Presidents + Ideas Flashcards
1
Q
When was McKinley president?
A
- 1896-1901
- easily won re-election in 1900 but was assassinated 5 Sept 1901
2
Q
What did McKinley do in his presidency?
A
- maintained his promise of the protective tariff - the Dingley Tariff Act 1897 pushed tariff rates to even higher levels
- strong believer in the gold standard - Alaska-Yukon Gold Rush of 1897-9 increased the amount of gold in circulation
- 1900 = introduced the Currency Act - committing US to maintain the gold standard
3
Q
What strengthened McKinley’s presidency?
A
- success in Spanish-American war
- although he wasn’t personally keen on expansionist policies, a lot of republicans were + he was happy to bask in the glory of military + naval success in Cuba + the Pacific
- adopted war hero Theodore Roosevelt as Vice-president in 1900 re-elections - they had significant differences in political beliefs but were a strong electoral team
- easily won re-elections but was assassinated 6 months in
4
Q
What was different about Roosevelt to other republicans?
A
- more radical
- sympathy with progressivism
5
Q
What was progressivism?
A
- the progressive movement was the most important influence on American society + politics between 1900 + 1917
- it expressed discontent + demands for social + political reform
- where populism was rural + regional, progressivism was urban, middle-class + national
- themes include attacks on political corruption, demands to regulate businesses + break up cartels/trusts, female suffrage, protection of workers etc.
6
Q
Roosevelt + progressivism
A
- Roosevelt was publicly an enemy of big business - he regularly denounced the ‘wealthy criminal class’
- he promised to regulate businesses effectively + limit success
- enforced 1890 Sherman Antitrust Act
- 1906 Hepburn Act ensured closer regulation of railroad companies
7
Q
What happened in the Panic of 1907?
A
- stock market collapsed
- govt. was bailed out by bankers led by JP Morgan - who injected millions of dollars into stock market to rise prices + restore business confidence
- depression was prevented but the power of big businesses + weakness of govt. was clearly shown
- progressives demanded reform
8
Q
1908 re-election
A
- Theodore Roosevelt’s was in a strong position to run for a third term as president but believed in presidents being limited to two terms
- the economy was booming + republicans were certain to win
- replaced by William Howard Taft
9
Q
Taft’s beliefs
A
- divergence from Roosevelt’s policies to more conservative policies
- pleased big businesses by rising tariffs to a very high level
- did still launch antitrust legislation including action against US steel
- conservative republicans were pleased with Taft’s quieter political style + reformist republicans were reassured with Taft pushing through progressive legislation
10
Q
Impact of progressivism to temporary end of Republican dominance
A
- the Democratic Party now committed to progressive policies, had an unexpected success in the mid-term elections in 1910
- this brought division to the Republican Party led by Robert La Follette - rise of the National Progressive Party in response to Taft appointing mostly conservatives to his new cabinet
- Theodore Roosevelt came back - disruptive + decisive
- Mass support for Roosevelt as a rebel candidate - won nomination for the National Progressive party
- clear Taft was going to lose due to Republican split
11
Q
Woodrow Wilson’s presidency
A
- 1912-1920
- a democratic interlude in the Republican dominance between 1896 - 1932
- progressive
- won re-election in 1916
- ‘Wilsonism’ was rejected in the 1920 elections
12
Q
Problems of the Democratic Party
A
- rise of populism divided the party
- Bryan’s demands for ‘free silver’ 1896 elections alienated voters in the north east as it was to gain voters in the south + Great Plains
- democrats turned to Bryan again in 1908 who had adopted more moderate, progressive views (no longer campaigning for free silver) - trying to appeal to conservative pro-business democrats as well as south + west = this didn’t work
- the crack in the Republican political machine due to Taft alienating Progressive republicans gave democrats the opportunity for success
13
Q
What led Democratic success in 1912?
A
- the crack in the Republican political machine due to Taft alienating Progressive republicans gave democrats the opportunity for success
- 1910 - mid term elections led to democrats winning control of house of representatives
- the growing strength of progressivism - Roosevelt split the Republican Party through leading the National Progressive Party to challenge Taft
- where as Wilson took a unifier approach to progressivism - winning 6.3m votes
14
Q
‘New Freedom’
A
- slogan used in the 1912 presidential campaign - differentiating his progressive ideas from those of Roosevelt
- Wilson believed in a return to freedom for small businesses + open competition instead of domination by big corporate cartels
- slashed tariff rates by 20% - Underwood-Simmons Tariff Act
- reforming banks + currency - Federal Reserve Act
15
Q
What was the Federal Reserve Act?
A
- bought in by Wilson to establish a strong central bank which was under public regulation + control
- all national banks were compelled to join one of the 12 region federal reserve banks - which were supervised by the Federal Reserve Board
- this gave protection against financial panics like those in 1893 + 1907
