The Progressive Era

1. The progressive era: in the United States was a period of reform which lasted from the 1880s to the 1920s.The goals of Farmers Alliances were to regulate railroads, reform taxes, and back money with silver rather than gold. The Populist Party officially began in 1892. The party platform called for many items including: Free coinage of silver, Abolition of national banks, Graduated income tax Increase in paper money, Government ownership of transportation, Direct election of Senators, Civil service reform Eight hour work days, Immigration regulation changes. 2. Emerging world powers: The American battleship the Maine exploded. Over 250 American soldiers died in the tragedy. Headlines like "Spanish Treachery" convinced the American people that the Spanish were to blame for the explosion. On April 25th 1899, the United States declared war on Spain. The Spanish-American War lasted only 113 days. The Americans were victorious. The treaty of Paris was signed in Paris in December of 1898. This treaty wrapped up the conflict. The United States gained control of Spanish territories Guam and Puerto Rico. In addition, the United States paid $20 million to gain control of the Philippines. Cuba was given some independence after the Treaty of Paris was signed. the United States acquired Hawaii, Samoa, and other island groups in the Pacific Ocean. The United States emerged from the Spanish-American War as a world power. 3. The Great War: The Archduke of Austria, Franz Ferdinand, was assassinated. His murder gave Austria-Hungary the excuse to declare war on Serbia. This was actually the first war in which countries throughout the world participated. There were two sides to the war. The central powers were mainly Germany and Austria-Hungary. The allies were France, Russia, and Great Britain. This telegram revealed that Germany was trying to persuade Mexico into joining the Central Powers and away from any alliance with the United States. It was called the Zimmerman