Government: X-Factor

During the Progressive Era, the United States were in a state of change. The United States became recognized as a global powered. The country stilled faced multiply of problems. The country used a lot of capital during the Spanish American War, this had a negative affect on the country. The United States wasn’t just having problems as a whole country, in small places they had corrupt systems of government. This all changed during the Progressive Era. The government played a huge role in reforming the American social, economic, and political life during the early twentieth century through establishing a minimum wage, separating municipals, and the elimination of the "machine" in many cities throughout the country.

The government played a huge role in reforming the American social life through establishing a minimum wage. This was a very important to the development of the social life of the American people. Also establishing maximum hours was a big accomplishment. The employers even had children working in factories trying to support their families, this was banned. A lot of the country was struggling, their income were insufficient to support them. It was a repeat of the late nineteenth century when their were only the prosperous class and the poor class. The middle class was diminishing.

The government role during the twentieth century was great in reforming the American economic life by separating municipals. This process of separating the municipals, helped spread the wealth of the country. Especially since only one percent of the country popularities controlled the half of the country’s capital. The separating of this power will overall benefit the country by making the country more prosperous as an whole. The government seperated the railroad companies, to create more competition, also approved the Underwood Tariff. The Clayton Anti-trust Act was establish to break up monopolies, this will spread the wealth throughout the country. The Federal Reserve Act also help the government regulate the currency throughout the country.

The government played a big role in reforming the American political life through eliminating the machines from the politic. The government eliminated the New York machine which was called the Tweed Ring. This machine was brought to the public attention by Thomas Nast in a series of cartoon drawings. The National Mulicipal League was a direct response to the “Machines”. The machines wasn’t just locally they even had a President, who was a member of the Kansas City Machine.

In conclusion, the government played a big role in reforming the American life. They helped changed socially through the establishment of the Owen Child Labor Act. The government helped reform economically through the Federal Reserve Act. It also help politically with the elimiantion of political machines. This is why the government played a huge role in the reforming the American social, economic, and political life.

WHAT ARE WE FIGHTING FOR?

During the early twentieth century, the United States had an imperialism mind setting. The country was in hustling to gather as much land as possible. They did this because they believed that the more land equal more power. The United States was even killing Native Americans to cointinue their migration west. The United States became greedy which strated the Spanish American War. The United States wasn’t justified in going to war against Spain in 1898 because of political, economic, moral, and diplomatic factors such as: the Ostend Manifesto, the war was hurting the economy, Cuba belong to Spain, and the fact that the government was going behind the citizens back.

The United States wasn’t justified in going to war against Spain because of political reasons such as the Ostend Manifesto. The Ostend Manifesto was the document that President Pierce sent to Ostend with some proslavery representatives. The representatives basically said that if Spain won’t sell the United States Cuba, then the United States will take it by force. This was one of the major reasons for the Spanish American War. The Ostend Manifesto was completely useless, and didn’t have any reason to happen.

The United States didn’t have a rational reason for the Spanish American War because of economic reasons, such as the economy was losing money because of the war. Even though the Spanish American War was the “splendid little war” it cost the country more than hundred and fifty million, and that’s before the US even declared war on Spain. Cuba had a lot of economic advantages for the country, such as sugar and fuel. The overall damage was completely worst then the gain. The war was costly for the United States. The rebels from Spain and Cuba was costing the United States a lot of money. Since the country was in war the demand on the business increase significantly, which also didn’t assist in the economic situation

The United States had no business being in war against Spain because of moral reasons such as the fact that Cuba belong to Spain. The war was completely immoral. Even though the country got in the war to so call free the Cubans from the annex. It wasn’t the main reason that the US wanted Cuba, which was for the sugar and the fuel. Cuba just had a lot of good resoures that will benefit the country. Even the newspapers was making up stories about the Spanish American War, they were call Yellow Press. They reason that the Yellow Press did this was to increase sales. The country morality was significatly low.

The United States had no reason to be in a war with Spain because of diplomatic factors such as the fact that the government was going behind the citizens back. Besides going behind the citizens back the US wanted to have slavery in Cuba. Despite the fact, that Slavery was abolish in the thirteen amendment in 1865. This was completely against the whole setting of the United States. Besides the fact the country had few causalties the country, it still lost a lot. This also set up the presidential Election of 1900, which gave President McKinley, it just gave him the chance to finish the war he started.

In conclusion, the Spanish American War was fruitless. This is because the economic problems that it put the country in, the depression of 1893. The immoral motives of the war, which were never achieved. The dirtiness of the Ostend Manifesto and President Pierce. The illegalness of the United States in trying to recondite their thirteen amendment.

What do the constitution means to me?

I believe at first the constitution was just a document that only helped the majority. The only thing the constitution did at first was just gave people the legal right to do immoral acts. Honestly, the constitution really didn’t deal with the country as a whole until 1920. Before that the constitution just made the wealthy men in control, dominant over the rest of the country. When the constitution represented everybody, that when I started to believe that the constitution was the backbone that the United States was build on. It is the major document that help the country run efficiently. I still do believe that some of the constitution is primitive, but its balanced out with later amendments. So, I believe that the constitution is the most important document in United States History, forever. Despite, the fact that I disagree with some of the earlier amendments.