Untitled Flashcards Set

Chapter 21 (Imperialism)

• Josiah Strong Our Country- Book which established;

  • American Exceptionalism- Anglo-Saxon Americans were destined to spread democracy; white man’s burden- non-whites need the help of whites b/c they “aren't civilized”.

• Arguments for Imperialism- Mostly by Reps (TR, Taft); no land left in America; needed resources & raw materials due to a surplus in agriculture & industrial production; racialized Social Darwinism (thing above basically), Naval power; The Influence of Sea Power Upon History, America was behind; Europe had a bunch of colonies.

• Arguments Against Imperialism- Mostly by Dems; other domestic problems to tackle; Women’s rights, no US foreign intervention or involvement, non-whites didn’t need white man’s “help”.

• War of 1898 (Spanish American War)

  • Causes: Cuba tried to get its independence causing conflicts which harmed American trade & plantations, needed cheap labor, reasons listed above too, Cuba was lucrative & US wanted some of that, yellow journalism fueled war by publishing stories of the butcher Weyler (Hearst vs Pulitzer), Jingoism (strong, military nationalism); Dupuy DeLome Letter- made fun of McKinley; America got triggered, “Remember the Maine”- US framed Spain for sinking USS Maine; most likely just a technical failure in reality.

  • Teller Amendment- US would not take control of Cuba if they won war

  • Insular Cases- Ruled that citizenship did not extend to those in captured territories; Puerto Rico, Guam, Philippines; meant captured territories weren’t states nor colonies; “US didn’t colonize”.

  • Platt Amendment- Stopped Cuba from making treaties w/ anyone but US & gave US right to their foreign affairs; took more control of Cuba.

  • Results of War- First major American involvement in foreign affairs, Peace treaty w/ Spain, Cuba & Philippines were disputed lands; revolts for independence which US stopped but didn’t annex territories.

• Hawaii- US got treaties w/ Queen of Hawaii; gave US sugar access in trade w/o tariffs and Hawaii could not make treaties w/ anyone else. Queen revolted against treaties; US overthrew monarchy through Annexation Club & Marines. Forced annexation of Hawaii; now had land in Pacific

• Imperialism in China & Japan- Europe already traded a lot w/ Asia; US wanted that. “Open Door”- John Hay pushed for equal trade access for all nations in China. 2nd Principle; China must stay its own entity; no colonization. Japan won against Russia in something; gained US respect (probably not important)

  • Root- Takahira Agreement- Free commerce; allowed for Japanese control of part of Northern China (?)

• US & Latin America- Following SpanAmer War, US wanted control for naval power; canals; Hay-Pauncefote Treaty gave America disputed land in Panama & Colombia for Panama Canal

  • Roosevelt Corollary- Addition to Monroe Doctrine; allowed US to get into Carribean foreign affairs.

  • Big Stick Diplomacy- The policy held by Teddy Roosevelt in foreign affairs. The "big stick" symbolizes his power and readiness to use military force if necessary. It is a way of intimidating countries without actually harming them; it was the Navy for America.

• Wilson & Mexico- America could patrol not only Carribean but Mexico b/c force & Roosevelt Corollary. As a dem, Wilson stated US wouldn’t colonize anymore. In Mexico, Diaz was overthrown by Madero who was friendly to US; Madero got killed; America intervened to leave Mexico in their best interests; Pancho got involved. Basically, US wasn’t supposed to colonize so they “patrolled” Mexico & changed stuff to fit their interests. 

• WWI- Triple Alliance (Germany, Austro-Hungary, Italy; enemies) vs. Triple Entente (Britain, France, & Russia)

  • Main Causes of WW1:

    • M: militarism; ppl got bored & started making big boi weapons

    • A: alliances formed; see above

    • N: nationalism; everyone just decided their country was the best; Jingoism

    • I: imperialism; Big Stick Diplomacy; Europe boosts its power.

    • A: assassination; Arch-duke Ferdinand gets killed; starts war

  • Neutral-ish- Idea was; if US stays out they can assert power over destroyed, post-war Europe. Progressives & Socialists along w/ Carnegie & Ford (probably to keep their working force strong). Britain blocked American trade w/ enemies; forced US to only trade w/ allies; strengthened their economies; forced US into somewhat of an alliance bias as American banks also only invested in allies; would hurt American economy if France & England lost. Although, America was claiming they were “neutral” American sympathies were with GB and France. JP Morgan extended over $3 billion to Britain.  

  • Causes for American Involvement- Not very neutral ^.

    • Lusitania- British commercial ship (had passengers; some American) was sunk by German submarine. But ehhh b/c the ship actually had arms so the Germans were just trying to stop the arms from being shipped. Unrestricted Submarine Warfare- fuck it we can do anything w/ submarines. Enraged Americans; yellow journalism fueled this.

    • Zimmerman Telegram- German telegram intercepted by US telling Mexico it would help them get land back from US (AZ, NM, etc.) Used to try to distract US from European War by creating a war between US & Mexico. America gets mad; blames Germany for like everything.

    • US gets in war- Germany is “hurting US trade” through unrestricted submarines warfare; declares war

      • National Defense Act- Increases size of army & money for warships, “in case US gets attacked” (passes before US involvement; preparation)

      • Russia also bails out b/c of their own revolution; Germany can focus more on France & Britain now; allies need more support

  • Opposition- West & midwest; Populists, Progressives, Socialists, William Jennings Bryan, Jane Addams, Jeannette Rankin, Women’s Suffrage

• War on the Homefront

  • Role of Gov- Gov tried to take power through industry & US banks. Does stuff:

    • War Industries Board- Directed military production; forced factories to put their efforts towards war production, set standard prices & procedures; Bernard Baruch

    • National War Labor Bond- established 8-hour workday w/ overtime bonuses & equal pay for women, supported women to create peaceful labor movements to reduce strikes; Taft

    • Food Administration- Encouraged Americans to eat less to conserve food Stuff like Meatless Mondays and Wheatless Wednesdays; Herbert Hoover

    • Fuel Administration- Encouraged Americans to conserve fuel, some factories were closed, daylight savings to conserve energy; Harry Garfield

    • Finance Board- Encouraged Americans to purchase war bonds, increased taxes, both income & corporate.

    • Committee on Public Information- Propaganda committee run by George Creel; promoted ideas from the other agencies seen above. “Protect the Hun” anti-german propaganda, believed Germans were spies. 

      • 4 Minute Men- Volunteers who gave powerful propaganda speeches in public to convince Americans.

      • Sedition Act- Prohibited words & behavior that “incite, provoke, or encourage resistance to US & supports enemies.”

        • Schneck v US- arrested socialist for handing out pamphlets that were deemed “dangerous”; upheld Espionage Act

        • Abrams v US- ruled authorities could prosecute speech that was thought to be “dangerous”

          • Both enforced Sedition Act

  • Great Migration- African Americans moved to cities, St. Louis, Chicago, Detroit, NY) b/c of influx in jobs (white men were out to war) & to escape oppressive South, but were only welcomed by discrimination in North. Mexican Americans & Puerto Ricans also moved up North from Southwest. Women also became heavily involved in working industrial jobs.

  • Women’s Suffrage- Woodrow Wilson, impressed by NAWSA’s patriotism (Carrie Chapman Catt) & scared of National Women’s Party (Alice Paul) aggressive nature, changed his mind & pushed for women’s rights as a “war effort”. Got 19th Amendment & set a precedent for other nations to give women the vote.

• Peace

  • 14 Points- Wilson called for open diplomacy, open trade, arms reduction, nationalism in Austro-Hungary; peace and reduction of possibility of further war

  • League of Nations- Wilson wanted to create it to “end all wars”; independence & territorial integrity for all.

  • Treaty of Versailles- Ended WWI, being particularly rough on Germany. Republican Congress rejected the treaty & league afraid of foreign involvement & prevention of US seeking free foreign policy. Both never got ratified.

    • Extras: “Reservationists” – Republicans Led by Senator Henry Cabot Lodge wanted amendments to the League of Nations before joining.Wilson still wanted it; went on tour to promote it; had a fucking stroke

Summary: All the while the US was building up its own domestic economy and dealing with domestic issues, it was also cracking out of its isolationist shell instilled way back by George Washington, involving itself more in foreign affairs. This first truly showed in the Spanish American War, where America asserted imperialist power on Latin America & the Philippines, while annexing Hawaii, through the Teller and Platt Amendments in Cuba, while also adding the Roosevelt Corollary to Monroe Doctrine, allowing the US to get into foreign affairs of the Carribean and Big Stick Diplomacy, marking the US’ naval power as a source of power to threaten countries into abiding.  Many were with imperialism, mostly Republicans, arguing it was necessary for land and resource expansion, to“civilize” the “uncivilized” people of the Caribbean and Philippines, otherwise known as the white man’s burden, all the while yellow journalism pressed for war, but just as many were against it, being mostly Democrats and women, who argued there were bigger issues to deal with in America or going back to Washington’s ideas of political isolation. With great interest in foreign affairs and already being a relatively strong, stable country, it was no doubt the United States would get involved in WW1. Despite the strong arguments against joining the War, many of which were the same seen in the Spanish American War in addition to the fear that the wide diversity of people in America would be affected through the war as there were many Germans and Italians in America yet those were the enemies, the United States eventually joined the war. At first, the United States, under the presidency of Democrat Woodrow Wilson, desired to stay neutral, not tangling with the European issues. However, after the unrestricted submarine warfare of Germany and the interception of the Zimmerman telegram, an attempt from Germans to distract America with internal war, and the essentially forced American investments into Britain and France, the United States joined the war. While men were at war, a great migration of African Americans and Mexican Americans, including Puerto Ricans,into cities occured to fill out the vacant jobs, many of which were forced in war production due to the multitude of government agencies set in place to dedicate to war effort. Women’s suffragists also finally got the right to vote through the 19th Amendment due to efforts from the NAWSA and National Women’s Party. Ending the 1st World War was the Treaty of Versailles. Though Wilson pushed for it, along with his own Fourteen Points and League of Nations, which America would not join, in hopes to end all wars, the Republican dominated Congress rejected both the Treaty of Versailles, never ratifying it, and the League of Nations, fearing it would force the United States into a certain foreign policy while also generally opposing it due to not wanting to intervene with foreign politics, seeing the horrors that came of it, in the Spanish American War and WW1.

Chapter 22 (The Roaring 20’s)

• Legacy of WWI

  • Causes of Racial Tensions- Increase in white violence due to more power for African Americans; war efforts, Great Migration, economic clout meaning job competition for whites. 

  • Labor Unions- Labor unions grew in size due to Democratic gov & National War Labor Board (NWLB) became racist; job competition from non-whites.

    • Adkins v Children's Hospital- ruled against federal legislation for regulating child labor, voided women of minimum wage in DC; went against Muller v Oregon, and generally an example of the resurging laissez-faire gov

  • Welfare Capitalism- Eventually replaced Labor Unions; system of labor relations that stressed employee’s wellbeing; Henry Ford $5 a day. Others gave benefits like healthcare & athletic facilities to encourage loyalty. 

  • Red Scare- Nativist movement; scared of communists, facists, and anarchists; created FBI under Eugene Palmer; “Palmer raids' ' arrested people who were thought to be dangerous.

• ERA- After WWI, women gained more gov power b/c of their wartime efforts

  • Sheppard-Towner Maternity & Infantry Act- provided federal funds for medical clinics & parental education programs to reduce infant mortality rates

  • ERA- Equal Rights Amendment; pushed for by Alice Paul; critics argued it would endanger women b/c women protection acts in workplace; finally passed in 70s

  • Women's International League for Peace and Freedom- damn why’s that so long. Jane Addams; women fought for diplomatic peace; against imperialism, stressed human suffering caused by militarism, & proposed social measures for peace

• Teapot Dome Scandal- Gov secretly leasing oil resources to private companies & taking bribes due to Laissez-Faire gov. Progressive Era reforms slowed down to a halt w/ gov becoming less interested, Taft being head of SCOTUS; didn’t do no trust  bustin’, didn’t care about conglomerates nor the FTC.

• Dollar Diplomacy- the use of a country's financial power to extend its international influence; Coined by Samuel Inman; denounced military intervention and threats (Big Stick Diplomacy) and loan guarantees. Economic efforts to further foreign policy and control through bank loans. NWL & other critics argued dollar diplomacy allowed for the infringement of soverignty and rape. Bank loans failed; $ only went to elites.

• Cultural Conflict

  • Prohibition- 18th Amen. Goal of Protestant Nativists & women for good health, morals, & Christian values. Speakeasies- places to drink illegally. In CA, people went across to Mexico for alcohol. Repealed in 1933 b/c of protests and gov didn’t really care enough + more money in taxes

  •  ACLU & Scopes Trial- In South, Fundamentalists fought against reaching darwinism suing schools who did. ACLU- protected free speech rights during Red Scare & intervened at Scopes Trial in defense of a bio teacher who taught evolution. William Jennings Bryan was prosecutor and court sided w/ him b/c it was in the law (Butler Law). Showed how much religion still influenced American politics.

  • Nativism (again)- Protestants didn’t like non-Protestants, non-white immigrants

    • National Origins Act (1924)- Set quota on immigration for each country based on how much immigration from that place had occurred. Stopped many Western Europeans but allowed many Latinos to come in. In CA, Chinese & Japanese immigrants weren’t allowed to own property for a bit. 

    • KKK- 1920’s brought a resurgence of KKK after Birth of a Nation; revolutionary film glorifying old KKK; brought them back together. Now targeted African Americans + Jews, Catholics, & Immigrants.  

• Results of Great Migration

  • Harlem Renaissance- African American cultural boom; art, literature, & jazz in Harlem, which was originally intended for whites but contractors got desperate to sell apartments. Claude McKay & Jean Toomer The New Negro revolutionized the Black race and how they would act, having more poli-socio-economic power.

    • Jazz- Swept across the nation; had Black & White listeners. Louis Armstrong, Ellington; boosted by radio & phonograph. Was one of the first pieces of African American culture to interest Whites; still segregated; “Cotton Clubs” for those who wanted to listen to jazz but not be around African Americans

    • Universal Negro Improvement Assocation- Marcus Gravey; urged African Americans to go back to Africa b/c there would never be equality for them in a white-run country; black seperatism; got 4 million folowers & left a legacy of activism in African Americans 

      • Pan-Africanism- All blacks in the world were destined to cooperate in political action b/c:

1. Blacks fought in WWI

2. Pan-African Congress sought representation in Treaty of Versailles

3. Protests against US occupation of Haiti

4. Modern black literature & arts

• Lost Generation- WWI survivors; John Dos Passos, Hemingway portrayed war’s dehumanizing effects in his books. Criticized modern American life; materialism, consumerism, Jazz, more acceptable sexuality. 

• Economic Problems After WWI- Right after war recession; inflation, unemployment 10%; fixed from 1922 to 1929. Big businesses began to merge w/ smaller ones to stop competition; Wall Street Bankers made NY economic capital; began to use other countries for plantations & factories (Asia, Latin America, Australia). Agriculture never really recovered from post-war recession. 

• More economics: Harding (rep president); reduction of income tax, increased tariffs through Fordney-McCumber Tarrif 1922, made Bureau of Budget to make all gov expenditures under one single budget for Congress to vote on.

• Consumer Culture & Credit- Consumer culture fed into racist ideas; African Americans shouldn’t have nice things b/c those are only for the “civilized”. Consumer Credit allowed for poor families to borrow money to buy items; “buy now, pay later”; eventually led to Great Depression

  • Automobile- Americans owned ~80% of world’s cars; symbol of wealth & power, led to oil industries booming even harder, highway & street construction, suburban shopping centers; paid w/ credit.

  •  Hollywood- By 1920’s; largest movie making company; Paramount, United Artists, etc by rich Eastern European Jews in Soho. Popularized Flappers- girls who challenged social norms by cutting their hair short, wearing short skirts, & smoking & drinking in public. Received criticism from gov and even women’s rights movements b/c they had “gone too far sexually” oh nooo calves, how scandalous

  • Great Depression- Too many loans & optimist investments w/ borrowed money led to Great Depression for 4 years; unemployment, poverty, halt of consumer culture; less $= less demand= less $; banks went bankrupt; middle & rich class stayed affluent but less wealthy; cities went bankrupt (Salt Lake City); people used for trading instead of $; people stopped having as much children; married women were banned from some jobs b/c money should go to “male breadwinners” but they still contributed greatly financially; voters wanted change bigger gov & welfare system; no more laissez-faire...again

Summary:Post WWI, the United States saw a huge cultural shift away from Victorian Progressivism and into the “Roaring 20’s”. Racial Tensions prevailed, as they always did, due to the Great Migration resulting in job competition for whites. This meant two things. Firstly, the KKK came back around and now also targeted non-protestants and immigrants. Secondly, a cultural boom was seen in Harlem, where African Americans proved their social and cultural importance through art, like Jazz; becoming essentially the first time Whites found themselves interested in Black culture. This, however, also sparked up the UNIA, under Marcus Garvey, who urged for African Americans to go back to Africa to escape the oppression of the White Americans and also become involved in politics after war efforts and protests. During the more laissez-faire government, proven in the lack of trust-busting under Taft-run SCOTUS, Adkins v Children’s Hospital and Teapot Dome Scandal, most protests and strikes were stopped by companies themselves introducing welfare systems to encourage loyalty in companies. Along with the 20’s cultural shift came a Red Scare, which created FBI to stop “spies”; communists, socialists, and anarchists after seeing what happened in Russia, and a resurgence of Nativism through the KKK and National Origins Act. In addition, Dollar Diplomacy essentially replaced Big Stick Diplomacy, the 18th Amendment (Prohibition) went into play, and the Scopes Trial solidified the power religion still had in the South. This shift also encouraged women to prove themselves powerful after the passage of the 19th Amendment, granting them the vote, with the push for political influence through the WILPF and the Equal Rights Amendment. During the 1920’s, the United States saw an immense economy, allowing for even somewhat poor families to buy cars, under consumer credit, of course, and watch Hollywood movies and afford radios to listen to Jazz and other radio channels. However, this surge in credit, loaning, and borrowing money eventually led to the Stock Market Crash of 1929 and the Great Depression, making Americans rethink the Laissez-Faire government which they had once pushed for, exiting the Progressive Era.  

Chapter 23- Great Depression 

• Causes- Wall Street Crash, too much borrowed money, too many speculative investments into the stock market, too optimistic about stock market, uneven distribution of income, excessive use of credit, overproduction of consumer goods, weak farming economy, Laissez-Faire (ish) gov, & global economic problems.

• Effects- GPD drop, mass poverty, homelessness, high unemployment (25%!), banks failed, ended Republican domination of gov b/c people wanted more regulation again, African Americans felt even more difficulties, & migrating jobs began; people migrating to wherever there was work

• Hoover’s Policies- didn’t do jack shit; thought it was gonna get better magically

  • Hawley-Smoot Tariff- One of highest American tariffs; 50%; Europe responded by placing more tariffs; hurt economy in long run

  • Debt Moratorium- Great Depression also affected Europe; war debt repayment (Dawes Plan) was halted b/c Europe couldn’t pay them back yet

  • Federal Farm Board- Made in 1929; only used after 1931; helped farmers stabilize prices by holding surplus grain & cotton in storage; too modest of a program; didn’t help much

  •  Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC)- 1932; propping up faltering railroads, banks, life insurance companies, & other financial institutions; Dems said it ultimately just went back to the wealthy, didn’t loan out enough and when it did, infrequently 

• Protests

  • Farmers- Midwest farmers made the Farm Holiday Association; tried to reverse drops in prices by stopping farming all together to increase demand; effort collapsed after violence.

  • Bonus March- WW1 veterans march to DC; demanded immediate payment of bonuses (bonus bill); Congress didn’t do so and drove them out w/ General Douglas MacArthur; made Hoover seem heartless.

• Election of 1932- Democrats; FDR vs Republicans; Hoover.  FDR won by landslide w/ new support of  African Americans, farmers, and some Northerners.

  • 20th Amendment- Hoover was so bad he made an amendment to kick himself out of office quicker; “Lame Duck Amendment” shortened period between election of new pres & inauguration

  • Eleanor Roosevelt- First 1st lady to be influential and be a leader.

• New Deal- Roosevelt offered vague promises during campaign but got around to doing stuff when pres. 

  • Brain Trust- Roosevelt put a lot of diverse people in charge of New Deal; Jews, Women, & African Americans

  • First 100 Days- Democratic Congress created Alphabet agencies;  WPA, AAA, CCC, NRA to combat depression

    • Fireside Chats- Roosevelt went on radio to announce banks had reopened w/ the money deposited exceeding the money withdrawn (people could get their money back)

    • Bank Holiday- FDR closed banks temporarily to prevent them from failing, sorted good and bad banks, FDIC formed to restore trust in banks by offering insurance of deposits up to $2,500

    • Repeal of Prohibition- Repealing Prohibition would allow for a federal tax on alcohol and nobody cared about being sober anymore.

  • The Three R’s (Relief; for unemployed, Recovery; for failing businesses & economy, and Reform; of American economic institutions)

    • Relief- Emergency Banking Relief Act; authorized the gov to examine finances of bank during bank holiday to reopen properly, Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA); offered grants of federal money for soup kitchens & other relief facilities under Harry Hopkins, Public Works Administration (PWA); used state & local money to build projects and supply jobs under Harold Ickes, Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC); employed young men on projects on federal lands, Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA); experiment in regional development and public planning to develop poorest area, Tennessee Valley.

    • Recovery- HOLC (Home Owners Loan Corporation) provided refinancing for small houses, Farm Credit Administration provided low-interest farm loans, 

    • Reform- Glass Steagall Act increased regulation of banks & limited consumer credit, FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation) guaranteed individual bank deposits; many weren’t getting the money they put in back.

  • NRA- One of most important new agencies under Hugh Johnson. Attempted to guarantee reasonable profits for business & fair wages & hours. NRA worked directly w/ companies & passed a law allowing workers to organize & bargain collectively. Ruled unconstitutional in Schechter v U.S. (Relief/Reform)

  • AAA- NRA but for farmers; encourage farmers to reduce production, boosting prices, and gave gov subsidies for every acre they plowed less. Declared unconstitutional in Schechter v U.S. (Relief/Reform)

  • Other Programs- Roosevelt continued to convince Congress to make new agencies

    • Civil Works Administration- (CWA); added to PWA to create jobs by hiring laborers at federally funded construction sites. (Relief)

    • Securities & Exchange Commission- (SECs); created to regulate stock market and place limits on speculation while requiring financial disclosure by corporations to stop fraud. (Reform/Recovery)

    • Federal Housing Administration- (FHA); gave bank loans to make and recover houses. (Relief/Reform-ish)

    • Got rid of gold standard for a bit thanks

• Second New Deal- b/c one wasn’t enough now was it. Concentrated more on two r’s: relief and reform

  • Relief Programs- Most made by Harry Hopkins

    • Work Progress Administration- (WPA); much bigger than 1st ND relief programs; WPA spent billions to supply jobs; double wages and hired a buttload of people. Made a bunch of roads, bridges, parks, etc. Not only looked for construction workers but artists, actors, writers, and photographers to advertise and decorate these sites.

      • NYA- National Youth Admin. to supply part-time jobs for high schoolers and college kids.

    • Resettlement Administration- (RA); under direction of Brain Trust; provided loans to sharecroppers, tenants, and small farmers; made federal camps where migrant workers could find good work.

  • Reform- Made industrial workers & farmers get more federal help over business

    • National Labor Relations (Wagner) Act- Made National Industrial Recovery Act unconstitutional; guaranteed a worker’s right to join union; outlawed unfair business practices; made National Labor Relations Board to enforce business law & ensure workers were being treated right

    • Rural Electrification Administration- Provided federal loans for electrical supply to rural areas 

    • Federal Taxes- Revenue act increased tax on wealthy

    • SOCIAL SECURITY ACT- Created federal insurance program which was based on one’s salary to give them monthly payments after 65; payed retirement + other benefits; unemployment compensation, etc. Changed American’s gov ideas; Gov should take care of poor

• Election of 1936- Roosevelt won b/c of popularity. Rep del was Landon; said gov was spending too much money but agreed w/ ND legislation. Dem party became white racists and nativists (Solid South), midwestern farmers, labor unions, & African Americans.

• Opposition to New Deal- liberals, conservatives, & demagogues

  • Liberal Critics- Said ND was too much for business, not enough for unemployed, minorities, women, and elderly

  • Conservative Critics- Said ND gave too much power to gov; WPA & Wagner Act were “communisitic”; business leaders said 1. Too much regulation 2. ND’s pro-union stance was no bueno 3. Financing gov programs meant deficit - borrowing money

    • Anti-New Deal- Alfred Smith & John Davis (dems) became reps and joined it to stop the ND from “subverting” the US econ & poli system

  • Demagogues- Father Charles Coughlin, Dr. Francis Townsend, Huey Long; needed immediate solutions not long term ones. Used radio to reach mass audiences; evil conspiracies (Coughlin), more economic security of elderly (Dr. Townsend), redistribution of wealth (Huey Long)

  • Supreme Court- Supreme Court killed NRA & AAA

    • Court Reorganization Plan- Roosevelt proposed judicial-reorganization bill; allowed pres to appoint Supreme Court an additional justice for every justice who was older than 70.5 years to get his own supporters as judges; Reps & Dems were outraged and said no that’s too much power “Court-packing”. Even a majority of Dem senate didn’t support him.

• Rise of Unions- Allowed for by National Industrial Recovery Act & Wagner Act

  • CIO- AFL (skilled workers) branched out to Committee of Industrial Organizations (CIO) under John Lewis; concentrated on unskilled workers in automobile, steel, & southern textile industry.

  • Strikes- General Motors strike; refused to work for right to join Union; gave in and let UAW (United Auto Workers) happen, US Steel Corp recognized CIO; small companies didn’t;  got violent & led to almost all small steel companies allowing CIO

  • Fair Labor Standards Act- Last major ND reform; minimum wage, max standard workweek of 40 hours, child labor restrictions on under 16 (US v Darby Lumber CO)

• Last Phase of the New Deal- New Deal lost momentum in late 1930s b/c of econ & poli reasons

  • Recession (37-38)- Caused by gov policy; Social Security tax reduced consumer spending & too much $ on public works.

  • Keynesian Economics- Deficit spending; helpful in difficult times b/c gov could spend above tax revenues & complicated economics. Basically, deficit spending allowed to gov to spend more than they were making; borrowing money to spend more on public works and reliefs to eventually get the econ stable & money back

  • Weakened ND- After “court-packing” fight; coalition of Reps & Dems wanted to limit ND; Nazi Germany also became a threat

• Depression Life- we all know this one too well

  • Women- Women were accused from taking jobs from men even though men and women applied for different jobs; Eleanor Roosevelt pushed for women’s equalities; ND programs didn’t ensure equal pay

  • Dust Bowl Farmers- soil aint got no DRENK; farmers migrated westward b/c of dry soil in midwest; Soil Conservation Service was created to teach & subsidize the plain farmers new efficient techniques

  • African Americans- “Last hired, first fired” heavy discrimination; African American sharecroppers in South; KKK; extreme poverty; got worst part of Great Depression; ND did some improvements (WPA & CCC provided jobs, moral support from Mrs. Roosevelt, federal jobs under Roosevelt)

  • Natives- John Collier; commissioner of Bureau of Indian Affairs established conservation through CCC and Native involvement in WPA

    • Indian Reorganization Act- Repealed Dawes Act in 1934; returned native land to tribes

  • Mexican Americans- Discrimination in CA & SW; unemployement, drought, etc. Many returned to Mexico b/c of job competition.

Summary- As the Great Depression started, in large part due to too much credit being given, a large wealth inequality, almost no business regulation, a weak agricultural economy, and economic problems globally, already elected President Hoover did little to help reduce the Depression’s effects and attempt to solve it, all attempts either ending up harming the US or not being effective enough. In the election of 1932, the voice of the American people was finally heard with the election of Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt, promising to bring the US out of economic failure with the “New Deal” In his first 100 days in office, FDR set in place a brain trust, comprised of diverse Americans from all corners of life (women, african americans, some immigrants, etc), using the radio to spread their ideas, closing banks temporarily, and repealing Prohibition. The New Deal came into place with three main ideas; relief for the unemployed, recovery for the failing economy and businesses, and reform to prevent further depression. During this period, the New Deal created hundreds of federal agencies tasked with resolving the depression. Though there were a wide array of agencies and services, the most notable ones include, but are certainly not limited to, the NRA, tasked with regulating workers rights and allowing them to organize and bargain, the AAA, encouraging farmers to produce less crop to drive prices up, and the WPA, creating public works projects and millions of jobs. During the New Deal, a push further forwards was seen, referred to by historians as the Second New Deal, which focused much more on relief and reform. Most notably, the Second New Deal strengthened the WPA, now hiring people to decorate and advertise these new projects, introduced the Wagner Act, allowing workers to form unions, and introduced the Social Security Act, revolutionizing how American saw the government’s role; now seeing it as the government’s job to take care of the poor. Though the New Deal was incredibly popular, forming the Democratic Party to include Solid South white supremacists, mid-western farmers, labor unions, and African Americans, it did not come without opposition. Opposition mostly came from extreme conservatives, arguing FDR had too much power, extreme liberals arguing it gave too much power to businesses, demagogues using the radio to preach their own reasons, and the Supreme Court killing the NRA and AAA. Even federal powers opposed FDR, especially during the time of his infamous “court-packing”, in which FDR attempted to fill the Supreme Court with like-minded individuals. During this time, Labor Unions also became prominent again, with the newly founded CIO based on unskilled workers, and finally being granted the Fair Labor Standards Act, setting standards for all American businesses. Like all things however, the New Deal eventually faded out of importance, with a small recession in the late 30s due to poor government policy management, the rise of Keynesian Economics, deficit spending, which were primarily used at the end of the New Deal, and the rising threat of the New Deal. In the end however, though the Great Depression affecting women, African Americans, Natives, Mexican-Americans, and Dustbowl Farmers particularly badly, the New Deal fixed some of these issues, with varying success, yet laid a strong foundation for American economics today.

Chapter 24- (WWII)

• Facism- Anti-democratic movement from 1920’s; spread b/c of “unfair” treatment of Germany in Treaty of Versailles and desire for expansionism abroad; Germany- Hitler, Japan- Hideki Tojo, Italy- Mussolini

• Nye Committee- Committee to investigate arms during WWI; findings prompted Congress to be isolationist b/c they showed that US had only fought war to benefit bankers and the wealthiest, worsening the wealth gap. 

• Neutrality Acts of 1935- Embargo on selling arms to warring countries & warned Americans on ships. 1936; Congress banned loans to countries in conflict. 1937; “cash-and-carry”; if warring nation wanted to buy from the US it would need to do so in cash and use their own ships; Congress tried not to repeat mistakes of WWI

• Arguments for Isolation & War- Isolation; mostly primarily conservatives & some liberals (Nation Legion of Mothers of America); no enthusiasm for war, listened to Taft and Aviator Charles Lindeberg, anti-communism, morality, even some anti-Semitism; made FDR cautious to intervene in European conflicts

  • Popular Front- Coalition of liberal anti-fascists. Many Americans joined; American Communist Party, Civil Rights Movements, Left-wing people. Dealt with international causes; e.g. Spanish Civil War. However, US, Britain, and France stayed neutral. 

  • America 1st Committee- Gov was neutral; FDR wasn’t; allowed for allies to buy American arms. In response, AFC, lead Lindenberg & Senator Nye, held rallies, made posters, brochures, etc for isolationism. They were also nazi’s so no, these aren’t the good guys; popularized anti-Semitism in America

• Early Attempts at Involvement- Like Wilson’s war “preparations”; FDR created National Defense Advisory Commission, added Republican Knox & Stimson to cabinet as Secretary of War, traded WWI arms w/ Britain

• Election of 1940- Roosevelt vs Willkie; Roosevelt won for 3rd term b/c of crisis

• “Four Freedoms”- Speech by FDR; stressed human freedoms- freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom from fear, and freedom of want. Defended Democratic Society ideals; like Wilson’s speech after WWI; outline liberal international order for US & European audiences.

• Away From Neutrality- Lend-Lease Act; allowed for Britain or allies to rent arms; went to USSR after Germany invaded USSR (attempted). Atlantic Charter; drew from Wilson’s 14 Points & FDR’s Four Freedoms; called for economic cooperation, national self-determination, & political stability after war between allies. US Navy & German U-boats had some fights on Atlantic but FDR didn’t call for war”Shoot on Sight” & Greer Sinking. Pearl Harbor; US stopped trade w/ Japan b/c their invasions in Indochina; Japan bombed Pearl Harbor; calamity united US & Congress declared war.

  • Appeasement- Continuously allowing a country to do a small thing again and again until it stockpiles up and turns into something big. How Hitler, Italy, & Japan rose to power. 

    • FDR Quarantine Speech- Wants to use economic power over isolationism; public disagrees; Congress ups war spending.

  • Latin America- FDR gets rid of Dollar Diplomacy b/c there’s no money left to invest.

    • Pan American Conference- FDR says US will never intervene in Latin America (pft yea okay), supposedly ends Roosevelt Corollary; nullifies Platt & Teller Amendment in Cuba.

• War Powers Act- Gave FDR all control over war effort; imperial presidency- abuse of presidential power.

• War on the Homefront

  • Economic- War efforts & defense mobilization ended Great Depression (not ND), Revenue Act of 1942; expanded # of people paying income tax; gave gov more $, Gov gave incentives (tax cut?) for companies to help w/ war effort; scarce raw materials (rubber, copper, oil), e.g. Ford making tanks instead of cars under War Production Board,

  • Military- Military production goes up a lot (okay cool we know), more than 50 million Americans, both men and women, of all races and economic classes enlist in the army; segregated for African Americans, very hard for Japanese American to enlist/be in high positions of power

    •  “Code teller” Navajo Native Americans used native language to send codes so other countries couldn’t understand. 

    • Drafts revealed Americans were in bad health and bad education; reforms pushed for improvements

  • Women

    •  Military- Women enlist in Women’s Army Corps (WAC), WAVES (emergency program basically), some serve in Women’s Airforce (WASPs); women weren’t in charge though.

    • Domestic- “Rosie the Riveter '' encouraged women to join the workforce due to labor shortages. Many opportunities given, but dealt w/ discrimination & sexual harrasement as well as no childcare; when war ended women were pushed back into their homes.

  • African Americans

    • Double V Campaign- wartime Civil Rights; “American racists are like Nazis”; wanted more job; FDR passed Executive Order 8802 to stop Civil Rights leader Randolph’s march to DC; order “stopped” employment discrimination; established Fair Employement Practices Commission to regulate; unprecedented federal push for black rights; laid foundation for 60s Civil Rights Movements

  • Mexican Americans

    • Bracero Program- Gov exploited Mexicans into labor contracts in West to meet agricultural demands; set up Mexican-American civil rights in labor systems in 40’s, sleepy lagoon murder (jose diaz), zoot suit riots

  • Labor Unions- Became the loudest voice of US workers; no-strike pledge during war; FDR created NWLB; regulated work hours, wages, the usual; could seize manufacturing plants which didn’t comply; miners went on strike b/c of low wages; Congress passed Smith-Connally Labor Act which allowed president to prohibit strikes and forbade gov assistance to labor unions.

    • GI Bill- FDR wanted 2nd Bill of Rights; Servicemen’s Readjustment Act (GI Bill of Rights) provided education, job training, medical care, pensions, & mortgage loans for those who participated in war.

  • Wartime Migration- Americans moved to big cities and California b.c of job demands; loosened tradition & previous norms

    • Racial Conflicts- Conflicts rose from “2nd Great Migration” for African Americans in cities & West as well as Latinos b/c job, housing, and other forms of competition

  • Homosexuals- Wartime migration allowed for homosexual communities to booml social conventions opposes them but homosexuals generally stayed silent; military tried to screen them out w/ limited success; boom in homosexual communities in port cities.

  • “For the Duration”- Gov involved Americans w/ everything in the war as a temporary inconvenience through popular culture, rations, and shortened consumer goods; enabling the black market to grow. 

  • Japanese Removal- Germans & Italians were left alone but after Pearl Harbor Western racism against Asian Americans, specifically Japanese began. Executive Order 9066 allowed for Japanese internment camps; relocation policy; upheld by Hirabayashi v US and Korematsu v US; “military necessity”

• Fighting the War- US, USSR, Britain (France, China) vs Germany, Japan, & Italy

  • D-Day (from that point on, germany plays defense)- First major fight of WWII w/ American involvement; lots of soldiers died; Allies won (Americans under command of Eisenhower), started Ally victories which would lead to European Facism surrender (Italy & Germany)

  • Holocaust & St.Louis- Jews on St.Louis escaping Holocaust were denied entrance b/c of American anti-Semitism in state departments, churches, & the general public. Eventually, FDR created War Refugee Board and Henry Morgenthau aided Jews in entry

  • Battle of Midway- Japanese & American fights in Pacific; severely harmed Japanese Navy and they never really recovered; allowed for US to exert pressure through invasion of previously Japanese invaded Atlantic islands

  • Manhattan Project- After FDR’s sudden death, Truman became president and learned about the Manhattan Project; testing atomic bombs. All was kept hidden from Congress, Americans, & even Truman whilst he was VP. Truman ordered for atomic bombing on Hiroshima & Nagasaki to get Japan to surrender since they were stubborn; got Japan to surrender, effectively ending WWII

• Costs of War- Killed a lot of people, destroyed European & Japanese infrastructure; hurt global economy, basically ended European imperialism; Britain was no longer a global power; America emerged basically undamaged and unresolved disputes between US & USSR led to Cold War.

Summary- As the spread of facism in Germany, Italy, and Japan spread, clearly going against the League of Nations and Treaty of Versailles, but both of these and the US appeased facism and did little to stop it, the United States found itself in a sticky situation. Still recovering from the Great Depression, the American people found themselves uninterested in war and prefered to remain neutral. In fact, the United States was completely uninterested and heavily appeased facist states for their rapid, inhumane expansion, and slowly but surely left Latin America alone after the the Pan American Conference, promising that the US would never again intervene with Latin American affairs, which didn’t last long. This was best seen in the American First Committee, Nye Committee, and the Neutrality Acts of 1935 and the acts which succeeded it, in large placing an embargo on US trade with Europe. However, as the US became more sympathetic to its WWI allies, mostly Britain, through the creation of the “cash-and-carry” policy, leading to the Lend-Lease Act, the Atlantic Charter, the “Shoot on Sight” fights between Germany and America’s Navies and the sinking of the Greer, all of which culminating in the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor, America went from seeking isolationism to having a burning desire to go to war. Luckily, due to FDR’s peacetime draft and pre-war effort mobilization solving the Great Depression, America was in large part ready to fight. As men were sent off to war, an enormous amount of jobs opened up. This meant minorities’ living standards greatly improved, having even more urban migration. Wartime factories and other preparations were employing Women, African Americans, Mexican Americans, and Natives, among many other minorities. Overall, though discrimination still prevailed, this era proved to be a step in the right direction for the rights of minorities. Labor Unions also became extremely large during this era, leading to the passage of the GI Bill of Rights, setting many regulations which still exist today. Unfortunately, the same positive progression cannot be said for Asian Americans, specifically the Japanese. After the Pearl Harbor attacks, Americans became extremely racist and a mass-hysteria over fearing Japanese Americans began. This led to Executive Order 9066 allowing for Japanese labor/internment camps to be created all over the country, somewhat mimicking concentration camps in Germany which Americans hated so much, but conditions were a lot better and barely any deaths occurred. WWII itself proved a lot of things about American society and its ideals. Firstly, an era of anti-Semitism ushered through with many Jews escaping the Holocaust in Europe being denied entrance. Secondly, American politics had an immense capability for destruction, best seen in the Hiroshima and Nagaski bombings, using atomic bombs developed through the Manhattan Project. Finally, WWII left the US fairly untouched which would establish it as the global power, having one of the strongest economies  ushering in a great wave of nationalism, sparking small disagreements with the USSR which would eventually lead to the Cold War