Timeline US on the World Stage by Abigail Pedersen

American Imperialism

abigailpedersen1 — 2025-10-14 17:55:20 UTC

Throughout 1901 - 1909, the Big Stick Diplomacy was employed to achieve foreign policy goals through a stronger military. The phrase that Theodore Roosevelt used was "speak softly and carry a big stick," which was meant to represent strength in our military. The Corollary was an addition to the Monroe Doctrine that justified US intervention in Latin America. The 2 ideas, Big Stick Diplomacy and the Roosevelt Corollary, were established for the US as an international police power and to reshape the foreign policy toward interventionism in the Western Hemisphere of the US.

Big Theme: U.S. Power Grows-

Both Big Stick Diplomacy and the Roosevelt Corollary involved war because the Big Stick Diplomacy was to help our military become stronger, and the Corollary was to justify the intervention in Latin America, which was a foreign territory.

Propaganda in World War I

abigailpedersen1 — 2025-10-15 17:28:19 UTC

In 1914, the American government used media, posters, films, radio, cartoons, and newspapers to depict the enemy as horrible, even if they weren't doing anything to us. They exaggerated the war to get the support of the people by twisting their emotions into making they be afraid. This affected the people by making them fear other countries, and it made the young man want to become a soldier because the media made them think we were going to die because we didn't have enough soldiers, which we didn't, but we weren't going to die because of it.

Big Theme: Media and Propaganda

The media would exaggerate to the people about what was going on at the war because they wanted the American people to be afraid and help with the war efforts more, and they wanted to control the people's emotions.

The Treaty of Versailles

abigailpedersen1 — 2025-10-15 20:25:48 UTC

In 1919, the Treaty of Versailles was to blamed Germany for the cause of World War I because they sank one of our submarines, so America didn't care about blaming them for it. The other countries that were involved in World War I agreed to have this peace treaty, and part of this treaty were some harsh terms, which were the territorial loss of Germany, military disarmament, and heavy reparations. The reason the United States didn't join the League of Nations because the Senate didn't want to get entangled with other countries' problems, lose sovereignty, and President Wilson had personal conflicts with political opponents. This changed the US by making us seem more like an older brother than a young, new country.

Big Themes: Power Grows

This made the United States more powerful because the other countries around the world respected us for making the Treaty of Versailles, because they liked that Germany got blamed and they didn't for the cause of the war.

The Philippine-American War.

abigailpedersen1 — 2025-10-15 20:49:48 UTC

1899-1902 America got the Philippines independent from Spain; however, the Filipinos didn't want to become a U.S. colony, so they started to fight us to become an independent country, both from Spain and the United States. The Philippines welcomed Americans after the Spanish-American War; however, after America wanted the Philippines to become an American colony, the Filipinos got angry and started to fight us on February 4, 1899, and ended in July 1902 after the United States beat the Filipinos and captured Emilio Aguinaldo, who was leading the Filipinos into war. This affected Americans by having the Philippines as a landing source for our plans and a trading spot between China.

Big Themes: Effects of Imperialism

The Philippines-American War affected the people by being controlled by America and not being an independent country, so they felt trapped. This didn't affect the American people as much as it did the Filipinos had to become an American colony after just being freed from Spain.

Spanish-American War

abigailpedersen1 — 2025-10-16 17:25:23 UTC

In April of 1898, the conflict between Spain and America began when our USS Maine sank in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and the US blamed Spain, even though there was no proof that Spain sank the USS Maine. This sparked a conflict between America and Spain, leading to the declaration of war.

Big Themes: Effects of Imperialism.

This also had an intervention in Cube's fight for independence. Having this war transformed the US into becoming more focused on imperialism and global power instead of isolationism.

U.S. Involvement in WWI

abigailpedersen1 — 2025-10-16 17:36:25 UTC

In 1917-1918, the United States got involved in World War I for several key reasons concerning Germany, including unrestricted submarine warfare and Germany's approach of targeting any ships. Additionally, the Zimmerman Telegram was a covert diplomatic message from Germany to Mexico suggesting an alliance against the United States. Another significant factor was the sinking of the Lusitania.

Big Theme: U.S. Power Grows

World War I signaled the conclusion of American isolationism, positioning the country as a significant global power due to its crucial economic and military support that contributed to the Allied victory.

The Home Front

abigailpedersen1 — 2025-10-16 17:43:13 UTC

In 1941-1945, the Espionage Act and the Sedition Act were enacted to silence opposition and limit civil liberties. These statutes made it illegal to express any speech that might disrupt the war effort, including criticism of the government, military, or national symbols. Their implementation resulted in the arrest and imprisonment of more than 2,000 individuals, highlighting how the pressures of wartime can encroach on free speech under the guise of national security. Additionally, voluntary rationing played a significant role on the home front, as it involved citizens helping the war effort by conserving essential resources, even though it was not mandated by law.

Big Theme: Life on the Home Front

promoting a substantial increase in industrial and military capacity that facilitated the Allied victory, instilling a renewed sense of national unity and patriotism, while also triggering important social changes, especially the influx of women into the workforce and a large-scale internal migration.

Spanish Flu

abigailpedersen1 — 2025-10-16 17:45:40 UTC

The Spanish Flu of 1918 was a catastrophic pandemic that affected one-third of the global population and resulted in the deaths of 50 million individuals, surpassing the toll of World War I itself. The virus spread rapidly due to the cramped and unsanitary conditions prevalent during the war.

Big Theme: Life on the Home Front

The war effort initially concealed some economic turmoil; however, the flu pandemic considerably lowered real stock returns and caused significant inflation. Additionally, the vast extent of the losses prompted a reassessment of public health policies and international collaboration on health issues in subsequent years.