The Great West & Imperialism Flashcards
Plight/Struggles of the Farmers
1) Climate/Weather issues out West- ex. Drought/Uneven rainfall, extreme temperatures (frigid winters vs. hot summers), prairie fires, dust storms
2) Decline of farm product prices- mainly due to OVERPRODUCTION- (Overproduction causes the prices to decrease) so, as prices decrease, farmers make less money, which means they need to borrow more money, which leads to debt. Many could not pay off their mortgages which means many farmers lost their land.
Other reasons include:
-grasshoppers/pests eating crops
-no trees to build homes (they built homes out of grass/sod)
-lack of water
-lack of medicine/doctors
-Native Americans would attack
-very high costs for what they needed (equipment, taxes, railroad prices,)
-low prices for what they sold (which landed them in debt)
Farmers wanted inflation (it would bring their wages/sell prices up, while keeping their debt the same—they would have more money to pay their debt)
Farmers are angry about these situations…and they blame:
1) Railroads- because they got some of the best farmland out west and simply destroyed that farmland in order to lay down R.R. track. Railroads also discriminated against certain farmers by refusing to travel to certain spots, meaning some farmers had no way to get their products shipped to the coasts for trade. Also, R.R. charged very high rates for freight. Many people monopolized certain R.R. lines because there was no gov’t regulation. (The government allowed these abuses to occur because they supported big business—this impacted western farmers)
2) Banks- especially the National Bank- for owning the mortgages on Western farmland and not cutting the farmers a break when farmers had a tough growing/selling year
In response to these struggles, the farmers united and created The Grange.
The Grange
(formed in 1867)
-Essentially, The Grange demanded action from the federal government to negotiate the railroad. The farmers in the Grange also worked together to sell their products. (They formed cooperatives—the farmers would sell their product to the cooperative and the cooperative would negotiate with the buyer—this was to avoid competition among individual farmers).
-It is formed to help farmers lobby (speak on their behalf) Congress in order to regulate banks and railroads, in order to help Western farmers. As a result, several states passed laws called the Granger laws. These laws regulated companies like railroads in the best interests of the farmers. For example, laws were passed that said that R.R. companies had to travel to areas where farmers were in order to allow trade. Also, laws regulated R.R. freight charges (making sure they weren’t too expensive). Farmers are pleased…but soon, many of these laws were declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. These state laws were declared unconstitutional because most of the regulation dealt with interstate commerce. Only Congress has the power to control interstate commerce, so the state govts’ could not pass laws regulating this trade.
Therefore, farmers knew they needed action from Congress (the federal gov’t). And in 1887, Congress passed the Interstate Commerce Act. This law was the first national law that regulated big business/corporations. In this case, the railroads.
Interstate Commerce Act (1887)
After the Granger Laws were declared unconstitutional, the farmers needed to take action. Congress passed the Interstate Commerce Act. This law was the first national law that regulated big business/corporations. In this case, the railroads. It did the following:
1) Railroad charges needed to be “reasonable”
2) Forbade the rebate (what Rockefeller used to monopolize) (He got discounted rates from the railroads so he could transfer his materials quicker)
3) Companies had to publish their rates in advance and make annual financial reports to the federal gov’t.
-Even though this law was a first step in regulation of corporations, it was not strictly enforced and many lawsuits would be filed and won by the businesses. However, it did set a precedent for future gov’t regulation of big business which would be more strictly enforced.
Sherman Antitrust Act (1890)
This law is against monopolies/trusts (monopolies and trusts reduce competition, by getting rid of these, this law increases competition)
The Populist Party
(After The Grange—Farmers’ next move)
-By the 1880s, the Grange lost membership and influence. This was largely due to the fact that the Grange invested a lot of money in businesses meant to compete with already established businesses. Most of these Grange funded companies failed. But farmers still had problems, still were angry, and still wanted organizations to help them.
-The thing that western farmers in the late 19th Century demanded even more than strict regulation of monopolies was the introduction of cheap money (easy money supply) - this would be accomplished by supporting free silver (the free coinage of silver). In other words, farmers wanted our money supply to be backed by both gold and silver, rather than just backed by gold as it was at the time. Since there was a lot of silver out west and there is more silver than gold, this would increase the amount of money in supply, which in turn, would lower the value of the dollar while causing prices to increase (inflation). Farmers like inflation since they are sellers, they want high prices for their farm products. —(More money = higher prices/more inflation…There’s more silver instead of gold, so prices will go up and they’ll be able to sell stuff higher…inflation helps those in debt and hurts bankers, because debt stays the same while their income increases)
-So, after the Grange ended, a new organization called The Populists, tried to get free silver passed into law.
-The Populists turned into a political party- ran politicians for gov’t offices on all levels of gov’t (local, state, federal).
-The Populists met at a big convention where they presented the Omaha Platform (1892)- it was a list of all the things the Populists wanted to do to help Western farmers such as:
1) Free silver
2) Federal policies favoring agriculture over industry
3) Anti-tariff
4) Anti-monopolies
Essentially, the farmers wanted less industry and more governmental control over industry. (The farmers favored:
1. Income taxes—greatly impacts the rich businessmen; the more you make the more you pay
2. Government controlled banks (so banks cannot exploit farmers
3. Government owned railroads (so that the railroads won’t raise their prices and discriminate against the farmers)
4. Government regulation of the price of land (rich businessmen would buy them immediately)
-In the 1896 Presidential Election, Democrats nominated William Jennings Bryan to be president. He loses. But he basically was a Populist whose main rallying cry was for free silver. (McKinley won
—he stood for gold, big business, and republicans.)
Railroads and Life in the Great West
-Railroads were very important in helping to settle and develop the West. They were important in transporting goods and people. They helped ship farm products grown out West to the coasts to be shipped to Europe.
-1869- The completion of the Transcontinental R.R.
-Life for Great Plains farmers was very tough- rain was uneven, freezing temps, American Indian wars
(Not on RV Sheet) Native Americans
Native Americans (“Indians”) were abused over the course of history
-The Great Plains was home to many different American Indian Nations…most notably, the Sioux.
-These tribes were nomadic- they traveled in search of food. Their food staple was Buffalo. The Buffalo was used by these Indian nations for everything (food, clothing/hides, tools, culture, military training).
-Soon, these Plains Indians would be confronted with danger- from White American Western settlement.
-Railroads played a role in helping to destroy the Plains Indians’ culture…by laying down track, it took grazing land away from buffalo which killed many of them. Additionally, the R.R.s helped bring people and products to the Plains, which further endangered the Indians.
-Before white western settlement, there were 15 million buffalo on the Great Plains. But after settlement, many buffalo began to be killed:
1) R.R. clearing land destroyed grazing land for buffalo
2) R.R. companies killed buffalo for food for immigrant (Irish and Chinese) R.R. workers
3) *** Buffalo hide became very profitable. White traders/merchants over hunted them.
-As a result of all of this, buffalo became nearly extinct. This was disastrous for the Plains Indians who relied on the buffalo for their survival. It would also make resisting white American expansion into their lands extremely difficult.
-Despite the Plains Indians not having necessary food, nor superior weaponry, they still fought against White armies attempting to seize their land.
-At times they were successful (though not often).
Again, this was primarily due to their lack of the buffalo along with the white armies having superior military technology.
The Dawes Act: (1887)
-Congress passes a law dealing with the Plains Indians. This law gave each Indian “family” 160 acres of land with a period of 25 years to live/farm on it. Once that time is up, the Indians gain ownership of the land and become American citizens.
-The Dawes Act was intended to be a humanitarian law, aimed at helping American Indians. But it greatly hurt the Plains Indians:
1) The Plains Indians were hunters, not farmers. Giving them free farm land was not helpful. Plus, it was very difficult farming on the Plains.
2) When giving out the land to Indian ”families,” we defined “family” by its Western definition…the nuclear (immediate) family. But American Indians follow the extended family (tribe). So, the Dawes Act was forced assimilation that broke up Indian tribes/nations.
3) The Indians were “Americanized” (Children were forced to learn about white culture)
Jackson’s Indian Removal Act (1830)
-Native Americans were forced to move west onto the open plains in reservations. (The government did whatever they wanted to the Indians—the Indians were defenseless)
-They are moved and forced to walk The Trail of Tears (in which they died at high rates)
-Through 1860-1890, many fights broke out between the Natives and the settlers/government.
-The Indians fought after many broken promises with the US. (They promised the Indians wouldn’t be moved again, but they were moved again and again and so they fought)
-Sand Creek Massacre (1864): 1,200 troops vs peaceful Cheyenne village (150 men, women, and children killed)
(Other examples outlined in the notes—-though probably won’t have to know it)
Homestead Act (1862) and Transcontinental Railroad in the West (Great Plains)
Homestead Act in 1862
—gave land for a cheaper rate if you settled/took care of/improved land in the west. This was used to encourage people to move west. Many African Americans took advantage of this act and went to the west. (Other acts were similar to this like the Timber Culture Act and the Desert Land Act which were also used to convince people to settle west
Transcontinental Railroad:
–The Transcontinental Railroad connects the east coast to the west coast (You can grow crops in the west and sell it in the east—before this, they relied on water travel which was very long and difficult) People made a lot of money from this
-The Chinese and poor Europeans/Immigrants, and former slaves built the railroad which was very dangerous
Progressive West
-The West was the most progressive region in the later 19th Century with reference to giving women suffrage rights. This was largely due to men and women sharing in the same responsibilities on the Plains
-Offered social equality (people were treated more equally because prejudice is a luxury of the uncomfortable—in tough situations you worry about surviving, not about someone’s skin color)
(Immigrants also tended to move out west—they were risk-takers)
Imperialism: Positives & Negatives (Not on RV sheet)
Positives:
-The country’s natural resources increased (they got things that their country didn’t originally grow…Colonies would give us access to additional markets to take resources from and sell surplus products)
-Military bases were established around the world to protect ports and trade routes and increase the state of the army and navy to intimidate other countries and prevent future conflicts (for national/economic security)
-Sign of wealth and power
-White Man’s Burden—”It’s our responsibility to civilize these people and spread out values/ideas” (Ethnocentrism)
-A war of conquest will unite the nation and create a sense of pride among all inhabitants of the US.
Negatives:
-Often leads to slave trade
-Leads to lots of death/war
-Stripped countries of their natural resources and left nothing for the natives
-The imperialists often opposed their ideas/culture on the ones being taken over—-forced assimilation
-European countries are always at conflict—if we have a colony, we’d be in the middle of the conflict
-The US has plenty of resources, don’t need any more
-We believe in democracy, so it would be wrong to control other people (it would be hypocritical)
-”Engaging in colonialism is morally repugnant and the equivalent of piracy”
-No European country will interfere with us because we’re separated by the Atlantic—why make colonies and get closer to them?
-”Increasing the size of our military is dangerous. Citizens of European countries with large militaries have fewer rights and freedoms than Americans. A large military is a threat to our democracy.”
Famous Imperialists & Anti-Imperialists
Famous Imperialists:
-McKinley
-Roosevelt
Famous Anti-Imperialists
-Grover Cleveland
-Mark Twain (He wrote “Huckleberry Finn” and a book entitled “The Gilded Age”—which was another name for the Industrial Revolution…Gilded Age=looks good on the outside, but on the inside it’s bad—Twain was an opponent of Industry)
-Carnegie (you would think as an industrialist, he would support it, but there’s very little iron in the Caribbean/conquered areas so he gained nothing from imperialism)
(The Imperialists win, and America is expanded overseas)
Imperialism & its Causes
-Imperialism- When a strong nation conquers a weak one and turns it into a colony. The purpose of the colony is to solely benefit the mother country.
-Europe had been colonizing for centuries. Beginning in the mid-late 19th Century, the U.S. got into this “game” as well, going from the imperialized, to the imperialists.
**Causes of Imperialism/American Expansion
**
1) New Technology: improvements in transportation (more advanced ships) and communication (better telegraph and telephone)- shortened the distances around the world and made the world seem “smaller.” (Also new types of engines) —These allowed expansion to faraway places.
**2) Desire for Raw Materials and New Markets*:
**
—Business leaders wanted new markets from overseas
—Farmers wanted new markets overseas
—Presumed need because domestic consumption could not be met by nation’s production
—Supported by industrialists, farmers, gov’t- majority of the U.S.
(Britain does not have a lot of natural resources, so they had to attain them elsewhere. Whereas, America was resource-rich, but still wanted other resources and more of them. —America wanted these new areas to be markets and to sell their things. This would lower their amount of overproduced crops, which would increase their price. You would think farmers would grow less, in order to avoid their crops being overproduced. But this didn’t work because of the weather—they couldn’t predict it. If they produce less to avoid overproduction, they would have nothing if there was a drought in the following year, which they couldn’t predict. Overproduction/lowering the price is better than death.)
3) Growth of Naval Power- Alfred Mahan- Naval historian, writer, advisor to President McKinley (1890s)- was convinced that as foreign trade increases, a nation requires a strong navy to protect its trade at sea. (Also advisor to Roosevelt—McKinley and Roosevelt were imperialists)
4) Social Darwinism- “survival of the fittest”- it was believed that strong nations were meant to conquer weak nations and control them/colonize them. This was viewed as being “proper” and “natural.”
5) - Manifest Destiny and the Closing of the Frontier- since the U.S. already expanded as far west in America as possible, the next logical step, was to expand U.S. powers to other nations abroad. —Americans thought they had a god-given right to expand as far as they could.
6) - Missionary Spirit- They believed it was their duty to spread Christianity to the non-white, non-Christian peoples of the world. ——–White Man’s Burden—the duty of the “good, moral, righteous, white christian” to civilize the uncivilized world and Christianize the non-Christians. Some people also believed that they would not go to heaven unless they converted others.
Examples of Imperialism (Inc. Open-Door Policy)
1) China- 1899- The Open Door Policy- This gave the U.S. free trading in rights in China. (After the introduction of opium in China, people became addicted and China was no longer the strong nation it had once been. China became so weak that it was carved into “Spheres of Influence” by other countries in which other European countries dominated trade in a specific area of China. The Open Door Policy was later created and America was given free trading rights in China)
2) 1867- Purchase of Alaska- originally nicknamed “Seward’s Folly,” many Americans thought this was a bad buy because it was so far away, frozen tundra, “nothing there.” However, it was very cheap—a tremendous amount of land that it turns out, is very rich in natural resources (especially oil). —Gold and other minerals were also found there. This purchase also made America closer to other countries. (This was overall a good deal because Alaska was bought for cheaper than what it was worth from Russia.) It was originally bought to eliminate the Russians from the western hemisphere.
3) 1898- Annexation of Hawaii- American businessmen had investments in Hawaii (especially sugar). To protect their investments against a nationalistsic gov’t that wanted to kick the Americans out of Hawaii (the new Queen of Hawaii was nationalistic and did not like foreign investment), the businessmen hired U.S. marines, launched a coup of the Hawaian gov’t and took power for a few years. (this was made with a private army—the president, Grover Cleveland was an anti-imperialist and refused to send an army to Hawaii) Ultimately, the U.S. decides to make Hawaii a U.S. territory after the private army won the battle.
The Spanish-American War (1898-1899) Causes
-This war was the main example of U.S. imperialism
-Every war has both fundamental causes (long-term) (underlying). These are the main causes of the war. Without them, the war would not occur. And immediate causes- these are the sparks that cause the war to happen when it does.
Fundamental Causes of the Spanish American War
1) Economic- Spain controlled Cuba. Cuba wanted to be free and independent from Spanish rule. Many Americans had financial interest (sugar) in Cuba. The U.S. gov’t began to desire trade in Cuba. —There was a lot of American investment in Cuba (for sugar) (a lot more in Cuba than Hawaii, because Cuba was much closer). Spain was interfering with American presence in Cuba, so America went to war.
2) Humanitarian- Many Americans sympathized with the Cuban revolution and wanted to see them free from Spanish rule. Spain was very cruel to the Cuban people. The U.S. media published stories of the Spanish atrocities against the Cuban people. This led to American support for war against Spain.—Americans felt a sort of kinship with the nearby Cubans, so they wanted to help them. (Americans also felt similar to Cuba—Cuba fought against their oppressor for independence, just like America with Britain)
3) Expansionist- Most Americans supported imperialism and supported a war with Spain, a weakening empire, in order to gain more territory and increase American power.—Spain had control in the Pacific and Atlantic and so America wanted to set up naval bases in the Pacific to control their trading rights in China.
Immediate Causes of the Spanish American War
1) Yellow Journalism- American newspapers (especially the publisher Willaim Randolph Hearst) would publish sensational stories and pictures to promote nationalism and support American involvement in the war.—Journalism in which there are highly exaggerated stories (these stories or untrue/half-truths/one-sided) It’s sensationalized stories (outlandish, provocative, flashy). The purpose was to sell newspapers (it was eye-catching, and had shock value). Tabloids engaged in this (fake news).
2) The De Lome Letter- A Spanish minister to the U.S. named De Lome writes a letter in which he called President McKinley “weak” and “catering to the rabble,” for encouraging and supporting war against Spain. The letter was published in American newspapers, which angered and upset Americans.
3) Sinking of the Maine- A U.S. battleship, the Maine, exploded and sank in Havana, Cuba. It killed over 250 Americans. Americans blamed the Spanish for destroying the ship (even though a later investigation proved it was an accident). (It was an electrical fire)—McKinley knew this, but continued the lie because it was good for promoting the war effort. He wanted to use this info to gain support for a declaration of war from Congress.
Results of the Spanish American War
-The main result from this short war that the U.S. wins is we gain a lot of territory from Spain as a result of the Treaty of Paris that ends the war in 1898. Those territories include:
1) Puerto Rico (no plans on leaving)
2) Guam (no plans on leaving)
3) Philippines (Philippines was hard to control because it’s an archipelago–many islands; about 7000 islands make it up)
4) Naval bases in Cuba
The U.S. promised to leave Cuba and the Philippines, once they were “able” to be independent. But made no such promises for Puerto Rico or Guam.
