Progressive Era ABCs

Yankee Lake

Caribbean Sea in early 20th cent. bc US had dominated region economically and militarily (Big Stick and massive Corporate Investment - Taft's "dollar diplomacy"). TR, Taft, and even WW involved.

Panama

Colombian Senate rejected TR's proposal to build canal, so TR helped military secessionist rebels est. Panama (gave arms, blocked ports) and got canal built 1914. "A man, a plan, a canal, Panama!" Very loose construction (violation) and goes against Colombian sovereignty.

Gentlemen's Agreement & Gunboat Diplomacy of TR

Gentlemen: TR w Japanese to ban further Jap immigration in exchange for Jap/Ams' equal protection rights in CA (esp schools) / Gunboat: TR's "big stick", strengthened Navy to impress Germs and Japanese, seize canal

Zimmerman Telegram

German message trying to tempt Mexico to take back TX. Last straw for Congress, who declared war on Germ. April 1917.

Lochner Decision and "Liberty of Contract" Doctrine

Lochner = max hours; obstacle to prog legislation for Square Deal and later New Deal. SCOTUS until 1938 ruled against basically all laws governing employee/worker relationship by "liberty" and "contract" in 5th and 14th amends made all such laws unconstitutional (bc liberty of poor person to work in dangerous conditions for unlimited hours w/o min wage or worker's comp)

New Theories on Constitution: New Nationalism and New Freedom

NN (Herbert Croly and TR) and NF (Louis Brandeis and WW) = influenced by Beard and by loose construction, which both POTUSes believed necessary to reg corps and "benefit general welfare". NN=we need fed to be big bc trusts are big. NF=gov should have power to break trusts into smaller businesses to promote comp and consumer interests

Oil Trust Policies

Rockefeller's Standard Oil Trust once controlled 90% of world's oil. TR's attorney gen. filed suit against SO (using Sherman), TR less aggressive. Prosecution not complete until Taft in 1911. TR busted 54, Taft busted 90. Taft probably more aggressive bc of Tarbell

Red Scare (1919)

Russian rev, post-WWI strikes, and anarchist bombings frightened US. Palmer and US gov arrested, tortured, deported labor leaders, leftists, and Eu immigrants (killing civil liberties and Prog movement)

Direct Election of Senators (17th Amend., 1913)

Senators are voted for (more democratic)

Battle Bob La Follette

WI gov and senator, founder of progressive movement and party, opposed corporate abuse, censorship, military entanglement (very liberal)

Jones Act (1916)

WW - Phil is territory, indep promised (granted 1946), influenced by Sec. of State Will Jennings Bryan

Volstead Act and 18th Amend

WW - Volstead Act began enforcement of 18th Amend, Prohibition. Prohibition women's main rallying cry, WWI called for grain conservation for starving soldiers and Eus = why WW gave in and signed.

Adamson Act of 1916

WW - gave interstate RR workers 8-hr day and overtime pay

Federal Reserve Act and Federal Trade Commission Act

WW - reformed banking system and created fed reserve, FTC to bust trusts and ban false ads

Underwood Tariff (1913)

WW ushered in Democratic Congress and presidency and continued prog era. Top priority of Dems: reducing favors to big business. Underwood Tariff greatly reduced tariff

Willard, the WCTU, and 18th Amend

Women's Christian Temperance Movement led by Frances Willard hugely influential in furthering prog causes, esp. temperance, education, labor rights, and women's rights. By her death 1898, WCTU was global organization with 2 mill members, but 18th amend not ratified until 21 years later. Still, Congress placed Willard statue in Capitol Rotunda as, "the most beloved character of her times."

State-Level Progressive Reforms

attempts to reduce power of big business: secret ballots, initiatives, referendum, recall, public utilities commissions, transportation&education reforms. Effective esp in La Follette's WI, Johnson's CA, and Charles E. Hughes's NY

Ku Klux Klan Komeback (c. 1919)

headquarters now in old NW (where industrialists aka Ford were acquiring black and new immigrant employees) and bc of Great Migration, influx of foreigners, and 1919 Red Scare - esp. IN

Triple Wall of Privilege

key to WW's (and Brandeis's) win: biggest obstacles to freedom and fairness were 1) The Trusts, 2) The Banking Establishment, and 3) The Protective Tariff (all hurt consumer interests, workers, chances for small businessmen)

Elkins and Hepburn Acts

TR - strengthened Interstate Commerce Commission RR regulation

Hiram Johnson

TR's ally (running mate in unsuccessful 1912), liberal like La Follette, racist toward Asians. As gov of CA = initiative, referendum, recall; vote against Versailles 1919

Income Tax (16th Amend., 1913)

tax for gov regulation/inspections, education, Nat Forest&Parks Services, increasing military, building dams/canals, lowering tariffs (favored by progs)