Progressivism and Imperialism

Progressivism
• Immigration, industrialization, and
urbanization has caused problems for America
Problems that need to be fixed:
• Social: Suffrage, Prohibition, Poverty, Crime
• Economic: Big Business, Laissez-faire
• Political: corruption, inefficiency, more
responsive to people’s needs
 Progressivism
Muckrakers
• Journalists who wrote articles exposing the
problems and demanding the problems be
fixed
– Their writings made people aware of problems
– investigative reporting to uncover horrible
problems
– Labeled “Muckrakers” by Theodore Roosevelt
– Jacob Riis: How the Other Half Lives
 Muckrakers
• Ida Tarbell
– The History of Standard Oil
– reported that Rockefeller used ruthless methods to ruin
his competitors and charge high prices
• Upton Sinclair
– Wrote The Jungle
– Wrote about the miseries of industrial work
experienced by immigrants
– Also uncovered the unsanitary practices used in the
meat packing industry
• Lincoln Steffens
– The Shame of Cities
– Exposed political corruption in Philadelphia
 Social Gospel
– Belief that the strong/wealthy are morally
obligated to help the weak/poor
– Followed the Bible’s teachings
– Pushed for the end of child labor, shorter work
weeks, government regulation of monopolies
 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire
– Fire killed 146 female
workers because
management had
locked the doors from
the outside
– Progressives demand
reform: NY passed
laws to make work
places safer, worker
compensation laws
were passed
 Progressivism
• Reforming the Government
– Government must be reformed before society can
be reformed, then we could fix the economic and
social problems
– Political reforms were trying to give people more
of a voice in government
• 17th Amendment: direct election of Senators
• Initiative: citizens can put proposed laws on ballots if
enough people signed a petition
• Referendum: allows citizens to approve or reject laws
• Recall: citizens can remove politicians from office
 Progressivism
• Famous Progressives
• Theodore Roosevelt: New York governor, future
President
– Made corporations pay taxes
– Used the civil service system
• Woodrow Wilson: New Jersey governor, future
President
– Reduced the power of RR’s
– Direct election of representatives
• Robert La Follete: Wisconsin governor
– Regulated RRs: lowered rates and increased RR taxes
– Improved education and working conditions
 Progressivism
• Women’s Rights
• Background
– Women had been fighting for the right of others for years
• Slaves
• Labors
• Immigrants
• By Lecture, Writing Campaigns
• Now they want to fight for their rights
– Temperance
– Women’s Christian Temperance Union
• Temperance will keep mothers and families safe
– Birth Control- Margret Sanger – Family life and women’s heath
would improve if had less children
• Ida B. Wells- National Association of Colored Women
– To help black women and families have a better life
• Anti-women’s suffrage
– National Association Opposed to Women Suffrage
– Worked against the Suffragettes
– Took time away from family
– To resources and volunteers from other work that
could
• benefit society
– Faded away as pressure for suffrage grew
• Suffrage
– Suffragettes supported America in WWI
– This gained them support in Congress along with
the efforts of Carrie Chapman Catt
– In June 1919 Congress approved the 19th
Amendment
– On August 18, 1920 Tennessee became the
last state needed to ratify the 19th Amend.
Women could now vote!!
African Americans in the Progressive Era
• Plessy v. Ferguson
– Homer Plessy was 1/8 African American and
bought a white train ticket in Louisiana…denied
his seat
– “Separate but equal” facilities for the races
– Is separate ever equal?...Justice Harlan did not
think so, only Justice that went against the 8-1
decision (Harlan Dissent)
– Sets up de jure segregation in the entire country
• Ida B. Wells Barnett
– Wrote about the horrors of lynching
(execution, usually by hanging, without a
trial) in the South
– Helped form the NAACP
Booker T Washington
• Urged for AA to be patient W.E.B. Du Bois
while waiting for equality •Urged AA to demand their
(“Atlanta Compromise rights immediately or else fall
Speech”) victim to permanent racism
• Eventually AA would gain •Promoted an academic
white respect education not skill/trade based
• Be economically •Called Washington’s speech the
independent
Atlanta Compromise since he
• Become craftsmen and learn
a skill “gave in” to white people
• Setup Tuskegee Institute for
vocational education
Movements
• National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People
(NAACP):
– 4 front campaign:
• Socially free from insult
• Mentally free from ignorance
• Physically free from low wage labor
• Politically free from
disenfranchisement
• The Crisis was the official
magazine of the NAACP
– Founded by Du Bois
Disenfranchisement
• Taking away the right of AA to vote. Loopholes
in the 15th Amendment
• 4 strategies
– Through intimidation (KKK)
– Through laws
• Grandfather Clause: AA could vote if his ancestors had
voted in 1866
• Poll Tax: AA must pay a tax to vote, AA can’t afford it
• Literacy Tests: AA had been denied an education so
they can’t pass the test
Progressive Presidents
Theodore Roosevelt
• Huge supporter of Progressive Reform and
forest conservation
• His plan to fix America was the Square Deal:
– Keep the wealthy and powerful from taking
advantage
– Make sure that there is not corruption and
crookedness in government
Roosevelt the “Trustbuster”
• Elkins Act: fined railroads that gave special
rates/rebates to favored shippers
• Hepburn Act: strengthened the power of the ICC
– Set maximum prices for ferries, bridge tolls and oil
pipelines
• Northern Securities vs. US: Roosevelt broke up a
railroad trust
• Anthracite Coal Strike: Roosevelt helped coal miners
on strike to get a pay raise and 9 hour workday
– First time government had sided with workers
Roosevelt Cleans House
– After the publication of The Jungle, Roosevelt
demands reform
• Meat Inspection Act: government inspects meat
crossing state lines and inspects meat processing
plants
• Pure Food and Drug Act: placed the same controls on
other foods and medicines
– Labels on food
– Consumed items are now tested and approved by the Food and
Drug Administration
• William Howard Taft
– Hand picked by Roosevelt
• Did not distinguish between good and bad trusts
– Standard Oil and US Steel
– Mann Act: gave the government control over
telephone and telegraph rates
– Payne- Aldrich Tariff: lowered tariffs but not
enough to make Roosevelt happy
• Led to many Progressives withdrawing their support for
Taft
• Taft vs. Roosevelt
– Roosevelt was so unhappy
with Taft’s policies that he
creates a 3rd party which
takes votes away from
Republicans
– Roosevelt claims that he was
as “strong as a bull moose”
to break up trusts
• Bull Moose Party
• Election of 1912
– Progressives: Roosevelt
– Republicans: Taft
– Democrats: Woodrow
Wilson, had the best
chance
• Wins because the votes
were split between
Roosevelt and Taft
Wilson’s New Freedom
• Put strict controls on big corporations
• More freedom for small businesses
• Attacked tariffs, banks and trusts
• 16th Amendment: graduated income tax
• Wealthy pay more
•Federal Reserve Act: banks under the control
of the government
•Sets reserve rate (how much they must have in
the bank)
•Manages supply of money
•Clayton Antitrust Act: strengthened previous
antitrust laws and spelled out what trusts
could not do
• 18th Amendment
– Prohibition: Outlawed the production and sale of
alcohol
– Supported by women who supported Temperance
• Carrie A. Nation attacked bars with hatchets and Bibles
– Volstead Act: law that enforced the amendment
– Prohibition would improve families and society
• Result: increase in organized crime to get liquor out
– Moonshine
– Rum runners
Imperialism
 Imperialism
• What is imperialism?
– Foreign policy where strong nations control weak
nations
– Create Empires
– Europe starts the trend
– US catches on in 1890s
• ..By late 1890s strong countries (GB, US, Japan) are in a
mad dash to grab up as many colonies as possible
 Imperialism
• Why?
– Five Main Reasons:
– Cultural
– Religious
– Economic
– Military
– Political

• Can be summed up with “God, Gold and Glory”

Who did it? • Where did they focus?
•Trendsetter: Great Britain – Asia
– Africa
•10 Mothers (Imperialist – Latin America
Nations): Britain, France, – America focuses on
Germany, Italy, Japan, islands in the Pacific
Netherlands, Russia, Spain, and the Caribbean
Portugal, and the United
States
How?
•Late Comers: Japan and US •Conquer land through war
•Purchase land
•Annex/add land
 Imperialism
Culture (Glory & God)
• Anglo-Saxonism: Religious (God)
white race is superior •Christianity, is superior,
• Manifest Destiny: God should be spread to
intended for America lesser nations
to expand •Imperialism will give US
• Social Darwinism: more territories that
only the strongest can be Christianized
nations will survive
 Imperialism
• Reminder
– Josiah Strong
– America had a responsibility to spread its values
– This is what God wanted America to do
• So…
• Rudyard Kipling in 1899
– Urged America to take up the burden of civilizing
other inferior races
– Rallying cry for US imperialists
 Imperialism
Economics (Gold) Political (Glory)
• Strong countries •Nationalism: a nation’s
need to get raw greatness measured its
materials from weak colonies
countries •Competition with
• Strong countries rivals: prevent other
need places to sell countries from being
their goods (weak powerful
countries)
 Imperialism
Military (Glory) Alfred T. Mahan
• National Security •The Influence of Sea
– Nation had to protect
its own interests Power Upon History
• Military Advantage •America should build up
– More bases in more a stronger navy
parts of the world
…better navy •Also US needed naval
• Gas Stations bases(refuel and
– A colony can serve as a resupply) for the navy in
refueling/loading
station for the Navy Pacific and Caribbean
 Imperialism
• Seward’s Folly
– Name given to the purchase of Alaska
– Purchased by Secretary of State William Seward
from Russia for $7.2 million
– Called Seward’s Folly (stupidity) because no one
understood why America would want an icy
tundra, but…
• Doubled the size of America
• Rich in oil and timber
 Imperialism
• Annexation of Hawaii
• Sugar planters in Hawaii are hurting over sugar
tariff
– Made Hawaiian sugar more expensive than US sugar
– Queen Liliuokalani removed rights of the white sugar
planters, so planters overthrew the queen with the
help of US
– Planters want Hawaii to be annexed (added) to the
United States…no more sugar tariffs
– Government wants to annex because of sugar
 Imperialism
Yellow Journalism
• Journalists exaggerate the
Spanish treatment of Cubans
• William Randolph Hearst and
Joseph Pulitzer
• Increased the American public
dislike of the Spanish
government in Cuba
• Compared Cuban rebels to the
patriots of the American
Revolution
 Imperialism
• Jingoism
– Attitude of extreme
nationalism
– Started by Hearst after
President McKinley was
insulted by the Spanish
ambassador
 Imperialism
Impact of Yellow Journalism & Jingoism
• Led to US government giving Spain an
ultimatum to fix things with Cuba
• Cubans wanted independence not reform
– Spain not willing to back down and neither is Cuba
• US sends the USS Maine to Cuba to protect
American citizens in Cuba
• Explosion of USS Maine (immediate cause)
– The USS Maine exploded in Havana Harbor
• 266 killed & The Spanish are blamed
– McKinley orders an investigation into the cause of the
explosion
– Even though the investigation showed that a mine had
destroyed the ship, McKinley declared war on Spain
Teller Amendment
• declared that the US had no intentions of
annexing/colonizing Cuba, just helping them gain
independence
The Philippines
• Filipinos were fighting
for their freedom from
Spain just like Cuba was
• Under the control of
Commodore Dewey,
the American navy
crushed a Spanish fleet
in Manilo Bay in May
• By August the Spanish
had surrendered
Rough Riders
• Led by Teddy Roosevelt (war hero) in Cuba
• Unit consisted of rugged westerners and
upper class easterners
• Made famous
after the battle of
San Juan Hills
“The Splendid Little War”
• S-A War was called this because it only lasted
for 4 months and showed how easy it was for
America
– Only 380 die in battle
– 2,200 die from disease (malaria)
The effects of the war
• Treaty of Paris: officially ended the war
– Spain gave US all of Puerto Rico and Guam
– Sold Philippines to America for $20 million
• Big debate of Philippines but US needed it for
trade with China, a stepping stone
• After war, America is a world power and
model imperialists
Anti-imperialism league
• Formed over the debate of the Philippines
• Included Mark Twain and William Jennings
Bryan
• Argued that imperialism was a crime,
expensive and undemocratic because US did
not treat colonists well
• Challenged the Treaty of Paris
Rebellion in the Philippines
• Filipinos disliked being an America colony
• Start to rebel using guerilla warfare
• Rebels were placed into concentration camps
• Insurrection finally ended
– US lost more troops in the rebellion than in
gaining the colony
– Filipinos don’t get independence until 1946
China
• Britain, France, Germany and Russia carved up
China into spheres of influence
– Each country was able to control their region
economically
– US was left out…felt threatened
– Chinese did not like European culture, want to
keep their traditional Chinese culture
Boxer Rebellion
• “Boxer’s” were a group of Chinese nationalists
that wanted to keep their culture traditional
(hated European culture)
– Anger turned into rebellion against the “foreign devils”
– Kill Europeans
– Europeans and Americans go to squash the rebellion
– Once the rebellion was over Chinese nationalism
intensified
Puerto Rico Cuba
•Platt Amendment:
• Given the ability to •Declared that Cuba a US
form a government territory
but US president •Restricted the rights of
Cubans
chooses many •Let the US intervene in
leaders Cuban affairs
•Cuba can’t sign treaties
• Not treated as with other countries
American citizens •Must lease naval bases
to US
• Still a US territory Guantanamo Bay which is still
today there today
Open Door policy
• Supported by McKinley
• Let China and the world
know that America did
not want colonies in
China it just wanted open
trade with China (open
door for trade)
“Big Stick” Diplomacy
• Practiced by Teddy
Roosevelt
• Roosevelt’s plan to deal
with Latin America
• His plan relied heavily on
military power (big stick)
not political negotiations
• Supported the concept of
uplifting and civilizing
weaker nations with force
when necessary
Panama Canal
• Would shorten the trip from
Atlantic Ocean to Pacific Ocean
by 8,000 miles
• France started the canal but
sold the contract to US for $40
million
• To continue America needed to
get more land from Colombia
(owned Panama)
– Roosevelt was willing to do
anything to build the canal
– Colombia’s price was too high so
US sends troops to help
Panamanians in a rebellion for
independence…successful
– US pays Panama $10 million for
land
Roosevelt Corollary
• Extension of the Monroe
Doctrine
• Roosevelt told European
countries that in the event
of a conflict America would
police the problem and
restore order in Latin
America
• Big Deal: kept the
Europeans out of the
Americas
• Disliked by the
Latinos…thought they could
take care of themselves
Dollar Diplomacy
• Taft’s plan to deal with
Latin America
• Didn’t rely on “Big
Stick” Diplomacy
– Replace bullets with
dollars
– Wanted America to
invest in Latin America,
not bully it
Moral Diplomacy
• Woodrow Wilson was
against imperialism
• Wilson promised that
America would not gain
another territory through
conquest but instead
would promote humanity
and integrity
Pancho Villa Raids
• Wide gap between the rich and
the poor in Mexico led to the
rise of Pancho Villa
• Pancho Villa enters New
Mexico and kills 18 Americans
• Wilson abandons his Moral
Diplomacy by sending General
John J. Pershing to capture
Pancho Villa…never captures
Pancho Villa…WWI distracts
US