The Gilded Age WWI Regents Review American History and Government
Industrialization Antebellum (before the Civil War) Most people lived on small farms (Jefferson would have been so proud). Postbellum (after the Civil War) People began moving to cities to find work because of industrialization (Hamilton would have been so proud.) Abundance of natural resources in the U.S., especially with access to the west.
Industrialization New inventions: Thomas and the light bulb; Cyrus Field and the telegraph; the invention of the ice machine and refrigerated rail cars. Laissez-faire economics helped the economy GROW through entrepreneurialism. (People willing to risk their own money to organize and run businesses.) The support of federal subsides in providing money to help grow the railroads, canals, and overland roads.
Big Business Andrew Carnegie (Steel); Rockefeller & oil monopoly (Standard Oil) The first trust (a combination of firms or corporations formed by a legal agreement, especially to reduce competition.) J.P. Morgan investment banking. (Specialized in helping companies sell huge chunks of stock for a profit.)
Working Conditions In one word: bad. In two words: not good
Strikes The Knights of Labor (3rd party intervention) The Haymarket Riot (Chicago police kill 4 picketers) Homestead Strike (Pennsylvania strike leaves several dead and dozens wounded.) Pullman Strike: Rail workers bring transportation to a halt/supreme Court upholds the right for companies to issue injunctions (formal order) to halt boycotts that hurt the economy.
Organized Labor AFL (The American Federation of Labor) Samuel Gompers. The interests of skilled workers. IWW (INDUSTRIAL WORKERS OF THE WORLD) a.k.a. Wobblies. Organize all workers according to industry. One big union Women paid far less than men; Marry Harris Jones a.k.a. Mother Jones ; Rockefeller dubs her the most dangerous woman in America.
Immigration Influx of immigrants from all over the world in the second half of the 1800 s. Nativism (Protestant fears, wage fears.) Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 barred Chinese immigration for ten years & prevented Chinese already in America from becoming citizens.
The Gilded Age $, Power, Prestige
New Ideas About Society Individualism (anybody can do anything) - a move away from the ideas of the aristocrats - Tarzan Popular - Teddy Roosevelt. Social Darwinism (Those people who are not the fittest will not survive, this is natural, and should not be messed with.) *Herbert Spencer Philanthropy disagrees with what Spencer's says instead, Americans should help other less fortunate Americans - some rich folks. (Did it make them feel better? Americanization - nativism to encourage or force immigrants to adopt American traits characteristics. - (Can this exist alongside philanthropy?)
Return to the Outdoors -Tarzan
Herbert Spencer
The Bad Science of Social Darwinism.
You Were Born That Way
Nativism
Political Issues Spoils System Garfield assassination shows the need for political reform. (1880) Populism (movement to improve the political power of farmers.) Improvements in technology allowed farmers to produce more, but the flooded market had caused prices to fall. Tariffs also made it difficult for farmers to do business overseas. Populist supporters did not trust the democrats or the republicans. Regular Americans wanted to be heard. Proposed federal ownership of railroads and a graduated income tax. Not a huge success, most urban voters continued to support the traditional political parties.
New Imperialism U.S. had been focusing on building its economy within its own national boundaries in the early postbellum years. Europe, however, was trying to expand its powers, and exploit small, vulnerable territories all over the globe. The U.S. begins to see a benefit in overseas markets. Racism and the New Manifest Destiny
New Imperialism Building a modern navy Pan-Americanism: to stop Latin American companies from buying manufactured goods from Europe, and start buying them from the U.S. Spanish-American War (fighting Spain which had colonies still in Latin America); Yellow Journalism swayed public opinion in the US, sympathized with Cuban rebels. Theodore Roosevelt and his Rough Riders
New Imperialism The Panama Canal (to allow for cheap shipping and maintain control of the Western Hemisphere.) Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine: the U.S. would intervene in Latin American affairs when necessary to maintain economic and political stability in the Western Hemisphere.) President William Howard Taft: Dollar Diplomacy: supporting Latin American industry to increase trade and profits for the U.S., and also bring these countries out of poverty.
The Progressive Era Back Where We Started?
What do you see here? A Familiar Fear?
The Rise of Progressivism A reaction to the corruption laissez-faire economics had brought about. Poverty; political inequality Muckrakers (Jacob Riis, Ida Tarbell, Upton Sinclair) Exposed unfair practices of large corporations and targeted social problems.
OTHER PROGRESSIVES Frederick Taylor: scientific management 17th Amendment direct election of senators by voters to break the grip of political machines and end corruption. 19th Amendment: Elizabeth Cady Stanton/Susan B. Anthony; Women s Suffrage (right to vote); Alice Paul arrest and hunger strike. Florence Kelley: Child labor reform: muckrakers expose cruel treatment of child workers: states pass laws (minimum age, wage regulations, workday length.)
More On Progressives Lochner v. New York (1905) Supreme Court rules that bakers should NOT be required to work more than 10 hours per day. Muller v. Oregon (1908) Supreme Court rules that laundry workers should work a limited number of hours PER DAY Triangle Shirtwaist Tragedy brings attn. to building safety codes. Temperance Movement Eugene V. Debs attack on Big Business.
Roosevelt Takes Action Square Deal balance the needs of competing groups in American society on behalf of the public interest. 1904, The Northern Securities v. United States, The Supreme Court rules that J.P. Morgan s firm that monopolized the railroad industry was in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act which had meant to stifle such domination of one economic sector. Conservation: Roosevelt wanted to help preserve the natural, living environment of the US; (Forest Service, national parks, wildlife reservations.)
A Storm Cloud Looms: WWI
Tensions in Europe Nationalism in Europe; Self-determination; Southern Slavs begin to press for INDEPENDENCE in the Balkans (Southeastern Europe). June 1914, Archduke, Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne is assassinated in Sarajevo by a Bosnian revolutionary, Gavril Princip. This becomes known as the spark that lit the powder keg of Europe, and ignited a horrific war on a massive scale. The U.S. stayed out of the war until 1917, almost at the very end.
The U.S and WWI Americans wanted neutrality Unrestricted U-Boat warfare on any ship in British waters was making neutrality a difficult pill to swallow. The sinking of the British passenger ship, Lusitania, in 1915 saw 128 Americans civilians on board perish, making U.S. citizens more supportive of the possibility of entering the war to help the Allies Britain, France, & Russia throw off the German attack that had ground to a deadly stalemate in France. (Trench Warfare)
The Last Straw(s) The Zimmerman Telegram German promise to return lost territory in TX, NM, and AZ if the Mexico joined with the Germans and fought the U.S. Germany returned (ramped up) its unrestricted U-Boat policy, between February 3, and March 21, Germany subs sunk six American ships. Within days, the Senate and the House voted in favor of going to war.
Mobilizing Drafts Migration of 300,000-500,000 African-Americans from the South to the North to work in factories supporting the war effort. Mexican Americans do the same, about 100,000 Women join the work force in record numbers, even joining the military as nurses.
Trench Warfare and New Technologies Machine guns Trenches Poisonous gas Zeppelin Aircrafts & Dogfights
The War Ends The American help ended up tipping the balance; Germany LOST the war. Wilson s Fourteen Points: the principle of justice to all peoples and nationalities. 1-5: eliminate the causes of the war through free trade, freedom of the seas, disarmament, and impartial adjustment of territorial claims, and open diplomacy The following eight addressed the right of national self-determinization (the borders of countries should be based on ethnicity and national identity.)
The War Ends All territories returned to their former pre-war borders. Creation of the League of nations was the fourteenth point. Its members would help preserve peace by promising to respect and protect each other s territory and political independence.
The Treaty of Versailles Meant to punish and weaken Germany. Disarmament Remaining troops not allowed west of the Rhine River Reparations: $33 billion. The U.S. refused to sign the Treaty, League of Nations formed without the U.S., which formed separate treaties with each of the Central Powers (the enemies of those we fought with during the war.)