America's Involvment

On January 16, 1917 Germany attempted to send a telegram to Mexico telling them that they want to fight together. Germany said that they would financially support Mexico if they helped attack America and win, they would then regain their territory that the United States took from them. While this telegram was being sent Britain intercepted it, and filled America in on Germanys plot. On April 6th, 1917 the United States declared war on Germany. To prepare for the war the Selective Service Act was made. This act drafted young men into the military. Also the American Expeditionary Force or the AEF was formed. These men served in France under a completely different control then the other military men.

http://www.sonofthesouth.net/uncle-sam/images/uncle-sam.jpg

World War 1 (cont)

By September nineteenth, 1914 the war had reached a stalemate. A stalemate is a situation in which no side can advance. Both sides had dug trenches and they were separated by no mans land. Solders were most likely not going to survive in no mans land because it was swept constantly with machine gun and sniper fire. Because America did not want to become involved in the fighting President Wilson declared the United States neutral on August fourth, 1914. Meanwhile the German U-boats or submarines were bombing the other side’s ships. On May, 7 1915 a German U-boat sank a British passenger liner, The Lusitania. One hundred and twenty eight Americans were on the ship, and this brought the United States closer to getting involved in the War.

http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/snpwwi2.htm

World War 1

World War One was fought through the years of 1914 till 1918. It was also known as The Great War or The War to end all Wars. The main cause for World War One was the assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand in Sarajevo, Bosnia on June 28, 1914. He was shot by Gavrilo Princip, a nineteen year old Bosnian nationalist who believed that Austria Hungry had no right to rule Bosnia. This was the spark of the war. Austria Hungry was convinced that Serbia was behind the Archdukes assassination. On July 24, 1914 Austria Hungry declared war on Serbia. Austria Hungry had Germany and the Ottoman Empire/Turkey on their side and they made up the Triple Alliances or the Central Powers. Britain, Russia, France and Italy were on Serbia’s side and they made up the triple Entente or the allies.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwone/

Triangle Shirtwaist Fire

The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire occurred on March twenty fifth, 1911. It was the largest industrial disaster in New York City up until September eleventh 2001. During the afternoon a fire started on the eighth floor, the cause is not known, but people believe it was either started from a cigarette, match or a faulty electrical wire. The doors were chained shut so people could not take unnecessary breaks. The windows were nailed shut to prevent people from throwing clothes out of the window in an attempt to steal. So when the fire started not many women were able to get out of the building alive, one hundred and forty eight people were killed by either burning to death or jumping out of a window.

http://search.aol.com/aol/image

http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/trianglefire/

Womens Rights

In the 1840s women began to fight for their rights to vote. Women were always looked down upon and denied their rights. The kick off of the suffrage movement began at the Senica Falls Convention. Elizabeth Cady Stanton wrote the declaration of sentiments, which was a different version of the declaration of independence. Susan B Anthony worked along side of Stanton, and together they formed the National American Women Suffrage Association, or the NAWSA. Another woman who fought for women’s rights was Alice Paul. Paul believed in a more militant way to fight for their rights. She formed the Congressional Union.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Womens_suffrage

Progressive Amendments

During the Progressive Era there were a few new amendments that were passed. The sixteenth amendment was passed in 1913, this amendment granted congress the power to tax income. The seventeenth amendment was also passed in 1913. This amendment weakened the power of political machines. It allowed state citizens to directly elect representatives to the United States senate, instead of allowing party controlled state legislatures to do so. The eighteenth amendment was passed in 1919 and it prohibited the making, selling and transportation of alcohol. The nineteenth amendment was one more law passed during the progressive era, it was passed in 1920. This amendment provided females the right to vote.

http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/data/constitution/amendment16/

Progressive Era Federal Legislation

In history we discussed the federal legislation acts, the government made many great contributions to reforming society. Some of the acts were the Newlands Reclamation Act (1902). This act encouraged conservation by allowing the building of dams and irrigation systems using money from the sale of public land. Another act was the Elkins Act (1903). This act outlawed the use of rebates by railroad officials or shippers. The Hepburn Act (1906) strengthened the Interstate Commerce Commission by allowing it to set maximum railroad rates. The Clayton Antitrust Act (1914) strengthened the Sherman Antitrust Act by outlawing the creation of a monopoly through any means, and it stated that unions were not subject to antitrust legislation.

Progressive Reformers

In history yesterday we continued to talk about the progressive era. Some of the most famous social reformers were Jane Addams, Margaret Sanger, and Booker T Washington. Jane Addams founded the settlement house movement through the establishment of the Hull House in Chicago, Illinois. This was a place where people could go if they were in need of help. Margaret Sanger helped reform the city by educating the urban poor families about the benefits of birth control because many people were having too many children that they could not care for and led to them suffering more than they already were. Sanger also founded Planned Parenthood. Booker T. Washington was a former slave who founded the Tuskegee Institute that focused on teaching African Americans skills that they would need to live a better life.

http://www.gardenofpraise.com/images/booker.jpg

http://www.nps.gov/archive/elro/glossary/progressive-era.htm

Chapter 18

Yesterday in Mr. K's class we learned about the progressive era. This era happened during the 1890s till the 1920s caused rapid growth and it also led to unemployment, deplorable working conditions and political corruption. There were many writers who influenced the thoughts of people and how to reform society. Upton Sinclair, Lincoln Steffens and Ida Tarbell were one of the greatest journalists in the progressive era. President Roosevelt named them the muckrakers. Muckrakers were authors who specialized in exposing corruption in business, government, and elsewhere. The government had a part in changing the city life also.They added such things as the social welfare programs to the municipal areas or city levels.

http://search.aol.com/aol

http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/modules/progressivism/index.cfm