Nick Reed Mr. Kann HN U.S 1/ APUSH Saturday, January 2nd, 2016 Chapter 19 ​
pages.524­541 plus Crash Courses 25 and 29 New Public Issues Sherman Antitrust Act ● 1880’s: several western/ southern states adopted laws prohibiting combinations that restrained competition. ○ If antitrust legislation = effective → could lead to national govt. ■ Congress members saw act as symbolic measure. ■ Could help deflect public criticism → (no corporate power). ● ​
Sherman Act​
→ enforced + steadily weakened by courts. ○ 1901: Justice Dept → instituted antitrust suits against unions. Interstate Commerce Act ● Effective railroad regulation → in hands of fed govt. ○ Congress slowly responded to public pressure (1887) → through ​
Interstate Commerce Act. ■ (Banned discrimination in rates between long and short hauls + required railroads to publish rate schedules + file them with govt). ○ Five person agency → ​
Interstate Commerce Commission ​
(ICC) = administrators for the act. ■ Had to rely on courts to enforce rulings. ● ICA​
= similar to ​
Sherman Act ​
→ interpreted by courts + was without practical effort. THE AGRARIAN REVOLT ​
p.527­533 1. The Grangers ● American farmers = most individualistic citizens → least likely to join in cooperative economic/ political movement. ○ Some cooperative movements took place (19th century). ■ First major farm organization = in 1860’s → (The Grange). ● Depression of 1873 → transformed into political change. Origins ● Shortly after Civil War in south by minor agriculture department official → ​
Oliver H. Kelley. ○ Kelley = appalled by isolation of rural life. ■
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1867: left US govt + with other dept employees → founded National Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry. ■ Attempted to bring farmers together to learn scientific agricultural techniques. ○ Hoped to create community → wanted to take away loneliness of rural life. Grange grew slowly over time. ○ 1873 depression → caused decline in farm prices. ■ 1875: Grange claimed 800,000 members + 20,000 local lodges → located strongest in south + midwest. Economic Grievances ● Through membership growth → lodges started focusing less social benefits and more economic possibilities. ○ Attempted to organize marketing cooperatives to allow farmers to circumvent hated middlemen. ■ Grangers → set up cooperative stores, creameries, elevators, warehouses, insurance companies, etc… ○ Mail­order business = one of Granger’s necessities (1872) ● Most Granger businesses failed → inexperience of operators + opposition of middlemen businesses = challenging. Political Program ● Worked to elect state legislators ○ Operated through existing parties → ran candidates under independent party labels + managed to gain control of legislatures in most midwestern states. ■ Strived to subject railroads to govt control. ○ New regulations = destroyed by courts. ● Huge defeat + political experience of leaders + return of agricultural prosperity in 1870’s = dramatic decline in power of association. ○ Some cooperatives survived as economic values for years → movement as a hole decline quickly. 2.​
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The Farmers’ Alliances ● 1875: farmers in south banded together certain farmers alliances. ○ 1880: southern alliance = 4 million members → northwestern alliance = developing ties with southern counterpart. ■ Alliances = concerned with local problems → (like Granges). ● Established facilities (stores, banks, processing plants) for members to free from dependence of “furnishing merchants” → kept many farmers in debt. ● Alliance leaders didn’t advocate rigid collectivism. ○ Instead → argued for mutual responsibility to enable farmers to resist outside forces. Mary Lease ● Alliances became notable through prominent role of women. ○ Mary E. Lease​
: became fiery Populist orators. ■ Other women → came about issues of concern to women → (temperance). ■ Urban women = concerned about drinking (temperance). ● Agrarian women → argued sobriety = key to stability in rural society. ● 1889 → southern + northwestern alliances agreed to a loose merger. ○ Next year: alliances held convention in FL issuing Ocala Demands. ● 1890: candidates supported by alliances won control of legislatures in 12 states + seats in US Senate + House of Reps. Birth of the People’s Party ● Tom Watson​
: of Georgia, only southern congressman elected 1890 to identify with the alliance + ​
Leonidas L. Polk ​
(NC). ○ Alliance leaders discussed third party meeting plans in Cincinnati 1891. ■ Attended by western + southern alliance leaders/ falling representatives from Knights of Labor. ● July 1892: Delegates came to NE to proclaim creation of new party + nominate candidates for presidency/ vice presidency. ○ 1892 election → demonstrated potential power of new movement. ■ 1,500 populist candidates won election seats in state legislatures. 3. The Populist Constituency ● Populism appealed mainly to small farmers. ○ Usually family farmers struggling to hold on to their land. ■ In south → mainly modest landowners + were significant numbers of sharecroppers/ tenant farmers. ● Populists engaged in farming less viable in face of new mechanized, diversified + consolidated agriculture. ● Populists failed to attract labor support. ○ Resulted attracting miners in Rocky Mountain states with “free silver” policy allowing silver to be currency + expand money supply. “Colored Alliances” ● Populists struggled with acceptance of African Americans. ○ Important black component to movement → network of ​
Colored Alliances. ■ 1890: over 1.25 million colored members. ● Populists accepted African American assistance → whites still had to have more power → (White Supremacy). ○ Most populist leaders = rural middle class (professional people, editors, lawyers, politicians). 4. Populist Ideas Populist Platform ● Reform program → spelled out in Ocala demands of 1890 + Omaha platform 1892. ○ Govt establish network of warehouses → (farmers deposit crops). ■ Growers could borrow money from govt low rates interest + wait for price of their goods to go up. ● Populists called for abolition of national banks → (dangerous institutions of concentrated power). ● Some = anti semitic → pointing Jews as leaders of obscure financial forces → (enslavement attempts). ○ Others = anti­intellectual­, anti­eastern/ anti­urban. Populism’s Ideological Challenge ● Bigotry of some Populists → shouldn’t be allowed to dominate Populism. ○ Rejected laissez­faire orthodoxies of their time. ■ Raised one of most powerful challenges of ear → (direction industrial capitalism was moving). ● Populism = response to what Populists considered brutal/ chaotic in terms of development of economy ○ Progress should be defined through needs of individuals + communities. THE CRISIS OF THE 1890’s ​
p.533­537 1. The Panic of 1893 ● Most severe depression nation ever experienced. ○ March 1893: Reading Railroad = unable to to meet payments on loans secured from British banks → (bankruptcy). ■ National Cordage Company​
failed as well → (dominant force in industry). ○ Together → both corporate failures leed collapse in Stock Market. Overexpansion and Weak Demand ● 1887 lower prices in agriculture weakened purchasing power of farmers → (largest group in population). ○ Railroads + other major industries → expanded too quickly → beyond market demand. ■ Depression represented dependence of economy through health of railroads → (one of nation’s most powerful corporations). ● Once depression started: businesses, railroads, and banks started failing. ○ Huge quantities of work/ labor force resulted with unemployment. ■ Prosperity didn’t fully return until 1901. Coxey’s Army ● Depression produced social unrest → (among unemployed workers). ○
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1894: ​
Jacob S. Coxey ​
(populist) → advocated massive public works program to create jobs for unemployed + inflation in currency. ■ Announced he would send petition to D.C. with march of unemployed to capital to present govt demands. ■ (Known as “Coxey’s Army”). Labor turmoil (Homestead/ Pullman Strikes) = sign of dangerous instability → (revolution). 2. The Silver Question ● Financial panic weakened govt monetary system. ○ President Cleveland thought currency instability = primary cause of depression. ■ Several thought precious metal must back money to give it value. ■ (Reference back to hard vs. soft money policies) → Jacksonian. Crime of 73 ● 1870’s: silver became less valuable than standard currency. ○ People = unable to convert silver from of ​
“Crime of ‘73”​
. ■ Conspiracy created that big bankers = responsible for demonetization of silver + referred to law as ​
Crime of 73. ● Other group consisted of discontented farmers → want increase of money. ○ (Raising farm product prices easier to pay farmers debts. ○ Inflationists: demanded govt return to “free sliver”. Symbolic Importance of the Currency Question ● At same time → nation’s gold reserves = dropping. ○ President Cleveland 1893: thought chief cause of weakening gold reserves = Sherman Silver Purchase Act ​
(1890). ■ In 2nd session → responded to request + repealed Sherman Act. ○ President’s gold policy: aligned southern + western democrats in alliance against eastern followers. ● Presidential election of 1986 = incredibly fierce from supporters of gold standard saw as essential to national stability. ○ Saw gold standard as tyrannous + huge advantage to wealthy communities. ■ Silver would decrease debt policies. “A CROSS OF GOLD” ​
p.537­540 1. The Emergence of Bryan William McKinley ● During 1896 election: Republicans watching failure of Cleveland + democrats to deal with depression. ○ Party leaders = ​
Marcus A. Hanna ​
+ ​
governor William McKinley ​
= member of congress who authored 1890 tariff. ■ Democratic convention 1896 = dramatic. ■
Southern + western delegates = eager to neutralize challenge of People’s party → wanted to incorporate populist demands. ● Wanted to nominate pro­silver candidate. “Cross of Gold Speech” ● William Jennings Bryan:​
congressman from NE spoke “Cross of Gold” speech. ○ Speech opposed to gold standard at convention. ■ Convention voted to adopt pro­silver platform. ○ Bryan = nominated for president on 5th ballot. ■ Served as potent symbol of rural/ middle class US. 2. The Conservative Victory Birth of Modern Campaigning ● Bryan became first pres candidate in US history to stump every section of nation systematically. ○ Camp meeting style pleased old stock Protestants + antagonized immigrant Catholics + others of directing one against another. ■ Bryan helped establish modern form of politics. ● Election day: McKinley polled 271 electoral votes to Bryan’s 176. ○ Democratic program similar to populists = too narrow to win national election. 3. McKinley and Recovery ● 1897: William McKinley took office. ○ Huge decline of agrarian protest took place. ■ Gradual easing of economic crisis → development that undercut many looking for change. ● Republicans agreed for need of higher tariff rates. ○ Administration won approval of Dingley Tariff → raising duties to highest point in US history. ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ Crash Course 25: ● Population = growing everyone in US after 1850. ○ Farm prices made comeback → drove more people out west. ■ Population = growing in west + midwest. ● Demand in agriculture products → due to growth of cities. ○ US became world's most industrial → transformed from rural to urban. ■ NY = largest city in US. ■ Chicago became 2nd largest city in US. ●
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Majority of growth took place because of immigration. ○ 1st wave of colonization = Scandinavians, British, French, Spanish, Irish. Irish had primarily lived as farmers in motherland (Europe). ○ Lived in cities in US. ■ Men began lives as unskilled workers. ■ Women worked as domestic servants in homes of upper class. German speakers = farmers in Europe. ○ Remained to be farmers in US. ■ German immigrants also fled into eastern + midwestern cities. By 1890’s: over half of 3.5 million immigrants came from southern + eastern Europe. ○ Many escaped Europe for employment + escaping for political/ religious persecution. ○ Boston 1894: ​
Immigration Restriction League ​
→ lobbied for national legislation → (limiting number of immigrants). ■ Congress + president were able to agree on discriminating against Chinese immigrants. Chinese immigrants immigrating to US since 1850’s. ○ Chinese Exclusion Act 1882 → several thousand chinese living in US. ■ San Francisco refused to educate asians until ordered by supreme court. ○ 1898: court ruled that US born chinese immigrants were granted citizenship under 14th amendment. Population kept on growing over time in US. Most immigrants to America came for opportunity. ○ Passage to US = cheap → (steamships). ■ Tenements came up in 19th century → highly unsanitary. ■ Conditions in cities were not good. ○ Construction or elevated railroads + subways helped. Transportation technology created racial segregation. ○ Rich and poor lived in close proximity to each other. ■ Poverty + economic inequality = source of concern. Crash Course 29: ● In US → corporations evolved from national to international. ○ 1901: Teddy Roosevelt became youngest US president. ■ Engaged in domestic + foreign policy. ● Roosevelt thought it fed govt responsibility to regulate economy directly + breakup power of wealthy corporations. ○ Legislative + executive branches managed to work together + congress passed actual legislation → power to regulate railroad rates. ■ 1908: ​
William Taft ​
became president → (Roosevelt’s successor). ● Taft ordered prosecution to break up standard oil in 1911. ○ Supported 16th Amendment: allowing congress to pass income tax. ●
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■ Roosevelt didn’t like Taft → Roosevelt founded new progressive party. Eugene Debs​
: didn’t support socialist party’s goal of abolishing capitalism. ○ Won 6% of vote in election of 1912. ■ Market competition had to be restored + preventing big businesses from dominating govts. Roosevelt thought his party’s platform = most important documents in history of mankind. ○ Taft + Roosevelt split republican vote → leaving ​
Woodrow Wilson ​
president with 42% of popular vote. After 16th Amendment ratification → congress imposed graduated income tax. ○ Adamson Act​
: mandated 8 hour work day. ■ Wilson supported founding of fed reserve system → (gave govt more control of banking system). Progressivism flourished domestically + internationally. ○ Progressive presidents = concerned about businesses as threat to freedom. ■ Roosevelt = greatly involved in international diplomacy. ■ First president to win nobel peace prize. Building of Panama canal = most famous intervention. ○ 1903: Panama = part of Colombia. ■ Treaty signed to give US permission to fund build Panama canal. ■ Latin American nations had to be stable enough for Americans to invest there. ○ Roosevelt encouraged investment by United Fruit Company. ○ Taft emphasized loans + economic investment as best way to spread US influence. Wilson thought best way to teach other nations about greatness of US was to export colossal amounts of US products. ○ Wilson greatly intervened with Latin American affairs.