The rise of Progressivism during this era also influenced domestic policy. The threat of Big Business loomed large and Big Government was perceived to be a perfect solution to keep business interests in check (Johnson 634, 636-637).
Industrialization created an enormous working class in the United States, generally impoverished and localized in urban centers. Urban Progressives influenced domestic policy and helped enact new laws and regulations designed to protect the working poor and ensure their well-being. In the short-term, these new policies did have the effect of improving the lot of many in the working class. Over the long-term, these policies helped centralize more power in the hands of the federal government, power which would ultimately be employed in ways contrary to the original Progressive intent.
Foreign policy was no less affected than domestic policy by the social and economic changes that were occurring in the United States at the end of the 19th century. Industrialization granted the nation a newfound economic power that could be wielded abroad. Imperialism fostered the belief that it was an American destiny to expand its influence. And the same attitude that made Progressives believe that the government could improve the lives of the working class informed the sense that American ideals...
Thus, the latest influxes of immigrants from Europe prior to the war may have been the worst off. The Revolution shifted the social realities for all indentured servants in the colonies, and only less so for Blacks. Only war could undermine the social structure that enabled the restrictive hierarchies to exist. The war led to forced migrations of people, the disruption of established avenues and systems of trade, and political
Nevertheless, there have been many decisions over the years that have tended to weaken the intent of the Framers. In 2001, in Zelman v. Simmons Harris the Supreme Court ruled that school voucher programs did not violate the establishment clause of the First Amendment. The decision represented a blow to the essentially secular nature of the American state and system. By allowing public money to be given to religious
The Great Awakening brought people together (though it did also divide them), but its influence on what the United States would later become is great. First of all, it forced people to have their own religious experience and it decreased the heavy hands of the clergy; new denominations also would come to be because of the Great Awakening as a direct result of the importance that was put on
Chinese-American History The Exclusion Act; Redefining Citizenship Historians have studied the Chinese Exclusion Act extensively and have recorded many aspects of the politics behind the events. However, they often focus their attentions on the motives of the excluders. They pay little attention to those that were excluded and the impact that it had on their lives. One important question has escaped the scrutiny of historians. Why, if they knew of the hardships
Essay Topic Examples 1. The Evolution of American Immigration Policy: Explore the transformation of immigration policy throughout American history, from the open-door era of the late 19th century to the more restrictive policies of the modern day. Assess how legislation has mirrored the social and political attitudes of each period, and consider the role that "Immigration: An American History" plays in highlighting these changes. 2. The Melting Pot vs. the Salad Bowl: Analyze the
The development of the American automobile industry is one of the best examples of this interplay: "Unlike European manufacturers, who concentrated on expensive motorcars for the rich, American entrepreneurs early turned to economical vehicles that could be mass-produced," (Jackson 159). The fact that so many Americans then became capable of purchasing a car both fed the notion of the American dream, and also served to expand American cities and
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