Reform, Progress, and Power Flashcards
What is Land Rush?
Gov. strengthened the Homestead Act to encourage settling. In 1889 there was a major land give away in Oklahoma which attracted thousands of people. In less than a day settlers claimed over 2 million acres in a massive land rush.
Sooners
Dawes Act of 1887
A law that was intended to “Americanize” Native Americans by distributing reservation land to individual owners.
- Divided tribal land
- sold some land to raise money and for farm tools
- forced education
Go West Young Man!
- Horace Greeley or John Soule
- moved west for gold in CA, CO
- land
- opportunity for poor immigrants
Cowboys and the Cattle Industry
Heavily influenced by Spanish ranchers in Mexico (mexican vaqueros). Started during the railroad construction across the Great Plains. Big cattle boom because of the railroads.
Indian Wars
Americans expanded west and took over Indians land as well as reservations, slaughtering or displacing hundreds of Native Americans.
1864 Massacre at Sand Creek
- 200 Indians killed
- raised sympathy for Indians
1876 Battle of Little Big Horn
- Sitting Bull had vision, crazy horse led
- US Troops completely wiped out
1890 Massacre of Wounded Knee
- Military was afraid of Ghost Dance
- Tried to arrest Sitting Bull, killed him
- Killed 300 unarmed natives
- last significant event
End of Wild West
By the 1890’s the “Wild West” was no more because:
- Barbed wire (divided up west)
- Overgrazing
- Droughts of 1883
- Blizzard of 1887
Robber Barrons
Industrialists who acquired great amounts of $ using questionable methods to gain it.
- Richest @ the time
- Bought out competition
- Political Corruption
….did give to charity
Cognitive Dissouance
Cognitive dissonance is the term used in modern psychology to describe the feeling of discomfort when holding two or more conflicting cognitions (e.g., ideas, beliefs, values, emotional reactions) simultaneously. {Giving and yet super $$$$}
Social Darwinism
An economic and social philosophy - supposedly based on the biologist Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection - holding that a system of unrestrained competition will ensure survival of the fittest. Rich by nature were destined to be rich while the poor were destined to be poor.
Sherman Anti-Trust Act of 1890
A law that was intended to prevent the creation of monopolies by making it illegal to establish trusts that interfered with free trade.
Sparks for Railroads
railroads linked coast to coast and were used for trade, wartime, and helped to establish the western expansion.
Acceleration of Industrialization
- Oil can be refined and used as fuel (cars)
- Bessemer developed the Bessemer Process which was used to make steel
- Telephone (Bell)
- Light Bulb (Edison)
- Type Writer
- First Research lab
- Railroads
- no set clock time until 1883
Labor Movement
Industry workers went on strike and formed Labor Unions to create safe working environments and higher wages. Went to congress about long hours (made 8hrs per day), no vacation, sick leave, health, low wages, etc. National Labor Union
Yellow Dog Contracts
Contracts that newly hired industry workers filled out saying they would not join the NLU otherwise be fired.
Collective Bargaining
Negotiations between representatives of labor and management, to reach written agreements on wages, hours, and working conditions.
Settlement housing
a community center providing assistance to residents - particularly immigrants in a slum neighborhood.
Urbanization Problems
- Housing
- Transportation
- Water
- Sanitation
- Crime
- Fire
UP - Housing
Live out of town in a house and face transportation issues or live in the city (tenements) but face cramped, dirty, and overcrowded living areas.
UP - Transportation
Mass transit become popular. Innovated into the main transportation system for large groups of people. Street cars, electronic subways, etc.
UP - Water
Safe drinking water for large populations; cities built public water works which led to the onslaught of disease (filtration and chlorination)
UP - Sanitation
horse manure left on streets, sewage in open gutters, foul smoke, trash, etc. Cities were hard to keep clean due to large populations of people. Sanitation departments formed.
UP - Crime
law enforcement grew as thieves became more common in large urban populations
UP - Fire
Became common due to limited water supply, lack of organization, wooden buildings, etc. Fire departments formed, buildings were no longer built from all wood, etc.
Waves
1 -
2 -
3 - 1890:1920
Chinese Immigration
Between 1851-1883 over 300,000 CI arrived in the US due to gold in CA. They helped to build the railroads. Then they turned to farming, mining, and domestic services.
Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882
Halted Chinese immigration
Japanese Immigration
1884 - immigration started, Hawaiians recruited for work
Hawaii’s annexation brought more into the US
By 1920 more than 200,000 JI lived on the West Coast
Annexation
Annexing
to add as an extra
Gentleman’s Agreement of 1907-1908
Japans government agreed to limit the emigration of unskilled workers to the US in exchange for the repeal of the San Francisco segregation order.
Angel Island
Chinese immigrants gained admission into the US at Angel Island in San Francisco. 30-60 days before the immigrants could be free, contrast to Ellis Island. Over 50,000 immigrants throughout 1910 and 1940.
Ellis Island
East Coast admissions area.
- had to pass tests to see if healthy or not
- had to have some $ for support
- couldn’t be a criminal
Nativism
anti-immigrants. Favoritism to Native born Americans.
Populism
During the 1890’s gave rise to a powerful third party called the Populist Party.
- a late 19th century political movement demanding that people have a greater voice in government and seeking to advance the interests of farmers and laborers.
Farmers in Trouble After Civil War
- Railroads were overcharging them, rr companies influenced elected officials.
- US gov printed $500 million to finance war and after the war pulled it out of circulation so farmers with loans were hit hard. Bimetallism
Bimetallism
use of silver and gold (would cause inflation)
Farmers Joined together
- The Grange Formed (organizations of farmers for mutual support)
- Evolved into the Farmers Alliance (focused on cooperatives to improve market position of individual farmers)
Populist Party
- Outgrowth of the Farmers Alliance
- Successful at local, state, and federal level (never reached presidential level)
- in 1896 supported Dem. candidate (william jennings bryan)
- after loss of election the party died out
Populist Party Platform
- Increase in $ supply
- federal loan program for farmers
- direct election of senators
- secret ballots
- term limits for the Pres. and Vice Pres.
- graduated income tax
Conservation Movement/Effort
Under Roosevelt (John Muir), he set aside 148 million acres of forest reserves. Established other areas as research areas and set up many wildlife sanctuaries and several national parks.
- Land was destroyed from overgrazing
- farmers leveled land
- took resources
- coal companies left messes behind
- logging led to flooding.
Roosevelt - Background
- born to a wealthy NY family
- sickly kid, challenged himself later in life
- went into politics after going to Harvard
- Became governor of NY
- Political bosses in NY wanted to get rid of him so they “allowed” him to become the VP under McKinley.
- 6 months later McKinley shot so he became President
- Served 2 terms (1901-1909)
Roosevelt’s Square Deal
The Common People Deserve a Decent lifestyle
- trustbusting
- 1902 Coal Strike
- railroad regulation
- food and drug safety
- conservation (national parks)
- Teddy Bear
Square Deal
Progressive reforms (TR)
Progressive Movement
an early 20th century reform movement seeking to return control of the government to the people, to restore economic opportunities, and to correct injustices in American life.
- promoting social welfare
- promoting moral improvement
- creating economic reform
- fostering efficiency
Trustbusting
(law) government activities seeking to dissolve corporate trusts and monopolies (especially under the United States antitrust laws).
Progressive Party Platform (Bull Moose Party)
- direct election of senators
- initiative recall elections nationwide
- women’s suffrage
- workmen’s compensation
- 8 hr work day
- federal law banning child labor
- creation of a federal trade commission to regulate business
William Howard Taft
- TR Sec. of War, then VP, then Pres.
- busted more trusts
- not in tune with conservation
Election of 1912
- Republican Party divided "old guard" vs. progressive party - Roosevelt returns from Africa, declares candidacy - Taft wins Rep. Nom - Roosevelt forms Progressive Party - Wilson wins (rep. votes split)
Progressivism under Wilson (New Freedom)
economic progress, social conservation
- Clayton Anti-trust act of 1914= sought to strengthen the Sherman Anti-trust act (company couldn’t buy stock to create monopoly)
- Federal Trade Commission of 1914= “watchdog” agency gave them power to investigate possible violations of regulations, more or less to put an end to unfair business practices.
