The Rise of America ( )

Immigration From 1870 to 1900 the united States saw 20 million immigrants enter the U.S. Most headed to cities and wound up in the poor and unsafe sections in slums Chicago saw so many immigrants packed into places that a Great Fire killed hundreds in 1871

The Spanish American War-1898 Spain still had colonies in the U.S. in Puerto Rico and Cuba President McKinley sent the USS Maine to Havana to protect Americans in an uprising On the way, the ship exploded and the United States declared war on Spain (though there was not proof they were responsible)

Teddy Roosevelt-American Hero Theodore Roosevelt took a group of Rough Riders (cowboys from the West) and buffalo soldiers (African Americans) to fight in Cuba The U.S. won the war in 1898 and Cuba was finally independent The U.S. gained Puerto Rico as a territory

A Tough Time for Farmers In the 1880s times were tough for farmers Thomas Jefferson had believed farmers were God’s chosen people—the backbone of the country Railroads shipping their crops charged high amounts many could not afford

The Populist Party A new political party emerged in favor of farmer’s rights This party even nominated candidates to run in state and federal elections Ultimately, they could not compete with Democrats and Republicans By the 20 th century, more Americans lived in cities than on farms

Social Darwinism The theory that individuals, groups, and people are subject to the same laws of natural selection as plants and animals This ideology was used to justify imperialism and racism and discourage any kind of reform

Captains of Industry Businessmen often followed the “law of the jungle” to drive their competitors out of business Railroad companies sometimes became so powerful they controlled local governments Andrew Carnegie was a powerful railroad businessman

Standard Oil John Rockefeller also forced competitors out of business so that his oil company would become powerful Robber barons-Powerful and wealthy businessmen thought to “rob” Americans of their freedom

Life of the Workers Robber barons tried to make as much money as possible so they paid their workers very little Families saw very little of each other with each member working hour days at a different job

Workers Unite Coal mines were the most dangerous places to work The Molly Maguires, a group of Irish miners began pushing for better wages They were incredibly violent going after big mine bosses and destroying trains

Strikes and Unions For a more permanent rebellion, unhappy workers formed unions to fight for their rights The Great Strikes of 1877 earned Railroad workers’ families money if a worker was injured or killed on the job Many strikes failed, but the ones that succeeded changed American business forever