Dual Credit US History Unit 4

Major problems for farmers during the Gilded Age

Major problems for farmers during the Gilded Age

-Overproduction
-Abuses by railroads (overcharged farmers)

The Grange Movement

-First organized in the 1870s in the Midwest, the South, and Texas
-It set up cooperative associations
-social and educational components
-succeeded in lobbying for "Granger Laws"

Munn vs Illinois

-ruled that states can regulate public businesses

Wabash vs. Illinois

-ruled that states can not regulate interstate commerce

Interstate Commerce Act

-created the interstate commerce, which regulated interstate commerce
-specifically, railroads and their shipping rates
-aimed to keep the shipping costs "reasonable and just"

The Farmers Alliance

-begun in the late 1880s (texas first -> the southern alliance; then in the midwest -> the northern alliance)
-more political and less social than the Grange (built upon the ashes of the Grange)
-ran candidates for office
-controlled 8 state legislatures and had 47 representatives in congress during the 1890s
-in 1889 both the north and the south alliances merged into on (farmer's alliance)

1890 Bi-Election

-southern alliance -> wanted to gain control of the democratic party
-northern alliance -> ran 3rd party candidates
-in 1892, 800 met in St. Louis. MO and met with other 3rd party to create the populist party which majority was alliance members

The Populist (People's) Party

-The people's party
-for regular, average people
-founded by James B. Weaver (presidential candidate) and Tom Watson
-Omaha, NE convention in July, 1892
-got almost 1 million popular votes
-some congressional seats won

Panic of 1893

-begun 10 days after Cleveland took office
-Several major corps went bankrupt
-over 16,000 businesses disappeared
-triggered a stock market crash
-over extended investments
-bank failures followed causing a contraction of credit(nearly 500 banks closed)
-By 1894, unemployment reached 3 million
-Railroads borrowed a lot of money
-railroads refused to pay loans and went bankrupt
-Americans cried out for relief, but the gov continued its Laissez Faire Policies

Laissez Fair Policies

-states that the gov would stay away from business

The 1896 Election

-Campaign between Democrat William Jennings Bryan and Republican William McKinley.
-populists gains major support but lost
-Bi-metallism issue

Bi-Metallism Issue

-populis party supported bi-metallism
-every dollar printed, there was gold for it
-bi-metallism wanted silver and gold to be backed up by the printed money
-they wanted to print more money
-farmers supported this because inflation would occur and the price of their crops would be higher, and they felt it was better because they'd have fixed loans
-this idea would only move forward if the populis party won a national presidential election or by being absorbed by another party

William Jennings Bryan

-the "great commoner"
-bryan's "cross of gold" speech
-he supported bi-metallism
-he was nominated by democratic party and populis party because they liked his ideas from his speech
-the dem. party and populis party joined together
-the dem. party got taken over by the Agrarian left

Bryan: The Farmers Fein

-18,000 miles of campain "whistle stops"
-16 silver coins = 1 gold coin

William Mckinley

-Mark Hanna was his campaign manager
-the "Front-Porch" campaign
-he won the 1896 presidential election

Why did Bryan Loose?

-His focus on silver undermined efforts to build bridges to urban voters
-he did not form allies with other groups
-Mckinley's campaign was well-organized and highly funded

Gold Triumphs Over Silver

-1900 -> Gold Standard Act
-confirmed the nation's commitment to the gold standard
-a victory for the forces of conservatism

Progressive Era

-an era where people tried to right the wrongs of the Gilded Age
-tried to "make progress"

Goals of the Progressive Era

main areas of reform:
-social
-political
-economic
-moral

Muckrakers

-investigative journalists who attempted to expose the problems of society
-Ida Tarbell, Lincoln Steffen, Jacob Riis, and Upton SInclair were muckrackers

Ida Tarbell

-she went on to expose Rockefeller
-her book was called "History of the Standard Oil Company"
-it was the first story on a major corporate industry
-exposed Rockefeller's strong arm tactics

Lincoln Steffens

-He wrote "Shame of the Cities"
-showed suffering and hardships of immigrants coming to America

Jacob Riis

-he wrote "How the Other Half Lives"
-detailed and illustrated views on tenement life

Upton Sinclair

-he wrote "The Jungle"
-exposes Chicago's Meat Packing Industry
-the book causes new legislation
-Meat Inspection Act (1906)
-Pure Food and Drug Act (1906)
-producers must sat what is in our food
-caused the FDA to form

Political/Election Reform

-citizens fought for, and won, such measures as:
-secret ballots
-Initiative and Referendum (process to start a law/initiative,
and we citizens vote for them/referendum)
-Recall (if a person in power does something we dont
approve of, we can fight/have a recall election to take
them out
-primary election
-Australian Ballot
-Direct election of senators
-Wisconsin Gov. Robert Lafollete
-Ida B. Wells

Wisconsin Gov. Robert Lafollete

-wanted to make political processes fair

Ida B. Wells

-started an Anti-Lynching campaign
-published articles and storied of the violence that affect African Americans across the south

Progressive Amendments

-16th: Income Tax
-17th: Direct election of senators
-18th: Prohibition of Alcohol
-19th: Women's Suffrage (voting rights)
*<b>Taxing senators prohibits suffering</b>* (memory tool)

President Roosevelt's Progressive Reform

-square deal
-3 C's
-He looks at the presidency as a "bully pulpit" from which to preach a message of character and duty to the nation

Square Deal

President Theodore Roosevelt's program of reforms designed to protect people from big businesses

The 3 C's

-Control of corporations
-Consumer protection
-Conservation of natural resources

Trustbusting

-Square deal
-allowed good trusts where every person was treated fairly,
worker and industrialist alike. Trusts that misbehaved would
expect the big stick(trustbusting)
-Bad Trusts
-Forced companies to give them rebates, sold, inferior
products, etc

Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890

-banned all combinations and practices that restrained free trade
-Roosevelt enforced it like no other president before in break up businesses

Hepburn Act

-gave Interstate Commerce Commission power to set maximum railroad rates

Elkins Act

-forbid railroads from giving rebated to large companies

Election of 1908

-Roosevelt steps away and doesn't go for president again
-Roosevelt's VP Taft wins against Bryan

Progressivism under President Taft

-Republic William Howard Taft easily defeated Democrat William Jennings Bryan to win the 1908 presidential election
-Payne Aldrich Tariff
-he allowed 1 million acres of protected forests and mining land to become unprotected
1. enables corporations to exploit the land
2. progressive conservationists angered

Payne Aldrich Tariff

-Failed to reduce tariffs on imported goods (many progressives angered)
- files a suit against US Steel (angers Roosevelt because he had deemed US Steel a "good trust)

Taft Looses Power

-Taft wasn't popular with the American public not reform minded Republicans
-By 1910, democrats had regained control of the House of Representatives
-Taft called the presidency "the lonesomest job in the world"

Bull Moose Party

-disturbed by Taft's poor party leadership and his antitrust policies, Roosevelt decides himself a candidate for the 1912 presidential election
-progressive party

Election of 1912

-Taft won in 1908
-Rift in Republican Party between Progressives and Conservatives
-Progressive ("Bull Moose") Party split from the republican Party; nominated Roosevelt
-Dem. Wilson won in 1912, with Roosevelt second

The Federal Reserve Act

-response to Panic of 1907
-National Monetary Commission
-Federal Reserve Act (1913)
-Federal Reserve System

Federal Reserve System

-gave gov control over monetary and banking systems, in accordance w/ progressive era trends

Imperialism Definition

when a country takes over another economically and politically

Causes of American Colonialism

1. Commercial/Business Interests
2. Military/Strategic Interests
-Alfred T. Mahan -> published the book "The Influence of Sea
Power on History" in 1600-1783. He reshaped Americas naval
philosophy. Stated that in order to build an empire, there has
to be a strong navy to back you up. He praised the
Royal/British navy
3. Socially Darwinistic Thinking
-The Hierarchy Race
-The white man's burden (to bring civilization to indigenous
people)
4. Religiously/Missionary Interests
-They wanted to spread Christianity
5. Closing the American Frontier

Alaska

-"Seward's Folly"
-He bought a $7.2 million iceberg
-Alaska was called Seward's Folly or mistake

Hawaii

-US Missionaries in Hawaii
-missionaries paved the way for future business due to discovery of it rich soil and resources
-it became a US Protectorate in 1849 by virtue of economic treaties
-sugarcane was a crop that grew well in hawaii
-Hawaiian Queen Liliuokalani took over power after the king died in late 1880s
-She did not support the American businesses conducting in hawaii
-"Hawaii for the Hawaiians"

US Business Interests in Hawaii

-1875: Reciprocity Treaty (no tax on Hawaiian sugarcane)
-1890; Mckinley Tariff (designed to protect US business by placing tariff on imported sugar)
-1893: American Businessmen backed an uprising against Queen Lilioukalani
-1894: Sanford Ballard Dole proclaims the Republic of Hawaii
-1898: Hawaiian annexation ceremony

Japan

-Commodore Matthew Perry opens up Japan in 1853
-Japanese workers went to Hawaii, and from there they went to the US
-Gentleman's Agreement (1908)
-A Japanese note agreeing to deny passports to laborers
entering US
-Japan recognized the US right to exclude Japanese
immigrants holding passports issued by other countries
-The US gov got the school board of San Francisco to
rescind their order to segregate Asians in separate schools

Lodge Corollary (1912)

-An addition to the Monroe Doctrine
-Senator Henry Cabot Lodge
-Non-European Powers, like Japan, would be excluded from owning territory in the western hemisphere

Cuba

-US saw economic potential in cuba
-they were controlled by the spanish crown

Causes of Spanish-American Revolution

-Cuban Revolution
-"Yellow Journalism"
-De Lome Letter
-Sinking of U.S.S. Maine

Cuban Revolution

-cause people to fight back against spanish rule
-US liked/was familiar in oppressed contries rising up
-Valeriano Weyler's "Reconcentration" policy was when Cubans were forcibly put into reconcentration camps and were treated unfairly

Yellow Journalism

-over-exaggerated accounts depicted in journalism
-Joseph Pulitzer
-William Randolf Hearst
-Jingoism (agressive partiotism, US felt compelled to help Cuba)

De Lome Letter

-Dupuy de Lome, Spanish Ambassador to the US
-Feb 9th, 1898
-criticized President Mckinley as weak
-Americans got offended and wanted conflict

Sinking of the U.S.S. Maine

-It moved people from Cuba to the US
-feb 15, 1898
-The ship blew up (spanish blew it up)
-spain "apologized" but denied that it was them
-this gave Mckinley the ability to declare war
-"Remember the Maine and to Hell with Spain"

Theodore Roosevelt during McKinley's presidency

-assistant secretary of the Navy in the McKinley administration
-Imperialist and American Nationalist
-criticized President McKinley as having the backbone of a chocolate eclair
-resigned his position to fight in cuba
-created the "Rough Riders"

The Spanish-American War (1898)

-"That Splendid Little War"
-The Battle of San Juan Hill
-Roosevelt takes his cavalries up a hill
-US went for the entire Spanish empire, including the Philippines
-America takes over Manila
-Emilio Aguinaldo
-Leader of the Filipino uprising and Philippine-American
war
-July 4, 1946 (Philippine Independence)
-Philippines thought America would leave after helping with Spanish, but the stayed which let to the Philippine-American War

Our "Sphere of Influence"

-an area where a country was dominating economically and politically

The Treaty of Paris 1898

-Cuba was freed from Spanish rule
-Spain gave up Puerto Rico and the island of Guam
-The US paid Spain $20 million for the Phillipines
-The US becomes an imperial power

Open Door Policy

-A policy proposed by the US in 1899, under which ALL nations would have equal opportunities to trade in China.

The American Anti-Imperialist League

-Founded in 1899
-Campaigned against the annexation of the Philippines and other acts of imperialism

Cuban Independence

-Teller Amendment (1898)
-Platt Amendment (1903)

Teller Amendment

-said US would not take over Cuba
-Cuban Independence

Platt Amendment

1. Cuba was not to enter into any agreements with foreign powers that endanger its independence
2. The US could intervene in Cuban affairs if necessary to maintain an efficient, independent gov
3. Cuba must lease Guantanamo Bay to the US for naval and coaling station
4. Cuba must not build up an excessive public dept

Causes of WWI

-MANIA:
Militarism, Alliances, nationalism, Imperialism, Assassination

Militarism

-policy of building up a strong military to prepare for war (arms race)
-WWI was the first war in which advanced weapons and tactics were used
-there was a race for creating more weapons of mass destruction among nations
-there was a desire to create a large amount of weapons as well as building up a nation's army and navy

Alliances

-agreements between nations to provide aid and protect one another
-European powers formed rival alliances to protect themselves
-the problem was that one event could drag all countries involved into a conflict
-Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy) vs. Triple Entente (France, Russia, Great Britain)
-As a result, by 1907 Europe was divided into two armed and rather fearful camps

Nationalism

-extreme pride in one's country
-people with the same ethnic origins had the right to form sovereign states through self-determination
-French Revolution spread nationalism throughout Europe
-Strong in the Balkan Area
-Ottoman Empire -> ruled the Balkan Area for 400 years
-Balkans
-Albanians, Greeks, Romanians, and Slav
-Bosnia
-Area of great hostility
-Austria-Hungary annexed Bosnia as one of its territories in 1908
-Serbia was newly independent and thought that Bosnia should be one of their territories
-This became an area of conflict

Imperialism

-when one country takes over another country economically and politically
-virtually all the major power were engaged in a scramble for empire to bolster their economies
-the fiercest competition was between Britain and Germany and between France and Germany

Assassination

-Archduke Franz Ferdinand and Duchess Sophie at Sarajevo, Bosnia died
-Killed in Bosnia by a Serbian nationalist group called Black Hand who believed that Bosnia should belong to Serbia

The Black Hand

-Serbian Nationalist group
-main objective of the Black Hand was the creation, by means of violence, of a Greater Serbia

Central Powers

-Germany
-Austria-Hungary
-Ottoman Empire
-Bulgaria

Allied Powers

-Russia
-France
-Great Britain
-Italy
-Japan
-United States

Stalemate

-neither side can make a move to win
-both sides in WWI threw arms and troops in to win but millions died without gaining ground

New Weapons

-machine gun
-poison gas (mustard gas)
-carried by the win
-burned out soldier's lungs
-deadly in the trenches where it would sit at the bottom
-tank
-all due to industrial revolution

Trench Warfare

-Type of fighting during WWI in which both sides dug trenches protected by mines and barbed wire
-trenches were dug from English Channel to Switzerland
-6,250 miles
-6 to 8 ft deep
-immobilized both sides for 4 years

Why did it take America so long to get involved in the war?

1. America was isolationist
-"why should we get involved in someone else's problems?
2. The Monroe Doctrine (1823)
-sought to isolate "The American Continents" from European
influences and problems
3. Precedent set by Washington
-stay out of European affairs

American Response to WWI

-neutrality
-economic, cultural, and linguistic ties with Britain
-most Americans were Anti-German, especially after they discover plans for industrial sabotage

A Boom to the US Economy

-US sold products to Britain and France in great amounts
-American Bankers gave private loans to Allies. They were called Morgan Loans
-The Allies borrowed 2.25 billion from the US

Causes for American Involvement in WWI

1. Unrestricted Submarine Warfare
2. The Lusitania
3. Sussex Pledge
4. The Zimmerman Note

Unrestricted Submarine Warfare

-German's wanted Americans their merchant ships might get hit
-established a blockade zone around the British Isles beginning in 1915 using U-Boats (German boats)
-any ship that entered that zone were susceptible to an attack
-throughout the war, the Germans sunk over 5,000 ships with a total weight of over 13 million tons

The Lusitania

-Germans warned British their passenger liners were in danger
-England still sailed Lusitania from New York to England
-German U-Boat torpedoed Lusitania in may 1915
-sunk in 18 minutes
-ship was carrying secret cargo of war materials
-Wilson still wanted the US to stay neutral, campaigned on promise "he kept us out of war"

Sussex Pledge

-after the sinking of British and French liners, German promised they would not sink unarmed ships without warning (Sussex Pledge - May 4, 1916)
-names after a French ferry that was destroyed by German U-boat
-They stuck to their word until Feb 1917
-Wilson wins reelection
-progressives die out in election after Roosevelt refused to
run again
-he wins over Charles Evans Hughes because "he kept us
out of war"

The Zimmerman Notes

-sent by German foreign secretary Arthur Zimmerman to Mexico
-was intercepted and decoded by British
-telegram states Germany would again begin unrestricted submarine warfare
-even worse, telegram proposes alliance between Germany and Mexico
-Germany promised Mexico they would get land back that it lost to the US in the Mexican War in 1848

America Enters the War

-US finds Zimmerman Notes in Jan 1917
-German resumed unrestricted Submarine Warfare (feb 1, 1917)
-"Overt" Acts (German U-boats sank 4 unarmed American merchant vessels in 2 weeks)
-In March, Wilson makes decision for war
-April 6, 1917: US declares war because of these German Actions

Allied War Effort

-The war was not going well for the allies
-Russia left the war after its communist revolution in 1917
-Russia's withdrawal allowed Germany to fight a one-front war with all its troops concentrated on France

American Power Tips the Balance

-American was not ready for war - only 200,00 men were in service when war was declared
-congress passed the Selective Service Act in May 1917
-By end of 1918, 24 million had signed up and almost 3
million were called to duty
-About 2 million American troops reached Europe
-American soldier that were sent to Europe were called "Doughboys" because of their starch white belt
-The influx of fresh American troops helped turn the tide of
war

US Enters The War

-General John J. Pershing leads the US troops known as the American Expeditionary Force (AEF)
-Unlike European soldiers who were fighting for 3 years, Americans were energetic and fresh

Mobilization

-The act of preparing for war (supplied and troops)
-In 1917, the US entered the war on the side of the allies
-they were unprepared for war

What did the US need to do to prepare/mobilize

1. Raise Money
2. Raise Awareness
3. Raise Troops
4. Divert Resources
5. Conserve Resources

How did the US raise money?

-borrowed money from the American people by selling bonds
-bonds are a type of loan
-bonds are the governments way of borrowing money from the public
-government promises to pay back the public with interest
-victory loans and liberty loan bonds
-Taxes! (tobacco and alcohol were highly taxed goods)

How did the US raise public awareness?

-committee on Public Information (created to build up public support for the war)
-used propaganda to persuade the public
-to buy war bonds to support the war
-that we were fighting for a good cause: freedom and
democracy
-that the enemy was evil
-recruit

How did the US raise troops?

-Selective Service Act, 1917
-required men to register with the gov in order to be randomly selected for military service
-by the end of 1918, 24 million men had signed up
-3 million were actually "drafted"
-2 million made it to Europe before the truce was signed
-most were not high school graduates
-"the draft"

How did the US divert resources?

-usually the US has a Free Market Economy
-Business owners decide what to produce and how much to
charge
-but the war was such as huge undertaking that the entire economy had to be refocused
-Businessmen had to change from producing consumer
goods to war supplies
-War Industries Board: they decided what should be produced, how goods should be produced, and price for goods (made by Pres. Woodrow Wilson)

How did the US conserve resources

1. Fuel Administration
-adopts daylight savings time to conserve fuel
2. National War Labor Board
-helped settle disputes between workers and management
-keeps workers on the job, discouraged strikes
3. Food Administration
-encouraged Americans to grow victory gardens and practice
"meatless mondays" and "wheatless wednesdays"

Limited Civil Liberties

-Espionage Act of 1917
-Sedition Act of 1918

Espionage Act of 1917

-main purpose was to stop spying or other treasonous acts, but it also severely limited freedom of citizens
-when the US is at war, it made a criminal of anyone who:
-shall willfully make false statements with intent to interfere
with operation or success of the military
-shall promote the success of its enemies
-shall willfully cause or attempt to cause insubordination,
disloyalty or refusal of duty in the military

Sedition Act of 1918

-restricted free speech (Barred disloyal utterances")
-criticism of gov or constitution and disrespect the flag
-fines up to $10,000 and sentenced up to 20 years in prison

Schenk vs. US

-Schenk had been found guilty of violating the Sedition Act of 1918
-argued that it violated his 1st Amendment Rights
-Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the gov can restrict speech during times of war
-ideas of "clear and present danger"
-ex: fire in a movie theater