Unit 8—Chapters 20 – 21 Populism and Progressivism (1870 – 1917) CSS 11.2, 11.3, 11.4.

Unit 8—Chapters 20 – 21Populism and Progressivism (1870 – 1917)

CSS 11.2, 11.3, 11.4

2

James A. Garfield1881Election of 1880• Stalwarts led by Conkling (NY) liked the

spoils system• Half-Breeds led by Blaine (ME) wanted

civil service reform• Garfield elected as compromise• assassinated by Charles Guiteau, a

stalwart, then Arthur was president

Pendleton Act, 1883• merit based system began to replace

the spoils system• set up a commission to oversee all

classified positions (14,000 jobs or 10% of govt. jobs)

Social Gospel, 1882• Christian society should apply its

teaching to heal social problems• began with Washington Gladden, a

Congregationalist preacher from Columbus, OH

Christian Science, 1879• founded by Mary Baker Eddy• taught that relief from stress and

problems of complex urban environment could be relieved through prayer and reliance on faith

Salvation Army, 1880• “with heart to God, and hand to

man”• group formed to bring Christian

teaching to urban society• banned drinking, smoking, gambling• 2nd largest provider of social welfare

in the world

R James A. Garfield 4,453,295 214

D Winfield S. Hancock 4,414,082 155

GL James B. Weaver 308,578 --

“I am a Stalwart. Arthur is now President of the United States.”--Charles Guiteau

1880

396

Stalwarts v. Half-Breeds

3

Grover Cleveland1885-1889

Election of Scandals (1884)• Blaine implicated himself in a railroad

scandal (Burn this letter)• Cleveland had an illegitimate son in OH

whom he took care of

Mugwumps• moderate republicans, led by Charles

Schurz, voted for Cleveland

Greenback Labor Party• at its height in 1878 this party backed by

farmers and workers who supported cheaper money

• polled over a million votes and elected 14 members of Congress

Grover Cleveland• first democratic president elected since

Buchanan• fired 2/3 of civil workers because of

pressure from party ( 1st Dem. in office since Buchanan)

• Cleveland sets sights on lowering tariff

National Prohibition Party, 1869• counties and states began to go “dry”

Women’s Christian Temperance Union, 1873

• WCTU vocally opposed alcoholism, prostitution, and drug use

• Carrie Nation went into bars hatchet in hand to stop drinkers

Anti-Saloon League, 1893• major support in South and rural North• heavily influenced by anti-foreign

prejudice• major political lobby of its day

D Grover Cleveland 4,879,507 219

R James G. Blaine 4,850,293 182

GL Benjamin F. Butler 175,370 --

P John P. St. John 150,369 --

1884

401

“Ma, ma, where’s my Pa?”

Rum, Romanism, and Rebellion

4

The Farmers Unite

Patrons of Husbandry (Grange), 1867• started by Oliver H. Kelly • 1.5 million farmers joined• provided social interaction and

education (training and newspapers)

• tried to organize the farmers to fight the power of the railroads

Munn v. Illinois, 1877• granger laws regulated railroads

within the states• grain elevator rates, consistent,

posted prices

Wabash decision, 1886• railroads are interstate commerce

thus outside state authority• farmers believed courts influenced

by big business• ICC created in 1887 to give federal

government authority denied by the courts

Farmers’ Alliance, 1890• group of farmers and laborers had

about a million supporters in both North and South

• tried to break the hold of railroads and manufacturers

• led to Populists

Populist Party, 1890• “People’s Party” got its numbers

from disgruntled farmers and laborers

• unlike earlier movements, they went national and were a powerful political player

Mary E. Lease• "calamity howler" from KS who made

160 speeches in 1890 in support of the Populists

• cried out against the government that was "of Wall Street, for Wall Street, and by Wall Street”

“Raise less corn and more hell.”--Mary E. Lease

5

Benjamin Harrison1889-1893

• Republican-dominated House was the first to spend $1 billion in one year

• Speaker Thomas B. Reed (ME) refused to let Democrats speak

Pension Act, 1890• included veterans who served for 90

days and were now unable to work• # of pensioners rose 676,000 to

970,000 and costs rose from $81 to $135 million

McKinley Tariff, 1890• raised tariffs on agriculture and

manufactures• highest peacetime rate yet (48.4%)• outraged voters replaced

Republican majority with Democrats (235 to 88 Republicans)

• McKinley and Harrison not re-elected in 1892

Sherman Silver Purchase Act, 1890• silver miners wanted silver-backed

currency• banknotes could be redeemed in either

gold or silver do it depleted the nation’s $100 million gold reserve

• Cleveland repealed it in 1893

Depression of 1893• worst depression of the century• hit cities hardest• caused by over speculation, overbuilding,

labor disorders, and the Silver Purchase Act

• JP Morgan loaned the US $65 million in gold to end the depression

1888

401

R Benjamin Harrison 5,447,129 233


Pr Clinton B. Fisk 249,506 --

UL Anson J. Streeter 146,935 --

6

Grover Cleveland1893-1897• Cleveland called special session of

Congress to deal with the depression of 1893

Coxey’s Army, 1894• “General” Jacob S. Coxey led 500,000

unemployed to D.C.• demanded govt. issue $500 million in

greenbacks

Wilson-Gorman Bill, 1894• bill called for 2% tax of incomes over

$4,000 and a lower tariff• 630 amendments made to bill and it

only lowered the tariff to 41.3%• Cleveland signed it rather than start

over• Supreme Court ruled that income tax

was unconstitutional• working class accused the courts of

working for big business• Republicans gained in the House 244 to

105

Homestead Strike, 1892• major strike at a Carnegie Steel plant• 300 Pinkerton detectives used rifles

and dynamite to end the strike• 10 killed, 60 wounded

Pullman Strike, 1894• workers struck in Chicago after their

wages were cut by a third• overturned train cars and stopped

railway traffic from Chicago to the Pacific including the US mail

• Cleveland used the army to break the strike and workers saw an alliance between big business and government

1892

444


R Benjamin Harrison 5,182,690 145

P James B. Weaver 1,029,846 22

Pr John Bidwell 264,133 --

“The issue is Socialism versus Capitalism. I am for Socialism because I am for humanity.”—Eugene V. Debs

7

The Populists

Populist Party, 1890• formed after the Farmer’s Alliance and

the Patrons of Husbandry• attempted to bind together western

farmers and eastern workers

Omaha Platform, 1892• $50/ per person in currency• graduated income tax• nationalization of railroads, utilities, and

communications• secret “Australian” ballot• one-term limit for president• restriction of immigration• 8-hour workday• tariff reduction

William Jennings Bryan• Populist orator from NE• supported coinage of silver at 16 to 1• swept through 27 states and made

over about 600 speeches• “Cross of Gold” speech

• left Populist Party for the Democrats in 1896

Populists and the Wizard of Oz

“We will answer their demands for a gold standard by saying to them: ‘You shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns, you shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold.’”

—William Jennings Bryan

• Dorothy• Scarecrow—no brains• Tin Man—no heart• Cowardly Lion—no

courage• Munchkins• Good Witch of N/S• Wicked Witch of E/W• Flying Monkeys• Wizard• Ruby slippers

• Populist Party• farmers—no education• workers—no commitment• Bryan—switched parties• Populist party members• Populists supporters• Industrialists on coasts• Pinkerton detectives• President of U.S.• silver slippers

8

William McKinley1897-1901Election of 1896• outspent Bryan $16 million to $250,000

in the campaign• Mark Hanna scared the rich into

supporting McKinley• Rematch of McKinley and Bryan in 1900

ends the same way

Dingley Tariff, 1897• Republicans under Reed pushed through

a 46.5% tariff• 850 amendments made it higher in

some categories than the McKinley Tariff

Gold Standard Act, 1900• paper currency was to be redeemed by

gold• increased gold reserve to $150 million• inflation finally came when more gold

was discovered in Alaska, South Africa, and Australia

1896

447

R William McKinley 7,102,246 271

D William J. Bryan 6,492,559 176

Leon Czolgosz• anarchist assassin who killed

McKinley at the Pan-American exposition in 1901

Industrial Workers of the World, 1905• IWW organized all workers

including unskilled, immigrants, and minorities

• used heavy worker class rhetoric

9

The Muckrakers

Muckrakers• middle-class reformers who called

for regulation of industry and political reform

• feared destruction of democracy by rich as well as revolution/socialism from the poor

• foundation of Progressive movement

• focused on exposing injustice in publications: McClure’s, Nation, Cosmopolitan

Ida Tarbell• “The History of Standard Oil” (1904)• account of unethical practices of

Standard Oil to control the industry

Lincoln Steffens• “The Shame of the Cities” (1904)• corruption in urban government

Jacob Riis• “How the Other Half Lives” (1890)• focused on the filth, disease, and

misery of tenements and the greed of the slum lords in NYC

• deeply affected Roosevelt

David G. Phillips• “The Treason of the Senate” (1906)• contended that 75 of the 90 senators

were controlled by the trusts

Upton Sinclair• The Jungle, 1906• unsafe labor conditions in Chicago

meatpacking industry• revealed the foul conditions of the food

industry

Thorstein Veblen• “Theory of the Leisure Class” (1899)• criticized “conspicuous consumption”

and the rich

10

Progressive Reform

• Progressives tried to make government more responsible to the people

• Fightin’ Bob La Follette (WI) tried to fuse educated experts and government regulation

• Hiram Johnson brought more direct democracy to California

Democratic Reform1. Australian (secret) ballot – late

1880s2. Initiative: bills introduced by

citizens3. Referendum: citizens may overturn

bills passed by the state legislature4. Recall: citizens may recall officials

from office5. open primary: replaced caucus

elections6. 17th Amendment: direct election of

senators 7. 19th Amendment: women’s suffrage

Efficiency in Government• centralized decision-making• reduced graft/corruption• merit over patronage

Business Regulation• trust busting • end of laissez faire• conservation

Social Justice• settlement houses• child labor laws• improved working conditions• progressive income tax (16th

Amendment)• Prohibition (18th Amendment)• women’s rights (Muller v. Oregon,

1908)

11

Theodore Roosevelt1901-1909Theodore ‘Teddy’ Roosevelt• trust-buster (44 lawsuits)• progressive Republican from NY who

took reform to a whole new level• created cabinet-level labor advisor

Anthracite Coal Strike, 1902• 140,000 coal miners struck for a 9-hour

day and 20% raise• mine owners tried to use the cold to get

the public on their side• TR threatened to seize the mines with

federal troops • workers got 9-hour day and 10% raise

Roosevelt Panic, 1907• short, intense depression at Wall Street• business blamed TR’s reforms• shortage of cashflow a major problem• the Adlritch-Vreeland Act allowed banks

to print emergency currency

1904

476

Gentlemen’s Agreement, 1906• SF school district tried to put

Japanese in separate schools• T.R. convinced school board to

drop policy• Japanese unofficially limited

immigration to U.S.

R Theodore Roosevelt 7,628,461 336

D Alton B. Parker 5,084,223 140

S Eugene V. Debs 402,283 --

Pr Silas C. Swallow 258,536 --

12

Roosevelt’s 3 Cs

Control the TrustNorthern Securities decision• Roosevelt broke up J.P. Morgan’s

attempt to corner the railroad market in the northwest

• Supreme Court backed Roosevelt• powerful men became his enemies

Elkins Act, 1903• punished both issuers and receivers

of railroad rebates• Standard Oil fined $29 million for

1,426 violations but the courts overturned them

Hepburn Act, 1906• expanded ICC jurisdiction to all train

cars not just freight cars• restricted free tickets from the

railroads to politicians and newspapermen

Consumer ProtectionMeat Inspection Act, 1906• required all meat that crossed state

lines to be federally inspected

Pure Food and Drug Act, 1906• required all foods and

pharmaceuticals to be labeled correctly

ConservationForest Reserve Act, 1891• gave the president the authority to

set aside public forests as national forests or reserves

Newlands Act, 1902• sold public lands to fund irrigation

projects for poor farmers in the Midwest

• Roosevelt Dam in AZ

“When I say I believe in a square deal I do not mean . . . to give every man the best hand. If the cards do not come to any man, or if they do come, and he has not got the power to play them, that is his affair. All I mean is that there shall be no crookedness in the dealing.”

—Theodore Roosevelt, 1905

13

William H. Taft1909-1913William H. Taft• Taft was TR’s hand-picked successor• commissioner of the Philippines• Supreme Court justice after his

presidency• “busted” over 80 trusts in 4 years

Payne-Aldritch Tariff, 1909• House set tariff at 32%• Senate added 847 amendments which

set it at 40.8%• TR criticized him for signing it into law

Ballinger-Pinchot Affair, 1909• Sec. of Interior Ballinger (Taft guy)

leased forest reserves to large companies

• Pinchot (TR) criticized him and was fired

• rift grew between Taft and TR

1908

483

Triangle Shirtwaist Fire, 1911• 146 women killed in NY fire

• trapped inside locked room• led to more legislation on working

conditions and hours in NY

John Dewey• encouraged “creative intelligence”• schools are vehicles for “social

progress and reform”

R William H. Taft 7,675,320 321

D William J. Bryan 6,412,294 162


Pr Eugene W. Chafin 253,840 --

14

Election of 1912

Election of 1912• Republicans narrowly blocked

Roosevelt’s nomination at the national convention

• TR formed a Progressive third party• called the Bull Moose after TR was

shot but gave a speech anyway• election became battle between TR

and Wilson

• only election when a third-party candidate got second and a major party got third

• deeply divided the Republican Party• it became much more conservative

as a result and the Democrats will become the party of reform

1912

531

New Nationalism (TR)• based on the Wisconsin Idea

(LaFollette)• more progressive reforms but with

limited regulation of business

New Freedom (Wilson)• banking and currency reform• tariff revision• stronger antitrust regulation• emphasis on small businesses

D Woodrow Wilson 6,296,547 435

P Theodore Roosevelt 4,118,571 88

R William H. Taft 3,486,720 8


Pr Eugene W. Chafin 206,275 --

15

Black Rights

grandfather clause • exempted poor whites from Jim

Crow laws• only 5% of blacks voted

Plessy v. Ferguson, 1896• segregated trains in LA led to

“separate but equal” public facilities• led to separate schools until 1957

Ida B. Wells• launched public criticism of lynching

that became an international movement

• organized a black women’s club to lead social reforms in the South

W.E.B. DuBois• first black PhD in America• supported immediate equality of the

top 10% of the black community• ‘double consciousness’

Niagara Movement, 1905• protested exclusion of blacks from

unions, voting, and public places• had to meet in Canada to avoid

discrimination

NAACP, 1909• focused on legal and economics

barriers to equality

16

Woodrow Wilson1913-1921

Woodrow Wilson• first southern president elected since

Taylor (1848)• former president of Princeton

University• appointed first Jewish member of the

Supreme Court, Louis Brandeis• views on race questioned today• championed national progressive

reform but stood up for states’ rights

Seaman’s Act, 1915• protected basic wages and working

conditions for sailors• Jones Act, 1916• granted citizenship to Puerto Ricans

Workmen’s Compensation Act, 1916• granted assistance to civil service

workers during times of disability

1916

531

National Consumers’ League, 1898• Manufacturers who met safety

standards could display a white label on food and clothing

National Board of Censorship, 1909• board reviewed movies to make

sure they upheld middle-class values

D Woodrow Wilson 9,127,695 277

R Charles E. Hughes 8,533,507 254

S A.L. Benson 585,113 --

Pr J.F. Hanly 220,506 --

“He kept us out of war!”

17

Triple Wall of Privilege

TrustsClayton Anti-Trust Act, 1914• closed loopholes in Sherman Anti-

Trust Act• unions and farm coops exempted• Gompers called it the Magna Carta of

labor

Federal Trade Commission, 1914• regulated companies that did

interstate business

Keating-Owen Act, 1916• banned goods produced from child

labor from crossing state borders

Adamson Act, 1916• est. 8-hour workday and overtime pay

for railroad workers

TariffUnderwood Tariff, 1913• lowered rate from 40.8% to 27%• 1st real drop since Civil War• 16th Amendment introduced

graduated “progressive” income tax

BanksPujo Committee, 1911• congressional committee

investigated banks• found trusts controlled by Morgan

and Rockefeller were on 341 boards of directors and controlled over $22 billion

Federal Reserve Act, 1913• federal reserve board created to

determine amount of currency in circulation

• required banks to keep some of their deposits in a federal reserve

“This is not a day of triumph; it is a day of dedication. Here muster not the forces of party, but the forces of humanity . . . I summon all honest men, all patriotic, all forward-looking men, to my side. God helping me, I will not fail them, if they will but counsel and sustain me!”

—Woodrow Wilson, Inaugural Address, 1913

18

Women’s Movement

Jane Addams• est. Hull House in Chicago in 1889• settlement house to help

immigrants adjust to America• offered counseling and

education• these houses became centers

for women's activism• won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1931

Florence Kelly• worked with Addams• investigated sweatshops and

factories• pushed legislation in IL that banned

child labor and reduced working hours for women

Muller v. Oregon, 1908• Upheld Oregon law limiting women

working ten hours a day

Carrie Chapman Catt• argued that women needed to vote

to discharge their duty as moral instructors

• est. League of Women Voters in 1920

Francis E. Willard• led WCTU from 1878-1897• encouraged women to participate in

every kind of reform

Charlotte Perkins Gilman• leading feminist intellectual in

1890s• economic equality for women would

lead to political and social equality• state-run day-cares

Margaret Sanger• advocated birth control clinics

19

Women’s Rights Timeline

1848 Seneca Falls Convention

1869 National Women’s Suffrage Association (amendment)National Women’s Suffrage Association (state by state)

1869 Wyoming Territory grants female suffrage

1872 Susan B. Anthony arrested for voting for president

1890 National American Women Suffrage Association (NAWSA) combined two major groups

1900 Headquarters moved to NYC with Carrie Chapman Catt president

1913 Illinois granted state suffrage

1913 amendment submitted in DC

1913 over 100 women injured in march in DC

1916 National Women’s Party formed. Alice Paul and others began silent picketing outside the White House then hunger strikes when put into prison.

1918 Amendment passed in House after failing several times.

1919 Amendment passed in Senate after failing several times and passing in 1913.

1920 19th Amendment ratified

1923 Equal Rights Amendment proposed

1979 ERA fails, needs one more state to ratify

20

19th Century Imperialism

Capt. Alfred Thayer Mahan• Influence of Sea Power upon History,

1660-1783• naval dominance key to world power• naval armsrace in Germany, Japan,

Britain and the U.S.

Needs of a Modern Empire• coaling stations, navy, markets for

products

Seward’s Folly, 1867• US bought Alaska for $7 million

“Big Sister” Policy, 1880s• Sec. of State Blaine• attitude that U.S. is example for Latin

American nations• reciprocal tariff reductions to open

markets to US trade

Open Door Policy, 1899• U.S. feared division of China by

Europe and Japan• announced new era of equal

opportunity in trade• territorial integrity of China• public sentiment forced the

European powers to agree

Boxer Rebellion, 1900• “Boxers” killed 200+ Christian

missionaries to rid China of foreign influence

• 18,000 international troops defeated China and forced it to pay $333 million in damages

Take up the White Man’s burden—Send forth the best ye breed—Go bind your sons to exileTo serve your captives’ needTo wait in heavy harnessOn fluttered folk and wild—Your new-caught, sullen peoples, Half-devil and half-child.

--Rudyard Kipling, 1903

21

Spanish-American War, 1898

Cuba Revolution, 1895• Spain’s Gen. Weyler sent to stop Cuban

inserrectos led by Jose Marti• many Americans sympathized with the

Cubans

Yellow Journalism• lurid, exaggerated news stories intended

to increase circulation• jingoists wanted war with Spain to

“protect” American honor

Dupuy de Lome• Hearst published the Spanish minister’s

stolen letter in 1898• said McKinley “"lacked faith”

U.S.S. Maine, 1898• sent to protect Americans in Cuba• 260 Americans died in explosion• spontaneous combustion

Teller Amendment, 1898• US promised it would not annex Cuba

Manila Bay• Adm. Dewey took the Philippines at

Manila Bay

Rough Riders• TR stepped down from Dept. of Navy

to lead a regiment of cowboys, polo players, Indians, and ex-convicts

• they stormed San Juan Hill without their horses

Treaty of Paris, 1898• the war lasted 16 weeks• 250 killed in combat, 2500 by disease• U.S. paid $20 million for Philippines

($3 a head)• Spain lost Guam, the Philippines,

Puerto Rico, and Cuba

Platt Amendment, 1901• est. naval base at Guantanamo• Cuba could only sign treaties with US

You furnish the pictures and I'll furnish the war.”--William Randolph Hearst

22

America in the Pacific

Hawaii, 1898• US allowed trade and a naval base

at Pearl Harbor in 1887• American sugar planters pushed for

annexation after the McKinley Tariff• revolution and annexation in 1898• Queen Liliukalani died in captivity

Great White Fleet, 1907• T.R. commissioned 16 new steel

battleships• sent them from Virginia on a world

tour so the world could see U.S. naval might

• fleet was greeted enthusiastically even in Japan

Philippines, 1898-1947• Taft appointed governor• Americans developed sugar

industry, roads, and sanitation

Emilio Aguinaldo• guerilla backed by U.S. to overthrow

the Spanish• 600,000 killed in “benevolent

assimilation”• fighting continued until 1935• by 1902, 4300 Americans died, 1 in

5 Filipinos died

Insular Cases• Federal courts had to decide

whether the Constitution extended to territories like the Philippines

Anti-Imperialist League• opposed the war because it

betrayed spirit of democracy• some because of racism• some because of self-determination• Gompers, Carnegie, DuBois, and

Twain

Unit 8—Chapters 20 – 21 Populism and Progressivism (1870 – 1917) CSS 11.2, 11.3, 11.4.

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