More U.S. History

Today’s Class

• We will have a brief discussion about Chinese Americans

• During the 20th Century, the U.S. was involved in many conflicts– We will discuss these wars and some of their

effects

The Chinese in America

The Gold Rush

• 1848 – Gold is discovered in California– Many Chinese immigrants come to America

• 1860’s – Many Chinese immigrated to help build the railroad across the U.S.– Other Chinese worked in the fields in the South

Early Difficulties

• Many Chinese came to America for a better life, but found discrimination and bad treatment from other white citizens during this period.– Many Chinese worked for lower wages, upsetting

workers of other origins

– Along with blacks and Native Americans, the American Chinese found themselves with little or no rights

Overcoming Discrimination• Many businessmen tried to exploit Chinese

immigrant workers, with little success– Chinese Americans often went on strike

• Despite the many restrictions, early Chinese Americans became successful in business– Laundromats– Restaurants– Shops

Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882

• With this act, immigrants from China were not allowed into the U.S.

• American Chinese were also not allowed to become citizens– In 1898, this law was challenged– Under the 14th Amendment, American born

Chinese were citizens

China and World War II

• Relations with China improve during the War– The Exclusion Act of 1882 was ended in 1943

• With the Civil Rights Act of 1965 discrimination against Chinese is prohibited

Chinese Americans Today

• Today there are around 3,500,000 Chinese Americans today

• Chinese (Canton-based) is the third most common language in the United States

• In large cities such as San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles, it is common to find large numbers of Chinese Americans living in Chinatowns

American Imperialism

Two Terms to Think About

• Imperialism - the policy of extending the rule or authority of an empire or nation over foreign countries, or of acquiring and holding colonies and dependencies.– We use this term with Britain and her Colonies– This term can also apply to the U.S. during the 20th century (Iraq?)

• Fascism - a governmental system led by a dictator having complete power, forcibly suppressing opposition and criticism, regimenting all industry, commerce, etc., and emphasizing an aggressive nationalism and often racism. – We will see this term when talking about Hitler’s Germany

World War I (pp. 92-96)

• A war among imperialist powers– Who should control territories in Eastern Europe, Africa, Asia and the

Middle East?

• Francis Ferdinand was assassinated in Serbia– Austria declared war on Serbia (1914)– Russia came to help Serbia

• France came to help Russia

• Germany declares war on France and Russia– Germany invades Belgium– Britain joins the war to protect Belgium

World War I

The U.S. Enters the War

• A U.S. ship, the Lusitania is sunk by the Germans (1915)– Germany had harassed U.S. ships sending supplies to Britain

• During the early stages of the war, the U.S. was enjoying the economic benefits in producing goods for the Allies

• In 1917, the U.S. declares war on Germany– Germany made a pact with Mexico– U.S. worried Russians might back out due to Communist Revolution

The End of the War

• The First World War was very bloody– Over 19 million people died during the War– There was very poor military planning on all sides– In 1918 the German army suffered from lack of resources

and food

• Treaty of Versailles (1919)– Ends the war– Germany is forced to give up most of its territories

Effects of the War

• The League of Nations was started– The basis for today’s United Nations

• Many countries adopted more liberal forms of government

• It was difficult for these European countries to deal with the effects on the economy and society

• Many of these problems would lead to the 2nd War

After World War I

• U.S. economy grows– Policy of isolationism• Did not get involved in international conflicts

• 1929 – Stock Market Crash (p. 99)– Many banks close– Over 17 million people lost their jobs

The Great Depression

• After the “Great Crash”, the United States experienced a period known as the “Great Depression”

• One of the main causes was that industrial production was greater than the consumers ability to consume– Prices fell dramatically – Companies cannot pay workers– Prices of crops drop, hurting farmers

The Great Depression

“The New Deal”

• Franklin Delano Roosevelt begins the “New Deal” scheme in 1933 – Helped U.S. banks– Public works projects

• Building dams for electricity, building roads, etc.

– Welfare system for poor, retired, etc.

• The “New Deal” helped the economy greatly, but World War II helped America come out of Depression

World War II (pp. 101-107)

• After the First War, Germany was in poor economic condition– Adolf Hitler rises to power in Germany• Promises to bring Germany back to greatness• Began a campaign against Jews and Slavic people

• For this class, we will talk about some of the major social issues as well as the U.S.’s role in the war.

World War II

Events of the War

• 1939 – Germany invades Poland• 1940 – Germany takes control of France• 1941 – Germany invades Soviet Union• 1941 – (Dec. 7th) – Pearl Harbor is bombed– U.S declares war on Japan

• 1944 – D-Day – 175,000 soldiers land in France to push the German army back– Turning point in the war

Holocaust

• Genocide - the deliberate and systematic extermination of a national, racial, political, or cultural group– 6 million Jews were killed during the Holocaust– Between 9 and 11 million people were killed by the Nazi

(German) Army

• Hitler believed in the “Master Race”– He believed that the “pure” Germans and Northern

Europeans were superior to other races

Holocaust

1945

• April 30th – Hitler and Eva Braun commit suicide

• August 6th – Atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki

• August 15th – Japan Surrenders

The Atomic Bomb

• The United States drops atomic bombs on Hirsoshima and Nagasaki– Over 200,000 Japanese were killed

• Many people questioned whether this was necessary.

Atomic Bomb

After the War

• The was basically a war against fascism– After the war, many new countries emerged, but other

countries continued to experience internal problems

• United Nations is founded– The U.N. was created to prevent aggression from future

dictators

• The U.S. and Soviet Union emerge as economic superpowers

• Many former colonies gain independence– Revolution in many countries

Problems at Home

• After WWII there was a constant fear from the U.S. Government about the rise of Communism in America and other countries– The Cold War

• Once China becomes a Republic in 1949, the U.S. focuses on other countries in the region– Korea – Vietnam

Other Conflicts (114-119)

• Korean War (1950-1953)– North Korea invades South Korea– U.S. becomes involved

• Vietnam War – Wanted to prevent the spread of Communism in South Vietnam– Eisenhower worried that other countries in Southeast Asia would

become communist

• 1st War in Iraq (1991) – Essentially a war for oil

Now

• After the World Trade Center and Pentagon were attacked on September 11th, the U.S. declared war on Afghanistan– This war is part of Bush’s “War on Terror”

• The U.S. is currently involved in two conflicts with both Iraq and Afghanistan