Chapter 19

Crime of '73

In 1873, Congress passed a law that seemed simply to recognize the existing gold v silver situation by officially discontinuing silver coinage. By doing this, they had eliminated a potential method of expanding the currency. So Americans concluded that a conspiracy of big bankers had been responsible for the "demonetization" of silver. They called the law the "Crime of '73".

Boxer rebellion: (1899-1901)

It was a peasant uprising supported by the Chinese government to exterminate all foreigners. Culmination of drought and disorder from the spheres of influence in China led to the Anti-foreign, Anti-Christian movement in China, motivated by the Righteous Harmony Society-or boxers, who were against the foreign imperialists. In 1900 international forces captured Beijing, and ended the boxer rebellion

Philippine American War

Least remembered; longest; most vicious. Resulted in 4,300 American deaths and probably about 50,000 Filipinos. The Americans fought with severe measures. They captured Filipino guerrillas and had them all executed. Entire communities were sometimes evacuated, the residents forced into concentration camps while Americans destroyed villages, farms, crops, and livestock. Savagery grew among American soldiers. The key to American victory was the capture of Aguinaldo in 1901.

Sherman Anti-Trust Act: (1890)

Legislation passed by congress with the intent to break up monopolies. The Act prohibits business action which is deemed to be "anti-competitive". The Act specifically targeted trusts, which were arrangements in which several companies transferred their shares to the same group of trustees. The trusts began to dominate industries which destroyed opportunities for smaller business holders, and those who weren't a part of a trust. The Act prohibited these trusts and enforced them with heavy fines and jail time.

Mugwumps

Liberal Republicans who announced that they would bolt the party and support an honest Democrat when James G Blaine was the Republican candidate for president.

Rum, Romanism, Rebellion

Shortly before the 1884 election, Protestant ministers called on Blaine; the spokesman, Burchard, referred to the Democrats as the party of "rum, Romanism, and rebellion". Blaine was slow to repudiate this indiscretion, and Democrats quickly spread the news that Blaine had tolerated a slander on the Catholic Church.

Teller Amendment: (1898)

The Teller Amendment was part of US policy involving Cuba during the Spanish American War. was passed in 1898, and stated that the US would declare war on Spain, and send troops to occupy Cuba but not take control or govern Cuba in any way and only remain on the island until peace is restored. Once Spanish troops left US troops occupied Cuba until 1902.

"Colored Farmers Alliance"

White Populists in the South wondered whether to accept African Americans into the party or not. If they didn't, blacks formed these. They were active in the publication of a weekly newspaper and a variety of educational programs. In 1891, a strike of cotton pickers was called, but coordination was poor and the strike failed. Also lost support when the Populist Party arose.

Yellow Journalism:

Yellow Journalism was a development in journalism that used less legitimate news and instead focus on capturing the attention of the reader with exaggerated news stories. Yellow Journalism was a product of competition between newspapers for circulation. The bold titles and dramatic stories with less factual evidence entertained readers and attracted a following for the papers

Civil War Pensions

The federal government administered a system of annual pensions for Union Civil War veterans who had retired from work and for their widows. It made payments to a majority of the male citizens of the North and to many women. Reformers hoped to make the system permanent and universal. But their efforts failed. The pension system was awash in party patronage and corruption. Other reformers saw elimination of the pension system as a way to fight graft, corruption, and party rule. The pension system died when the civil war generation died.

William Jennings Bryan

he defended "free silver" in his "Cross of Gold" speech.

Panic of 1893

Began when Philadelphia and Reading Railroad could not meet payments on loans, so they declared bankruptcy. The National Cordage Company then failed. These corporate failures caused a collapse of the stock market. Bank failures then began, causing a contraction of credit, which meant that many loan-dependent businesses went bankrupt. Depressed prices in agriculture also caused the panic. Depressed conditions in Europe caused a loss of American markets and a withdrawal by foreign investors of gold invested in the US. The panic revealed how interconnected the economy was, and how dependent the economy was on railroads.

Spanish American War

"Splendid Little War" says John Hay; lasted a few months, Americans poorly supplied, Americans don't die in battle but from starvation and disease, there were racial conflicts.

Elections

1880: Garfield with Arthur (Rep) vs Winfield Scott Hancock (Dem). 1884: Cleveland (Dem) vs Blaine (Rep) 1888: Ben Harrison (Rep) vs Cleveland (Dem) 1892: Cleveland 1896: McKinley (Rep) vs Bryan (Dem/Populist) 1900: McKinley (Rep) vs Bryan (Dem/Populist)

Sherman Silver Purchase Act

1890; it required the government to purchase (BUT NOT TO COIN) silver and to pay for it in gold. Cleveland repealed the Sherman Act, for he believed it was weakening the gold reserves.

Alfred Thayer Mahan

Ablest and most effective apostle of imperialism. His thesis was that countries with sea power were the great nations of history. The greatness of the US, bounded by two oceans, would rest on its naval strength. The prerequisites for sea power were a productive domestic economy, foreign commerce, a strong merchant marines, a navy to defend trade routes, and colonies, which would provide raw materials and markets and could serve as naval bases. He advocated that the US construct a canal across the isthmus of Central America to join the oceans, acquire defensive bases on both sides of the canal in the Caribbean and the Pacific, and take possession of Hawaii and the other Pacific Islands. He wrote all this in his The Influence of Sea Power upon History (1890).

USS Maine

American battleship that blew up in Havana Harbor with a loss of more than 260 people. It was supposed to have been sent to Cuba to protect Americans. Many Americans assumed the Spanish had sunk the ship, especially when it was reported that an external explosion by a submarine mine had caused the disaster (it was actually an accidental explosion inside the engine room). This and the de Lome letter caused war hysteria. "Remember the Maine!" became a national chant for revenge.

Debate over Philippine Annexation

Americans were unsure about controlling a large, densely populated territory thousands of miles away. McKinley felt that returning them to Spain would be cowardly, turning them over to another imperialist power would be discreditable, and granting the islands independence would be irresponsible. Thus the only solution was to take the land. America ended dup paying $20 million for the islands.

Pendleton Act

Arthur promoted civil service reform with this act. In 1833, this act required that some federal jobs be filled by competitive written examinations rather than by patronage.

"Free Silver"

the idea of permitting silver to become, along with gold, the basis of the currency so as to expand the money supply. Endorsed by the Populist leaders.

Omaha Platform

1892; It spelled out the Populists reform program. It proposed a system of "sub treasuries" which would replace and strengthen the cooperatives of Grangers and Alliances that had been experimenting for years. The government would establish a network of warehouses, where farmers could deposit their crops. Using crops as collateral, growers could then borrow money from the government at low rates of interest and wait for the price of their goods to go up before selling them. They also called fro the abolition of national banks, the end of absentee ownership of land, the direct election of US senators (which would weaken the power o conservative state legislatures), and other devices to improve the ability of the people to influence the political process. They called for regulation and government ownership of railroads, telephones, and telegraphs. They demanded a system of government-operated postal savings banks, a graduated income tax, and the inflation of the currency. They eventually demanded remonetization of silver.

Cuban Rebellion

1895; Cubans rebelled against Spain. Cubans devastated the island to force the Spaniards to leave. Spanish confined civilians in concentration camps. The American press accentuated these events. It created the impression that the Spaniards were committing all the atrocities. It developed a mounting storm of indignation against Spain.

Foraker Act

1900; ended military rule and established a formal colonial government in Puerto Rico. The US could amend or veto any legislation the Puerto Ricans passed.

Rough Riders

A cavalry unit that was always at the center of the fighting. The real leader was colonel Theodore Roosevelt. He made sure his regiment made it to the front before the fighting ended.

Populism: (1890s-1900s)

A political philosophy representing the common people's interests in government or the corporate world. Populism parallels the progressive movement, in that it stems from public disapproval of the government, and economy, and led to several government reform movements. Populists disliked the special interest groups controlling the government,and the large percentage of wealth and power in the hands of a small percentage of wealthy Americans.

Coxey's Army: (1894)

A protest march of unemployed workers led by Jacob Coxey through Washington DC. Marched during the second year of a four year economic depression. First significant popular protest.

Anti Imperialist League

During the debate over the annexation of the Philippines, a powerful anti-imperialist movement arose. They had various motives: imperialism was immoral, feared "polluting" the American population with "inferior" Asian races, fear of being undercut by a flood of cheap laborers, conservatives worry about the large standing army and entangling foreign alliances that they believed imperialism would require and threaten American liberties, sugar growers fear unwelcome competition from new territories. This League established in 1898 to fight annexation, attracted a widespread following and waged a vigorous campaign against the Paris treaty.

Currency Act

Gold Standard Act of 1900. It confirmed the nation's commitment to the gold standard by assigning a specific gold value to the dollar and requiring all currency issued by the US to hew to that value. Enacted by the Republicans under McKinley. This act noted that the "battle of the standards" ended in victory for the forces of conservatism.

Hawaiian Annexation

Hawaii was an important way station for American ships in the China trade. The navy looked covetously at Pearl Harbor as a permanent base for the US ships. Pressure from Americans in Hawaii who had settled on the islands and had come to dominate their economic and political life also emerged. Hawaii had become dependent of American sugar plantations and their trade. In 1890, when the US eliminated the privileged position of Hawaiian sugar in international trade, the American planters believed the only way to recover was to become part of the US and be exempt from tariffs. A provisional government dominated by Americans immediately sent a delegation to negotiate annexation.

Emilio Aguinaldo

He claimed to head the legitimate government of the Philippines. He led rebels against Americans for three years. At first, the commanders believed the rebels were not very popular. But General Arthur MacArthur realized that the Filipino masses were loyal to Aguinaldo and his government.

Insular Cases: (1901-1905)

Insular cases were a series of court rulings dealing with the Spanish American War (1898), and all US territories. The cases ultimately determined that the constitution and American rights did not have to apply to all American colonies. This allowed the government to decide which laws to apply to their colonies, and gave the US the power to keep citizenship from inhabitants of US colonies.

Populists

Populists were mostly farmers, particularly small farmers whose farming methods were less viable in the face of new commercial agriculture. They also attracted miners because they endorsed "free silver". Some were anti-Semitic; others anti-intellectual, anti-eastern, and anti-urban.

Interstate Commerce Act

Public pressure to regulate railroads led the federal government to action. In 1887, Congress passed this act, banning discrimination in rates between long and short hauls, requiring railroads to publish their rate schedules and publish them with the government, and declaring that all interstate rates must be affordable, but it did not specify more than that. The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC), a fiver-person agency, was the administrator of the act. The ICC had to rely on the courts to enforce their rulings, however, which of course led to minimal enforcement and no effect.

Election of 1884

Republican Candidate= James Blaine. Democratic Candidate= Cleveland. Cleveland narrowly won probably as a result of the "rum, Romanism, and rebellion" speech.

Half-Breeds

Republicans who favored reform.

Stalwarts

Republicans who favored traditional, professional machine politics.

McKinley Tariff

Republicans won the 1888 election, they believed, because they supported a higher tariff. In 1890 they passed this tariff, the highest protective measure every passed. The Republicans lost A LOT of support for this tariff.

Farmers' Alliances

Succeeded the Grange as the leading vehicle of agrarian protest. They were concerned with local problems. They formed cooperatives and other marketing mechanisms. They established stores, banks, processing plants, and other facilities for their members to free themselves from merchants. Some wanted the world of competition to give way to cooperation. They argued for mutual, neighborly responsibility that would enable farmers to resist oppressive outside forces. Women were full voting members in most local Alliances. They were more widespread than the Granges, but suffered form similar problems: cooperatives did not work well, either from too strong of market forces or cooperatives were often mismanaged.

Grange: (1867)

The Grange was a group formed after the Civil War in 1867 as the first agricultural advocacy group for the entire nation. The goal of the grangers was to families to join together to promote political and economic success in agricultural communities. The Grange was responsible for passing the Grange Laws which restricted rising prices of railroad fair and rising prices from grain elevator companies.

Open Door Policy: (late 1800s-)

The Open Door Policy was a foreign affairs tactic that the United States initiated in order to protect countries in giving them an equal advantage in trade with China. The policy declared that all countries should have equal access to any open Chinese ports. The policy was a result of the spheres of influence in China at the time, where other countries had ports which they dominated and would exclude other countries from using.

Platt Amendment: (1901)

The Platt Amendment claimed some US control back over Cuba after the Teller Amendment had been passed stating that the US would not intervene in Cuba's own political affairs, but only protect it from Spain. The Platt Amendment stated that the United States had the right to intervene in the preservation of Cuban freedom. This was enacted because the US wanted to prevent the communist party from gaining control in Cuba. US anti-communist military intervention was not wanted by the Cuban people.

Cross of Gold Speech

made by William Jennings Bryan. He defended "free silver". After this speech, the convention voted to adopt a pro-silver platform. Bryan was then nominated for president. He was a potent symbol of rural, Protestant, middle-class America.