AMH2020 UF Midterm

The American Frontier

- the land West of the Appalachian Mountains, "closed" or mostly settled by 1900

- a zone where no state exercises complete political control

- Era of massive migration and westward expansion

- Native Americans delegated to the worst lands

The "Frontier" is defined as "a region at the edge of a settled area". The "American Frontier," began with the first days of European settlement on the Atlantic coast and the eastern rivers. From the start, the "Frontier" was most often categorized as the western edge of settlement.

The Great Plains

- aka the Great American Desert

- region between Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains

- Americas believe that moving west will help the climate change and we will be able to grow crops

- "rain follows the plow"

Haymarket Riot

- 1886 labor-related protest in Chicago which ended in deadly violence

- protested against eight-hour workdays

- Weakened the national labor movement, especially the Knights of Labor

Homestead 1892

- one of the most violent strikes in U.S. history

- against the Homestead Steel Works, which was part of the Carnegie Steel Company, in Pennsylvania in retaliation against WAGE CUTS.

- Damaged the image on unions

Railroads

- Were essential to westward expansion because they made it easier to travel to and live in the west

- By 1900, railroads are connecting the states; the major form of transportation

- Assist in creating time zones

- Supreme Court rules that railroads act in the public interest - they can be regulated by governmental agencies

- Largest landowners in west were railroad companies

- Great strike of 1877 (more than 100 people died) involved railroad workers

Carnegie Steel

- Built by Andrew Carnegie (rags-to-riches)

- Amassed a huge fortune in the steel industry (later converted to US Steel)

- Monopoly

- Vertical Integration - a finished product requires steps to manufacture it

Jim Crow Laws

- any laws that enforced racial segregation around the 1820s

- South is defined by white supremacy

J.D. Rockefeller

- Becomes one of the world's wealthiest men

- 1870: established Standard Oil

- Turns crude oil into a finished product - kerosene,

essential for heating and light

- Controlled 90 percent of the nation's refineries and pipelines

- Uses horizontal integration: controls the crucial part of the process, thus controlling the entire industry

Plessy v. Ferguson

- Homer Plessy tests separate but equal railroad car; sits in white-only car

- Circulated to the Supreme Court

- Established separate but equal is constitutional

- Arrest violated protection clauses under the 14th amendment - treated unequal and forced into inferior means

Populism

The People's Party

Last ditch effort to reshape American politics

Association with farmers; ex. Yeoman farmer; farmer's alliances

Populism breaks through the two-party monopoly

Yellow Journalism

Competition among newspapers results in sensationalism over facts

Term originated between publishers Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst

Spanish-American-Cuban War 1898

Spanish ambassador's secret letter stolen by employee of Spanish embassy, gives it to Hearst to publish and hurt the Spanish cause

Explosion in ships, America places blame on Spain

Congress declares war on Spanish in 1898

Spanish army is poorly trained, America has upper hand

War lasts 90 days; less than 400 casualties

Platt Amendment - carte blanche

Philippine Insurrection

After its defeat in the Spanish-American War of 1898, Spain ceded its longstanding colony of the Philippines to the United States in the Treaty of Paris. On February 4, 1899, just two days before the U.S. Senate ratified the treaty, fighting broke out between American forces and Filipino nationalists led by Emilio Aguinaldo who sought independence rather than a change in colonial rulers

Filipinos led by Emilio Aguilnado

Duration of three years

Progressivism (Starts 1901)

Starts with one event - President McKinley is assassinated by Leon Csolgoz

Results in Theodore Roosevelt as president

Developed in response to the populist movement and the creation of the 16th and 17th amendment; main fear is corporate capitalism having too much power and that it needs to be regulated

Certain set of ideas and beliefs that radically changed the way Americans feel about each other and their nation, etc.

1921 Progressive Party: way of looking at the world; change the way we examine ourselves, gov., etc.

Reform is important

Progressives are the emerging middle class - want benefit for all Americans; work together;

city is a positive, driving force for new economycal

Jane Adams

Founder of Hull House in Chicago in the 1880s - settlement house for immigrants

Hull House

The first and most influential settlement house established by Jane Addams (1889); catered to women, children, and immigrants and would essentially teach the "American way" and was an aspect of progressivism

Hull House and Florence Kelley's stories show how women were able to break away from unhappy homes. For Florence Kelley, she divorced her husband and took her children to Hull House. Here, both her and her kids were fully embraced by the influential women and community she was involved with. These communities held place as family. Additionally, by joining these type of communities, they had a supportive place to work out of and further social matters. Communities like Hull House were great sources of solidarity.

J.P. Morgan

Buys Carnegie out and

creates US Steel, America's first billion dollar company

Henry Ford

Creates the automobile - Model T

Stole the idea

Pays workers a $5/day wage - large increase

Produced nearly 12,000 Model T's/year

Instills working line

"Principles of Scientific Management"

Written by Frederick Winslow Taylor who was a mechanical engineer

His approach within is often referred to as "Taylorism"

Introduced the idea of applying science into business management

This system would best determine the optimum way a worker could complete his job. This was accomplished by breaking down every job into individual motions, timing the movements and analysis each of the motions involved. He would then eliminate the unnecessary movements to create an almost *'machine-like' worker. This made the worker more productive and efficient then if the system was not implemented.*

Thirteenth Amendment

Abolished Slavery, but did not address black civil rights

Passed in by Senate in 1864 and by House in 1865

Reconstruction

During reconstruction, African American were able to become independent farmers by purchasing their own land

Southern whites & KKK used brutality/violence against those who supported reconstruction governments and efforts to improve AA lives

Ended because of the results of the disputed election of 1876

Freedmen's Bureau

Federal agency designed to assist former slaves in making the economic adjustment to freedom

Made former slave owners the necessity of paying their formers slaves as laborers

provided food, housing and medical aid, established schools and offered legal assistance

ureau was prevented from fully carrying out its programs due to a shortage of funds and personnel, along with the politics of race and Reconstruction.

Black Codes

- Laws denying most legal rights to newly freed slaves; passed by southern states following the Civil War

- Main focus was white southerners wanted AA to return to the positions of servility

the Ghost Dance

- Religious movement that believed that dance would cause the white men to disappear and protect them from bullets

- led to Wounded Knee Massacre

By the late 1880s, a popular new cult among the Native American Plains tribes was the ghost dance

Whites feared that the Ghost Dance spiritual movement would lead to Indian violence against whites (Red Cloud denies in his speech - the chief of the Oglala Tenton Sioux) - this fear lead to the Wounded Knee Massacre where Army troops killed more than 150 Sioux (many women and children)

Frederick Jackson Turner

Historian who first developed the frontier thesis - thesis argued that the settlement of the frontier made the American nation unique

Credited the frontiers settlement as a primary force in shaping the nation's democratic institutions

"The Significance of the Frontier in American History," 1893

Knights of Labor (founded in 1877)

Union of producers aimed at uplifting, utopian reform

second labor organization, efforts to organize workers regardless of skill level, gender or race

Came to an end because of violence with the Haymarket Riot

Alfred Thayer Mahan

Wrote The Influence of Sea Power Upon History - argued that the control of the sea was key to world dominance

Stimulated naval race among great powers

Had a theory that a strong navy was an integral part of America's wealth and power.

Philippine-American War

1899-1902

More costly than the Spanish-American War

Gilded Age

American fascinated about politics during them time bc many saw it as a form of entertainment

Alliance Movement

Major objective was to organize and politicize the American farmer and return his political power.

Panic of 1893

Caused by the wrenching economic changes of the period.

Eugene V. Debs

The individual who rocketed to national attention because of the Pullman strike

1896 election (William Jennings Bryan and William McKinley)

Tammany Hall

The most famous political machine of the late nineteenth century located in New York

George Washington Plunkitt was the district leader

Known as the Democratic Party machine

Wanted political control by corruption and bossism

Booker T. Washington's Atlanta Compromise

Many whites supported bc it called for blacks to gain rights slowly through self-improvement and not through activism

How AA can participate in Jim Crow

"We can be seperate"

Chinese Exclusion Act

Attempt to ban Chinese immigration

After railroads were built no more Chinese were allowed in America (1882-1943).

Some even tried to take away citizenship but in the 14th amendment "all born in US are citizens" birthright citizenship protected Americans and other immigrants

Jacob Riis

Muckracker

Wrote "How The Other Half Lives," which portrayed poverty in America.

Helped expose the underbelly of American society

Civil Rights Act of 1866

A response to the black codes by the Republicans in Congress

1st federal attempt to constitutionally consider all American-born residents (except Natives) as citizens

Vetoed by President Johnson

Homestead Act

Land is being given out for free in the west and buyers can gain money if they expand that land.

By 1872, that very land is taken over by the railroads

14th Amendment

African Americans granted citizenship and due process of law

15th Amendment

African Americans are guaranteed the right to vote

16th Amendment

One of the two amendments passed during Taft's presidency - first amendments since reconstruction

Establishes income tax; progressive tax

17th Amendment

One of the two amendments passed during Taft's presidency - first amendments since reconstruction

Allows for direct election of senators

Theodore Roosevelt

Wins two terms

Known for his progressive work

Pushes a variety of acts such as Pure Food and Drug Act, Meat Act (allowed US State department of agriculture to inspect plants, Hepburn Act (puts teeth into the Interstate Commerce Commission to act as a break on predatory prices of railroads

These laws verify TR's belief that legislation action can improve America

Is referred to as Trust Buster due to his ability to break up Northern Securities Corp. run by JP Morgan

A majority of America loved TR

Lochner v ????? (1905)

NY implements law to regulate bakery workers

Taken to Supreme Court

5 to 4 ruling that NY DOES NOT have the authority to regulate bakery hours

If workers don't like their situation, they can just break their contract with the baker

Big victory for businesses

Muller v Oregon (1908)

State of Oregon passes a law regulating number of hours FEMALE, laundry workers can work

Conrad Muller, laundry business owner, thinks this is violating his rights as an employer

Taken to Supreme Court

Court rules unanimously that the law in Oregon is constitutional - a completely different ruling from the Lochner case

This ruling is largely different because of the regulation of female workers; ruling discusses motherhood, women/mother's physical well-being is a matter of public interest - portrayed them as weak

Is established by experts backed up by the BRANDEIS BRIEF - Louis Brandeis, a Mass. lawyer, establishes that working long, arduous hours can be harmful to women's health

Conservation

One of two crucial parts of progressivism

Economy needs natural resources to function

Forests are being clear cut and leveled for minerals

We need EFFICIENCY

Ex. Newlands Act aka Water Reclamation Act ---

About helping the West;

Designed to effectively allocate water resources to appropriate uses in the West;

Crucial in understanding why and how the West sustains itself with no water around

Eugenics

Second part of the progressive movement

About improving the human race

Francis Galton, English scientist, coins the phrase that means good breeding

Positive eugenics (us - white, privileged people - should breed)

Negative eugenics; discourage "not us" from breeding, ex. deaf, feeble-minded - believe these people should go through sterilization

60-10,000 people are sterilized eugenically

Carrie Buck

First Eugenics subject

Illegitimate poor white woman; had a child out of wedlock; victim of rape; deemed feeble-minded or nowadays "handicap"

Cut her fallopian tubes; they sterilize because they believe these people are not fit enough/ good enough to have offspring

Buck v Bell

Supreme Court rules on the constitutionality of eugenically sterilizing people for the benefit of themselves in society

Eight to one rules that eugenic sterilization is legal

Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, aka known as the protector of the civil liberties of Americans, writes the opinion

Elkin's Act

TR pushes for it

Designed to regulate the rates of railroads so they don't charge different rates to different people

Big victory for small business men and passengers

William Howard Taft

- 27th president of the U.S.

- angered progressives by moving cautiously toward reforms and by supporting the Payne-Aldrich Tariff;

- he lost Roosevelt's support and was defeated for a second term.

Herbert Croly's "The Promise of American Life"

About the need for centralized organization of planning

Structured economic system; gov. intervention

Roosevelt admires book, it expresses his ideology

Roosevelt returns from Africa and goes behind Taft's back, criticizing his presidency

By 1911, Roosevelts and Taft's friendship is over

Standard Oil Supreme Court Case

tried to dissolve Standard Oil Company

company guilty for violating Sherman Anti Trust Act

The Supreme Court validates the breakup of the largest oil refining company in America - Standard Oil

Taft managed to break it up

Rationale by court was the Rule of Reason - size doesn't matter

- if you act in the public interest, the gov. will not touch you

Woodrow Wilson

President of the United States (1913-1921)

- Leading figure at the Paris Peace Conference of 1919.

- Implemented social welfare programs for NJ

- National Acclaim for cleaning up political corruption

Runs for presidency against Taft v Roosevelt v Debs

Reformed-minded gov. of New Jersey

Strong, moral person

Southerner

Kinda racist

Wins election

Eugene Debs

- Leader of the American Railway Union

- he voted to aid workers in the Pullman strike.

- He was jailed for six months for disobeying a court order after the strike was over.

Clayton Act

Act that minimally restricted the use of injunctions against labor and legalized peaceful strikes, picketing, and boycotts.

Adamson Act (1916)

Wilson pushed passage of this act that mandated an eight hour workday and time and a half for overtime. Although directed at a single industry, railroads, the law was a significant victory for workers and a clear statement of the power of Congress to regulate interstate commerce.

Kern-McGillicuddy Act

achieved progressive goal of a workers' compensation system for federal employees

Federal Reserve System

the nation's central banking system

Platt Amendment

Legislation that severely restricted Cuba's sovereignty and gave the US the right to intervene if Cuba got into trouble.

Munn vs. Illinois

- upheld the power of state governments to regulate private industries that affect "the common good".

- A Supreme Court Case that allowed the government to regulate railroads