America as a World power

1. What role did President Roosevelt play in ending the Russo-Japanese War?

After Japan had asked Roosevelt for his assistance in bringing an end to the war he agreed and arranged a meeting in New Hampshire on his presidential yacht. They eventually came to an agreement and the Japanese accepted a substantial sum of money and also half of the island of Sakhalin.

2. What events led to the building of the Panama Canal? What happened regarding Columbia? (Be specific) Many Americans believed that the panama Canal was necessary because it would create a shortcut between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans and would greatly shorten the time ships took to travel between the two. The U.S. needed permission from Columbia before building the canal however because Panama was a province of Columbia. When Columbia refused the residents of Panama ignited a furious rebellion.

3. What did the Roosevelt Corollary state?

The Roosevelt Corollary stated that the U.S. was willing to use force in protecting any economic interests it had within Latin America.

4. How did Taft use Dollar Diplomacy to enforce the Roosevelt Corollary on Nicaragua? (Be specific)

Taft used dollar diplomacy to enforce this by seeking to promote order and stability in foreign nations that would best promote American commercial interests and he demonstrated that he was willing to use force to do so.

5. Why did Woodrow Wilson invade Mexico?

Woodrow Wilson invaded Mexico because he viewed the Mexican government as oppressive and having poor leadership after Madero had overthrown Diaz and after a group of American sailors had been arrested in Tampico. This was a direct contradiction to Wilson's "Missionary Diplomacy" and therefore he felt it was necessary to invade Mexico.

6. What were three major foriegn policy goals achieved by the United States in the early 20th century. Be sure to provide an example or two of each.

1. The U.S. expanded its foreign trade successfully which greatly contributed to the U.S. economy-China, Japan

2.The U.S. gained economic power in Latin America by instituting the Roosevelt Corollary and "Missionary Diplomacy"

3.The U.S. expanded its military and moreover its naval forces to protect its international interests-Nicaragua, Mexico

Objective Assessment
As you view each photograph take note about what you see. (note people, background, objects) Pretend you were describing the image to someone who could not see it. Try to avoid making judgments. Where are these children? List any clues relating to their surroundings. Describe any tools or objects you see. Describe their clothing. What do their clothes reveal about their work?
Subjective Assessment
What questions do you have about each of these photographs?Based on your observations, list three things you might infer about the lives of these children. (Be sure to consider Hine's notes
about the photographs when considering this.

Photograph A: In this photograph there is a small, young girl seen in a cotton mill with a seemingly frightened expression upon her face. She is wearing raggy and dirty clothing from long, tough working hours and has dark brown braided hair. To her right are the few windows within the building and to her left are the cotton machines and she is standing in a narrow isle beteen them.

Photograph B: In this photograph there are five teenage girls standing in front of what appears to be a house in Macon, Georgia, with saddened and tired expressions on their faces. Their clothes are dilapidated and filthy so one can assume they endured rigorous labor.

Photograph C: In this photograph there is a small, female child appearing to be around the age of four or five standing in a cotton mill between two rows of milling machines. She is not wearing any shoes and her white dress has darkened with filth. She seems much too young to be doing any physical labor yet somehow she can still work steadily in this environment.

Photograph D: In this photograph there is a young boy selling newspapers on a busy street in St. Louis. He is wearing all black with a jacket, hat, and boots and has a saddened look on his face. There are a few men passing by on his right and do not pay any attention to him.

Photograph E: In this photograph there are several young boys working at a coal company in PA. They are covered from head to foot in dirt and the faces you can see appear bleak and miserable. Most of them are sitting down and appear to be looking through piles of coal.

Photograph F: In this photograph there are several teenage boys working at a Glass Works company in Indiana. Their clothes are torn and dirty and they appear to be working diligently. They seem to be very fatigued and appear tired.

Photograph G: In this photograph there are many adults and children shucking oysters at an oyster canning factory. They are mostly dressed in aprons and very focused on their jobs and they are all working at two long tables in the center of the room.

Photograph H: In this photograph there are several children going into a building to work the night shift on a cold winter night. They are mostly dressed warmly for the winter and appeared to be mostly around eleven or twelve.

One could infer that these children live hard, tiring lives and must have matured much more quickly than children today who do not have to do nearly as much work. One could also infer that these children lacked much of the things we consider necessities today.

Andrew Carnegie- A Scottish-American industrialist and founder of the Carnegie Steel Company which was at one point the largest enterprise in the world.


Social Darwinism- The idea that competition between individuals, groups, nations, etc. essentially drives social evolution.


John D. Rockefeller- An American indistrialist who revolutionized the petroleum industry by founding the Standard Oil Company and consequently becoming the first billionaire in history.


Sherman Antitrust Act- A requirement of the U.S. government to look into trusts, companies, and organizations suspected of violating the act which maintains competition by preventing one company from monopolizing an entire industry.


Samuel Gompers- The founder and president of the American Federation of Labor who worked most of his life to gain workers' rights.


American Federation of Labor (AFL)- A federation created in order to gain rights for wokers which was one of the first labor unions ever created.


Eugene V. Debs- An American union leader who was one of the founding members of Internation Labor Union and a prominent political figure.


Industrial Workers of the World- An international union comprised to assist workers which was at one time the biggest labor union in the U.S. and still exists today.


Mary Harris Jones -An Irish-American who was a prominent figure in for American labor and community organization.

Three major factors that contributed to the immense technological boom after the Civil War included wealth and natural resources, government support of business, and a growing urban population that provided new job markets and cheaper labor. Wealth and natural resources helped to contribute to this boom because the U.S. had a massive supply of untapped natural resources and potential wealth that if used could and did bring the U.S. a lot of money and a lot of products to trade with other countries and thus helped the economy. Government support of business also contributed to economic growth because the government would invest in businesses just starting out which would allow these businesses to grow substantially and a large number of businesses in the U.S. would stabalize the economy and allow for many new jobs.