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US Imperialism, Progressivism, WW1
Economic Causes of imperialism
Access to raw materials —> pineapples
New openings for markets —> good for business
Safety Valve
1890 census —> wants to create new frontiers
think that there is no more frontier because they conquered all of USA so no place to escape
White Man’s Burden
Needed to conquer them in order to serve/ civilize the other countries
If you don’t help conquer and civilize then you’re not a man
Kipling and Strong
Thought God was training them
White Americans are superior
Jingoism
my country is the best, so we should just conquer for we are superior
National rivalries
Competition with everyone else (race)
European country already has a lot
Alaska (1867)
Said yes to buying Alaska bc we didn’t’ want the English to buy it first
Seward’s (Treasurer) folly
ppl. thought he was stupid bc we just bought a big chunk of ice
Hawai’i
Steam boat stop (refueling station) to refuel coa in order tot go to Japan (Pearl Harbor 1887)
Believed that Hawai’i should be protestant christian
New England (protestant christian) missionaries
Business men come so they can grow sugar and tropical fruits.
hard to sell sugar and fruits bc of the McKinley tariff, so they overthrow the Queen of Hawaii in order to make Hawaii a U.S. state
- Grover Cleveland says no but McKinley eventually says yes 1898
Causes of Anti - Imperialist League
Arguments against empire
Hard to control bc Puerto Rico and Cuba are not in US, its across ocean
need to use more money
many already live on these lands
hard to make ppl. assimilated to US culture
Did not want different races to be part of America
How will we spread Democracy?
US should not be an oppressor (not really democratic to imperialize)
Only causes more openings to war (imperial, world wars)
Job competition, cheap labor
Anti-Imperialist League
Racists
Believed in freedom
Unions
Causes of the Spanish American War
Spain stops Cubans from rebelling which makes US feel the need to free Cubans from the Spanish
Business men did not like tariff so wanted to make Cuba part of America
Felt empathy because we were also under England’s rule
Yellow journalists made fake stories in order to make money and make ppl want war
one of the US ships (Maine) blew up, but yellow journalists accused Spain
“Remember the Maine (US ships), and the Hell with Spain “
Spanish American War (1898-1899)
Spain can’t sell sugar bc of the McKinley tariff
McKinley declares war, event though only 30,000 men, but Americans won this war easily bc Spanish was weakend
Teller Amendment
gives CUba back their land after the war, it is just a humanitarian crisis (help Cubans)
US involvement in the Philippines
Muckraker goals
-journalist who want to expose the bad parts of society
journalists or expose writers
-truth but like yellow journalists they want to shock people
LIncoln Steffens
“The shame of the cities” (1902)
Corruption within cities, such as political machines
everyone poi8nts fingers at one another and not themselves
Ida tarbell
corruption of Standard Oil (Rockefeller)
Father used to work for Rockefeller, so criticizes all of the corruption within the company
David Phillips
“The treason of Senate” (1906)
Senate is not in control, the captains of industry , trust, and monopolies are bc they have so much wealth = no democracy
Ida B. Wells
Try to make ppl. care about lynching (killing African Americans)
Ray Stannard Baker
“Following the Color Line” (1908)
Sharecropping system is corrupt
oppressive to African American farmers
Historical continuity of reform
Greenback labor - 1970s
Granger Movement - 1870s-80s
Populists - 1890s
Who were progressives?
Middle class worried bc they are scared for class warfare, and it it occurs middle class will take the hit first
Progressive Ideals
Aid lower class
Lower upper class power
Wilson and Segregation
Movie : The Birth of a Nation
African American lynched by white guys
Wilson was racist and really liked the movie so he made the first premiere at the white house
Progressives adn immigration
Progressives fell immigrants don’t support WASP values
Immigration restriction laws in the 1920s
Progressives expanding democracy
Attack political machines (local level)
make laws for secret ballots
direct primaries (make the ppl. vote instead the elite chose)
City commissioner (all parts of gov. to be elected so no one person has control of whole gov.)
Divide up role of gov.
City manager (hired through degree of education)
Women should vote bc they are more caring than men —> helps double middle class votes = double power
Initiative
force politicians to vote on a bull they don’t want to bring up
forces politicians to show if they are forced by companies (backed up/ lobbied)
Referendum
the public makes laws directly, without the politicians in the governemtn
Recall
the ppl. can fire a politician before their term is up (ex: impeachment)
Regulate
The gov. controls the prices of public utilities
what businesses can and can’t do, no more laissez faire
Progressives limit democracy
Gentlemen’s agreement
limit Asians
Wilson (wanted segregation)
Triangle Shirtwaist Company
fire in 1911 that killed 146 workers (women)
convinces ppl. that women and children should be kept safe
Muller v. Oregon
States can pass laws to limit dangerous jobs for women (companies wanted women and children bc its cheap)
workers win but it also puts pressure on lower class bc they need the money
Improving the workplace
Middle class pass workplace safety and sanitation codes
set max 10 hr shifts
consumer safety —> clean food, no more weird meat!
TR’s Square Deal
Gov. should exist, so everyone has the same start in life
It is up to the person on how they end up in lie, but the lower and middle class should have a chance (not socialist or communist, everyone is not equal)
Monopolies, trusts are not giving ppl. a fair chance in life
TR and Anthracite Coal Strike
PA miners want 9 hr day and 20% more pay so goes on strike
Teddy is the first prez to intervene between union and owners to make an agreement owners say no, but Teddy needed coal for long winter so threatened to bring US troops if not change/ adjust to worker’s request
TR and Trust Busting
Bad trusts are when warned by executive branch and does not change
then TR destroys the companies “only bad businesses go”
Department of Labor and Commerce
meidtiates labor issues
investigates improper trusts
Nothern Securities Company (1904)
Tr told JP. Morgan’s company to lower trust, but he said no so TR split it into little companies
Elkins Act (1903)
heavy fines for secret rebates (helps farmers)
Hepburn Act (1906)
ICC can nullify and set max. railroad rates
if you still secret rebate, gov. will set your rates (regulation)
Also helps farmers
Consumer safety
The Jungle (1906) by Upton Sinclair
describes horrible parts in the meat
People were more concerned about the meat than the workers
Meat inspection act (1906)
every meat is inspected, if something is wrong then companies are fined or shut down
Pure Food and Drug Act (1906)
all of the ingredients have to be true
Taft’s progressivism
For first two yrs in office made more trust busting than TR (one of them being Standard Oil)
Increased the number of federal employees covered under the Pendleton Act (mediocracy)
After 2 yrs Taft returns to pro- business
Fires Gifford Pinchot
The election of 1912
Split of GOP-Taft = pro-business
TR leads progressive reformers out of party (Bull Moose party) led by TR
Platform of Moose Party
New Nationalism
gov. should work with big trusts = help workers and consumers
women’s suffrage
social welfare = minimum wage laws and social insurance so no one is poor not unemployed
Wilson’s New Freedom
Wilson’s Triple Wall of Privilege
trusts, tariffs and banks allow privilege so he attacked them
Maximum 8 hrs for railroad workers
Attempts to end child labor but Supreme Court said no
Wilson vs TRUSTS
Gov. will destroy all trusts, drives prices down and wages up. quality up
Created Clayton Anti-Trust Act
Clayton Antitrust Act
Unions have the right to strike and picket
Wilson v.s. TARIFFS
Tariffs help businesses but it harms the common people, so Wilson created Underwood Tariff and graduated taxes
Underwood Tariff (1913)
makes tariffs go down
used graduated income tax = more you make the higher you pay your tax
Wilson v.s. BANKS
Big banks usually only helped big companies and did not help common people so Wilson created Federal Reserve Act
Federal Reserve Act (1913)
Federal gov. had control over banking to a limited extent
President (hires ppl.) —> Federal Reserve Board (can issue paper money in times of crisis) —> Regional Banks (12 districts gives money to banks) —> Consumer banks (receive loaned money from regional banks)
16th Amendment
Federal Income Tax (1913)
Tax richest ppl. the most —> shrinks wealth gap = less power in society
Reduces tariff so helps both middle and lower class
with income tax, no need for tariffs
17th Amendment
Direct election of senators (1913)
weakens elite bc now senators are directly picked by the ppl.
18th Amendment
Prohibition (1919)
Less access to alcohol
need to decrease crime
Lower class had drinking culture, but with this amendment it promoted middle class power over lower class
19th Amendment
Women’s suffrage (1920)
women are allowed to vote
Newlands Act
Federal gov. pays for irrigation and dams out West = water year round!
Increases settlement in West
Conservation
TR puts Gifford Pinchot as chief Forester to make sure forests are used well
This allowed creation of National Parks (crater Lake and Mesa Verde)
Multiple Land Use Resource Management
can still have forest and natural resources
more organized so everyone can use forest
Preservation
Dam Hetch Hetchy San Francisco needs water, so instead of preserving nature TR allowed the dam bc San Francisco needs water!
This led to TR and John Muir (nature lover) to fight bc Muir thought nature should be preserved while TR thought it should do bother
US involvement in Philippines
Attack Philippines cause it is under Spanish control
Motives seem interesting bc it seems as if we want to imperialize rather than free the Cubans
Admiral Dewy leads US navy to attack Spain navy, we still need ally to attack on land which is Emiliano Aguinaldo who needed weapons
US invasion if Cuba
US died due to weather, disease, combat from one another but eventually won
Rough Riders
Teddy quit being secretary of war and creates this group
They forgot their horses but Teddy continued to run up the hill to take down Spain (war hero)
Pact of Paris (1899)
US ends up getting Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines
Platt Amendment
Cuba is independent but can’t go into debt with anyone
US is afraid that with debt other countries would invade Cuba and take it away
Cuba can’t make treaties
US intervenes with army if Cuba does something US don’t like
US gets Guantanamo Bay (new US navy base)
made to protect Cuba and Puerto Rico
Guerilla War
Led by Aguinaldo, attacks US troops at night
US sends thousands of troops to stop rebellion
Both sides use torture
US anti- imperialism movement grows
Continuous conflict till Philippines gain independence in 1946
Gentlemen’s Agreement (1907-1908)
Japanese Workers come to America
Nativism in California = segregation
Japan mad
Teddy made decision no more Japanese and let go of segregation to those who already settled
TR sends “Great White Fleet” to “commemorate” but in reality, he wanted to show off how powerful US navy is to Tokyo
Cowboy Diplomacy
US imperialism and come with guns
TR and Panama
Wanted Panama canal and Panama wanted freedom so after Panama rebellion against Colombia it created canal with US
Roosevelt Corollary ( Bad Neighbor Policy)
If Latin American country owes US or a European country money then US is allowed to stay in country till all debt is paid
Taft’s Dollar Diplomacy
Control Latin America with money
US companies buy everything in Latin America so that they control ppl with money
Attack if anyone rebelled
Ex: Nicaragua, Mexico
Jones Act (1916)
Gives Philippines territorial status
can make their own laws but US still choses the gov officials
Continuous Dollar Diplomacy
US invades Haiti (1915)
Wilson and Mexico
Huerta wanted Mexico oil for Mexico so we put Carranza to get rid of then
However Villa wanted to do that so he killed 17 Americans
Wilson sent troops to kill Villa but nothing found
Note 
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