news, and ads.
• The overproduction of crops led to falling prices and economic difficulties for farmers.
• Anti-union sentiment grew, and businesses resisted labor rights, causing a decline in labor unions.

The Great Depression Begins

• The Stock Market Crash of 1929 was caused by over-speculation and buying on margin.
• Deflation: Falling prices worsened economic struggles.

Hoover’s Response:

• The Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC) provided loans to banks and businesses but was ineffective.
• The Smoot-Hawley Tariff in 1930 worsened the global economic crisis through high tariffs.
• Soup Kitchens & Hoovervilles: High unemployment rates resulted in widespread poverty and makeshift homeless communities.
• The Bonus Army of 1932, WWI veterans seeking early bonus payments, was dispersed by Hoover using military force, damaging his reputation.

Key Supreme Court Cases & Legal Developments

• The 18th Amendment in 1919 prohibited alcohol (Prohibition), leading to speakeasies and organized crime.
• The 19th Amendment in 1920 granted women the right to vote.
• In the 1920s, Sacco and Vanzetti were executed for robbery and murder amid anti-immigrant sentiment, highlighting social biases.
• Schenck v. U.S. established the “clear and present danger” principle, which upheld free speech limits during wartime.