APUSH Terms 841-875

Square Deal

Roosevelt used this term to declare that he would use his powers as president to safeguard the rights of the workers.

Newlands Reclamation Act, 1902

Authorized the use of federal money to develop the west, it helped to protect national resources.

Forest Reserve Act, 1891

First national forest conservation policy, authorized the president to set aside areas of land for national forests.

Anthracite Coal Strike, 1902, George F. Baer

Large strike by coal miners. Baer led the miner's union at the time.

Elkins Act, 1903, rebates

This strengthened earlier federal legislation that outlawed preferential pricing through rebates. Rebates are returns of parts of the amount paid for goods or services, serving as a reduction or discount. This act also prohibited railroads from transporting goods they owned. As a dodge around previous legislation, railroads were buying goods and transporting them as if they were their own.

Hepburn Act, 1906

It imposed stricter control over railroads and expanded powers of the Interstate Commerce Commission, including giving the ICC the power to set maximum rates.

Mann-Elkins Act, 1910

Signed by Taft, it bolstered the regulatory powers of the Interstate Commerce Commission and supported labor reforms. It gave the ICC the power to prosecute its own inquiries into violations of its regulations.

"Trustbuster"

Nicknamed for Teddy Roosevelt, this is a federal official who seeks to dissolve monopolistic trusts through vigorous enforcement of antitrust laws.

Northern Securities Company case

The Supreme Court ordered this company to dissolve because it was a trust.

Meat Inspection Act

1906 - Laid down binding rules for sanitary meat packing and government inspection of meat products crossing state lines.

Upton Sinclair, The Jungle

The author who wrote a book about the horrors of food productions in 1906, the bad quality of meat and the dangerous working conditions.

Pure Food and Drug Act

1906 - Forbade the manufacture or sale of mislabeled or adulterated food or drugs, it gave the government broad powers to ensure the safety and efficacy of drugs in order to abolish the "patent" drug trade. Still in existence as the FDA.

Panic of 1907

Caused by mistrust for and lowered confidence in bankers.

Wisconsin, "Laboratory of Democracy"

Wisconsin was called the "Laboratory of Democracy" because many of the reform ideas of the Progressive era came out of Wisconsin, specifically from Robert M. LaFollette.

Robert M. LaFollette (1855-1925)

A great debater and political leader who believed in libertarian reforms, he was a major leader of the Progressive movement from Wisconsin

William Howard Taft

27th President (1908-1912), he was the only man to serve as both President of the U.S. and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Overweight, he was the only president to get stuck in the White House bathtub. Roosevelt supported he in 1908, but later ran against him.

Department of Labor

Originally started in 1903 as the Department of Commerce and Labor, it was combined with the Bureau of Corporations in 1913 to create the Department of Labor.

Payne-Aldrich Tariff, 1909

With the fear of foreign competition gone, it lowered rates to 38%. Democrats felt it did not go far enough and passed the Underwood Tariff in 1913 to further lower taxes.

Ballinger-Pinchot Controversy

Cabinet members who had fought over conservation efforts and how much effort and money should be put into conserving national resources. Pinchot, head of the Forestry Department, accused Ballinger, Secretary of the Interior, of abandoning federal conservation policy. Taft sided with Ballinger and fired Pinchot.

"Dollar Diplomacy"

Taft and Knox cam up with it to further foreign policy in the U.S. in 1909-1913 under the Roosevelt Corollary. It was meant to avoid military intervention by giving foreign countries monetary aid.

Manchurian Railroad Scheme

The U.S. planned to build a railroad to transport American products into China. It would have allowed the U.S. to corner the China market.

Roosevelt's Osawatomie, Kansas Speech

Teddy Roosevelt's speech given in Kansas on his Square Deal and "Big Stick" foreign policy. Roosevelt said, "Speak softly and carry a big stick."

Taft-Roosevelt split

They split over ideology. Roosevelt believed in breaking up "bad" trusts while allowing "good" trusts to continue. Taft opposed all trusts. Roosevelt wanted more involvement in foreign affairs, and Taft was an isolationist. Roosevelt ran against Taft in 1912.

Bull Moose Party

The Progressive Party, it was Roosevelt's party in the 1912 election. He ran as a Progressive against Republican Taft, beating him but losing to Democrat Woodrow Wilson.

Woodrow Wilson, New Freedom

He believed that monopolies had to be broken up and that the government must regulate business. He believed in competition, and called his economic plan "New Freedom."

Theodore Roosevelt, New Nationalism

A system win which government authority would be balanced and coordinate economic activity. Government would regulate business.

Herbert Croly, The Promise of American Life

Editor who wrote The Promise of American Life about government authority being used to balance economic activity. This was the basis for Theodore Roosevelt's "New Nationalism."

Congressional elections of 1918

The 66th Congress, under President Wilson. He begged people to elect Democrats so that they could support his foreign policy initiatives in Congress, but the public rejected him. The senate had 47 Democrats and 49 Republicans and the House had 216 Democrats, 210 Republicans and 6 others.

Versailles Conference, Versailles Treaty

The Palace of Versailles was the site of the signing of the peace treaty that ended WW I on June 28, 1919. Victorious Allies imposed punitive reparations on Germany.

Versailles Delegation

Led by Wilson, it fought for the inclusion of the 14 Points. Only one to be included was the League of Nations.

Big Four: Wilson, George, Clemenceau, Orlando

Leaders of the four most influential countries after World War I: U.S. - Wilson, Britain - George, France - Clemenceau and Italy - Orlando

League of Nations

Devised by President Wilson, it reflected the power of large countries. Although comprised of delegates from every country, it was designed to be run by a council of the five largest countries. It also included a provision for a world court.

New Nations, self determination

After WW I, Germany, Eastern Europe and the western portion of the former Russian Empire split into new countries. Wilson wanted them to have their own governments.

Reparations

As part of the Treaty of Versailles Germany was ordered to pay fines to the Allies to repay the cost of the war. Opposed by the U.S., it quickly led to a severe depression in Germany.

Mandate system

A half-way system between outright imperial domination and independence, it was used to split Germany's empire after WW I and to control the Middle East.