James Frawley

Mr. McGoldrick
US History
22 May 2014
Identifications: Chapter 25
William Jennings Bryan He was a politician in America from the 1890s until his
death. He was a dominant force in the populist wing of the Democratic Party, as the
Party's candidate for President of the United States in 1896, 1900 and 1908. He served
two terms as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Nebraska and
was the United States Secretary of State under President Woodrow Wilson, resigning
because of his pacifist position on the World War. Bryan was a devout Presbyterian, a
strong advocate of popular democracy, and an enemy of the banks and their gold
standard. He demanded silver because it reduced power attributed to money and put
more money in the hands of the people. He was a peace advocate, a prohibitionist, and
an opponent of Darwinism on religious and humanitarian grounds. His viewpoint was
one of reform and also that conflicts could be resolved without fighting. He is significant
today because
Grover Cleveland He was the twenty-second and twenty-fourth President of the
United States; as such, he is the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms His
terms of presidency were from 1885 to 1889 and 1893 to 1897 and is counted twice in the
numbering of the presidents. He was the winner of the popular vote for president three
times: in 1884, 1888, and 1892, and was one of the two Democrats with Woodrow
Wilson elected to the presidency in the era of Republican political domination dating
from 1861 to 1933. Cleveland was the leader of the pro-business Bourbon Democrats
who opposed high tariffs, Free Silver, inflation, imperialism, and subsidies to business,
farmers, or veterans. His crusade for political reform and fiscal conservatism made him
an icon for American conservatives of the era. His viewpoint was that the United States
should reform to help businesses. He is significant today because he helped shape the
structure of business in America.
T. Roosevelt He was an American author, historian, and politician who served as the
twenty-sixth President of the United States. He was a leader of the Republican Party and
founder of the Progressive Party. He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of
interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as
his cowboy persona and robust masculinity. Born into a wealthy family in New York
City, Roosevelt was a sickly child who suffered from asthma. To overcome his physical
weakness, he embraced a strenuous life. He was home-schooled and became an eager
student of nature. He attended Harvard University where he studied biology, boxed, and
developed an interest in naval affairs. He entered politics in the New York state
legislature, determined to become a member of the ruling class. In 1881, one year out of
Harvard, he was elected to the New York State Assembly, where he became a leader of
the reform faction of the GOP. His book on the Naval War of 1812 established him as a
learned historian and writer. His viewpoint was that they could eliminate corruption in
Americas government. He is significant today because he founded the progressive party
and tried to purge the government of corruption.
Booker T. Washington He was an African-American educator, author, and advisor to
presidents of the United States. Between 1890 and 1915, Washington was the dominant
leader in the African-American community. Washington was of the last generation of
black American leaders born into slavery and became the leading voice of the former
slaves and their descendants, who were newly oppressed by disfranchisement and the Jim
Crow discriminatory laws enacted in the post-Reconstruction Southern states in the late
19th and early 20th centuries. In 1895 his Atlanta compromise called for avoiding
confrontation over segregation and instead putting more reliance on long-term
educational and economic advancement in the black community. His viewpoint was that
after being freed he was able to speak for the former slaves. He is significant today
because he was of the last generation born into slavery.
W.E.B. Du Bois He was an American sociologist, historian, civil rights activist, Pan-
Africanist, author and editor. Born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, Du Bois grew up
in a relatively tolerant and integrated community. After graduating from Harvard, where
he was the first African American to earn a doctorate, he became a professor of history,
sociology and economics at Atlanta University. Du Bois was one of the co-founders of
the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, which was also known
as NAACP, in 1909. Du Bois rose to national prominence as the leader of the Niagara
Movement, a group of African-American activists who wanted equal rights for blacks.
His viewpoint was that he could further the position of colored people in America. He is
significant today because he created the NAACP that helped improve the lives of many
Africans in America.
Dollar Diplomacy It is the effort of the United States to further its aims in Latin
America and East Asia through use of its economic power by guaranteeing loans made to
foreign countries. Historian Thomas A. Bailey argues that Dollar Diplomacy was
nothing new, as the use of diplomacy to promote commercial interest dates from the early
years of the Republic. However, under Taft, the State Department was more active than
ever in encouraging and supporting American bankers and industrialists in securing new
opportunities abroad. Bailey finds that Dollar Diplomacy was designed to make both
people in foreign lands and the American investors prosper. President Theodore
Roosevelt originally coined the term. Roosevelt didn't want to intervene between him
and his secretary. Its viewpoint was that they could use diplomacy for enhancement of
economic power. It is significant today because it was a part of our governments history
and was a way for our government to further our economic position.
William McKinley He was the twenty-fifth President of the United States, serving
from March 4, 1897, until his assassination in September 1901, six months into his
second term. McKinley led the nation to victory in the Spanish-American War, raised
protective tariffs to promote American industry, and maintained the nation on the gold
standard in a rejection of inflationary proposals. McKinley was the last President to have
served in the American Civil War, beginning as a private in the Union Army and ending
as a brevet major. After the war, he settled in Canton, Ohio, where he practiced law and
married Ida Saxton. His viewpoint was that American industry could be molded into a
more productive system. He is significant today because he led our country out of war
and improved the American economy.
Spanish-American War It was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States,
the result of American intervention in the Cuban War of Independence. American attacks
on Spain's Pacific possessions led to involvement in the Philippine Revolution and
ultimately to the PhilippineAmerican War. Revolts against Spanish rule had occurred
for some years in Cuba. There had been war scares before, as in the Virginius Affair in
1873. In the late 1890s, American public opinion was agitated by anti-Spanish
propaganda led by journalists such as Joseph Pulitzer and William Hearst, which used
yellow journalism to criticize Spanish administration of Cuba. Its viewpoint was that the
Cuban war for independence needed to be resolved. It is significant today because it was
a large victory for the United States during McKinleys presidency.
Alfred Thayer Mahan He was a United States Navy flag officer, and historian, who
has been called the most important American strategist of the nineteenth century. His
concept of sea power was based on the idea that countries with greater naval power will
have greater worldwide impact; it was most famously presented in one of his books. The
concept had an enormous influence in shaping the strategic thought of navies across the
world, especially in the United States, Germany, Japan and Britain, ultimately causing a
European naval arms race in the 1890s, which included the United States. His ideas still
permeate the U.S. Navy Doctrine. His viewpoint was that he could work to make plans
in order to ensure American victory. He is significant today because he is the most
important strategist in Americas history.
Chester Arthur He was the twenty-first President of the United States which lasted
from 1881 to 1885; he succeeded James Garfield upon the latter's assassination. At the
outset, Arthur struggled to overcome his reputation, stemming from his beginnings in
politics as a politician from the New York City Republican political machine. He
succeeded by embracing the cause of civil service reform. His advocacy for, and
subsequent enforcement of, the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act was the centerpiece
of his administration. His viewpoint was that he could use civil service reform to his
benefit. He is significant today because he enforced the Pendleton Act.