U.S. History Outline: X. Post-Civil War America
Post-Civil War U.S.
Strong, unified national government
Large army and munitions
Aggressive, restless population
Before Civil War:
New England and South discouraged westward expansion
Each tried to hinder other's access to west
After Civil War:
Displaced populations moving out west
Northerners returning from army
Southerners who lost homes in war
Former slaves
Native American tribes in the southwest
Generally weaker than the old eastern tribes (except for Pueblos)
U.S.'s weaponry had advanced
Tribes were not a great threat to settlers
Mexican population in the southwest
Only tiny settlements
Quickly displaced by Americans
Treaty of Guadelupe Hildago
Recognized Mexican property rights in U.S.-owned territories
Not upheld by local governments
New American land claims upheld over old Mexican claims
Chinese migration to west
Union Pacific Railroad recruited workers in China
Chinese importations was cheap and they worked for low wages
Chinese emmigrants harrassed by Americans
Chinese Exclusion Act (1882)
Banned Chinese immigration for 10 years
Barred Chinese in the U.S. from citizenship
Renewed 1892, made permanent 1902
Result - companies started importing Japanese workers
Increased immigration from Europe
Civil wars, famine in Europe
Eastern European immigration increased in particular
Land acts promoted expansion
Homestead Act (1862)
Gave farmland to anyone who farmed it for 5 years
Covered 160 acres of Great Plains farmland
400,000 people took advantage of it
Desert Lands Act (1877)
Gave cheap land to anyone who irrigated it
During this time period Nevada and midwest states joined union
Gold and silver mining
1858 - Silver discovered in Nevada
Henry Comstock - Comstock lode
Quickly became more profitable than California gold mining
1874 - Gold discovered in South Dakota
Indian Wars (mostly in northern plains)
Sioux
Leaders: Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse
Major battles: Battle of Little Big Horn, Wounded Knee
Nezperce
Leaders: Chief Joseph
Major Battles: Battle of White Bird Canyon
Apache
Leaders: Cochise and Geronimo
Economy of west
Mining, farming, ranching
Settlers had many problems; small farms often did not support families
Expansion of industry in Ohio Valley and Chicago regions
John D. Rockefeller - Standard Oil Co. in Ohio (1870)
Cornelius Vanderbilt - consolidated railroads
Andrew Carnegie - U.S. Steele Corp.
Business benefitted from corporate structure
Monopolies - vertical and horizontal consolidation
Justification of wealthy/monopolies
"Social Darwinism"
Horatio Alger's rags-to-riches stories
Carnegie's The Gospel of Wealth - philanthropism
Henry George (1879) advocated single tax (income tax)
Edward Bellamy wanted to organize society into small, rural communities
Labor issues
Child labor problem - campaign to take children out of workforce
Labor unions (not associated with a single trade) appeared 1880s
First union was American Federation of Labor (AFL) (1881)
Wanted to take women and children out of workforce
Samuel Gompers
Pullman Co. labor dispute (1894)
Pullman Co. worked like sharecropping
1894 - Pullman reduced wages, leading to riots
Eugene V. Debs managed worker strike
Grover Cleveland called in army to put it down
Haymarket riots (1886)
AFL called for strikes in Chicago
Union members clashed with police
Homestead strike (1892)
Strike at U.S. Steele Corp.
Similar circumstances to Pullman strike
Carnegie brought in Pinkertons (rented cops)
Rioters overwhelmed Pinkertons
National Guard finally put down riots
Early unions had little power
Unions had not yet figured out that they needed political control
Many union goals were not accomplished
Only a small percentage of workers joined unions
Urbanization - movement to the cities
Causes:
Rise of industry
Transportation and sanitation improvements
Technological advancements
Skyscrapers
Safe, durable, cheap, easy to build
Louis Sullivan - built first skyscraper in Chicago 1884
Bessemer - steel production
Otis - elevator
Crapper - flush toilers
Mass migration from East and South
Either moved into cities or moved out west
Immigration reached a peak
Asian and Central/Eastern European
Majority of city population were immigrants
(Some American cities contained more people of a given nationality than could be found in the large cities of their home countries)
Results:
Progressives lamented loss of rural roots
Urban problems
Fires, sanitation problems, overcrowding, crime
Sensationalist stories about city living led to move for reforms
Mixing of foreign cultures - caused friction
Many immigrants came from non-democratic nations
Many immigrants were Catholics or other minority religions
Rise of nativism
American Protective Association (1887)
Henry Bowers - founder
Dedicated to stopping immigration
Resurgance of Ku Klux Klan
First appeared in Reconstruction South
Revived in Midwest as anti-immigrant society
Spread back to South in 20th century
Growth of Political Machine
Tammany Hall, Boss Tweed, George Plunkit
Everything ran on political favors, inside information
Favors exchanged for votes
"Kickbacks" or bribes ("honest graft")
Political machines worked well in big cities
Took advantage of immigrants
Votes traded for jobs, housing, etc.
Many immigrants not used to democratic government
Political machine was like feudal system of Eastern Europe
Economics of the city
Mass market
Many people living and working in similar circumstances
All these people need to buy the same things
Mass production
Started with mass-marketed food
Mass-marketed clothing - department stores
As a result of mass marketing and mass production, prices fell steadily from 1890-1940
Turn-of-the-century American culture
Leisure time
Baseball was popular, football just invented
Theater - vaudeville, black minstrel shows
Movies
Invented by Edison 1900
First full-length movie - Birth of a Nation about the growth of the Ku Klux Klan after the Civil War
Mass communication
Newspaper chains started by Pulitzer
William Randolf Hearst - NY Times, brought comic strips to U.S.
Yellow journalism - sensationalism
Realism in art and literature
Universal public education, schooling for women
Republican split after Hayes' election
Stalwarts - traditionalists, favored "machine" politics and favor-swapping
Half-breeds - (half Democrat/half Republican), favored reforms
Main policy of the Half-breeds was civil service reform
Wanted to require tests for civil service positions
Civil servants should be qualified and not just friends of politicians
Election of 1880
Stalwart/Half-breed split caused deadlock at Republican convention
Half-breeds chose James Garfield as president
Stalwarts chose Chester Arthur as vice president
Garfield assassinated, Arthur took over
1881 - Garfield shot by Charles Guiteau, angry over not getting a civil service job
Arthur followed Garfield's policy of reform
Pendleton Act
Required written exams for some civil service jobs
Expanded over time to cover all civil service jobs
Election of 1884 - Cleveland (Dem.) vs. Blaine (Rep.)
Republican's didn't support Arthur, chose James Blaine
Half-breeds didn't support Blaine
Mugwumps - Republicans who ditched the party and sided with Democrats for Grover Cleveland
Grover Cleveland's reforms
Wanted to do away with machine politics
Vetoed legislation that served friends of legislators
Worked for tariff reduction
Thought less money in the government would make it less corrupt
Election of 1888 - Cleveland (Dem.) vs. Harrison (Rep.)
Main issue was tariff reduction
Benjamin Harrison's campaign was probably most corrupt campaign in history
Harrison lost popular vote, but carried electoral college vote in large states
Legislation passed under Benjamin Harrison
Sherman Antitrust Act (1890)
Largely symbolic, rarely enforced before 1900
More often used against unions than businesses
McKinley Act (1890)
Highest protective tariff ever in the U.S.
Outraged public
Caused many Republicans to be voted out of Congress
Election of 1892 - Cleveland (Dem.) vs. Harrison (Rep.) vs. Weaver (People's Party)
Cleveland won on a platform of lower tariffs
More Cleveland reforms
Wanted lower tariff (not passed by Congress)
First income tax passed (Supreme Court declared it unconstitutional two years later)
Granger laws, restrictions on railroads
Passed by states to help farmers
Supreme Court declared both unconstitutional
Interstate Commerce Act (1887)
Created Interstate Commerce Commission
Set rates for interstate transport
Railroads had been charging more for short-distance transport than long-
Grange movement
Oliver Kelley founded 1867 - farmers' society, men only
Small farmers couldn't produce enough to survive
Depression of 1873
Movement became more political
Farmers blamed banks and railroads for economic problems
Cooperatives
Farmers organized cooperatives against the monopolies
Cooperatives were effectively farm monopolies
Grangers became dominant party in some state legislatures
1880 - Grangers replaced by Farmers' Alliances
Much bigger movement, allowed women
Chiefly cooperative and marketing movement
Also served as a credit union
1889 - formation of People's Party
North and South Farmers' Alliances merged and formed political party
Also called the Populist movement
Theory was that little guys should join together and use mass buying power to counteract monopolies
Wanted 8-hour workday, rights for unions
Against gold standard
Wanted direct election of Senators
Free Silver movement
Connected to Populists, who favored inflation
Grangers limited by rural outlook
Did not join with urban labor unions
Did not allow blacks
Ignatius Donnelly - Populist leader
(Fun fact! He was also known for publishing his extensive theories on the lost city of Atlantis.)
1893 Depression
1890s - cheap labor allowed middle class to live well but angered lower class
Panic of 1893
Overexpansion of railroads and businesses led to bank failures
Also, crop failure due to blizzard of 1888
Worst depression in history (except for 1929 crash)
Wages cut due to depression
Resulted in Pullman strike, Homestead strike
Free silver debate revived
Election of 1896 - McKinley (Rep.) vs. Bryant (Dem.)
William McKinley - conservative, supported gold standard
Democrats split - liberal Democrats adopted some of Populist platform
Liberal democrats nominated William Jennings Bryant and Free Silver platform
William Jennings Bryant - "Cross of Gold" speech for Free Silver
Bryant had Democrat and Populist vote, but lost to McKinley
Populists lost power after this election
McKinley legislation
Dingley Tariff - a high tariff
Gold Standard Act
Not much effect on economy - industry was already recovering on its own
U.S. emerged as an international power
U.S. had matured economically
No more land on western frontier
Imperialism was big in Europe - U.S. began looking for new land to acquire
U.S. took a more active role in Latin America
1895 - U.S. intervened in dispute between Britain and Venezuela
Venezuela owed debts to Britain
U.S. invoked Monroe Doctrine to force Britain to leave Venezuela alone
1893 - Americans in Hawaii staged a revolution and asked for annexation
Hawaii had become an important port due to trade with Japan and China
Cleveland refused to annex Hawaii, but McKinley annexed it 1898
1899 - U.S. and Germany took joint control of the Samoan Islands
Conflicts in Cuba
1895 - Civil War in Cuba
Partly due to high U.S. tariffs on sugar, which damaged Cuban economy
McKinley opposed Spanish rule in Cuba
1898 - Lome letter
Spanish ambassador to U.S. gave insulting description of McKinley to Spanish government
1898 - Maine incident
U.S. ship Maine blew up in Havana harbor
April 1898 - U.S. declared war on Spain
Spanish-American War
U.S. invaded Cuba, Puerto Rico, Philippines
George Dewey sank Spanish fleet in Manilla Bay
Teddy Roosevelt had sent American fleet to Manilla Bay before war was officially declared
Spanish ships were too old to sail
Only one American casualty (he died of heat stroke)
U.S. invaded Cuba
Met little resistance
Battle of San Juan Hill - Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders
U.S. occupied Puerto Rico
1917 - Jones Act annexed Puerto Rico
Made Puerto Rico a U.S. territory
Made Puerto Ricans U.S. citizens
Dec. 1898 - Treaty of Paris ended Spanish-American War
Spain ceded to U.S. Guam, Puerto Rico, Philippines, Cuba
Protectorates
Anti-Imperialist League
Thought imperialism was immoral
Felt that Latin Americans would pollute U.S. culture
Cuba and Philippines
Protectorates - U.S. territory but not U.S. citizens
U.S. was only taking care of them until they became independent
Guam
Started as a military protectorate, later annexed
1901 - Platt Amendment
Gave Cuba semi-independence
U.S. still had control of Cuban foreign policy and right to intervene
Philippino War
Uprising against U.S. occupation
Lasted 4 years, killed more Americans than entire Spanish-American War
1901 - William Taft became governor of the Philippines
China
U.S. insisted on open-door policy with China
Gave all powers equal access to Chinese markets
Prevented China from being carved up into European colonies
All European powers agreed, except for Russia
Boxer Rebellion (1900) - Uprising against the imperial family
Progressive movement
Rose out of Populism
Reaction to Social Darwinism
Wanted to humanize industry, take care of victims
Leaders were old rich families displaced by new industry bosses
Social Gospel
People with money had a moral duty to care for the less fortunate
Thought people were a result of their environment
Wanted to create a better environment and thus improve people
1900 - Salvation Army founded
Settlement House Movement founded by Jane Adams
Tried to create a middle-class environment for the poor
Muckracking journalism
Exposed corruption, poor working conditions
Lincoln Steffens - exposed corruption in big business
Professionalism
Progressives wanted everything run by people with expertise
Believed there should standards for everything
Professional licensing boards
People had to take tests and become certified for certain jobs
1901 - American Medical Association formed
Bar Association formed to certify lawyers
National Association of Manufacturers
Municipal reform - clean up cities
Secret ballot
Prevented political bosses from tracking their constituents' votes
Replace city bosses with professional city managers
Tom Johnson - reform mayor of Cleveland
Hazen Pingree - Detroit
Samuel "Golden Rule" Jones - Toledo
Reforms spread to state governments in 1910s
Restrictions on lobbyists
Woodrow Wilson - reform governor of New Jersey
Robert LaFollette - Wisconsin
Labor unions joined Progressive bandwagon
1911 - Triangle Shirtwaist fire
Used as an example of unsafe working conditions
Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA)
Womens Rights
Progressives believed everyone should have an equal chance in life
Women began entering professions
Women's associations formed around professions
Colored Women's National Association - first black women's group
Many associations had pension funds - model for Social Security
Women's Suffrage Movement
Pitch was that women would all vote for reforms and human interests
1910 - various states gave women the right to vote
Started on west coast with Washington, gradually spread east
1920 - 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote
Beginning of Civil Rights movement
Niagra Movement (1905) - precurser to NAACP
Booker T. Washington
W.E.B. du Bois - founded NAACP in 1909
Wanted blacks to educate themselves, get better jobs, integrate into white society
Temperance movement
1873 - Women's Christian Temperance Union
Anti-Saloon League, run by Carry Nation, merged with WCTU
WCTU was largest women's organization in U.S.
Major influence in women's suffrage movement
1920 - 18th Amendment - Prohibition
Immigration restrictions
Scientific criminalism
Said that moral and intellectual traits were related to physical traits such as race
Madison Grant - The Passing of the Great Race
Lamented cross-breeding between whites and "inferior" races
Immigrants believed to be morally inferior, so removing them would improve environment for Americans
Dillingham Report
On scientific criminalism, recommended restricting immigration
Big business opposed immigration restriction
Immigrants provided cheap labor
Socialist movement
1900 - American Socialist Party formed
Led by Eugene V. Debs
Won many elections, but no federal positions
International Workers of the World (IWW, or Wobblies)
Socialist labor union
Louis Brandeis
Thought business and government were gettng too big
Became Cheif Justice of the Supreme Court
Socialist movements killed by World War I
Teddy Roosevelt and reforms at national level
1901 - McKinley assassinated by Leon Czolgosz
Teddy Roosevelt became president
TR was a popular war hero with a progressive outlook
Trust-busting
TR used Sherman Anti-trust Act against big business, railroads, banks
Support for labor
TR used federal government to aid unions
1902 - United Mine Workers' strike (Anthracite Coal strike)
TR suggested impartial federal arbitration
Mine workers refused, but TR threatened to send in troops
Election of 1904 - TR elected with little opposition
Square Deal
TR's plan to limit big business and help the working man
Interstate Commerce Commission regulated railroads
1906 - Pure Food and Drug Act
TR wanted additional reforms, but conservatives in Congress wouldn't pass them
Conservationism
National Park system created to preserve western lands
John Muir - founder of Sierra Club
Panic of 1907
Blamed on Teddy Roosevelt's reforms
Election of 1908
William Taft (Rep.) vs. William Jennings Bryan (Dem.)
TR had selected Taft as his replacement, felt Taft would continue his reforms
Taft won, primary because of TR's record and because Bryan came off as too radical
President Taft
Wanted lower tariffs, but got the Payne-Aldritch Tariff, which raised tariffs
Tariffs were primary source of government income, but high tariffs meant high price of goods for the common man
1909 - Pinchot-Ballinger controversy
Ballinger sold park land to coal companies, Pinchot told Taft
Taft took no action because he had appointed Ballinger
Some people took it as a sign that Taft was not loyal to TR's ideals
1910 - TR decided to retake control of the Republican party
New Nationalism - TR's Progressive platform
National government would regulate big business
Income and inheritance tax, workers' compensation
Regulation of child and women's labor
TR wanted LaFollette as a presidental candidate, but LaFollette had a mental breakdown
1912 - TR at Republican nomination convention
TR asked Republicans to back Progressive reforms
Instead, delegates nominated Taft
TR formed his own party - Progressive party (or Bull Moose party)
Election of 1912
Taft (Rep.) vs. Woodrow Wilson (Dem.) vs. TR (Progressive)
Wilson was also a progressive, ran on New Freedom platform
Nearly the same as Roosevelt's platform
Wanted to break up trusts instead of just regulating them
Brandeis was Wilson's political advisor
Republican split ensured an easy victory for Wilson
President Wilson's reforms
1913 - 16th Amendment - income tax
Underwood-Simmons tariff - reduced tariffs
Federal Reserve Act
Created federal reserve banking system
Subjected all banks to federal regulation
Wilson didn't break up trusts, but did regulate them
Federal Trade Commission - regulated for unfair business practices
Keating-Owen Act - regulated child labor
Clayton Act - expanded Sherman Anti-trust Act
International Affairs
Teddy Roosevelt - "Big Stick" Diplomacy
Used military force in foreign affairs
Portsmouth Treaty
TR negotiated peace agreement ending Russo-Japanese War
Favored Japan
1903 - Panama
U.S. encouraged Panama to declare indepedence from Columbia, so U.S. could build canal
1904 - Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine
Gave U.S. right to interfere in Latin America
1905 - U.S. took over Dominican Republic
William Taft - Dollar Diplomacy
U.S. would intervene to protect economic investments
Used money to solve disputes
Woodrow Wilson - Moral Diplomacy
U.S. should intervene for ethical reasons
U.S. would be the conscience of the world, make world safe for democracy
1913 - Huerta became dictator of Mexico in a coup
Wilson offered to send U.S. troops to aid Huerta's opposition
1914 - Dolphin incident
Sailors from the Dolphin arrested on shore leave in Mexico
Wilson demanded apology and 21-gun salute to U.S. flag on Mexican land
Mexico refused to do the salute
Wilson seized Veracruz, weakened Huerta and allowed Carranza to take over
1916 - Carranza would not adopt social reforms in Mexico
Pancho Villa attacked Southwestern U.S.
Villa blamed U.S. for putting Carranza in power
U.S. declared war on Pancho Villa
U.S. never caught him and eventually gave up
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