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History 104 Unit 1 Exam Dustin Williams 9.25.07

1. The Populist movement was the first major American reform

movement. They reached the pinnacle of their influence in America in the1880s and 1890s. The Populist Party were a group that wanted changes

made in the United States government, such as the elimination of national

banks, unlimited silver coinage, direct election of U.S. senators, and tighter

control of government spending. The central motivating factor for the

Populist Party was that working class citizens wanted a say in government

policies and actions. They made a few serious runs for the presidency, one in

1892 and another in 1896, but never won. They did, however, manage to get

a handful of House Representatives and Senators elected in the 1890s. Even

though a lot of the Populists' ideas were considered radical, most of those

ideas are now in effect and are taken as normal. Although they never won

the presidency, in time, the Populists were proven a success.

2. The Spanish American War was fought in 1898 between the United

States and Spain. Most of the conflict took place in the Caribbean and the

Philippines. In this way, the United States hoped to gain territories in the

Western Hemisphere and the Pacific Ocean by defeating Spain and taking

their colonies. The U.S. wanted to use these islands for military bases and

outposts for further expansion. The outcome of the Spanish American War

was very favorable for the United States. The U.S. won, and in the Treaty of

Versailles in 1898 Spain surrendered Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines

to the Americans, and lost Cuba.

3. Progressivism was a movement in the late 1890s and early 1900s to

respond to the growth of cities, industrialism, and fear about future of the

U.S. It was also a movement to expand the power of the government and

make politics more democratic and just. It was popular because it occurred

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during a time of prosperity and the people were open to changes for the

better. People believed that human nature was basically good, and could be

made better. They wanted to help each other by helping society, which

would in turn help themselves. Progressivism helped the U.S. grow in a

positive way because it allowed the government to become involved in

manufacturing and business. Products became more safe for the public.

Positive effects were also felt in the political realm, because during this time

of reform actions like referendas and initiatives began.

4. The United States' initial response to World War I in Europe was a firm

position of neutrality. The American people did not want to become involved

in another European conflict. This stance on the war was very difficult for the

U.S. to keep, because many of the Allied powers were trade partners. The

U.S. also felt strong cultural ties to the United Kingdom because of their

shared history, which also made the stance of neutrality hard to maintain.

The U.S. was partly drawn into the war by a new weapon that the Germans

called the U-boat, or the submarine. Germany was patrolling the seas around

Europe with submarines to keep supplies from coming to the Allied forces.

When Germany told the U.S. to stop trying to help the Allies and to keep

away from Europe, the U.S. politely ignored their warnings for the most part.

Eventually and inevitably, Americans were killed when ships were fired upon,

and the U.S. was drawn into World War I by German submarine attacks. The

other main contributing factor to U.S. involvement in the war was a message

called the Zimmerman Telegraph, which Germany sent to Mexico trying to

encourage them to attack the U.S. to reclaim lost territories. The telegraph

was intercepted by the British which they turned over to the Americans.

Understandably, the U.S. felt threatened by this and this too helped lead to

their involvement.

5. The United States finally became involved in World War I in 1917 when

German submarines sunk a ship called the Lusitania. The Lusitania was

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headed for Britain from the U.S., and when it sank, 128 Americans died. The

U.S. government had to take action, and did so by declaring war on Germany.

In attempts to mediate peace and stop the conflict, the U.S. tried to talk to

both sides. In December of 1916, President Wilson asked both sides to state

their terms for a negotiated peace. When the war was over, Wilson included

a new idea in the peace plan: a league of nations to help solve world

problems before they became armed conflicts. This was new and different,

and many Americans were skeptical of it. The U.S. did not become a part of

the League of Nations. A similar power today called the United Nations

serves many of the same tasks that the League of Nations was supposed to

handle. Many Americans are worried, just as Americans were in the early

1900s, that such an organization will one day cause the U.S. to give up its

sovereignty. Such an action would be unacceptable to most Americans,

because the U.S. was formed on principles of freedom, independence, and

self-reliance.