U.S. in Latin America | Breakdown of Rural Isolation | U.S. Elections | America in World War I | Influenza Epidemic
U.S. in Latin AmericaUnder President Theodore Roosevelt and subsequent administrations, the United States vigorously enforced the Monroe Doctrine's policy of preventing European nations from intervening in Latin American affairs. However, as an increasingly "iron-fisted neighbor," it frequently intervened in the region itself when internal disorder or an inability to meet obligations to the international financial community seemed likely to invite intervention by others. The construction of the Panama Canal between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans was Roosevelt's most cherished accomplishment, requiring equal parts of diplomatic, engineering, and military efforts in Panama and neighboring Central American countries.
How did the "Roosevelt corollary" change U.S. policies toward Latin America? Give three examples of nations affected by this shift in U.S. policy? What were the outcomes of this policy change?
How did the creation of the Panama canal reflect changing U.S. views of the region? How did U.S. policy help create the canal? Why was the canal such a significant economic and political achievement for the U.S.?
Create the front page of a Latin American newspaper for one day during this time period. What main stories would be featured about the U.S. role in the region? What view will your newspaper take of the events of this period?
Breakdown of Rural IsolationDuring the 1920s, the automobile and paved roads greatly expanded the travel horizons of rural Americans. At the turn of the century, railroad tracks and schedules had determined the relatively narrow boundaries of convenient travel for residents of rural towns like Oregon, Illinois. By 1930, however, a new network of automobile roads had made accessible almost an entire 100-square-mile region. With radio, movies, and other forms of mass entertainment emerging simultaneously, America's "island communities" were fast melting into larger regional and national cultures.
How did the automobile and the development of a road network change the time of transportation from Oregon to other towns and cities in the region? What towns would become more important as a result? What destinations might become less popular as a result?
How did the automobile, radio and other technologies change rural life for areas such as Oregon, Illinois? What cultural and economic opportunities would exist in 1930 that did not exist in 1900? What aspects of rural life might be lost in this time period?
Compare and contrast the path of the train tracks and the roads. What areas were better served by trains? Which areas were better served by roads?
Create a commercial radio message for the Model T automobile. What uses would the car have for rural Americans? How would it help each member of the family? Why did this new vehicle come to be seen as indispensable?
U.S. ElectionsThomas Jefferson won the Presidency in 1800 in what has been called a political revolution for the new Republic. The election was the first in which two parties faced one another in a presidential election, and demonstrated that Americans could peacefully change their government through the electoral process. Jefferson, after narrowly defeating John Adams in the electoral college, pledged in his inaugural address to unite the country, "We are all Republicans, we are all Federalists." The two-party system that was born in this election persists until the present.
The election of Thomas Jefferson brought to power a new political party, the Democratic-Republicans. Was this party a national organization, representing the U.S. as a whole, or sectional party, representing only the South? What evidence is there for each position?
Why did a two-party system arise in the election of 1800? What effect did this system have on American political history? Was this a healthy or unhealthy development for American political life?
Write a diary as an observer from France in the United States during the Election of 1800. What are your views of the election? What do you think the election reveals about American political life? Compare America's peaceful transition to Democratic-Republican rule with political life in post-revolutionary France? How do you explain the differences?
America in World War IUnder the command of General John J. Pershing, the American Expeditionary Force arrived at the western front just in time to stop a series of German offensives in the spring of 1918. That September, the Americans and their Allies advanced against the German line. In the Meuse-Argonne offensive, over a million American soldiers succeeded in driving the Germans back and cutting off their most important supply lines to the front. The Germans negotiated an armistice on November 11 at their last line of retreat; the armistice became in essence a German surrender and marked the end of World War I. After eight months of intensive fighting, American troops had quieted the western front.
How did U.S. entry into the war strengthen the Allied position? How was American intervention decisive on the battlefield? How was it important for economic and political reasons?
How did World War I reshape America's relationship with European powers? What alliances did the war create for America? In what ways did the U.S. achieve world power status? What consequences would this have for America's post war foreign policy?
Create a Congressional speech for or against the draft of American soldiers to be sent to Europe to fight in the Great War. What evidence would you use for and against this policy?
Influenza EpidemicIn 1918/1919, the world was dealt a crippling blow when a virulent strain of the Influenza virus swept across the world, killing millions; more than had died in the previous four years of war. Believed to have begun in the United States, where approximately 700,000 people died, the pandemic soon spread to Europe, Asia and the rest of the world where over 40 million people died from the virus, or the resulting pneumonia.
Why might such a disproportionately large number of deaths occurred in Asia?
Which areas of the world seem to have been unaffected by the epidemic? Why might that be?
What, if anything, do the regions that were the hardest hit have in common?
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