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Bell Ringer

Commonwealth and Empire, 1870-1900. Chapter 20. Toward A National Governing Class.

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Bell Ringer

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    1. Bell Ringer Should the government be responsible for ensuring every American lives comfortably? Why or Why not?

    2. Commonwealth and Empire, 1870-1900 Chapter 20

    3. Toward A National Governing Class “The best government is the one that governs least” was the advise given by most political theorists in the late 19th c. This advice would not be followed Government expanded at a rapid pace Prior to the Civil War government was not responsible for vital services such as fire and police protection By 1900 only 9 of the 50 largest cities did not provide services

    4. Toward A National Governing Class Expansion of government services meant: Increase spending Increase in taxes and debt Increase in government jobs (in NY 1 out of 8 citizens worked for the government) At the federal level spending went from $257M to $567M Bureaucracy grew from 50,000 employees to 100,000 employees (1871-1900)

    5. Toward A National Governing Class Growth of the government was seen in the creation of new offices Department of Agriculture (1862) Department of the Interior included the Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Geological Survey, and Bureau of Territorial and International Affairs Department of the Treasury Veterans Bureau (60K+ employees alone) Creation of the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) Job was to approve RR rates, examine company records, and enforce transportation laws Allowed for government intervention into private companies

    6. Toward A National Governing Class Post Civil War, Republicans ran on a platform of “we reunited the nation” Democrats wanted less governmental involvement, slash expenditures, and protect states’ rights Republicans held on to constituents while Democrats gained new followers in white Southerners and naturalized citizens The presidents elected from 1868-1892 let Congress control Neither party had a strong majority in any house or election Little legislation was passed during this time period

    7. Toward A National Governing Class Republicans maintained high tariff rates to protect businesses Democrats strongly opposed this since it hurt the Southern farmers On other issues, to gain support, they would “steal” the other sides opinion Candidates bombarded voters with slogans, buttons, and misc. items Voters who were dead (or never lived) even voted in these elections My how things have changed ?

    8. Toward A National Governing Class It was not uncommon for winners of an election to receive “incentives” (stocks, payoffs) for supporting certain industries This was not thought to be unethical by most politicians or business leaders Bosses such as William Marcy Tweed (NYC) and “Hinky Dink” Kenna (Chicago) gave jobs to loyal voters, and holiday baskets to their families Tweed also created large sporting events and expanded services for immigrant communities

    9. Toward A National Governing Class James Garfield had been a Civil War leader who won a congressional seat in 1863 He introduced a bill to create the Department of Education because it was the best way to achieve equality He fought against corruption in Grant’s administration and then moved to fight against the political machines

    10. Toward A National Governing Class In order to get on the path to presidency, Garfield adopted more “conservative” roles and starting working with political machines This resulted in his bid and election to the presidency He was an indecisive, indifferent, and lackluster president who was killed by someone who didn’t get the position he “earned” through the political game

    11. Toward A National Governing Class He (as well as other presidents of the time) believed that the president was the party leader who played only a ceremonial role

    12. Toward A National Governing Class Civil Service reform had been proposed in 1865 with no success When a group came together to create the Civil Service Reform Association they were led by Dem. George H. Pendleton In `83 a bipartisan effort led to the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act Created a set of standards for federal jobs and testing for the fitness of applicants for public service Also barred candidates from soliciting campaign donations from government workers

    13. Toward A National Governing Class Government jobs began to have regulatory practices such as doctors and lawyers with the American Medical Association and the American Bar Association Congress passed the Circuit Courts of Appeals Act (1891) allowing the Supreme Court to review any state or federal case at will

    14. Toward A National Governing Class Lawyers still dominated the field of politics and therefore knew the system well enough to do as they pleased Edward Bellamy urged citizens to unite against such machines and gain control of government for themselves

    15. Farmers and Workers Organize Their Communities The workers and farmers, short on funds, pulled together the biggest challenge to the two-party system ever: The Populist movement The movement started with the Patrons of Husbandry An organization to promote social, intellectual, and moral improvement Was a secretive society with passwords etc Became known as the Grange in farming communities

    16. Farmers and Workers Organize Their Communities The Grange movement spread quickly due to economic hardship Between infestations, competition, and weather many farmers began operating at a loss They joined the Patrons of Husbandry to solve problems (1.5M members) The Grangers blamed big business RRs and banks kept higher fees while manufactures of equipment (Cyrus McCormick) charged twice as much to US farmers compared to European farmers

    17. Farmers and Workers Organize Their Communities Banks charged rates too high with too short of loan terms for farmers to get ahead RRs charged higher wages to regular farmers than to large companies Granger laws were passed to establish maximum shipping rates Price-fixing occurred on warehouses, etc which led to Ill creating a maximum rate law within their state The law was challenged by firms in Chicago, but the Supreme Court upheld in Munn v. Illinois that the states have the right to regulate private property in public interest

    18. Farmers and Workers Organize Their Communities Grange membership began to slide as legislation regulating RRs was overturned and a deepening depression in the 1870s wiped out most of their cooperative programs

    19. Farmers and Workers Organize Their Communities Agrarian unrest spread throughout the South Conservatives told farmers to diversify their crops beyond cotton Considering household budgets fell from $50 to $10/year and transportation expenses went up, the farmers did not have this option Out of this, the farmers united under the idea “Equal Rights to All, Special Privileges to None.”

    20. Farmers and Workers Organize Their Communities Charles Macune and William Lamb led the National Farmers’ Alliance and Industrial Union 3M white members Black farmers joined the Colored Farmers’ Alliance and Cooperative Union (1M) Members sought to restore democracy through “agitation, education, and cooperation”

    21. Farmers and Workers Organize Their Communities Grangers had pushed for: Limiting public officials’ salaries Providing textbooks to students for little cost Creating teacher certifications They didn’t put up candidates though Farmers’ Alliance joined races and fought for: State ownership of RRs Lower tariffs Restrictions of land ownership (only citizens) “free and unlimited coinage of silver”

    22. Farmers and Workers Organize Their Communities Workers also sought to unite due to the depression of the 1870s Unemployment was at 25% in most cities 10K workers marched in NYC to protest unemployment, homelessness When turned back, the groups sought to get a permit to hold the rally but was denied On Jan. 13, 1874 7K people showed up to protest and were attacked by the 1600 member police force leading to labor conflict and violence (Tompkins Square Riot)

    23. Farmers and Workers Organize Their Communities Strikes became so common, yet often resulted in failure It did show that the people were willing to stand up for their beliefs, and the merchants that depended on their labor often supported them Despite warnings, the RR corporations were caught off guard in the Great Uprising of 1877 Starting in Martinsburg, WV and expanding quickly, RR employees uncoupled RR engines and refused to get things moving again The strike got so bad that Pres. Hayes had to send in the Army to end the strike

    24. Farmers and Workers Organize Their Communities The Army fired semi-automatic weapons into the crowds, killing more than 100 by the end of the strike This uprising stayed with workers and government officials for decades The creation of the National Guard arose out of these strikes, as well as community based armories Workers put up people for election and strikes continued throughout the nation

    25. Farmers and Workers Organize Their Communities Henry George, economist and land reformer put himself forward for mayor (NYC) on the United Labor Party ticket He was backed by the Knights of Labor and the Central Labor Council He called for large taxes to “help all Americans live comfortable” and called for “honest citizens” to take political action against the politicians who “corrupt the people whom they plunder” He was supported by Irish and German immigrants Many of the ballots voting for him were delivered to the Hudson River by the Tammany Hall machine He came in second (Abram Stevens Hewitt came in 1st, Theodore Roosevelt came in 3rd)

    26. Farmers and Workers Organize Their Communities Women campaigned for labor and agrarian causes as well as women’s suffrage “government based on caste and class privilege cannot stand” The Knights of Labor allowed for an investigator to review abuses by employers of women and children They also ran day-cares and bakeries for working mothers

    27. Farmers and Workers Organize Their Communities Agrarian women also fought for rights and defenses against governmental abuse Mary E. Lease called for farmers to “raise less corn and more hell”; it was their duty to get rid of the monopoly of land, money, and transportation One of the most famous women was Frances E. Willard She proposed that as women are responsible for the physical and spiritual welfare of their families, this would spread throughout society if they were allowed to vote She presided over the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) with the slogan “make the whole world HOMELIKE”

    28. Farmers and Workers Organize Their Communities The WCTU preached abstinence from alcohol, prison reform, ending prostitution, and eliminating the wage system Willard created a new government where all offices were shared by men and women When the two main suffrage organizations (American Woman Suffrage Association, National Woman Suffrage Association) merged the WCTU had already pushed the fight for suffrage out to the plains states Despite push for suffrage, CO and WY will be the only states to allow suffrage by 1891

    29. Farmers and Workers Organize Their Communities In Dec. 1890 the Farmers’ Alliance met in Ocala, FL to push for a national party From this effort rose the People’s (Populist) Party Their platform included: Government owned RRs, banks, telegraph lines Prohibition of large landholding companies Graduated income tax 8 hour workday Restriction of immigrants

    30. The Crisis of the 1890s Ignatius Donnelly, Populist, wrote in Caesar’s Column (1891): “the rich, as a rule, hate the poor; and the poor are coming to hate the rich…society divides itself into two hostile camps…They wait only for the drum beat and the trumpet to summon them to armed conflict.” As the depression of the 1890s controlled the nation, many feared that the political system would topple

    31. The Crisis of the 1890s The RRs were the center of the economy, so when they all (but one) went bankrupt in 1893, economic growth came to a halt When Philadelphia and Reading RR went under as well as National Cordage Company, stocks plummeted This created a panic resulting in hundreds of banks closing, 200 RRs and 15,000 businesses declaring bankruptcy Agricultural prices dropped and more stocks fell It wasn’t until 1897 that a turnaround was in sight, a full recovery didn’t come around until after the turn of the century

    32. The Crisis of the 1890s With unemployment at 25%, people faced hardship Lines for free bread and clothing occurred People “rode the rails” to try luck in different city Cities blamed increasing crime rate on “menacing” homeless populations Populist Jacob Sechler Coxey rounded up the homeless and led a march on Washington, D.C. Only 600 of thousands would reach the capital for US Attorney General Richard Olney worked with the states to stop these people from advancing on D.C. Those who made it forced the public to see their problem and showed the impatience with government apathy

    33. The Crisis of the 1890s Strikes were seen across the country George Pullman had created a company with a self-contained community The employees not only worked for Pullman, but also rented homes, bought food, when to church, and even was buried in Pullman graves

    34. The Crisis of the 1890s When Pullman reduced wages but kept prices the same on store goods strike talk began Eugene V. Debs formed the American Railway Union (ARU) to unite all the RR workers While he said to exercise caution, the other members sought boycotts of Pullman to aid strikers

    35. The Crisis of the 1890s The strike started out peaceful, but turned violent when Pres. Cleveland ordered federal troops to go in (despite the governor’s objection) The strike ended after spreading to 26 other states and 25 people dying Debs was arrested Once released him committed himself to being a socialist and attempted to create a utopian society (it failed)

    36. The Crisis of the 1890s Many Christian leaders began noting the discrepancies between their beliefs and how the poor were being treated Clergymen began pushing for reform W.D.P. Bliss, charter member of Boston’s Bellamy Nationalist club, said “He works for God who works for man.” Business leaders were warned to return to Christ’s teachings Charles Sheldon told people to think in terms of “What would Jesus do?” Women also pushed this agenda leading Frances Willard to say “the time will come when the human heart will be so much alive that no one could sleep in any given community, if any of that group of human beings were cold, hungry, or miserable.

    37. Politics of Reform, Politics of Order The economic troubles in the of the 1890s led to a turning point in American politics Democrats and Republicans still had loyal followers, but the Populists found ways to break off some of the voters Grover Cleveland gained the Presidency because the Democrats of the South supported him as well as the states of IL and WI due to large immigrant populations The Republicans were becoming more Nativist

    38. Politics of Reform, Politics of Order Cleveland immediately faced issues with the economy He called a special session of Congress to reform the nation’s currency Some called for “soft currency”-easy to increase supply forcing it to loose value and allowing farmers to use “cheaper” money to repay loans (this is inflation) “Hard currency” was preferred by conservatives to avoid financial chaos In 1873 Congress passed the Coinage Act allowing silver to be used as a precious metal base for currency, therefore adding to the supply

    39. Politics of Reform, Politics of Order Many conservatives called this the Crime of ‘73 saying that the law harmed the value of money The Compromise was the Sherman Silver Purchase Act It directed the Treasury to put more coined silver in rotation and print paper currency backed by silver In return, the Westerners who wanted silver to be used would support the McKinley Tariff which imposed the highest tariffs yet

    40. Politics of Reform, Politics of Order Cleveland took desperate measures by forcing the repeal of the Sherman Act believing that gold was the only way to fix the depression He would not be nominated for the Democrats in the 1896 election The Republicans would gain 117 seats in Congress (largest shift in history) The presidential election of `86 became the “battle of the standards”

    41. Politics of Reform, Politics of Order Populists worried that despite the increased interest in their party, a very popular Democrat, William Jennings Bryan, would overshadow them Bryan advocated for free silver because that is what the people wanted He brought new life to the Democrats by united old members with the Silver Democrats (converted Populists) He was the first presidential candidate to travel to all states in the nation He confronted the gold standard republicans by saying “You shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns, you shall not crucify mankind upon the cross of gold.”

    42. Politics of Reform, Politics of Order The Populists knew that if they put up their own candidate, it would split the silver vote They went with Bryan and put up one of their own for VP, Tom Watson The Democrats refused the “hybrid” ticket and chose Arthur Sewall for the VP slot The Republicans put up William McKinley, was Civil War Veteran His campaign outspent Bryan 10:1 and ran a ruthless campaign saying that Bryan was too radical and would cost voters their jobs

    43. Characters of Wizard of Oz Dorothy—everyman Scarecrow—Midwest farmers Tin man—industrial workers Cowardly Lion—William Jennings Bryan Emerald city—Capitol Yellow Brick Road—Gold standard Dorothy’s silver shoes—the silver standard The Wicked Witch of the East—Eastern industries The Wizard—The President OZ is the molecular symbol for Gold Winged monkeys—Native Americans

    44. Meaning behind The Wizard of Oz The Tin Man had become a machine (working in the factories) and couldn’t love anymore (needed a heart) The Scarecrow needed a brain (obvious connection) The Lion (Bryan) ran against McKinley and lost (as did the silver standard) The Wizard (President) can only maintain power through deception and the people’s ignorance Winged monkeys talk about the simply life before OZ came and took their land When the Wizard is dethroned, the Scarecrow gains political power, the Tin Man can move West and the Lion can protect the forest (Bryan can go back to Congress)

    45. Politics of Reform, Politics of Order McKinley handily won the electoral vote He carried traditionally democratic party voters such as the blue-collar and the upper-South These groups, and others, feared the Bryan’s plan was too radical and wouldn’t help them The Populists dwindled away after the election The next 16 years would see the Democrats only controlling the South, and the inevitability of Republican wins led to voter apathy in the Democratic party

    46. Politics of Reform, Politics of Order McKinley as president: He supported the Dingley tariff of 1897 (raised tariffs to another all-time high) Favored the Gold Standard Act of 1900 Congress created the US Industrial Commission to plan business regulation Eased the financial situation for small businesses with the bankruptcy act Proposed the Erdman Act to create arbitration between RR employees and employers Was supported by the Supreme Court Due to increased prosperity and his slogan “a full dinner pail” McKinley would be re-elected in 1900

    47. Politics of Reform, Politics of Order Both candidates held the belief of white supremacy Many citizens had become increasingly nationalistic and anti-foreign Even Samuel Gompers (a German immigrant) sought to restrict immigration A conspiracy theory of the Pope trying to gain control of the US caused people to fear Catholics The American Protective Association was created to defend American institutions

    48. Politics of Reform, Politics of Order Black people saw an increase in violence and racism Laws known as Jim Crow Laws allowed for the discrimination and segregation of blacks The Supreme Court overturned the Civil Rights Act of 1896 It also upheld LA law that created the “separate but equal” doctrine in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) The Court also allowed for separate schools even when facilities were not available for black students in Cumming v. Richmond County Board of Eudcation

    49. Politics of Reform, Politics of Order Ida B. Wells spoke out against the lynchings that occurred Her business was destroyed and she was forced out of town She took her cause internationally proving that the lynchings in the US were not based on punishment for crimes committed but rather because these people had become too prosperous for white competitors liking

    50. Imperialism of Righteousness Frederick Jackson Turner wrote “The Significance of the Frontier in American History” In this, he explains the importance of America moving on to new frontiers to ensure the survival of democracy This ideology lead Americans into foreign expansion Expansion for missionary purposes Business and political leaders also eyed distant lands Due to shrinking European markets, American businesses looked to Asia for expansion Americans believed that nearby nations were destined to be claimed by the US as opportunity allowed

    51. Imperialism of Righteousness The imperialistic ideal lead William Seward, Secretary of State under Lincoln and Johnson, to negotiate the purchase of Alaska in 1867 The US paid 7.2M for what was known as “Seward’s Icebox” It was hoped that, one day, the US would also own Canada and Mexico While European nations began to claim parts of Asia and Africa, America laid claim to the Caribbean The US did not acquire Canada because Great Britain was unwilling to cede that territory

    52. Imperialism of Righteousness James Blaine, Secretary of State under Garfield and Harrison, created a Good Neighbor policy The policy was designed to create an economic relationship between the US and Latin/South America, creating a $400M market Under this policy, American businesses would often overshadow partner nations’ business class It also established that Europe was not to intervene in revolts; the US Navy would support these governments if need be

    53. Imperialism of Righteousness To continue imperialistic expansion, Congress funded the building of a large navy, which becomes known as The Great White Fleet Congress also established the Naval War College in Newport, RI Capt. Alfred Thayer Mahan was president of the College and wrote “The Influence of Sea Power Upon American History, 1660-1873” This book defined American foreign policy

    54. Homework Please see the “Annexation of Hawaii, 1898,” “Spanish American War, 1898,” and “Sec. of State John Hay and the Open Door in China, 1899-1900” handout from the US Department of State Please read VERY closely this weekend You will have a multiple choice quiz over this handout on Monday!

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