American History: The 1900s

Figure 1.-- This photograph honoring President McKinley was taken about 1900 at the Fiesta de Los Angeles. The dealer suggested 1901 because the President attended the Fiesta in that year and this photogrph was with several other photographs of the Fiesta, many featuring the President. The Fiesta was a kind of multi-cultural event created about the same time as the Rose Parade in Pasadena which began before the Rose Bowl football game. The Fiesta parade included both group and family entries. Here a family has entered a flower-decorated wagon. A studio (Garden City Foto Company) was on hand to photograph each entry. The boys are identified as "Arthur and Edu?n in wagon". Note the unpaved street. The telephone was becomning established in America (much faster than in Europe), but the studio number was still only 1527, showing phones were not yet widespread even in a growing city.

President McKinley is today not one of our better know presidents, but was enormously respected at the time. He was first elected (1896) and put the country on a firm foundation of solid growth behind high tariffs and sound money based on gold. He had defeated the eloquent preacher from the Plains, William Jennings Bryan who wanted to inflate the economy with the free coinage of silver. He accused McKinley of wanting to 'crucify America on a cross of gold'. But in fact it would be the McKinley economy that would make the 20th century the American century. Tragically, the century did not begin with an impressive event in America. McKinley and was assassinated by an anarchist -- a huge shock to the American people. He was succeed and was succeeded by Vice President Roosevelt, who would prove to be a force to be reckoned with (1900). Roosevelt was put in the vice presidency because the Republicans leaders thought he could not do much harm there. They of course could not have foreseen McKinley's assassination. The Gulf coast city of Galveston was destroyed by a killer hurricane (1900). San Francisco was devastated by a earthquake (1905). The United States had built the world's most important rail system by the turn of the century. It was during the Roosevelt years that America achieved in the space of only 4 years a totally unexpected transport trifecta at a time that Europeans still saw America as culturally and inteletually backward. First, two Ohio tinkerers, the Wright brothers, flew the first heavier-than-air plane at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina (1903). Second, Roosevelt began construction of the Panama Canal (1904) leading to the modern maritime transport network. This was possible because of America's huge steel industry. ThirdThe big ticker was set in motion by a Michigan tinkerer, Henry Ford--who created the Model-T Tin Lizzy. (1907). All of this came out of what we now call the Rust Belt in the space of 4 years. By this time America had become the world's greatest industrial power, but roughly comparable to Britain and Germany. Ford's rickety Tin Lizzie led America into the industrial stratosphere, far outdistancing Europe (1910s-20s). In addition, America had two vital resources that Britain and Germany did not: petroleum and a huge agricultural capacity. Coal fired the 19th century, but oil would be the key resource in the 20th century. But oil and agiculture would be the key supportts in making the 20h century the American Century. Roosevelt and his energetic young family became enormously popular. He helped enact many important progressive reforms. America's enormous economic success made it possible to afford these reforms. Part of America's success was the avoidance of the Arms Race taking place in Europe. Upton Sinclair's novel The Jungle the terrible conditions in the meatpacking industry, leading to food safety regulations. The Federal Government created the National Child Labor Committee (1904) leading to badly needed child labor protections. The United States already had the finest public school system in the world creating vast opportunity for native-born and immigrant children. Some Americans including President Roosevelt saw the need for a substantial U.S. Navy despite resistance from Congress. Roosevelt was reelected (1904), but decided not to run again because of the Washington two-term convention (1908). He helped his close associate and personal friend, William Howard Taft, win the epublican nomination which at the time was tantamount to winning the election. America had emerged as an industrial giant. Automobiles began to be built, but were still a relatively small industry until Henry Ford introduced the Model-T. There were virtually no paved roads in the country. Many authors allow ideology to direct their writing. One left-wing ideologue writes, "Life in the 1900s was depressing and was an era filled with extremely hard and strenuous work that didn't offer any future for the average American in doing better." This is nonsense this sentence actually might apply to much of human history, but not to America in the 1900s. The first decade of the 20th century has been called variously the Age of Innocence, the Age of Optimism, and the Age of Confidence. In fact America's booming industrial economy created great wealth and prosperity for millions. And it created the industrial colossus that would largely determined the outcome of the 20th century. It is true there were great social inequities--although less than in other countries. Many workers, especially immigrants, unprotected by social legislation and labor unions, often existed on a subsistence level. Huge numbers of legal European immigrants flooded into the United States, not only enriching the culture and economy, but propelling America into the most populated Western country. Despite the conditions in crowded slums, most immigrants were far better off in America than their homelands and through hard work gradually carved out their piece of the American dream. Baseball was the national game. The World Series began (1903). Roosevelt's foreign policy, included the Roosevelt Corollary, asserted the United States' right to intervene in Latin American affairs because of the instability there and danger of European intervention.

Created: 2:04 AM 8/23/2008
Last updated: 2:04 AM 8/23/2008