The "Bull Moose" Campaign of 1912

• Democrats chose Wilson as their presidential candidate for election of 1912

  • Democrats had a strong progressive platform that called for stronger antitrust laws, banking reforms, and tariff reductions with them favoring small enterprise, entrepreneurship, and the free functioning of unregulated and unmonopolized markets

  • Democrats didn’t support the social-welfare programs that Roosevelt supported

• Roosevelt ran again in the election as a 3rd party candidate for the Progressive Republican Party

  • Roosevelet ran with a New Nationalism program which supported stronger control of trusts, woman suffrage, and programs of social welfare

  • Roosevelt was shot during campaign, with him recovering within a couple of weeks

Woodrow Wilson: A Minority President

• Taft and Roosevelt split up the Republican votes which gave the presidency to Woodrow Wilson

• Roosevelt’s progressive party died out as it didn’t have any elected officials in state and local offices

Wilson: The Idealist in Politics

• Wilson used his sincerity and moral appeal to attract the public

• Wilson was described to be smart while not possessing people skills

• Wilson’s idealism and sense of moral righteousness made him really stubborn in terms of negotiating

Wilson Tackles the Tariff

• Wilson was determined to attack “the triple wall of privilege” which consisted of tariffs, banks, and trusts

  Wilson called a special meeting of Congress in 1913 to address the tariff and convinced Congress to pass the Underwood Tariff Bill which reduced the tariff

• 16th Amendment was ratified in 1913 with it allowing Congress to collect a graduated income tax

Wilson Battles the Bankers

• In times of financial hardship or stress, banking reserves couldn’t distribute money fast enough into areas of need

• Congress passed the Federal Reserve Act in 1913 with the new Federal Reserve Board being appointed by the President

  • The Federal Reserve Board could issue paper money, called Federal Reserve Notes or the U.S. dollar and due to this, the amount of money in circulation could be increased as needed for business requirements

The President Tames the Trusts

• Congress passed the Federal Trade Commission Act in 1914 with it creating the Federal Trade Commision which oversaw industries that were engaged in interstate commerce

• The Clayton Antitrust Act of 1914 made the Sherman Act’s list of business practices longer

  • The Clayton Antitrust Act looked to exempt labor and agricultural organizations from antitrust prosecution while also legalizing strikes and peaceful picketing

Wilsonian Progressivism at High Tide

• Federal Farm Loan Act of 1916 allowed for low-interest rate loans to become available to farmers

• Warehouse Act of 1916 allowed farmers to take out loans against the value of their staple crops

• La Follette Seamen’s Act of 1915 required decent treatment and a living wage on American ships, ultimately benefiting sailors

• Wilson attracted workers with the Workingmen’s Compensation Act of 1916 which gave assistance to federal civil-service employees during period of disability

  • Wlson also approved an act that restricted child labor on products that flowed into interstate commerce

• Adamson Act of 1916 established an 8-hour work day for all employees on trains in interstate commerce

New Directions in Foreign Policy

• Wilson was an anti-imperialist with him being against an aggressive foreign policy

• Wilson persuaded Congress to repeal the Panama Canal Tolls Act of 1912 which has exempted American coastal ships from paying tolls

• Wilson signed the Jones Act in 1816 which gave Philippines territorial status and promised independence as soon as it was possible for a government to be established

• Wilson dispatched marines to protect American lives and property in Haiti in 1915 due to the breakout of political conflict

  • Wilson Signed a treaty with Haiti in 1916 that provided for U.S. supervision of finances and police

  • Wilson bought the Virgin Islands from Denmark in 1917

Moralistic Diplomacy in Mexico

• A Mexican Revolution took place in 1913 with the Mexican president being murdered and replaced by General Victoriano Huerta and due to chaos in Mexico, millions of Spanish-speaking immigrants moved to America

• Wilson initially refused to directly intervene with the war that was taking place in Mexico as he wanted the Mexican citizens to overthrow the government themselves

• A small party of American sailors were accidentally captured by Mexicans which led to Wilson ordering the navy to seize the Mexican port of Vera Cruz

• Venustiano Carranza became the president of Mexico with Francisco Villa, a rival of Carranza, attempting to provoke a war between Mexico and the U.S by killing Americans

  • Invading American army was withdrawn from Mexico in 1917 due to threat of war with Germany

Thunder Across the Sea

• World War I broke out when the heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary was murdered by a Serbian Patriot

• The Vienna government, supported by Germany, presented a series of demands to Serbia with Serbia, supported by Russia, refusing to adhere to the demands

  • Russia mobilized its army which caused Germany to mobilize its army in return

• France initially implied that it would be neutral in Austria-Hungarian conflict

  • Due to Germany being bordered on both sides by potential enemies, it decided to defeat France

• Central Powers consisted of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey, and Bulgaria while the Allies consisted of France, Russia, Britain, Japan, and Italy

A Precarious Neutrality

• With the outbreak of WWI, Wilson issued the neutrality proclamation

• Most Americans were anti-German since the beginning of the war as they viewed Kaiser Wilhelm II, the leader of Germany as the embodiment of arrogant autocracy

• The majority of Americans opposed the war

America Earns Blood Money

• The American industry thrived off of trade with the Allies

• Central Powers protested to the American trade with the Allies but American wasn’t going against any international neutrality laws

• Germany was free to trade with America as well but Britain prevented such trade by controlling the Atlantic Ocean which Germany had to cross in order to trade with the U.S.

• In 1915, one of Germany’s submarines sunk Lusitania, a British ship, killing 128 Americans leading to Americans demanded war, but Wilson was firmly opposed to such an action

Wilson Wins the Reelection in 1916

• Progressive Party and Republican Party met in 1916 to choose their presidential candidate

  • Roosevelt was nominated by the Progressives, but refused to run again as he didn’t want to split the party once again

• Republicans chose Hughers with the Republican platform condemning the Democratic tariff, Wilson’s dealings with Germany and Mexico, and assaults on trusts

• Democrats chose Wilson and went with an anti-war campaign

• Wilson won the election of 1916