Chapter 19: The Roaring Twenties
The Twenties brought about tremendous change in America.
WWI brought about change:
1. Women got the right to vote.
2. Women went out to work.
3. Many African Americans moved north in the Great Migration.
Immigrants suffered during the war- they were discriminated against and there were quotas placed on them. Fewer immigrants came to America in the twenties.
After the war, the people wanted life to go back to the way it was- to “return to normalcy”. Harding won the presidency by a landslide because he promised just that. He was an awful president, but a nice person. He didn’t have great government skills- he put his friends in office who were crooks, but he didn’t know about it. They were nicknamed the “Ohio Gang”. Harding had a heart attack and died in office.
After Harding’s death, many scandals surfaced:
1. One of them involved the Veteran’s Bureau- an organization that takes care of war veterans. The head was convicted of selling hospital supplies for his own benefit.
2. Teapot Dome Scandal- the secretary of interior, Albert Fall, was accused of accepting bribes from oil companies in exchange for giving them permission to drill for oil in protected lands in Teapot Dome, Wyoming.
Harding died and Calvin Coolidge became president. Coolidge was elected on his own in 1924.
The Coolidge years were called Coolidge Prosperity- the economy was strong. Coolidge had a laissez faire attitude towards business. Coolidge had many pro-business policies:
1. Businesses and the wealthy were helped by the tax laws- gave a tax reduction to businesses.
2. Regulatory agencies helped businesses more than they regulated business.
3. Had a very relaxed attitude toward mergers- allowed businesses to merge and grow strong. By 1929, two hundred companies owned half of the nation’s wealth.
4. Place heavy tariffs on imports so that American businesses would be strong.
The farmers weren’t doing great. Post WWI, the agricultural industry, along with the textile industry slumped. Labor unions also weren’t doing so well, but life was improving for the laborers.
Another flaw in Coolidge Prosperity was the stock market speculation- people bought stocks on margin, which was a little risky.
The twenties was a time of mass consumption. People were now buying and buying.
Three major areas of industry that changed people’s lives:
1. Car- stimulated many businesses such as steel and gas.
a. Automobile industry set off a real estate boom. People now began to move out to the suburbs because they can now drive to work.
b. Produced goods for the cars.
c. More highways and roads.
d. Led to the decline of railroads.
e. Increased social equality because the car was relatively inexpensive. Ford built the car so that it could be affordable to all.
f. The car stimulated installment buying- buy now and pay later.
g. Stimulated the advertising agency.
2. Electric industry- hanged the way we work and live:
a. It changed the home, factory and city.
b. Electricity helped increase production because now there is more time to work.
c. Electric items work quicker and are more efficient. Electric appliances made life so much easier.
3. Radio and movies- erased the regional differences from different areas because everyone listened to the same stations, forcing them all in the same way. The radio also increased people’s expectations and helped popularize jazz and other music. The radio additionally increased our interests in politics, sports and technology.
Together with the new business techniques, this caused a great change in America. Ford and the assembly line that mass produced cars was at the head of the change.
The twenties was also a time of shifting cultural values. Wealth, possessions and fun became the need of the day. These ideas of pursuing fun and lose morals was an idea that was influenced by Sigmund Freud. Freud was a Jewish psychiatrist who said that if you don’t go after what you want, it’ll cause you pain. He began the idea of psychoanalysis.
There was now leisure time for Monopoly, crossword puzzles, theater and board games. People began to idolize movie and sports stars. Games became in style. The new popular woman was known as the flapper. She drank, smoked, wore short dresses and bobbed her hair. Really, flappers basically only existed in the movies, but life for woman definitely did change.
90% of married woman were still home, but there were many changes. Divorce and smaller families now became more accepted. Families now went from a producing unit to a consuming unit. A large family was now a drain because each child was a consumer. There was now more emphasis on the role of a wife than the role of a mother.
In 1921, the Sheppard Towner Act was passed- to improve health care for woman, childbirth and infant mortality. Clinics were opened up to teach woman about their health and discuss health care.
Alice Paul tried to introduce equal rights amendments. It was met with tremendous disagreement. Women’s votes didn’t have a tremendous effect on politics.
Literature reflected the times. F. Scott Fitzgerald was a writer. He wrote about the excitement of the time. Hemmingway was also a writer at this time. He ran away because he said that America is too materialistic.
One of the most cultural experiences at this time was the Harlem renaissance- in Harlem, NY, there was an explosion of black music, art and literature.
Duke Ellington is the father of jazz music. The twenties is sometimes called the Jazz Age.
Langston Hughes was a black poet and writer.
There were many constitutional and legal issues in the twentiess. Some were a threat to our freedoms.
Legal issues:
1. Red Scare- in 1917 was the Russian Revolution- the Russians formed a communist government. America wasn’t happy about this. They were on the lookout for communists in America. Foreigners were the first ones to be suspected. There were events which America blamed on communists, such as:
a. Riots in NY
b. Race riots in many cities
c. Rioting against the Boston police.
Mitchell Palmer was the Attorney General and he began to raid homes without a search warrant- Palmer raids. He raided communist agencies and agencies which he believed were communist. Thousands of people were arrested and many immigrants were deported. Palmer’s actions were extreme and eventually people said that he’s crazy and the raids ended.
2. Saco and Vanzetti Trial- Mr. Saco and Mr. Vanzetti were accused of murder in a bank robbery in Massachusetts. They were anarchists- someone who believes in no government, but in absolute freedom. They stood trial for murder and were found guilty. They felt the evidence about the murder wasn’t strong and they thought they were being accused because of their beliefs. Felt they were killed for their beliefs. In 1972, they were found to be not guilty.
3. Klu Klux Klan- the Klu Klux Klan rose again. They were anti immigrants, Jews and blacks.
4. Scopes Trial- it took place in 1925, in Tennessee. It received nation-wide attention because it placed science vs. religion. As the country modernizes, we’re going to have this fight of science vs. religion. John Scopes was a teacher of biology and he wanted to teach about evolution but it was illegal to teach about religion. He was fined for teaching about evolution. There was a trial and it became a national event. William Jennings Brian was a lawyer in favor of religion. Darrow was in favor of science. Brian was a great speaker but he x speak well in public about this. Scopes was found guilty. Bryan’s confusing speech weakened religion in America.
5. Quotas- during the twenties, quotas were placed on immigrants. Immigrants weren’t allowed into the country from Europe and particularly Asia.
6. Prohibition- the eighteenth amendment was passed. It outlawed the sale, manufacturing and consumption of all alcoholic beverages. The government passed the Volstead Act, which was going to implement the Prohibition. The Prohibition proved to be unenforceable.
Organized crime now began in America- Mafia, Al Capone- famous gangster in Chicago, gangsters. Now, people smuggled- bootlegging. There were thousands of speakeasies (bars) across America.
In 1933, the twenty-first amendment was passed, repealing the prohibition.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
SS- Chapter 18
Chapter 18: World War I
WWI began in Europe in 1914 and lasted until 1918. The US didn’t enter the war until 1917.
Causes for WWI:
1. Nationalism- there was strong nationalistic competition amongst the European nations, in particular after the reunification of Germany in 1871. There was also ethnic unrest- groups of Czechs and Slavs wanted to free themselves from being under Austria-Hungary’s rule.
2. Imperialism- the European nations and the USA were scrambling for colonies in developing war. The fight over colonies was tense.
3. Alliance system- because of the tensions that were building up, little groups of like minded nations joined together:
a. Triple Entente/Allies- France, England and Russia.
b. Triple Alliance- Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy.
The problem with the alliance system is that when countries are upset with each other, you end up with a huge war instead of the two countries that are upset.
4. Militarism- all the nations began building up their armies, especially Germany.
Why did America enter the war? (As a general, America was neutral)
1. Cultural ties- Americans felt connected to whichever countries they came from. Some felt connected to Germany, many to England- our mother country, and some to France- our old ally.
2. Economic links to these countries- the British blockaded the North Sea and that cut off our trade with Germany, intensifying our trade with England. Now that we had economic ties with England, we wanted to help them. Most Americans felt that trading with the Allies didn’t bridge our neutrality. Wilson won his second term in office in 1916 with the slogan, “he kept us out of war”.
3. Propaganda- the media influences our thoughts. The Allies launched a very successful media campaign- they pictured themselves as agents of democracy and the Triple Alliance as barbarians. Through billboards and news bulletins, they pushed their views.
4. Issue of freedom of the seas and German submarine warfare- in 1915, the Germans tried to use submarine warfare in an attempt to end the British blockade. Germany announced that the waters around England are within a warzone and that their u-boats would be sinking ships that come into these waters. They said that neutral ships also shouldn’t come into these waters. Since submarines are vulnerable when they surface, they decided to ignore the international law that demands that neutral ships be treated differently than war ships. America felt that their freedom of the seas was being abused. The American passenger ship, the Lusitania, was attacked.
Immediate events that led America to enter the war:
1. February 1, 1917- Germany announced unrestricted submarine warfare. The Germans figured that by announcing this it would bring America into the war, but they also figured that the submarine warfare would be so effective that the blockade would be over before America came over. Why did Germany do such a dumb thing? Because they assumed they could outsmart America and they would win before America got across the Atlantic.
2. Zimmerman telegram- German foreign secretary Arthur Zimmerman sent a telegram to Mexico in which he asked for a military alliance- in case of war, join in an alliance and you’ll get back all the lands that you lost to American in the Mexican- American war. The US intercepted this telegram. It was printed in all the American newspapers and the Americans became angry at Germany for making such a suggestion.
3. March 1917- five American ships were sunk by the Germans.
4. March 1917- the Russian Revolution took place. The Russians overthrew the czar and set up a new government which seemed to be more democratic than the czar was. Wilson felt more comfortable with the new Russia as an ally. Wilson believed that he was entering the war in order “to make the world safe for democracy”.
America entered the war in April 1917. While they were still in a neutral state, they had already been preparing:
1. Nation Defense Act and the Navy Act (1916) - began the expansion of the army and navy.
2. Revenue Act (1916) - began to raise money to pay for the expansion of the army.
The idea of a draft had long been debated. Some people felt that a draft was wrong and that people should join voluntarily out of love for their nation. They felt that forcing people would hurt the poor people because the rich somehow always managed to get out of it. In 1917, Congress passed the Selective Service Act, which was a draft. All males between the ages of eighteen and forty- five had to join. The draft was questioned, but upheld in court. By the end of the war, 4.8 million Americans had served in the army and 2.8 million were draftees.
The US entered the war at a point when the allies were already exhausted. They supplied fresh, excited soldiers to join the weak atmosphere.
In order to get America ready for war, the government took over different aspects of society:
1. Housing
2. Labor relations
The thought behind this was that sometimes, when a country is in a state of wartime, the government takes control of fields that they hadn’t been involved in beforehand.
About sixteen percent of all males were in the military. Woman and African Americans took over their jobs.
The war was a crusade for President Wilson- he was making the world safe for democracy.
Constitutional issues during the war:
1. Opposition to the war- there were pacifists, such as Jane Adams and Robert Lafollette, who were against the war. Their actions sometimes led to reactions by the American government. In 1917, a law was passed which said that no one can come into the country without passing a literacy test. They said that the immigrants are our enemies and are causing trouble.
2. Espionage Act- it’s a crime to interfere with the draft.
3. Sedition Act- the postmaster general can bar treasonous mail.
4. Schenk vs. USA (1919)- Schenk was handing out anti-draft papers, so he was thrown into jail. He sued and when the case reached the Supreme Court, Oliver Wendell Holmes (chief justice) said that during war, freedoms can be abridged if they are presenting a clear and present danger. The example he gave was screaming “FIRE!” in a packed theater.
The war ended on November 11, 1918. America felt that they had a tremendous part in the victory.
Wilson had a dramatic role in the peace making process. He came up with a program called the Fourteen Points:
1. Open diplomacy- everyone will talk to everyone else and there will be no secrets.
2. Freedom of the seas- everyone is going to trade together and there will be no blockades.
3. No trade barriers.
4. Arms reduction.
5. Self determination- let every people decide how they want to live. America themselves had colonies, as they had fought a war in 1848 and got:
a. Guam
b. Cuba
c. Philippines
6. League of Nations- place to get together to discuss all the problems at hand.
Wilson came to Europe and was considered a hero. He was the first American president to leave American soil during his presidency. The European nations didn’t like the Fourteen Points. They wanted to make Germany pay, so they made up their own treaty.
Treaty of Versailles:
1. Germany had to admit that the war was all their fault.
2. Had to pay reparations.
3. Give up their army and colonies.
The only one of the fourteen points that was kept was the League of Nations.
Senate didn’t want to ratify the Treaty of Versailles because:
1. The Republicans were annoyed at Wilson (Democrat) that he didn’t involve them in the decision making. Henry Cabot Lodge was a powerful Republican who fought against it.
2. America wanted to go back to their policy of neutrality. They would only get involved if they wanted to.
Wilson went around the country trying to get people to sign. At this time, he had a stroke and his wife ran the country. America never signed the Treaty of Versailles, however they did sometimes send observers to the League of Nations.
After WWI, America changed from a debtor nation into a creditor nation. They emerged as a superpower.
WWI began in Europe in 1914 and lasted until 1918. The US didn’t enter the war until 1917.
Causes for WWI:
1. Nationalism- there was strong nationalistic competition amongst the European nations, in particular after the reunification of Germany in 1871. There was also ethnic unrest- groups of Czechs and Slavs wanted to free themselves from being under Austria-Hungary’s rule.
2. Imperialism- the European nations and the USA were scrambling for colonies in developing war. The fight over colonies was tense.
3. Alliance system- because of the tensions that were building up, little groups of like minded nations joined together:
a. Triple Entente/Allies- France, England and Russia.
b. Triple Alliance- Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy.
The problem with the alliance system is that when countries are upset with each other, you end up with a huge war instead of the two countries that are upset.
4. Militarism- all the nations began building up their armies, especially Germany.
Why did America enter the war? (As a general, America was neutral)
1. Cultural ties- Americans felt connected to whichever countries they came from. Some felt connected to Germany, many to England- our mother country, and some to France- our old ally.
2. Economic links to these countries- the British blockaded the North Sea and that cut off our trade with Germany, intensifying our trade with England. Now that we had economic ties with England, we wanted to help them. Most Americans felt that trading with the Allies didn’t bridge our neutrality. Wilson won his second term in office in 1916 with the slogan, “he kept us out of war”.
3. Propaganda- the media influences our thoughts. The Allies launched a very successful media campaign- they pictured themselves as agents of democracy and the Triple Alliance as barbarians. Through billboards and news bulletins, they pushed their views.
4. Issue of freedom of the seas and German submarine warfare- in 1915, the Germans tried to use submarine warfare in an attempt to end the British blockade. Germany announced that the waters around England are within a warzone and that their u-boats would be sinking ships that come into these waters. They said that neutral ships also shouldn’t come into these waters. Since submarines are vulnerable when they surface, they decided to ignore the international law that demands that neutral ships be treated differently than war ships. America felt that their freedom of the seas was being abused. The American passenger ship, the Lusitania, was attacked.
Immediate events that led America to enter the war:
1. February 1, 1917- Germany announced unrestricted submarine warfare. The Germans figured that by announcing this it would bring America into the war, but they also figured that the submarine warfare would be so effective that the blockade would be over before America came over. Why did Germany do such a dumb thing? Because they assumed they could outsmart America and they would win before America got across the Atlantic.
2. Zimmerman telegram- German foreign secretary Arthur Zimmerman sent a telegram to Mexico in which he asked for a military alliance- in case of war, join in an alliance and you’ll get back all the lands that you lost to American in the Mexican- American war. The US intercepted this telegram. It was printed in all the American newspapers and the Americans became angry at Germany for making such a suggestion.
3. March 1917- five American ships were sunk by the Germans.
4. March 1917- the Russian Revolution took place. The Russians overthrew the czar and set up a new government which seemed to be more democratic than the czar was. Wilson felt more comfortable with the new Russia as an ally. Wilson believed that he was entering the war in order “to make the world safe for democracy”.
America entered the war in April 1917. While they were still in a neutral state, they had already been preparing:
1. Nation Defense Act and the Navy Act (1916) - began the expansion of the army and navy.
2. Revenue Act (1916) - began to raise money to pay for the expansion of the army.
The idea of a draft had long been debated. Some people felt that a draft was wrong and that people should join voluntarily out of love for their nation. They felt that forcing people would hurt the poor people because the rich somehow always managed to get out of it. In 1917, Congress passed the Selective Service Act, which was a draft. All males between the ages of eighteen and forty- five had to join. The draft was questioned, but upheld in court. By the end of the war, 4.8 million Americans had served in the army and 2.8 million were draftees.
The US entered the war at a point when the allies were already exhausted. They supplied fresh, excited soldiers to join the weak atmosphere.
In order to get America ready for war, the government took over different aspects of society:
1. Housing
2. Labor relations
The thought behind this was that sometimes, when a country is in a state of wartime, the government takes control of fields that they hadn’t been involved in beforehand.
About sixteen percent of all males were in the military. Woman and African Americans took over their jobs.
The war was a crusade for President Wilson- he was making the world safe for democracy.
Constitutional issues during the war:
1. Opposition to the war- there were pacifists, such as Jane Adams and Robert Lafollette, who were against the war. Their actions sometimes led to reactions by the American government. In 1917, a law was passed which said that no one can come into the country without passing a literacy test. They said that the immigrants are our enemies and are causing trouble.
2. Espionage Act- it’s a crime to interfere with the draft.
3. Sedition Act- the postmaster general can bar treasonous mail.
4. Schenk vs. USA (1919)- Schenk was handing out anti-draft papers, so he was thrown into jail. He sued and when the case reached the Supreme Court, Oliver Wendell Holmes (chief justice) said that during war, freedoms can be abridged if they are presenting a clear and present danger. The example he gave was screaming “FIRE!” in a packed theater.
The war ended on November 11, 1918. America felt that they had a tremendous part in the victory.
Wilson had a dramatic role in the peace making process. He came up with a program called the Fourteen Points:
1. Open diplomacy- everyone will talk to everyone else and there will be no secrets.
2. Freedom of the seas- everyone is going to trade together and there will be no blockades.
3. No trade barriers.
4. Arms reduction.
5. Self determination- let every people decide how they want to live. America themselves had colonies, as they had fought a war in 1848 and got:
a. Guam
b. Cuba
c. Philippines
6. League of Nations- place to get together to discuss all the problems at hand.
Wilson came to Europe and was considered a hero. He was the first American president to leave American soil during his presidency. The European nations didn’t like the Fourteen Points. They wanted to make Germany pay, so they made up their own treaty.
Treaty of Versailles:
1. Germany had to admit that the war was all their fault.
2. Had to pay reparations.
3. Give up their army and colonies.
The only one of the fourteen points that was kept was the League of Nations.
Senate didn’t want to ratify the Treaty of Versailles because:
1. The Republicans were annoyed at Wilson (Democrat) that he didn’t involve them in the decision making. Henry Cabot Lodge was a powerful Republican who fought against it.
2. America wanted to go back to their policy of neutrality. They would only get involved if they wanted to.
Wilson went around the country trying to get people to sign. At this time, he had a stroke and his wife ran the country. America never signed the Treaty of Versailles, however they did sometimes send observers to the League of Nations.
After WWI, America changed from a debtor nation into a creditor nation. They emerged as a superpower.
SS- Chapter 16
Chapter 16: The Progressive Era
By 1900, the US was a powerful, wealthy nation. Urbanization, immigration and industrialization had made it so. Together with these changes came a slew of problems, and the Progressive Era was going to change these problems.
Problems:
1. Huge monopolies in business
2. Violence in the labor movement
3. Poverty and crime in the cities
4. Increasing gap between the rich and the poor
5. Political corruption
6. Abuse of natural resources
The Progressive Era (1900- 1920) wasn’t one group of people, it was many groups of people. They all had one basic similarity- they were middle class Americans with some extra time and money to do good. In America, it was easy to spread a movement because of the forms of communication:
1. Telephones
2. Railroads
3. Mail
Movements:
1. Muckrakers- a group of progressives who worked toward a social and economical change-. They were all journalists who wanted to expose different evils of society- wanted to dig up the “muck”.
Five Muckrakers:
a. Frank Norris- he wrote “The Octopus”. This book discusses the monopolies of the railroads in California and how the workers were mistreated.
b. Ida Tarbell- she wrote “History of Standard Oil”, which exposed the evil practices of Rockefeller- he was a thief.
c. Lincoln Stephens- he wrote “Shame of Cities”- exposed the corrupt city practices.
d. Jacob Riis- he was a photographer and wrote a photoplay “How the Other Half Lives”. He exposed the horrible living conditions of the poor in the cities. This had an impact on reform in the city. One of the goals was to improve the sewage in the city. They also wanted codes and licensing for building.
e. Upton Sinclair- he wrote “Jungle”. This book exposed the horrors of the meat packaging industry. As a direct result, two laws were passed:
i. Pure Food and Drug act
ii. Meat Inspection act
2. Peace movement- Lillian Wald and Jane Adams led the Woman’s Peace Party- against war. They were pacifists. As a result of her efforts as a pacifist, Jane Adams won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1931.
Jeanette Rankin was the first female senator. She voted against our entry into WWI and WWII. She was a pacifist.
3. Temperance Movement and Prohibition- felt that it could produce better citizens if it was alcohol free. Under the leadership of Francis Willard, the temperance movement took a turn- it began to advocate for the Prohibition. The Prohibition would be an amendment to the constitution stating that alcohol consumption, selling, manufacturing and drinking is illegal. Willard formed the WCTU (Woman’s Christian Temperance Union) to stop the sale of alcohol. In 1920, the eighteenth amendment was passed, in which it stated that the sale, consumption and manufacturing of alcohol was illegal. This amendment was a big mistake and was later repealed.
4. Child Labor-the progressives worked to limit child labor. In 1912, the Federal government formed the Federal Children’s Bureau:
a. To investigate child labor
b. To pressure states to set a minimum wage
c. To pressure states to set maximum hours
5. Woman’s Rights movement- woman’s rights movements began way back in 1848. As time progressed, they decided to make suffrage their main goal.
Susan B. Anthony made it her life’s goal. Susan was very strong in her stand on woman’s rights. Lucy Stone and her husband, Henry Blackwell were more moderate in their goals. Their group joined with SBA and ECS and was called NAWSA. Susan B. Anthony died in 1906. Carrie C. Catt took over NAWSA and worked for suffrage. Alice Paul was a member of NAWSA. She was a militant and was kicked out of NAWSA.
Historians feel that it was the united efforts of woman during WWI who got the nineteenth amendment to be passed in 1920. This amendment gave woman the right to vote.
Another sign of improvement was education for woman- by the end of the 1800s, many women’s colleges had opened. By the early 1900s, a third of the people attending college were woman. Female colleges:
a. Vassar
b. Wellesley
c. Smith
Soon, co-ed colleges were started.
Another woman’s issue was the campaign for birth control. Margaret Sanger formed the Planned Parenthood Organization (aka American Birth Control League). She went into inner city homes and advocated limiting children in a family. She was jailed very often.
6. Jewish groups formed the ADL- fought against anti-Semitism.
7. Progressive efforts in the government- the government was corrupt. They wanted to end the political machines and didn’t want a mayor. They worked on a few main ideas to make the government closer to the people, and that would minimize corruption:
a. Secret Ballot- no one should know who you are voting for. This would end the intimidation of the party bosses.
b. Initiative- the voter could petition to get a law passed.
c. Referendum- voters decide whether a law should be passed. This is direct democracy.
d. Recall- people can be removed from office.
e. Direct primary- you choose the person you want to represent you.
f. Direct election of senators- the seventeenth amendment was passed, which allowed for this to happen.
All these ideas were presented by the Populist Party, but weren’t passed until now.
The state of Wisconsin was used as a role model for progressive reform under their governor Robert Lafollette. Wisconsin enacted many progressive reforms. They passed laws to:
1. Regulate railroads
2. Correct banks
3. Stop corruption
Lafollette was nicknamed “Fighting Bob”.
Other states copied and tried to bring change:
1. California under Hiram Johnson
2. New York under Teddy Roosevelt
The first three presidents of this century were all progressives:
1. Roosevelt
2. Taft
3. Wilson
Roosevelt became president in 1901. He was elected as vice president in 1900, but when McKinley was killed, he became president. Roosevelt was a proactive person. He was the first president in history who was heavily involved with the people. Today, presidents are extremely involved with the people.
He was heavily involved in social and economic reform. He promised every American a Square Deal- a fair chance that they should be serviced in this country. It was under Roosevelt that the Pure Food and Drug act and the Meat Inspection act were passed.
Roosevelt was heavily involved in regulating business. He wanted to strengthen the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) - set up to regulate business. In order to do this, he passed the Elkins and Hepburn Act- force railroads to set formal rates. They made it illegal to give out free passes to friends. The ICC also regulated ferries, bridges and pipelines later on.
Roosevelt was known as the “Trust Buster”- he checked into trusts. If they were good trusts that benefited the city, they could remain, otherwise not.
He convinced Congress to set up the Bureau of Corporations- division of the department of labor. The bureau would investigate trusts and let the public know what they doing wrong. They would bring the trusts to court if they were doing something wrong.
Two major trust busting cases:
1. Northern Security vs. USA- broke up the railroad monopoly, so the court ruled against it.
2. Swift and Co. vs. USA- it was a meat packaging company. The court ruled that the monopoly had to be crushed. This case was a clear deviation of EC Knight vs. USA because then, the court ruled in favor of the monopoly.
In this time period, America was moving away from laissez faire.
Roosevelt also worked to help labor unions grow. In 1902, the Pennsylvania coal miners went on strike but the owner refused to do anything. Roosevelt called them down to the White House to talk with them and force them to work with the labor unions. This is called arbitration. This was the first time that the government got involved with the unions to favor the worker.
Roosevelt passed the Employer’s Liability Act- bosses need some form of insurance in case the workers get hurt on the job.
Lockner vs. NY- limiting the work hours.
Roosevelt was a conservationist- he loved the outdoors. Roosevelt was influenced to set aside land by:
1. John Muir
2. Pinochet
National parks were built now and the National Reclamation Act was passed- took money from the sale of public land and used it for irrigation and to fix things. The National Forest Reserve Act was also passed- set aside land for forests.
Roosevelt organized the Conservation Convention- a meeting of many governors of many states to discuss conservation issues.
In 1908, Roosevelt decided not to run for a third term, and told Republicans to vote for Taft. Taft won the presidency.
Taft was a progressive and there were many reforms under Taft:
1. Trust Buster- busted many trusts, even more than Roosevelt. Standard Oil Co. vs. USA- felt that they were violating the Sherman Anti Trust Act- the Supreme Court used the rule of reasoning- look deep into the trust and see if it’s illegal.
2. Man Elkins Act- gave more power to the ICC.
Taft ran into a money problem and he wasn’t politically capable. He made two mistakes:
1. As the progressives wanted to lower the tariff, he promised to. However, not all the members of his party were progressives. In fact, many of the Republicans wanted to raise the tariff. The tariff was indeed raised. The Payne Aldrich Tariff raised the tariff. Many people didn’t agree.
2. Taft fired the head of the forest department- Pinochet. Taft fired him because Taft’s friend Balinger had been taking land for business and Pinochet said that he’s doing the wrong thing. People were upset that Taft fired him.
Election year of 1912- Roosevelt said that he’s going to run for a third term, but the Republican Party nominated Taft because people don’t like change.
Roosevelt formed the Bull Moose Party- to take care of things on his own. Now, the Republican Party was split. This paved the way for the democratic victory which occurred. Woodrow Wilson now became president. Wilson was also a progressive. “New Freedom” was Wilson’s slogan- he wanted to change finance in the city.
Reforms:
1. Underwood Tariff- lowered the tariff. This was the first time the tariff was lowered since the Civil War. It also added a provision to the sixteenth amendment that was passed at the end of Taft’s term. The sixteenth amendment started an income tax. Now, a provision was added- Graduated Income Tax- the amount was based on an individual percent of income.
2. Federal Reserve System- reshaped the banking system in America. Wilson divided the USA into twelve banking districts. In each of the sections, he placed a Federal bank. All these banks had to answer to a Federal Reserve Board, which regulated the banks. The Federal Reserve Board issued new currency and made all the decisions for the banks. The main goal of the Federal Reserve Board was to regulate interest rates- raise of lower according to what the economy needs.
Wilson made two business regulations:
1. Federal Trade Commission- to investigate unfair business tactics.
2. Clayton Anti Trust Act- was stronger than the Sherman Anti Trust act. It controlled business and was against unfair business practices. It tried very hard to end the practice of using anti-trust laws against labor unions. In an effort to crush unions, the trusts stated that unions are trusts, therefore they have to be crushed. The Clayton Anti Trust Act still busts trusts until today.
By 1900, the US was a powerful, wealthy nation. Urbanization, immigration and industrialization had made it so. Together with these changes came a slew of problems, and the Progressive Era was going to change these problems.
Problems:
1. Huge monopolies in business
2. Violence in the labor movement
3. Poverty and crime in the cities
4. Increasing gap between the rich and the poor
5. Political corruption
6. Abuse of natural resources
The Progressive Era (1900- 1920) wasn’t one group of people, it was many groups of people. They all had one basic similarity- they were middle class Americans with some extra time and money to do good. In America, it was easy to spread a movement because of the forms of communication:
1. Telephones
2. Railroads
3. Mail
Movements:
1. Muckrakers- a group of progressives who worked toward a social and economical change-. They were all journalists who wanted to expose different evils of society- wanted to dig up the “muck”.
Five Muckrakers:
a. Frank Norris- he wrote “The Octopus”. This book discusses the monopolies of the railroads in California and how the workers were mistreated.
b. Ida Tarbell- she wrote “History of Standard Oil”, which exposed the evil practices of Rockefeller- he was a thief.
c. Lincoln Stephens- he wrote “Shame of Cities”- exposed the corrupt city practices.
d. Jacob Riis- he was a photographer and wrote a photoplay “How the Other Half Lives”. He exposed the horrible living conditions of the poor in the cities. This had an impact on reform in the city. One of the goals was to improve the sewage in the city. They also wanted codes and licensing for building.
e. Upton Sinclair- he wrote “Jungle”. This book exposed the horrors of the meat packaging industry. As a direct result, two laws were passed:
i. Pure Food and Drug act
ii. Meat Inspection act
2. Peace movement- Lillian Wald and Jane Adams led the Woman’s Peace Party- against war. They were pacifists. As a result of her efforts as a pacifist, Jane Adams won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1931.
Jeanette Rankin was the first female senator. She voted against our entry into WWI and WWII. She was a pacifist.
3. Temperance Movement and Prohibition- felt that it could produce better citizens if it was alcohol free. Under the leadership of Francis Willard, the temperance movement took a turn- it began to advocate for the Prohibition. The Prohibition would be an amendment to the constitution stating that alcohol consumption, selling, manufacturing and drinking is illegal. Willard formed the WCTU (Woman’s Christian Temperance Union) to stop the sale of alcohol. In 1920, the eighteenth amendment was passed, in which it stated that the sale, consumption and manufacturing of alcohol was illegal. This amendment was a big mistake and was later repealed.
4. Child Labor-the progressives worked to limit child labor. In 1912, the Federal government formed the Federal Children’s Bureau:
a. To investigate child labor
b. To pressure states to set a minimum wage
c. To pressure states to set maximum hours
5. Woman’s Rights movement- woman’s rights movements began way back in 1848. As time progressed, they decided to make suffrage their main goal.
Susan B. Anthony made it her life’s goal. Susan was very strong in her stand on woman’s rights. Lucy Stone and her husband, Henry Blackwell were more moderate in their goals. Their group joined with SBA and ECS and was called NAWSA. Susan B. Anthony died in 1906. Carrie C. Catt took over NAWSA and worked for suffrage. Alice Paul was a member of NAWSA. She was a militant and was kicked out of NAWSA.
Historians feel that it was the united efforts of woman during WWI who got the nineteenth amendment to be passed in 1920. This amendment gave woman the right to vote.
Another sign of improvement was education for woman- by the end of the 1800s, many women’s colleges had opened. By the early 1900s, a third of the people attending college were woman. Female colleges:
a. Vassar
b. Wellesley
c. Smith
Soon, co-ed colleges were started.
Another woman’s issue was the campaign for birth control. Margaret Sanger formed the Planned Parenthood Organization (aka American Birth Control League). She went into inner city homes and advocated limiting children in a family. She was jailed very often.
6. Jewish groups formed the ADL- fought against anti-Semitism.
7. Progressive efforts in the government- the government was corrupt. They wanted to end the political machines and didn’t want a mayor. They worked on a few main ideas to make the government closer to the people, and that would minimize corruption:
a. Secret Ballot- no one should know who you are voting for. This would end the intimidation of the party bosses.
b. Initiative- the voter could petition to get a law passed.
c. Referendum- voters decide whether a law should be passed. This is direct democracy.
d. Recall- people can be removed from office.
e. Direct primary- you choose the person you want to represent you.
f. Direct election of senators- the seventeenth amendment was passed, which allowed for this to happen.
All these ideas were presented by the Populist Party, but weren’t passed until now.
The state of Wisconsin was used as a role model for progressive reform under their governor Robert Lafollette. Wisconsin enacted many progressive reforms. They passed laws to:
1. Regulate railroads
2. Correct banks
3. Stop corruption
Lafollette was nicknamed “Fighting Bob”.
Other states copied and tried to bring change:
1. California under Hiram Johnson
2. New York under Teddy Roosevelt
The first three presidents of this century were all progressives:
1. Roosevelt
2. Taft
3. Wilson
Roosevelt became president in 1901. He was elected as vice president in 1900, but when McKinley was killed, he became president. Roosevelt was a proactive person. He was the first president in history who was heavily involved with the people. Today, presidents are extremely involved with the people.
He was heavily involved in social and economic reform. He promised every American a Square Deal- a fair chance that they should be serviced in this country. It was under Roosevelt that the Pure Food and Drug act and the Meat Inspection act were passed.
Roosevelt was heavily involved in regulating business. He wanted to strengthen the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) - set up to regulate business. In order to do this, he passed the Elkins and Hepburn Act- force railroads to set formal rates. They made it illegal to give out free passes to friends. The ICC also regulated ferries, bridges and pipelines later on.
Roosevelt was known as the “Trust Buster”- he checked into trusts. If they were good trusts that benefited the city, they could remain, otherwise not.
He convinced Congress to set up the Bureau of Corporations- division of the department of labor. The bureau would investigate trusts and let the public know what they doing wrong. They would bring the trusts to court if they were doing something wrong.
Two major trust busting cases:
1. Northern Security vs. USA- broke up the railroad monopoly, so the court ruled against it.
2. Swift and Co. vs. USA- it was a meat packaging company. The court ruled that the monopoly had to be crushed. This case was a clear deviation of EC Knight vs. USA because then, the court ruled in favor of the monopoly.
In this time period, America was moving away from laissez faire.
Roosevelt also worked to help labor unions grow. In 1902, the Pennsylvania coal miners went on strike but the owner refused to do anything. Roosevelt called them down to the White House to talk with them and force them to work with the labor unions. This is called arbitration. This was the first time that the government got involved with the unions to favor the worker.
Roosevelt passed the Employer’s Liability Act- bosses need some form of insurance in case the workers get hurt on the job.
Lockner vs. NY- limiting the work hours.
Roosevelt was a conservationist- he loved the outdoors. Roosevelt was influenced to set aside land by:
1. John Muir
2. Pinochet
National parks were built now and the National Reclamation Act was passed- took money from the sale of public land and used it for irrigation and to fix things. The National Forest Reserve Act was also passed- set aside land for forests.
Roosevelt organized the Conservation Convention- a meeting of many governors of many states to discuss conservation issues.
In 1908, Roosevelt decided not to run for a third term, and told Republicans to vote for Taft. Taft won the presidency.
Taft was a progressive and there were many reforms under Taft:
1. Trust Buster- busted many trusts, even more than Roosevelt. Standard Oil Co. vs. USA- felt that they were violating the Sherman Anti Trust Act- the Supreme Court used the rule of reasoning- look deep into the trust and see if it’s illegal.
2. Man Elkins Act- gave more power to the ICC.
Taft ran into a money problem and he wasn’t politically capable. He made two mistakes:
1. As the progressives wanted to lower the tariff, he promised to. However, not all the members of his party were progressives. In fact, many of the Republicans wanted to raise the tariff. The tariff was indeed raised. The Payne Aldrich Tariff raised the tariff. Many people didn’t agree.
2. Taft fired the head of the forest department- Pinochet. Taft fired him because Taft’s friend Balinger had been taking land for business and Pinochet said that he’s doing the wrong thing. People were upset that Taft fired him.
Election year of 1912- Roosevelt said that he’s going to run for a third term, but the Republican Party nominated Taft because people don’t like change.
Roosevelt formed the Bull Moose Party- to take care of things on his own. Now, the Republican Party was split. This paved the way for the democratic victory which occurred. Woodrow Wilson now became president. Wilson was also a progressive. “New Freedom” was Wilson’s slogan- he wanted to change finance in the city.
Reforms:
1. Underwood Tariff- lowered the tariff. This was the first time the tariff was lowered since the Civil War. It also added a provision to the sixteenth amendment that was passed at the end of Taft’s term. The sixteenth amendment started an income tax. Now, a provision was added- Graduated Income Tax- the amount was based on an individual percent of income.
2. Federal Reserve System- reshaped the banking system in America. Wilson divided the USA into twelve banking districts. In each of the sections, he placed a Federal bank. All these banks had to answer to a Federal Reserve Board, which regulated the banks. The Federal Reserve Board issued new currency and made all the decisions for the banks. The main goal of the Federal Reserve Board was to regulate interest rates- raise of lower according to what the economy needs.
Wilson made two business regulations:
1. Federal Trade Commission- to investigate unfair business tactics.
2. Clayton Anti Trust Act- was stronger than the Sherman Anti Trust act. It controlled business and was against unfair business practices. It tried very hard to end the practice of using anti-trust laws against labor unions. In an effort to crush unions, the trusts stated that unions are trusts, therefore they have to be crushed. The Clayton Anti Trust Act still busts trusts until today.
SS- Chapter 15
Chapter 15: Immigration and Urbanization
From 1870 to 1920, a new wave of immigrants came to the US. Many different types of immigrants came:
1. Asian- they looked different. They came through Angels Island, which is in California.
2. Eastern Europeans- they came through Ellis Island. They also looked different. The eastern European immigrants came from Russia, Czechoslovakia…
To get through these immigration centers, they had to pass through a series of tests: literacy and a physical exam. They had to have an address of wear they were going, at least twenty five dollars, and be able to prove that they would be an asset to the country.
Once they finally got through, the immigrants experienced a culture shock. They would often live in ghettoized areas. The children got accustomed much quicker than the adults. This led to difficulties for the parents because there was now a gap between them and their children.
Sociologists have different theories on how Americans blended in this country:
1. Melting Pot- immigrants came and all their cultures blended and formed the new Americans.
2. Assimilation- when you totally blend.
3. Pluralism (Salad Bowl) - when an immigrant comes and they don’t give up on their culture, living happily, side by side with other cultures. Some times, some cultures rub off onto another, but the original culture is still highly visible.
There was an extreme reaction against immigrants because they dress and act differently:
1. Chinese- Yellow Peril. They felt that little, yellow men had descended upon their country. Americans weren’t welcoming. In 1882, after much pressure from California, the US issued the Chinese Exclusion Act, which didn’t allow for any more Chinese immigrants.
2. Japanese- the Japanese complained that they were being discriminated against. The Japanese government complained that the Japanese weren’t being treated nicely. Japan said, we modernized just like you, so the US government passed the Gentleman’s Agreement in 1907. It said that Japan won’t send anymore immigrants, but those that already in the US will be treated very nicely.
In 1921, they passed the Emergency Quota Act- sharply limited the amount of immigrants that the US was willing to take in.
In 1924, the National Origins Act was passed, stating that especially from eastern Europe immigrants shouldn’t be allowed in.
Immigrants built this nation.
Urbanization-
The cities exploded over night because of:
1. Flood of immigrants
2. Factories drew people from the south and from the farms
The cities exploded over night. Immigrants flooded the cities. The factories were in the cities so they got jobs and made money. Blacks and farmers came to the cities in search of jobs.
Who lived in the cities?
1. The poor- they had a hard life. They lived in slums and worked in factories with horrible conditions. They could hardly enjoy the benefits of the city.
2. Middle class- they were able to benefit. They were the doctors, lawyers, teacher… Some of the middle class were able to own their own homes and have appliances. The middle class had some leisure time to enjoy the benefits of the city.
3. Wealthy- lived very well.
This period in history is sometimes called the Gilded Era. It looked like America was getting very rich. Really, there were many poor people and the gap between the rich and poor was widening.
Cities offered a lot in the way of culture. They had:
1. Concert halls
2. Libraries
3. Music halls
4. Parks- Fredrick Olmstead designed Central Park.
The cities offered better education. There were high schools, colleges and philosophers. John Dewey was an educator and philosopher who wanted to improve education.
Cities had:
1. Subways (elevated train)
2. Streetcars
3. Skyscrapers
4. Electricity
5. Street lights
There were many problems in the cities:
1. Housing- there were now so many people. The middle class lived in row houses. If they moved out, seven immigrant families would move in. The government tried to help these families by building apartment buildings called tenements. They were built with many windows for air. The tenements were good, but they weren’t great.
2. Sanitation issue- there was no formal system of disposing of waste. Now there was much more garbage because of new objects such as tin cans.
3. Water- now was the start of indoor plumbing, but there wasn’t enough water.
4. Fires- there was no fire department. Almost every city experienced a fire at this point, but there were no firemen or water to put out the fire.
5. Crime- cities were full of crime. Little children without parents watching them led to crime. Poverty also leads to crime. There was no official police dept at this time. There were some reformers who tried to minimize crime and improve the situation. They set up community centers which served lunch and taught people how to read. Two community centers:
a. Hull House- settlement house in Chicago that was set up by Lillian Wald.
b. Henry Street Settlement House- in NYC. It was set up by Jane Adams.
6. Political machines- an organized group of men that control the activities of a political party. Every city had at least one political machine. At the head of the political machine is the party boss. This group of men controlled the city by being very in touch with the people, especially the poor. If there was a problem, they were on the scene helping and they would tell people to remember them and vote for them. The poor were very loyal so they voted for them. They got the vote and they had the power. Once you have power, it leads to corruption.
“Boss” Tweed was a very powerful party boss in NYC. He controlled the city and was corrupt. He built a town hall- Tammany Hall- headquarters of the party. He rebuilt the headquarters on NYC tax dollars. He taxed people tons to build the town hall and he pocketed the extra money. This is one example of the types of corruption that occurred. Graft means to steal money.
Eventually the political machine was destroyed. A cartoonist by the name of Thomas Nast helped destroy the political machines by writing many of cartoons showing how corrupt the political machines were. The government made little effort to improve corruption.
President Cleveland tried to pass laws to minimize corruption, but he was killed in office and didn’t manage to pass the law. Vice president Chester Arthur managed to pass the act. The Pendleton Act ended the spoils system and began the implementation of the civil service exams- tests that had to be taken before working in the government. This helped corruption in general but not the political machine issue.
America felt that now, at the end of the 1800s, the frontier was closed. Fredrick Jackson Turner wrote an essay,”The Significance of the American Frontier”. He said that the frontier made America into the powerful nation that it will become.
During these yrs, America changed majorly from farm life to city life. America shifted to fads and styles. They went from making things on their own to shopping in department stores. Even people still living on the farms could get whatever they needed by ordering from catalogs.
Blacks didn’t benefit much from the change. They were still poor and discriminated against. In the south, they were extremely discriminated against and in the north, they were discriminated against too.
People who helped blacks:
1. Ida B. Wells- worked to fight against lynching- a method of killing blacks by hanging them, which took place in the south.
2. Marcus Garvey- a black man. He formed the United Negro Association- for blacks to form their own economic community. The blacks don’t need the whites- they can be self sufficient.
3. Booker T. Washington- He felt that all blacks should learn a vocation- a skill. He opened up a vocational school, Tuskegee Institute. He felt that if you establish yourself on an economic level, you’ll have money and you’ll be ok. He felt that education was the key to African success.
4. W.E.B. Dubois- felt that being educated will lead to success. He encouraged people to get a formal education- go to college, universities… He formed the Niagara Movement- spoke about his ideas of education. An outgrowth of this movement was the NAACP, a powerful black education which helps blacks until today. Provides them with services when in need.
From 1870 to 1920, a new wave of immigrants came to the US. Many different types of immigrants came:
1. Asian- they looked different. They came through Angels Island, which is in California.
2. Eastern Europeans- they came through Ellis Island. They also looked different. The eastern European immigrants came from Russia, Czechoslovakia…
To get through these immigration centers, they had to pass through a series of tests: literacy and a physical exam. They had to have an address of wear they were going, at least twenty five dollars, and be able to prove that they would be an asset to the country.
Once they finally got through, the immigrants experienced a culture shock. They would often live in ghettoized areas. The children got accustomed much quicker than the adults. This led to difficulties for the parents because there was now a gap between them and their children.
Sociologists have different theories on how Americans blended in this country:
1. Melting Pot- immigrants came and all their cultures blended and formed the new Americans.
2. Assimilation- when you totally blend.
3. Pluralism (Salad Bowl) - when an immigrant comes and they don’t give up on their culture, living happily, side by side with other cultures. Some times, some cultures rub off onto another, but the original culture is still highly visible.
There was an extreme reaction against immigrants because they dress and act differently:
1. Chinese- Yellow Peril. They felt that little, yellow men had descended upon their country. Americans weren’t welcoming. In 1882, after much pressure from California, the US issued the Chinese Exclusion Act, which didn’t allow for any more Chinese immigrants.
2. Japanese- the Japanese complained that they were being discriminated against. The Japanese government complained that the Japanese weren’t being treated nicely. Japan said, we modernized just like you, so the US government passed the Gentleman’s Agreement in 1907. It said that Japan won’t send anymore immigrants, but those that already in the US will be treated very nicely.
In 1921, they passed the Emergency Quota Act- sharply limited the amount of immigrants that the US was willing to take in.
In 1924, the National Origins Act was passed, stating that especially from eastern Europe immigrants shouldn’t be allowed in.
Immigrants built this nation.
Urbanization-
The cities exploded over night because of:
1. Flood of immigrants
2. Factories drew people from the south and from the farms
The cities exploded over night. Immigrants flooded the cities. The factories were in the cities so they got jobs and made money. Blacks and farmers came to the cities in search of jobs.
Who lived in the cities?
1. The poor- they had a hard life. They lived in slums and worked in factories with horrible conditions. They could hardly enjoy the benefits of the city.
2. Middle class- they were able to benefit. They were the doctors, lawyers, teacher… Some of the middle class were able to own their own homes and have appliances. The middle class had some leisure time to enjoy the benefits of the city.
3. Wealthy- lived very well.
This period in history is sometimes called the Gilded Era. It looked like America was getting very rich. Really, there were many poor people and the gap between the rich and poor was widening.
Cities offered a lot in the way of culture. They had:
1. Concert halls
2. Libraries
3. Music halls
4. Parks- Fredrick Olmstead designed Central Park.
The cities offered better education. There were high schools, colleges and philosophers. John Dewey was an educator and philosopher who wanted to improve education.
Cities had:
1. Subways (elevated train)
2. Streetcars
3. Skyscrapers
4. Electricity
5. Street lights
There were many problems in the cities:
1. Housing- there were now so many people. The middle class lived in row houses. If they moved out, seven immigrant families would move in. The government tried to help these families by building apartment buildings called tenements. They were built with many windows for air. The tenements were good, but they weren’t great.
2. Sanitation issue- there was no formal system of disposing of waste. Now there was much more garbage because of new objects such as tin cans.
3. Water- now was the start of indoor plumbing, but there wasn’t enough water.
4. Fires- there was no fire department. Almost every city experienced a fire at this point, but there were no firemen or water to put out the fire.
5. Crime- cities were full of crime. Little children without parents watching them led to crime. Poverty also leads to crime. There was no official police dept at this time. There were some reformers who tried to minimize crime and improve the situation. They set up community centers which served lunch and taught people how to read. Two community centers:
a. Hull House- settlement house in Chicago that was set up by Lillian Wald.
b. Henry Street Settlement House- in NYC. It was set up by Jane Adams.
6. Political machines- an organized group of men that control the activities of a political party. Every city had at least one political machine. At the head of the political machine is the party boss. This group of men controlled the city by being very in touch with the people, especially the poor. If there was a problem, they were on the scene helping and they would tell people to remember them and vote for them. The poor were very loyal so they voted for them. They got the vote and they had the power. Once you have power, it leads to corruption.
“Boss” Tweed was a very powerful party boss in NYC. He controlled the city and was corrupt. He built a town hall- Tammany Hall- headquarters of the party. He rebuilt the headquarters on NYC tax dollars. He taxed people tons to build the town hall and he pocketed the extra money. This is one example of the types of corruption that occurred. Graft means to steal money.
Eventually the political machine was destroyed. A cartoonist by the name of Thomas Nast helped destroy the political machines by writing many of cartoons showing how corrupt the political machines were. The government made little effort to improve corruption.
President Cleveland tried to pass laws to minimize corruption, but he was killed in office and didn’t manage to pass the law. Vice president Chester Arthur managed to pass the act. The Pendleton Act ended the spoils system and began the implementation of the civil service exams- tests that had to be taken before working in the government. This helped corruption in general but not the political machine issue.
America felt that now, at the end of the 1800s, the frontier was closed. Fredrick Jackson Turner wrote an essay,”The Significance of the American Frontier”. He said that the frontier made America into the powerful nation that it will become.
During these yrs, America changed majorly from farm life to city life. America shifted to fads and styles. They went from making things on their own to shopping in department stores. Even people still living on the farms could get whatever they needed by ordering from catalogs.
Blacks didn’t benefit much from the change. They were still poor and discriminated against. In the south, they were extremely discriminated against and in the north, they were discriminated against too.
People who helped blacks:
1. Ida B. Wells- worked to fight against lynching- a method of killing blacks by hanging them, which took place in the south.
2. Marcus Garvey- a black man. He formed the United Negro Association- for blacks to form their own economic community. The blacks don’t need the whites- they can be self sufficient.
3. Booker T. Washington- He felt that all blacks should learn a vocation- a skill. He opened up a vocational school, Tuskegee Institute. He felt that if you establish yourself on an economic level, you’ll have money and you’ll be ok. He felt that education was the key to African success.
4. W.E.B. Dubois- felt that being educated will lead to success. He encouraged people to get a formal education- go to college, universities… He formed the Niagara Movement- spoke about his ideas of education. An outgrowth of this movement was the NAACP, a powerful black education which helps blacks until today. Provides them with services when in need.
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