UNITED STATES HISTORY

1910 To 1920

The Election Of 1912

The Election of 1812 was unusual because there were three runners for President, Woodrow Wilson, William Taft, and Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt decided to run again because he felt Taft had not been Progressive enough as President. The split between Roosevelt and Taft helped Wilson win the election.

Woodrow Wilson's Reforms

As President, Wilson supported bussiness and bank reforms. Wilson started the Federal Reserve System, whcih gave the federal Gverment control over banks, and the Federal Trade Commision, which gave the Goverment power to uncover unfair bussiness practices and take trusts to court.

Many Americans felt that Wilson was good at reforming bussiness and goverment. However, he was not as strong on social reform. For example, African Americans felt that Wilson treated them unfairly. African Americans had to use seperate offices, shops, and restrooms. He also angered many women because he did not support Women's suffrage. When Wilson ran for a second term, he came closer to supporting Women's suffrage. However, when in office, he did not do enough. As a result, women's groups protested in front of the White House. Theprotests brought the Suffrage Movements to the attention of the nation. Wilson did not support the suffrage movement. However women continued to fight for voting rights. By 1919, 15 states had full suffrage. In 1920, the Nineteenth Ammendment gave women throughout the United States the right to vote.

Women did not the support the use of alcohol. They felt that alcohol was a dangourous and deadly drug that destroyed people and families. As a result, in 1919, the Eighteenth Ammendment was passed. It made it ilegal to transport and sell alcohol.This time period when this ammendment was in effect was called Prohibitation. During Prohibitation, many people obeyed the law. Many others did not. They found secret ways to make, sell, and move alcohol. In 1933, The Nineteenth Ammendment repealed the Eighteenth Ammendment and Prohibitation ended.

World War One

In 1914, war broke out in Europe. The war had many causes. One was that many felt extreme nationalism, or extreme pride in their country. A second cause was the contest between nations for trade and colonies. A thrid cause was the growing alliances between nations.

Many European countries did not trust each other. They felt that a big armed force showed their greatness. For those reasons, they started an arms race. A arms race is a contest to build weapons and military power. German built the biggest army. Great Britian built the biggest navy.

The two sides of the war was the Central Powers{Germany, Austria Hungry, and the Ottoman Empire}and The Allied Nations or Allies{Great Britian, France and Russia}. The main battleground was Europe. The longest fighting took place on the Western Front, in France and Belgium. When the war begun, both sides hoped for a quick end to the fighting. When the war reached a stalemate, soilders dug trenches to take cover in.

When the war begun, President Wilson said the United States would stay neutral. He felt that, by not taking sides, he could help bring the Allied and Central powers together. Many Americans agreed. Mnay Americans did not. They had family in Europe. Many wanted the United States to fight for either side. Both the Allies and the Central Powers used Proaganda to try to get the U.S to join their side.

On May 7, 1915, a German submarine sank the British ocean liner Lusitania. 126 Americans were killed. The sinking of the Lusitania turned many Americans against Germany.

President Wilson was reelected in 1916. He kept trying to bring the Allied and Central Powers together. However both sides thought they could win the war. No one wanted to talk about peace.

In Febuary, 1917, the British gave the United States a secret telegraph that they had overheard. The telegraph told the German ammbassodor in Mexico to get Mexico into the war on the side of the Central Powers. It also promised that Germany would help Mexico gain Texas back from the U.S. In Febuary 1917, President Wilson asked Congress to declare war on Germany and the Central Powers.

In 1917, Congress passed a draft law known as the Selective Service Act. It said that all men between the ages of 21 and 30 had to sign up for the draft. Within 18 months, more than three million Americans had been drafted.

Americans fought two major battles in France that helped end the war. The Battle Of Belleau Wood and the Argoone Forest. The U.S gave the extra help needed to help the Allies to win the war. Although U.S loses were great, it was a far lesser amount than other countries of the war.