America in the 20th Century essays

America in the 20th Century essays The Spanish-American War led America into the modern era. When President Teddy Roosevelt left the White House to lead the charge on San Juan Hill, it was a dramatic moment. The Spanish American War victory gave America possession of Cuba, the Philippines, Panama and the Virgin Islands. Once in control of Panama, the Americans began to build their canal. It took about ten years to build, but it was worth it because they got much money from the canal traffic. After Woodrow Wilson became President, war broke out in Europe. They called it World War I at the time. America immediately joined in and helped the Allies defeat the Axis powers. The incredible economic benefits of the war effort led America into the Roaring 20s. President Calvin Coolidge presided over a decade of peace in America. He was defeated in 1928 by Republican Herbert Hoover, who immediately ended the prosperity and caused the Great Depression. The Stock Market Crash of 1928 was a very sad event which led to the closing of all stocks and banks. Americans knew it was time to elect a bold leader. Franklin David Roosevelt, or FDR, was America's savior. Elected in 1933, Roosevelt quickly institued various reforms to help stimulate the sagging economy. For example, he made Social Security that helped old people get money after they retired. He also instituted IRS, or Internal Revenue Service. What really stimulated the economy, ironically, was World War II. At first we didn't want to join the war, but Japan bombed Pearl Harbor in 1942 so we had very little choice. FDR called it "a day which will live in infomy." With General Dwight D. Eisenhower in command of the allied Forces, we were able to launch a surprise on D-Day, which was so named because of Eisenhower's initials. Swiftly winning the war, Americans entered the 50s. The 50s were an era of Rock n Roll. Elvis Pressly, a famous rock star, became popular among teenage girls. There was great p...