Pivotal Decades: The United States, 1900-1920 - Softcover

Cooper Jr., John Milton

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0393956555 ISBN 13: 9780393956559

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company, 1990

Synopsis

Contemporary American began in the first two decades of this century.

These were the years in which two of our greatest presidents―Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson―transformed the office into the center of power; in which the United States entered the world stage and fought its first overseas war; in which the government's proper role in the economy became a public question; and in which reform became an imperative for muckraking reporters, progressive politicians, social activists, and writers.

It was a golden age in American politics, when fundamental ideas were given compelling expression by thoughtful candidates. It was a trying time, however, for many Americans, including women who fought for the vote, blacks who began organizing to secure their rights, and activists on the Left who lost theirs in the first Red Scare of the century.

John Cooper's panoramic history of this period shows us where we came from and sheds light on where we are.

About this title

About the Author:

John Milton Cooper, Jr., is the author of the acclaimed dual biography of Roosevelt and Wilson, The Warrior and the Priest. He is William Frances Allen Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin.

From Publishers Weekly:

In a richly textured narrative, Cooper describes political, economic, social and diplomatic developments in the United States during the first two decades of the century, an era dominated by two dynamic presidents: Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson. The period witnessed America's involvement in WW I, the building of the Panama Canal, the invention of the airplane and the radio, mass production of automobiles, the first civil rights organizations, women's suffrage, the inauguration of income tax, and the emergence of mass journalism, professional sports and movie stars. Cooper ( The Warrior and the Priest ) delineates the opposing stands taken by major political parties on economic and social issues, and traces the prolonged debate over international activism versus isolationism. Illustrated.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Publication date: 1990
• ISBN 10: 0393956555
• ISBN 13: 9780393956559
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 432