Unit 6: Gilded Age and Progressivism

What are two common names for the economic giants of the 2nd ind rev?

"Captains of industry" or "robber barons"

Redeemers

"Invisible Empire of the South" based on ideals of old Southern democrats, "The Lost Cause" nostalgic idea, white group: Redeemers - politicians, planters, businessmen who dominated Southern politics; wanted to restore former glory of pre-Civil War south; undo Reconstruction; cut state budgets, reduced property tax, closed asylums & hospitals; cut funding & support for education; encouraged laws that allowed the arrest of people w/ no jobs (particularly affected blacks); brought about the regression of the South and their decline for the next 50-60 years

Great Plains Conflicts

--conflict emergence in 1850s as settlers encroached on land --During Civil War 300 Sioux sentenced to death after killing hundreds of white farmers (Lincoln commuted sentences of all but 38), Some owned slaves and other tribes allied with Confederacy. --Union forced Navajos' "Long Walk" forcing 8000 to a reservation set aside (eventually allowed to return to part of their land) --1869 - President Ulysses S. Grant's "peace policy" but it does not last. Philip Sheridan led campaign to conquer desirable lands and kill buffalo. --Before 1870 North American Indians shared their world with two types of buffalo (plains and wood), eight species of bear, three primary species of wolves, 59 species of eagle, 150 antelope species, and 38 species deer. --Buffalo: 52 different ways for food, supplies, war and hunting implements. Hooves, for example, were boiled to use as glue. The hump back was used for making shields, the hides for making a teepee (Natives use all parts of the buffalo); whites hunted for sport and the hides and horns. Buffalo numbers: 30M in 1800 less than 1,000 by 1900 --> thanks white people! --Geronimo and Apache people conflict in Southwest US:: 1850-1880, then captured

The End of Romantic Cowboy Amurica

--the end: 3 words: barbed wire fences (divide the land, keep cows in the ranch), corporations also: cowboys turned from their own independent employers to employees; also cattle cars: refrigerated train cars, slaughter out west and then ship to other places (don't need the boys taking cattle to Chicago for slaughter any more) --railroads: connect the disparate parts of the West --corporation businesses developed for lumber, mining, iron, coal, RRs --displacement of independent farmers

Coxey's March

--1894 Jacob Coxey's idea: Bad roads and massive unemployment- gov't should give jobs to people who need to fix infrastructure --Walked from Ohio thru PA thru snowstorms and mud --First March on Washington, press covered it (almost like a pilgrimage) --Sense is that what's gov't for? They are responsible for us, they should help us --People steal trains if they're farther away (in CA, OR, etc) --Grover Cleveland had stated that people should support their gov't, but gov't does have the duty to support the people --Coxey and his army arrive at DC, he tries to make a speech to present a petition for gov't funded infrastructure and building projects for the unemployment - police drag him off --A disappointment to people, movement collapsed with many being arrested, etc.

Woodrow Wilson Presidency

--Domestic program= New Freedom --Extend opportunity to all --Democrats held majority throughout congress also (easy to pass legislature) --Exerted power boldly (actively participated in drawing legislature) --Successes: Established Federal Reserve(Banking system put under governmental control - loosens Wall Street's control on finances); Passed the Clayton Anti-Trust Act --> Protected labor unions and attacked trusts. Prohibited "unfair" business practices (defined in the legislature). Legalized peaceful strikes and boycotts; Keating-Owen Child Labor Act (Limited work hours of children and forbade the sale of goods produced by child labor); 18th amendment (Started prohibition - limited sale of alcohol); 19th amendment (Women's suffrage) --Adamson Act 1916 - 8 hr work day

Women Progressives

--Jane Addams (Addams and her friend, Ellen Gates Starr, co-founded Hull House in 1889 in Chicago --> center of the community, provided classes for adults and children and was a theater, coffee house, art gallery, gymnasium and book bindery; provides housing affordable housing, classes, childcare for working poor and immigrants; Addams was the first American woman awarded the Nobel Peace Prize) --Mary Harris Jones - rally on behalf of children being abused in child labor industries --The Pioneers (from 19th cent) - Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, Susan B Anthony --> battle for women's rights passed onto new gen :: Carrie Chapman Catt and NAWSA v. Alice Paul and the National Women's Party (they split b/c Paul wanted a more militant approach (ex: Hunger strikes - peaceful protest, arrested to raise awareness and public sympathy)) --Margaret Sanger and fight for birth control

John D Rockefeller

--Standard Oil --horizontal integration --one of largest monopolies (90% of oil industry by 1880s), everyone who needs oil goes thru him, so he can up prices to profit himself --lots of donations, but hardcore, anti-unionists, work you employees into the ground sort of fella

George Washington Carver

--an American botanist and inventor. He was born into slavery in the early 1860s in Diamond, Missouri. His mother disappeared, and he was both freed and orphaned at the same time. He grew up with the white family, the Carvers, that had originally enslaved his mother. Because the Carvers had no children, they raised Washington as their own. He left Missouri because of a lack of access to education due to his race. He earned his masters in agriculture from Iowa State college in 1896. Afterward, he began work as the head of the agricultural department at the Tuskegee Institute, headed by Booker T. Washington. There, he focused his teachings on resourceful farming, helping to positively influence the lives of sharecroppers. George Washington Carver became a symbol of Black advancement and workforce achievement.

General Theme: disposable income and the beginning of mass consumerism /materialism

2nd ind rev --> encouraged more and disposable income, more goods produce, lower quality of product, so buys many over your lifetime, throw away more instead of getting it fixed --product prices go up faster than wages do, so over time workers have to pay more and more to stay up to date with current consumerism wave while wages not rising quick enough

Problems for semi-skilled workers in late 19th cent

12-16 hr work day, $400-500 yr, children had to work for up to 20% of family's earning --dangers workplace: US in comparison to Euro paid more to workers, but much more dangerous, machines no safety gear no worker's compensation or many laws put in place to protect workers

Stats - pop west of Mississippi in 1865 and 1900

1865 - 300,000 1900 - 5,000,000 (post 2nd Industrial Rev)

End of Native American Treaty System

1871, US House of Reps stopped recognition of native american tribes as independent nations, ended over 100 year treaty-making methods between US and natives, limited rights of NA tribes in eyes of fed gov't, they were not considered to be independent nations within US anymore --Homestead Act during Lincoln presidency --Dawes act in 1887

Stats: % of Americans farming/wage-workers 1880/1900

1880: majority non-farming 1890: 2/3 wage-workers 1900: 50% of Americans lived in cities

Plessy v Ferguson

1896, --between 1877-96, some black congressmen, but dissipates --this Supreme court decision rules that separation based on race is legal allowed as long as the separation is equal, South ruled by "separate but equal" malarkey for next 60 years --final nail in the coffin of black civil rights --Black Codes to Jim Crow laws (further disenfranchise blacks, undermine legislation created in this time period) --White southerners find creative ways to prevent black participation in society (literary tests poll taxes (former slaves least likely able to do these things)), but grandfather clause prevent white people from being lumped in this group (if your grandfather could vote, you can)

Spanish-American War

1898; began with Cuban Revs to try to get rid of Spanish rule; U.S. supported Cuba in their fight for independence, especially after explosion of USS Maine (though probably an accident) blamed on Spanish; McKinley tried for peace w/ Cuban Independence, Spain refused --> so we declared war; --Teller Amendment by Congress: our intentions were to help Cuban gain independence, not colonize --Sec of State John Hay: "a splendid little war" --investigative journalism & Joseph Pulitzer: one of first times in a war where journalists are reporting back to civilians in much the same way as toady --involvement of yellow press (propaganda, fear, shock, gossip), William Randolph Hearst & NY Journal: spread rumors that Maine was sunk by Spain (this event enabled US to get involved w/o feeling guilty --> the first shot was not fired by us) --San Juan Hill: Teddy Roosevelt - created a volunteer cavalry unit, a cross-section of America society (ivy league, cowboy, farmer, immigrant, even native americans); no blacks though; got up the hill w/ his unit, found that the black unit had gotten there first (not typically discussed in history) --> earned Roosevelt fame & became VP largely due to his wartime success --Treaty of Paris: U.S. gained Cuba, Guam, Puerto Rico, and Philippines --Platt Amendment: in order for their independence, Cuba had to sign that America had right to intervene militarily in Cuba if Pres. thought necessary; establish Guantanamo Bay

Open Door Policy

1899, Sec of State John Hay - demanded Euro powers who had divided China into separation spheres of commercial influence grant equal access to American exports (free movement of good and money to and from US, not people)

Muller v. Oregon

1908 - Oregon had passed law that restricted work to 10 hr/day; Mueller, laundry company owner, violated that law, then appealed to court --Oregon Attorney Gen. Louis Brandeis made convincing case that state law was protecting women's health --Justices unanimously voted that this was diff from Lochner case --> so precedent which allowed court to approve some state reforms that regulated work hours

Geronimo

Apace chief, US gov't relocated his tribe many times, tried to deter US (some of most successful attempts), avoided US capture and killed civilians along the way --surrender in 1886 --demonstrates the theme of American contradiction --> Civil War, heck Rev war, fought for freedom and equality of all people, yet treat Natives like this

D. W. Griffith's Birth of a Nation

As America's first feature-length motion picture, D. W. Griffith's Birth of a Nation continues to be the most offensive films ever made. Originally called The Clansman, it is three hours of racist propaganda — starting with the Civil War and ending with the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) rising up to save the South from the Reconstruction Era-prominence of African Americans. Despite being suppressed by the federal government, the KKK experienced a resurgence in the 1910s and 1920s as part of a cultural backlash to immigration and progressive reform, and it continues to use Birth of a Nation as propaganda when recruiting new clansmen.

Lochner v. New York

Bakeshop Act - restricted bakers' work day to 10 hrs --Lochner, owner of bakery, sued state saying that this act violated his freedom of contract --court ruled under Justice Peckham --> law violated 14th amendment right to buy and sell labor as the business of the individual (so gov't had no place regulating workplaces) --right of contract ruled --began Lochner era when many Progressive social & industrial reforms were repealed --1905

Nez Perce tribe and Chief Joseph

Chief Joseph was the leader of the Nez Perce Indians in the latter half of the 19th century. His father, Joseph the Elder, was a Christian and supported peace with white settlers, even helping set up a Nez Perce reservation with the government. However, when the majority of the land was taken from them, he denounced the United States. His son, now known as Chief Joseph, succeeded him. Chief Joseph led a strong resistance as the government tried to force his tribe to Idaho. After the threat of violence, he unwillingly began to march his tribe to a fraction of their previous land. However, about 20 young Indians, appalled at the thought of losing their home land, rebelled against the military forces and killed several whites. General O.O. Howard led the attack on all of the Nez Perce members that had not successfully reached the reservation, capturing and killing many. Chief Joseph surrendered with the hope of saving his people. In defeat, he gave a speech in D.C. where he pled his case to President Hayes, "From where the sun now stands I will fight no more forever." He died without accomplishing his goal that was giving his people Americans' oath of freedom and equality. Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce Indians embody the struggle that has always plagued American society: to whom should equality be extended to and what defines a citizen.

Cowboys: Myth vs Reality

Cowboys have become very romanticized by American culture. However, in their true essence, they are simply cow herders that guided cattle to from the western plains to Chicago in order to be slaughtered for meat production. Western films portray cowboys as men whose lives are adventures, and their heroism attracted the American public. They depict small dusty towns, saloons, gunfights and duels, and dancing girls. These films, however, omitted the bad parts about being a cowboy. In reality, it consisted of a very dangerous job that reaped little pay. The west was still relatively unsettled, and therefore the law did not have much effect. It was truly every man for himself. Native Americans were often portrayed as the enemy in these films, serving as a threat to American expansion and prosperity. Yet in reality Native Americans were the victims of harsh America expansion. --why? cowboy is now the symbolic image of America - rugged, independent, move in order to fulfill their dream --people then and now like that image to contrast with their own more urban, dirty, crammed lives --violence: not glorified, tidy duels

What is Progressivism?

Crises of 1890s turned nation's attention to reform. At beginning of 20th cent. , Amers living in most advanced industrial society in world and began to consider the cost of that rapid growth --"... a frightening concentration of corporate power, a rebellious working class, misery in the cities, and the corruption of machine politics" led to progressive era (Henretta 574). --reaction to rapid industrialization --urban (unlike more rural base of Populist movement)

Booker T. Washington vs. W. E. B. Dubois

Different leaders w/ diff ideas about how best to assimilate blacks into society --many adults by 1900, born after Civil War - first time people who never knew slavery are majority of work force etc. --Booker T. Washington: believed in industrial education - AA children taught 3 Rs, but trained for skilled position in industry or agriculture; --W.E.B. DuBois: more extreme/militant approach; born in Mass.; undergrad: Fisk; First AA to earn PhD from Harvard; helped form first black middle class & elite class; book: The Souls of Black Folk (1903) - part poetry part philosophy; Talented Tenth (we should educate just the top 10% of black men and women, they should be taught to be professionals: upper-middle class teachers, lawyers, doctors, etc) - fear in South motivated whites to keep down blacks (use race, now that working whites and blacks are on the same plane besides their skin color); moral argument for "Talented Tenth": equality; practical - need black professionals to serve the black community; Niagara convention - founds NAACP (National Associated for the Advancement of Colored People); fought against lynching

Frontier Thesis

Frederick Jackson Turner theory about the West and connection to American exceptionalism -- 1) "the existence of an area of free land, its continuous recession, and the advance of American settlement westward" - central theme in US history --Western expansion renewed American ideas of individualism and freedom, making it on your own, creating yourself --after expansion was over (literally no more land left to expand into): Americans deal with difficult transition from idea of "infinite America" to one of a closed-off, limited world --Safety valve: frontier diffused social discontent in US --Successive Frontiers: one phase of development followed another in any new frontier (first TN was the "West", then Missouri, then Rockies)

Election of 1912

General: 4 party election, Woodrow Wilson victorious; Socialist: Eugene V. Debs (working class should run America); Progressive/"Bull Moose": Teddy Roosevelt (reformer); Republican: William Howard Taft (big business & the status quo); Democrat: Woodrow Wilson (reformer) --Roosevelt & Wilson trying to win "middle" voters --Wilson wins election with 42% of popular vote & --Roosevelt ends up with 27% --Wilson's platform: A "New Freedom" for the "man on the make" (middle class aspiring to be business owning class) --> wanted limited gov't --Roosevelt's platform: "New Nationalism" (social reforms like women's suffrage, labor & health regulations, federally-funded insurance) Background: --Unrest and great need for a change in governmental approach --Roosevelt ran for Progressives b/c Taft beat him in the Republican primary --Wilson able to win b/c Republican voters split between Taft and Roosevelt --Wilson was isolationist, while Taft and Roosevelt more interventionist --Reason why US was so hesitant to join WWI during his presidency Economic policies by candidates; Wilson: fed gov't should break up big businesses to create more competition; Roosevelt: fed gov't should regulate big businesses --Outward appearances (Wilson: cold, aloof); (Roosevelt: charismatic) --Dems - more isolationist as a party, social reform --> more similar to today's parties

Horizontal vs Vertical Integration

H: buy out competing companies in one part of the process (ex: Rockefeller just in oil refiner) V: company that controlled every phase of the business from raw materials to distribution

Alaska and Hawaii

HAWAII: Before the annexation of Hawaii, the queen of Hawaii was Queen Lilly. Queen Lilly came to power in 1877 after her brother died. During her reign over Hawaii, she promised to gain back the monarchies power that was lost because of the Bayonet Constitution. Later in her rule, the US staged a coup to get rid of Queen Lilly. President Cleveland declared he would reinstate her if she gave amnesty to those who participated in the coup. Yet, soon after her reinstatement, a provisional government formed in Hawaii. In 1894, the US the Republic of Hawaii was created and Sanford Dole was appointed president. Dole had played a large role in Hawaii's government as seen in his positions on the Hawaiian legislature and justice of the Hawaiian supreme court. Dole began to seek annexation for Hawaii, but Cleveland instead wanted to reinstate Queen Lilly. Dole ignore president Cleveland's authority and instead created the Republic of Hawaii. After continuously pressing for annexation, around 1900 Dole and his colleagues finally got their wish. Dole was then appointed the first governor of the Hawaiian territory. The annexation of Hawaii represents the United States involvement in Imperialism, and the US's need for a safety valve. ALASKA: William Seward, Sec of State under Johnson; Russia and GB had claims --> Seward's Folly - called that for wanting Alaska (Why? During Reconstruction, no one lives there, it's tundra, who wants it? --> then gold rush of 98, and oil and such and people were happy); first fore into imperialism

Fordism

Henry Ford: fifferent from other captains of industry of Gilded Age --1905 - Ford Motor Company established; Model T created 3 years later --Ford standardized output of cars and lowered prices - made it available to more people --Assembly line & interchangeable parts --1914 - raised wages to more than double pay of most industrial workers; used spies and armed detectives to prevent unionization --other captains of industry critisized him for jeopardizing profits by increasing wages; he argued that paying more means more spending --> economy boom --Economic system of mass production and mass consumption = Fordism (and what we have today)

Henry Grady

Henry Grady was an American journalist based in the Reconstruction and early Gilded Age South, specifically Georgia. Grady lead The Atlanta Constitution to become the most popular newspaper in the South. His work gave him the nickname "Spokesman of the New South". Through his articles and speeches, Grady stressed the importance of industrialism and crop diversification in rebuilding the South. For example, Grady spoke of the "The New South" during a speech in New York City in 1886. Grady's view on race were moderate, as he supported some freedom for blacks but not equality. One specific example of his political voice through the Constitution was the Atlantic Ring. This group acted as a political machine to cause the election of certain politicians. Grady continued to promote industrialization in the South until his death, but many critics argued that he turned the South over to Northern interests. Other critics of Henry Grady claimed his interests were solely based on Atlanta without concern for the rest of the South.

Homestead Strike

Homestead, PA strike (Carnegie Steel Plant) - 1892 --Rising wages = falling profits, didn't like that laborer were advocated for higher wages --Carnegie planned to break unions in Homestead --Believed in philsophy of Herbert Spencer - social Darwinism, "survival of the fittest" --> justifies doing nothing for those who are less fortunate; ruthlessness is the right thing - encourages progress --Henry Frick, Carnegie's right hand man incites conflict with workers while Carnegie is on vacation; workers refused lower wages despite intimidation methods of Frick --> strike by union men --Frick brought in armed guards for non-union replacement workers in secret, fight broke out w/ union workers, gunfire, explosions (16 dead, 150 injured) --Carnegie (still) didn't back down --5 months later, he crushed union at Homestead with help from state troops from gov't, and fed troops --demonstrated how gov't supported the owner, not the workers

Ida B. Wells

Ida B Wells was a black journalist who lived from 1862-1931. She was an early suffragist, feminist, and co-founder of the NAACP. She was born into slavery, but was freed 6 months later due to the Emancipation Proclamation. Her father was an active republican who aided the Reconstruction of the south as a member of the Freedman's Bureau. He helped found Shaw University (now Rust College), where Wells attended before she attended Fisk University. She chose to become a journalist after she was not allowed to sit in first-class on a train, despite having a first-class ticket. (She later brought the railroad company to court and won $500 in settlements). Wells wrote for multiple black newspapers under the name 'Iola' and later co-owned the papers Memphis Free Speech and Headlight and Free Speech. Throughout her life she campaigned for the improvement of black education and civil rights. After writing an editorial about lynchings in the south and receiving death threats, she moved from Memphis to New York City. Until she died, she continued to advocate for the rights of women and people of color in America.

Johnson-Reed Immigration Act

Immigration Quota act of 1924, US fed law limited # of annual immigrants from each country to 2% of people already living in US in 1890 --favored Northern European immigrants, not SE or Asian immigrants --established Border Patrol --Limit from Middle East, Asia, etc. --in 1927: 2% replaced with 150,000

2nd wave immigration

Immigration to the US reached its peak from 1880-1920, and is referred to as the "Second Wave". During these years the US saw a greater ethnic diversity of immigrants from regions like Southern and Eastern Europe and Asia. The new groups arriving by the boatload in the Gilded Age included Greek, Italian, Polish, Slovak, Serb, Russian, Croat, and others. Until cut off by federal decree, Japanese and Chinese settlers relocated to the American West Coast (Angel Island). Unlike previous immigrant groups in America, none of these groups hailed from democratic regimes, and most did not speak English. There was also some resistance to immigration in the US. Nativists successfully restricted the flow of immigration with laws like the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act, which barred this ethnic group entirely,and the Immigration Act of 1924. The idea of America being a "melting pot" came from this period of heavy immigration. --Angel Island (San Fran) - 1 mil Asian immigrants 1910-1940 --is America melting pot or tossed salad?

Order of Gilded Age/Progressive Presidents

Johnson, Grant, Hayes, Garfield, Arthur, Cleveland, Harrison, Cleveland again, McKinley, Roosevelt, Taft, Wilson

McKinley Tariff and Wilson-Gorman Tariff

In 1890, Republican Senator McKinley led the way to increase tariffs on manufactured foreign goods by as much as 50%, for the purpose of protecting American industries, and lowering or removing tariffs on goods such as sugar, alcohol, and tobacco. This put farmers at a disadvantage, because they were selling their products to an unprotected market, while having to buy expensive foreign agricultural tools. This will become one of the reasons for the forming of the Populist party. The tariff also affected Hawaii, which previously had a great relationship with the U.S. through sugar trade. With their sugar prices lowered in the U.S., they were being undersold and fell into depression, which caused them to push for their annexation since the tariff problem would disappear if they were not a foreign country. The tariff was highly unpopular with American consumers, so at the next election, the democrats were voted to comprise of the majority of the House of Reps. The McKinely Tariff was replaced with the Wilson-Gorman Tariff (1894), which reduced the tariffs and also re-introduced federal income tax (to compensate for the lowered government income through the tariffs). It also reinstituted the tariff on sugar, which hurt Cuba's economy, which relied heavily on America for sugar exports. Their economic downfall later fueled the Spanish-American War.

Wabash v Illinois

In Wabash v. Illinois (1886), the supreme court ruled that the federal government, as opposed to the state previously ruled on in Munn v. Illinois, could regulate the railroads that dealt with interstate commerce. This ruling covered most of the important railroad lines, but not necessarily the smaller ones. The effect of this was the Interstate Commerce Commission Act in 1887. Though this act was supposed to help people when dealing with railroads, when in court, the ICC usually lost. The ICC was supposed to protect the people's working conditions and wages, but it was rarely victorious.

IWW

International Workers of the World --founded in 1905 in Chicago. --radical, with ties to socialism and anarchy; believed that all workers should be united as a single social class --success in early 20th cent in West part. --Membership declined in the 1920's due to the formation of the AFL and the government crackdown on radical groups. The group continues to exist with around 3000 members today.

Election of 1896

Major Issues: silver or gold? Silver - working classes, farmers, Dems under Bryan supported b/c there was more silver, therefore there wouldn't be a shortage of money, only wealthy and corporations were benefiting from gold standard Dems: elected Williams Jennings Bryan, supported by Populists (fused the parties together) b/c they saw him as their best chance of getting the Populist agenda thru gov't, "Cross of Gold" speech, evoked evangelical, Protestant ideas, used religion to fire up people and win them over to his side--> compared working class America to Crucifixion of Christ; unusual ideas for a Dem candidate, usually smaller gov't, but Bryan ran on idea of more gov't regulation to limit power of corporations who had been abusing the working classes for the past couple decades of industrialization; instead of idea that making the top prosperous with make the rest prosper, instead enfranchise the majority and those who rest upon them with prosper too --Repubs: elected William McKinley - traditional candidate, had A LOT of money backing him from monopolies of America (Rockefeller gave thousands of $ to campaign, Carnegie threw money at him too) --> was able to spread his message and campaign across America w/ so much financial support --80% of elegible electorate turned out to vote: Bryan won West, Great Plains, and South; but McKinley won with the Midwest (Chicago) and Mid-Atlantic to Northeastern states. Swept w/ 60% of vote due to winning over of urban workers and immigrants (the Populist ideas had not won them over as much as farmers to the west; Repubs had idea of higher tarriffs --> appealed to urban workers); also many black voters saw Dems as the party who were trying to take away their rights (which was true) --this election further solidified this new American identity - nation of a concentrated, powerful few built on the backs of the impoverished majority; Populism dies (partly to 1898 Alaskan Gold Rush) --beginning of Progressive Era (1900-1920)

Who wrote Sunshine and Shadow in New York?

Matthew Smith, contrasts NYC's poor and wealthy classes

Panic of 1893

May 4th, 1893, Near collapse of powerful monopoly of twine and rope scared people by making them wonder what was safe --Investors pulling their stocks from industries --> by end of the day, nation's wealth draining away --Last big panic was 20 years ago, so much had changed --> more people dependent on their employment, relied on industries, manufacturing --Starvation, unemployment (1 mil); 20% of America no income (why? No Gov't to step in to help American citizens thru tough times --1895 - Gold being shipped out of US as people asked for their money back --Gold standard - going wrong (gold Reserve down 50%; Congress didn't pass Cleveland's idea for more gold funds, some in Congress wanted silver like the farmers and workers who wanted silver --JP Morgan steps in - doesn't want US gov't to go bankrupt --> goes to DC to petition for his ideas to Pres, uses law from Civil War era that allowed private parties to loan gold to US gov't w/o Congressional approval (a group of investors, European and American, offered this loan) --> Cleveland signed this agreement --Problem - a private individual had acquired so much power, more power than President (oligarchy?)

Muckrakers

Muckrakers - raking up all that mud!, investigative journalists; Exposed mischief in American journalism --> raise awareness of problems in cities and factories, political corruption, other social problems --Ex: Thomas Nast exposing horrible deeds of Boss Tweed --ex: Ida B. Wells, Upton Sinclair (The Jungle about lack of fed reg on food processing industry), Jacob Riis (How the Other Half Lives, exposed to wealthy classes the impoverishment of working classes)

Munn v. Illinois

Munn vs. Illinois was a US supreme court case in 1877. This case ruled that the state government is allowed to, and has a place in, regulation of industries and business in the US. This case was started after a push from Illinois for a maximum to be set on how much a company could charge for holding agricultural products and for the elimination of railroad discrimination. The warehouse, Munn and Scott in Chicago, was found guilty of violating the rules and regulations of storage. This case then went to the supreme court, and it was ruled that state power extends into the duties of regulating any industry that affects the public, regardless on whether or not it is private. decision was ruled by Chief Justice Waite. However, this positive trend in the prospect of government interference wa cut short nine years later when Wabash vs. Illinois said only the federal government, not the state government, has the power to monitor business.

Muscular Christianity and Salvation Army

Muscular Christianity was a belief that started in British schools that urged competition in games to help create an ideal and strong human being. Thomas Hughes was a popular British author who was successful in promoting Muscular Christianity in which he said,"[It] is "a good thing to have strong and well-exercised bodies .... The least of the muscular Christians has hold of the old chivalrous and Christian belief, that a man's body is given him to be trained and brought into subjection, and then used for the protection of the weak, the advancement of all righteous causes, and the subduing of the earth which God has given to the children of men" (Hughes 1895, p. 113). This idea caught on in the 1900s when Roosevelt said Hughes' book was one of two books every American should read. Groups like Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) emerged as a reaction to the spread of muscular Christianity. In America, the first group was started by Thomas Valentine Sullivan as a "home away from home" idea and bible study for his marine missionaries. The YMCA became a refuge for those living on the streets and in unsanitary conditions. The Salvation Army was also created as a reform movement to help "win the lost multitudes of England to Christ" (www.salvationarmyusa.org). William Booth was untraditional in his teachings by straying from the conventional church and instead travelling throughout England conducting evangelistic meetings. Those who were usually shunned away (thieves, gamblers, prostitutes, and drunkards) were the first of his "students" to convert to Christianity. Between 1881 and 1885, nearly 250,000 people were converted under the Salvation Army. In America, the first Salvation Army meeting was in 1879 and their mission was received enthusiastically. Both organizations played a key role in getting America (and other countries as well) active in their Christian beliefs as well as helping reform the modern city full of unsanitary conditions, drunkenness, and crime.

Boss Tweed

NYC, Boss William Tweed (head of Tammany Hall's political machine), mix of special interest lobbyist and organized crime head, many poor immigrants won over by his welfare system of food, clothes, and jobs --> many poor considered him like Robin Hood --got his immigrants to support whatever candidate he told them to b/c he provided food shelter etc to them --broken up in 1870s --Thomas Nast - political cartoonist/reported depicting Tweed in negative light; exposed Tweed's mal-business practices; created the tear in Tweed's thick armor; cartoons threatening because they called Tweed out on his corruption as the ring leader, and ultimately lead to Tweed's arrest & end of his reign

Panama Canal

President Roosevelt ordered the construction of a canal running through the land between Panama and Colombia, to connect the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The notion was not Roosevelt's original idea. The construction of a canal had been attempted before, but failed due to inadequate funding. In 1903, Colombia failed to approve the project. At this time, Panama was a part of Colombia. Roosevelt then incited a rebellion, recruiting Philippe Bunau-Varilla (French) to lead it. American even sent a military ship to prevent the Colombian government from suppressing this rebellion. Bunau-Varilla achieved independence for Panama, and signed a treaty that allowed to construct and operate a canal over the 10 mile wide strip of land. Almost 50,000 workers, the majority being from Barbados, were brought to construct the Panama Canal. The working conditions were brutal because of the tropical diseases carried by mosquitoes, which had halted earlier efforts of canal construction by the French. The Panama Canal was completed in 1914, yet the tension of how it was acquired by America remained for many decades. In 1977, President Jimmy Carter turned over the operation responsibilities of the canal to Panama. Finally in 2000, total control of the Panama Canal was submitted to Panama.

Sitting Bull

Sitting Bull was the Native American chief who led the Native Americans in their efforts to remain living in the Great Plains. Americans wanted the land due to increase expansion. American troops wanted the Native Americans to live in reservations. Over a long period of time, Sitting Bull was constantly helping his men stop the invasion of Americans into their land. Finally, in 1868, the Natives agreed to move into a reservation in modern-day South Dakota. All was peaceful until gold was discovered in the Black Hills of South Dakota in 1874. Controversies arose and remained until the Battle of Little Bighorn. During this battle, Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, and a few other tribes would defeat federal U.S troops. After a few years, the tribal people could not sustain themselves and had to surrender to the government in order to save themselves from starvation. In 1890, Sitting Bull was shot and killed by the U.S government. He was killed to ensure that he would not aid the Ghost Dance Movement.

Roosevelt Presidency

Teddy Roosevelt rose from vice president to president in 1901 after president McKinley's assassination. Roosevelt was always active in domestic and foreign affairs, and he tried to put an end to the economic problems caused by large corporations by distinguishing the "good" and "bad" businesses. Known as a "trustbuster," Roosevelt ordered the Northern Securities Company (founded and run by J.P. Morgan) to be prosecuted and dissolved because it was a monopoly. He was reelected in 1904 and appealed to the public for support because of his call to strengthen the Interstate Commerce Commission (Hepburn Act 1906 granted ICC power to set maximum jurisdiction rates & extend power). The Roosevelt Corollary basically stated that the U.S. had the right to implement "an international police power" in the Western Hemisphere. This policy was applied in many different cases. For example, when British, Italian, and German navies blockaded Venezuela in order to make them pay bank debts, Roosevelt persuaded them to withdraw. Teddy Roosevelt and the Roosevelt Corollary ultimately expanded Monroe's doctrine of committing to defending the Western Hemisphere against European intervention prior to World War I. Roosevelt's tactic of "speak softly and carry a big stick" advises caution and non-aggression, but is also backed by the capability for violence. --Bully Pulpit: used the White House as a 'bully pulpit' to promote an active government that protected the interests of the people over big business; Pure Food and Drug Act and Meat Inspection Act protected consumers; took steps to protect America's wilderness lands under Antiquities Act of 1906 that went beyond any previous President (why his head on Mount Rushmore)

Philippine War

Territory in Dec 10 1898 after Treaty of Paris ended Span-Amer War (started over US support of Cuban Rev); Manifest Destiny: applied to foreign territories after Western expansion ended in North America; paid 20 million to Spain for Philippines --Filipinos revolted against US after they remained in Philippines post Span-Amer war; Led by Emilio Aguinaldo (who had set up gov't post Span-Amer war based on US constitution) --1899-1903; over 100,000 Filipinos died, 4200 Amers --atrocities committed by Amer troops: burning of villages, torture of prisoners of war, rape and execution of civilians --McKinley: US was there to "uplift and civilize and Christianize" --> gov taft thought it would take decades to civilize them & show them "what Anglo-Saxon liberty is"

Aschan School

The Ashcan school began with a group of artists led by Robert Henri in the early years of the 20th century. He and his fellow artists focused on current issues and events in society, primarily in New York using a dark palette as their aid. The artists were well-off members of the middle class and wished to portray politics through the medium of art. Though they portrayed reforms, the artists themselves were not social critics or reformers. They avoided some realities such as the homeless population and problems based on class tensions, so their works were never as dark as some reformist artists who actually went into the darkest parts of the nation. The term "The Eight" refers to the first eight artists of the group who wished to make art more accessible in everyday life and later merged with other artists to form the Ashcan school.

Atlanta Compromise

The Atlanta Compromise announced in 1895 at the Atlanta Exposition Speech. It was an agreement between Booker T. Washington, the president of the Tuskegee Institute, some African-American leaders, and Southern white leaders. This compromise said that Southern blacks would submit to white political rule. It also guaranteed that blacks would receive a basic education and due process in law. At the same time, blacks were not supposed to press for equality and justice, and Northern whites would fund black educational charities. Though Washington was African American, he believed that African American should focus more on building up their own communities rather than fighting whites for equal rights. It was originally widely accepted but was later opposed by W.E.B. DuBois and other black leader because it accepted, in part, the practice of segregate (known to blacks as accommodation approach). Washington and his speech were part of the racial equation in the emerging New South after the Civil War.

Little Big Horn, Custer

The Battle of Little Bighorn, also known as Custer's last stand, took place in June of 1876 in modern day montana. As part of the Great Sioux War of 1876, it was a major victory for the Native Americans. The Sioux and Cheyenne warriors were led by Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, and sought to defend tribal land in the Dakota Territory. The land had been reserved for the Natives in 1868, and belonged to them "for as long as the grass shall grow". General Custer invaded when gold was discovered on the reservation. Custer, including 250 of his soldiers were killed in the battle. This is one of the rare victories of Native American resistance.

Chinese Exclusion Act

The Chinese Exclusion Act was a United States federal law signed by Chester A. Arthur on May 8, 1882. The Chinese were the largest immigrant group in CA and had been coming since the "Gold Rush of '49." The act allowed the U.S. to suspend Chinese immigration, a ban that was intended to last 10 years. Instead it lasted over 60 and was repealed on December 17, 1943.

Dawes Act

The Dawes Act, made in 1887 by Massachusetts senator Henry L. Dawes, was used to break up tribal land into small parcels to be given out to Indian families to farm on. The remainder of the land was auctioned off to whites. If Indians accepted the land, it meant they were adopting the "habits of the civilized life" and could become American citizens. This was an issue seeing that tribal identity was a very important to the Indians. This act ended up being more beneficial to whites than to the Indians. The Indians lost most of their tribal land and their culture while whites gained lots of cheap land. This leads into other acts that also deteriorate the Indian culture such as forcing Indian kids to leave their families and attend American schools. This leaves the kids distant from their old lives and still not fitting in the 'America' world. Also with all their land being given to whites, less and less was being preserved which lead to expansion and building which ultimately closes the frontier. --ex of land claiming: OK, 2M acres of native land taken, 50,000 whites come on first day in 1890s --Bureau of Indian Affairs set up "civilizing" schools: Americanization of Native Americans, cut their hair, give them Christian names, not allowed to see your parents, graduation with skills that aren't suited for life back at the reservation, in limbo: between worlds (American and Native)

Closing Act of Native American Resistance

The Ghost Dance Movement was a religious revitalization initiated in the late 1800s by Wovaka, a shaman in the Northern Paiute tribe. He foretold the reuniting of the Western tribes, the return of the buffalo, and the end of white encroachment on Native land. Large numbers of Native Americans throughout the region danced, sang, and participated in religious ceremonies intended to connect the living with the spirits of the dead. When the government realized what was happening, it sent troops to the reservations to deal with what white settlers saw as the beginnings of an uprising. On December 29, 1890, soldiers opened fire on Ghost Dancers near the Wounded Knee Creek in South Dakota, murdering nearly 200 tribe members (mostly women and children). The Wounded Knee Massacre ended all armed conflict between the native population and European settlers.

Haymarket Square Riot

The Haymarket Square Riot occurred in Chicago, Illinois on May 4th, 1886. Originally, many people were at the square for a protest against the killing and wounding of several workers by Chicago police during a strike at McCormick Reaper Works. They were protesting the length of the work day and working conditions. During this time, there were many radical labor activists. They not only wanted better treatment but also the entire capitalistic enterprise be stopped. For example, there was a man named Samuel Fielden. After he said something radical, police came to disperse the crowds. However, someone threw a bomb at the police and seven of them were killed. Because no one could figure out who threw the bomb, eight men were convicted of the bombing. They were all sentenced to death. Four of the men were executed on November 11, 1887. The other four men that were convicted were supposed to be executed as well; however, one committed suicide and the others were pardoned by Illinois Governor John P. Altgeld. He had to pardon them because there was a public backlash. People were questioning their guilt and how their trial was handled. The people who were executed were then considered martyrs for their cause.

Kansas Exodus

The Kansas Exodus 1879-80: African-Americans (40-60 thousand) migrated to Kansas seeking political equality, freedom from violence, access to education, and economic opportunity; idyllic version of Kansas spread that encourage many to move; though not very successful - many ended up as unskilled workers in towns and citie s --Most African-Americans had little alternative but to stay in southern region --Most northern employers refused to offer jobs to blacks. --WWI opened up northern job opportunities to blacks due to cut off in immigration (and that group of workers)

Mexican Revolution

The Mexican Revolution began in 1911 when Francisco Madero overthrew the government of dictator Porfirio Diaz. Without Woodrow Wilson's knowledge but with the backing of the US ambassador and of American companies that controlled Mexico's oil and mining industries, military commander Victoriano Huerta assassinated Madero and seized power two years later. Wilson was appalled and sent American troops to Vera Cruz to prevent the arrival of weapons to Huerta's forces. However, the Mexicans greeted the troops as invaders rather than liberators which led to 100 Mexican casualties and 19 American casualties. Huerta left presidency in 1914, but civil war continued, and neither side were happy about Wilson's interference. In 1916, "Pancho" Villa, the leader of one faction, attacked Columbus, New Mexico, where he killed 17 Americans. Wilson ordered 10,000 troops into northern Mexico to seek Villa which turned out to be unsuccessful. This revolution was a warning that it might be more difficult than Wilson assumed to use American power to reorder the internal affairs of other nations, or to apply moral certainty to foreign policy. This action taken by Wilson reflected the ideas of the Roosevelt Corollary and also the idea of American imperialism.

Pullman Strike

The Pullman Strike was from May 11, 1894 to July 20, 1894 in Chicago, IL. It was a railroad strike and boycott that disrupted rail traffic in the Midwest. The Pullman Palace Car Company is a manufacturer of railroad cars, and the company cut workers' wages by 25%. This left many families facing starvation because they did not have enough money for food. Workers tried to meet with the company's president, George M. Pullman, about the low wages, working conditions, and 16-hour work days, but he refused to see them. All the workers left the factory on May 11, 1894, on strike. The Strikers received backup from the American Railway Union (or the ARU). The ARU offered the idea of a boycott on June 20th, and by June 30th, 125,000 workers on 29 railroads quit work. On July 3rd, President Cleveland ordered troops into Chicago. Eventually, there were 6,000 federal troops, 3,100 police, and 5,000 deputy marshals in the city of Chicago; however, they could not maintain the violence of the strikers. The General Managers' Association began hiring nonunion workers, and the strike begins to dwindle. On July 20th, the federal troops were called back out of the city. The Pullman Company reopened on August 2nd, 1894, and the company agreed to rehire striking workers but only if they signed a pledge saying they would never join a union. The strike ended up costing the railroads millions of dollars, and strikers had lost more than $1 million in wages.

Sherman Anti-Trust Act, Clayton Anti-Trust Act

The Sherman Anti-Trust Act was created in 1890 and is known for being the first law to restrict monopolistic trusts and regulate large corporations. It was promoted by Senator John Sherman of Ohio and is based on Congress's constitutional power of overseeing interstate commerce. In 1914, the Sherman Anti-Trust Act was extended by the Clayton Act. Passed by Congress, the Clayton Act enforced more restrictions on monopolies and also announced that labor unions and agricultural cooperatives (groups of farmers who pool their resources) did not work against trade; thus, these groups were now exempt from anti-trust legislation that had previously hindered them from representing all of their concerns. The Clayton Act led to labor unions and agricultural cooperates to be even more effective and was called the "Magna Carta of American Labor" by labor union leader Samuel Gompers.

Social Gospel Movement & Gospel of Wealth

The Social Gospel Movement was a religious movement that arose during the 2nd half of the 19th century. Ministers, especially Protestant, began to tie salvation and good works together. They argued that people must put aside their own earthly desires and help other people, especially the needy. This movement also led to the creation of settlement houses, which provided numerous opportunities for less fortunate people. "The Gospel of Wealth" is an article written by Andrew Carnegie in 1889 that describes the responsibility of philanthropy by the new upper class of self-made rich. He proposed that the best way of dealing with the new wealth inequality was for the wealthy to redistribute their surplus means in a responsible and thoughtful manner. --Josiah Strong - social gospel movement

Triangle Shirtwaist Fire

The Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire occurred on March 25th, 1911 in New York City. It is known as one of the deadliest industrial disasters in American history, with 146 deaths, the majority of which were female European immigrants between ages 16 to 23. In order to safeguard against thefts and unexcused absences, the owners locked the doors so that the workers had to jump from the tall windows. This event showcased the high levels of corruption in the government and garment industries, as well as the horrible working conditions endured by the employees. The owners of the Triangle Factory, Max Blanck and Isaac Harris, were suspected to deliberately set fire to their businesses before working hours to collect insurance money and so neglected to install sprinkler systems and fire safety features typically required. The two were also known to pay off the politicians to look the other way as they mistreated their workers. All of New York was united in grief that day and the city was stricken with guilt after being shown the consequences of the rapid, corrupt industrial boom. By capturing the public attention, it generated a lot of support for labor unions calling pushes for reform. Out of the ashes came new safety regulations, child labor laws, and workers compensation. It was significant because it was one of the major reasons of guiding America from the Gilded Age to the Progressive Age, becoming a watershed moment for the nation to push for progress.

Taft Presidency

The election of 1908 had Republican William Howard Taft pitted against Democrat William J. Bryan. Taft had been Roosevelt's Secretary of War; Bryan ran for the presidency for the third time. His supporters consisted of the Populist Party and liberal. Taft received the majority in both the electoral and popular vote, becoming the 27th president of the US. Taft had a long list of things to accomplish during his presidency, but not everything was welcomed. He managed to strengthen the ICC and helped pass the Sixteenth Amendment; in addition, he worked on economic relations with Latin American and Asian countries through "Dollar Diplomacy," where American bankers granted loans to certain countries. Taft was quite conservative, but he supported the Progressive view for the nation. He ran for a second term, but lost to Woodrow Wilson.

Frontier Life (diversity, health, opportunities)

The frontier farms held the most diverse group of Americans. There were native-born easterners, blacks from the South, immigrants from Canada, Germany, Scandinavia, and Great Britain, and many others. The first wave of immigrants hailed from NW Europe while the second set came from SE Europe and Asia. The most ethnically diverse state during the late nineteenth century was North Dakota. These Americans, white, black, immigrant, etc. , choose to attempt life on the frontier because the west provided opportunity without the old world confinements of race and ethnicity. In terms of gender, women worked as cowgirls, farm hands, and care takers of the home and children on the frontier. Life on the frontier was appealing to minority, immigrant, or female groups because of the West's focus on skill and rough work instead of the traditional boundaries of society. Still even with these appealing aspects, life on the frontier was difficult for all genders and races. Over half of the families that moved to the West with the 1862 Homestead Act did not survive the first five years and the isolation caused great problems with infant mortality and medical issues. Overall, the West gave many the opportunity to shed the past confinements of race and gender, but not without significant risk. --violence, pretty much lawless (but not clean and dramatic like in movies) --less than 50% survived more than 5 years on Great Plains farming, childbirth complications, rough unpleasant work, not as romantic as many try to construe it, animals, starvation, crops, dawn til dusk work --some bonanza farms, thousands of acres and many #s of workers

1862 Homestead Act

The homestead Act was passed in 1862 by Abraham Lincoln. This act legally allowed people to move out west and gain around 160 acres of land. Along with attaining new land, the buyers had to build homes and structures as well as farm or better their property. Although the homestead act allowed for westward expansion, the move into new territories led to further cruel treatment of the Native Americans. These new westward expansions also promoted the romanticized image of the cowboy. The homestead act not only opened lands and opportunities to conquer the Native Americans, but it also allowed the west to become the safety valve for America (frontier diffused social discontent in US)

Who wrote The Theory of the Leisure Class?

Thorstein Veblen, critiqued upper classes of "conspicuous consumption", over consumption great wealth divide, spending money just to spend money and demonstrate how rich you are (such as 2 years previous in 1897 the Waldorf-Astoria ball w/ Versailles theme and French nobility (ironic parallel))

US Puerto Rican Involvement Early 20th century

US involvement post Span-Amer war turned PR from small farmer-based island to low-wage plantation economy controlled by large corporations acting from afar (in early 20th cent. PR one of poorest Caribbean country)

Cornelius Vanderbilt, Henry Ford, JP Morgan, and Thomas A Scott

Vanderbilt: shipping industry, first actual ships, then RRs, Commodore: riverboat captain name Ford: assembly line, cheap, affordable cars for middle and lower classes, Model T, faster, cheaper, mass produced; interchangeable parts: goods aren't custom made, cheaper to buy, easier and cheaper to fix; led to greater formation of the middle class JP Morgan: banking, created US Steel by combining 8 steel companies together into 1st billion dollar company (by merging companies --> he wanted to end cutthroat competition and replace with stability w/in that industry) Scott: Penn RR

Andrew Carnegie

Vertical Integration: started w/ one iron mine: the controlled all of these processes: iron mining, transport to factory, steel refinery, transport and sorted, distribution --Scottish immigrant, hired by Thomas Scott as telegraph operator in 1850s --factories operated 24/7 except for 4th of July

What was Gilded Age Politics characterized by?

corruption, greed, weak presidents, corporate power controlling DC --political participation by citizens - 80% electorate voting --continuity in parties - most people did not change parties, Dems and Repubs look very similar in most Presidential elections (same wine, diff labels) -- very little regulation when it came to industry

Dollar Diplomacy

doctrine used during Taft's presidency that encourage economic investment and loans from American banks (instead of direct military intervention) to spread American influence in places like Honduras, Nicaragua, DR, and Liberia

Tenement Housing late 19th Cent

dumbbell tenements: constructed as supposed solution to poor tenement houses, just made problem worse; buildings pinched in the middle, so a dumbbell shape, light shafts in the middle so small you could reach a neighbor's hand, hot, little to no light; people threw trash into light shaft, no way to get in and clean it so fire hazard

General theme of 2nd Ind Rev: A Worker's relationship with labor

from direct indirect: --before, plant a crop, eat it, trade it, direct --after: factories you pull levers and operate machinery to make something (like nuts and bolts) then you get paid based not the number of products, but the time you spent --more indirect

What are some major contributors that aided in the economic growth of the 2nd Industrial Rev?

industrial demand, natural resources, new immigrants, growing supply of labor, availability of capital for investment --black gold: oil, Edwin Drake drilled for oil in PA '59, then to KY, OH, IL, IN (later TX) --Bessemer process: turned iron into steel with air), cities now can build up! skyscrapers, RRs, built with steel (A better form of iron)

Workers' Resistance late 19th cent

labor Unions! try to create leverage and counterbalance power of superiors, better wages and conditions; strikes, protests, violence sometimes; marginalized as dangerous --> seen as communists, immigrants, anarchists, criminals, violent

American Federation of Labor

labor union w/ ideas: labor should avoid being part of politics, bargain w/ employers over daily issues is important part of reforming the labor system, organized labor should focus on concrete, plausible gains not dreamy ideals --found 1886 --one of largest and most successful labor unions of the time --all members skilled-laborers (so not a very diversified union)

Alfred T Mahan

lays out blueprint for naval power as the backbone of imperialism --The Influence of Seas Power Upon History: published in 1890 - Frontier no longer existed for Americans (Western expansion off) --> Americans must now begin to look outward"

Muckrakers vs. Yellow Journalism

muckrakers=investigative journalism Yellow Journalism= sensationalist, international issues, play to public's desire for juicy gossip) Personal Journalism=opinionated, very biased

Social Darwinism

philsophy of Herbert Spencer - social Darwinism (social interpretation of Darwin's natural selection from On the Origin of Species), "survival of the fittest"; justifies doing nothing for those who are less fortunate; Ruthlessness is the right thing - encourages progress --> weeds out the "weak" members of society --Spencer proposed idea of eugenics: desirable traits and controlled breeding are used in order to enhance future generations

The Jungle by Upton Sinclair

published 1906- Chicago's meatpaking industry (argues for socialism, people took away lack of reg and horrors of processed meat and conditions of meat --Lack of ventilation, lack of sanitary equipment - made meat unsafe --One of actions taken to expose a problem due to the Gilded Age, have it widely read, and then have action taken in direct reaction to the problem presented --Teddy Roosevelt helps to push through in Congress Meat Inspection Act of 1906, then later act that will create FDA to regulate food and pharmaceutical drugs

Jay Gould

railroad developer and speculator --prototype for "robber baron" name, corrupt railroad king --led Western Union to dominance in telegraph industry --another rags to riches story: poverty to corrupt businessman! --fought w/ Vanderbilt over Erie RR, involving canons and ships full of gunman --Vanderbil bough stock in RR, Gould illegally issued more, bribed NY legislature to prevent himself being sued

Olney Corollary

was Secretary of State Richard Olney's interpretation of the Monroe Doctrine when a border dispute occurred between British Guiana and Venezuela. Olney claimed that the Monroe Doctrine gave the United States authority to mediate border disputes in the Western Hemisphere. Olney extended the meaning of the Monroe Doctrine, which had previously stated merely that the Western Hemisphere was closed to additional European colonization. --The border dispute was settled by arbitration in 1897, and the Olney interpretation was defunct by 1933

Populism

started as Farmers' Alliance, Patrons of Husbandry (1867), Granger's Movement --many of their ideas based on Ignatius Donnelly's writing about reducing power of big business --appealed to working classes, especially Western and Southern farmers --overproduction - farmers producing more than can be consumed --> fall in goods' prices; in 30 years (1870-1900) land being farmed more than doubled from the land being farmed between 1600-1870; farmers in debt, taking out loans, railroad rates high in order for unregulated corporations to take advantage of farmers; 11,000 farms repossessed in Kansas alone 89-93 --Jeffersonian idea of America: individual laborers (this idea was not seen by many in corporatized, industrial America where only a certain few held power: captains of industry, Wall Street) --speakers: Mary Elizabeth Lease, Texan "Cyclone" Davis --formed People's Party in 1892

Robert La Follete

the early twentieth-century governor of Wisconsin, who believed that the state was a "laboratory for democracy," developed what came to be known as the Wisconsin Idea, taxed corporate wealth, and initiated state regulation of public utilities

Lynching

what: organized, clandestine, violent discrimination and murder; 2300 people lynched w/o trial at the hands of civilians (ex: 3 lynchings in Nashville) --People would buy tickets, like going to a movie --so many white people just looked the other way due to fear; worked in the worst sense that black people feared for their lives every time they might have slightly offended a white person --Many people just went along with it What behind it: carnal fear of white southern society - black men sexual assault against white women (but actually the majority of Southern rape cases are done by white men) --Lynching was done to try to "prevent crime" (just based on accusations, no trial) --"prevention" of crime led to a different crime: lynching creates murderers and criminals, white criminals, not get rid of supposed black ones --Also happened in the North (If happens more in the South b/c more blacks in the South)