Teddy + Taft 1901 - 1913 Flashcards
Covering the period between the Spanish American War and Woodrow Wilson’s election, this deck spans 1898-1912, covering the rise of the muckrakers, Teddy Roosevelt’s administration, and attempts to counter the monopolies.
After President McKinley was assassinated in 1901, Theodore Roosevelt became President. What phrase summarized Roosevelt’s foreign policy?
“Walk softly, and carry a big stick.”
The “walk softly” referred to the idea of peaceful negotiations, while the “big stick” referred to the use of the military. Examples of what became known as “Big Stick” diplomacy included the right to build a canal in Panama, and the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine.
What was the Platt Amendment (1902)?
After the Spanish-American War, the Platt Amendment conditioned the withdrawal of American forces and Cuban independence on Cuba’s agreement to allow American supervision over her foreign policy.
In addition, the Cuban-American Treaty (1903) allowed the U.S to maintain a United States naval base at Guantánamo Bay.
How did President Theodore Roosevelt respond to Colombia’s refusal to allow the United States to build a canal across the Panamanian isthmus in 1903?
Roosevelt ordered the Navy to blockade the Colombian coast, and recognized a band of Columbian rebels as the newly independent nation of Panama. A treaty was then negotiated between the new nation and the United States, which gave America the right to build the Panama Canal.
In 1903, W.E.B. Du Bois published Souls of Black Folks, which took issue with Booker T. Washington’s position on blacks’ political, social, and economic rights. What did Du Bois argue?
Unlike Washington, who contended that equal political and social rights would follow economic equality, Du Bois contended that economic independence would result only if political and social equality were secured.
Du Bois and his supporters, known as the Niagara Movement, founded the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to advocate for equal rights.
Although he designed several buildings, Frederick Law Olmsted is best known for his contributions to what field of architecture?
Active until his death in 1903, Olmsted is remembered today for his efforts in landscape architecture. Olmsted believed that access to parks should be granted to all citizens (a revolutionary idea) and designed the layout of Central Park in Manhattan, Prospect Park in Brooklyn, and Chicago’s riverside parks.
What was the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine?
During the late 19th century, countries that defaulted on debts to European creditors were often occupied by the creditors’ governments. In his Corollary, Roosevelt announced that European nations would not be allowed to occupy Western countries, but that the United States would occupy those countries’ major ports until the debts were repaid.
Under the Roosevelt Corollary, the United States occupied ports in Cuba, Nicaragua, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic.
Theodore Roosevelt became the first U.S. President to win the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in resolving what conflict?
The Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905
Roosevelt served as an independent arbitrator, helping the two sides achieve peace at Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
Three other Presidents have won the Prize; Woodrow Wilson, Jimmy Carter, and Barack Obama.
What was the Ashcan School?
During the early 20th century, the Ashcan School was a group of painters that specialized in painting gritty pictures of urban life. As part of the Realist art movement, the Ashcan School rebelled against Impressionism and sought to convey through art the plight of the urban poor.
Who were the muckrakers?
Active in the early years of the 20th century, the muckrakers were a group of journalists and authors who exposed corruption in business and government.
Popular muckrakers included Ida Tarbell, who attacked the Standard Oil Company, and Lincoln Steffens, who targeted corruption in St. Louis, Philadelphia, and Milwaukee.
What did Upton Sinclair describe in The Jungle?
Sinclair’s novel described the travails of Jurgis Rudkus, who worked in Chicago’s Meatpacking District. Sinclair’s description of unsanitary conditions led to the passage of the Pure Food and Drug Act (1906) and the Meat Inspection Act (1906), the first laws empowering the government to protect the public from adulterated food.
What is the Australian Ballot?
First popularized in Australia, the Australian Ballot received widespread adoption in the early 1900s. Under the Australian Ballot, a vote is cast in private.
As part of the Progressive Movement, the use of the Australian Ballot marked a significant reform as a means of preventing voter intimidation.
In the legislative process, what is an initiative?
An initiative is a means by which a petition, signed by a requisite number of voters, can be presented as an electoral measure to the people as a whole.
During the Progressive Era, the right to propose initiatives was established in a number of state constitutions.
In the legislative process, what is a recall?
A recall allows voters to remove an elected government official from office with whom they are displeased.
During the Progressive Era, reformers championed the recall as a means of removing corrupt officials.
In the legislative process, what is a referendum?
A referendum allows voters to directly cast ballots on proposed laws.
Reformers championed the referendum as a means of enhancing the role of voters in their government during the Progressive Era.
Progressives championed government takeover of utilities, including electric companies, streetcar lines, waterworks, and gasworks. Why?
Prior to the Progressive Era reforms, utilities formed a reliable source of jobs and funds for city bosses. By taking control of these formerly private companies, Progressives started to break the power of city bosses.
