Chapter 3 Pt1 – Populist Movement + Political Protest

1. Bryan + 1896 Election: Populist Party had sufficient support to have a decisive vote in the nomination of the Democrat candidate, for the 1896 election - William Jennings Bryan- a supporter of silver coinage and farming interests. However, Bryan was unable to win due to his inability to call upon the financial support used by the Republican candidate McKinley, using more traditional methods of campaigning. They also used modern campaigning methods, for example a wealthy businessman, Mark Hanna, spent $3 million supporting McKinley and smearing the reputation of Bryan. Reasons for the emergence of the populist: Silver: traditionally, the US followed the gold standard, however, some felt silver should be used in the production of coinage. World production of gold had decreased since 1865 whilst there was a rapid growth in silver after its discovery in Nevada from $150,000 to $57 million 1860-90. To Conservatives this reform was abhorrent, threatening to undermine the economy, isolate the US from Europe and increase government interference. Agricultural Discontent: this was partly due to falling prices in wheat and cotton, and poor weather conditions in the late 1880s, in addition to high tariffs on foreign goods which meant that foreigners would not buy US agricultural products and US faced competition from foreign competitors. Formation of the Party: It formed in July 1892 at a convention in Omaha from an alliance of silver and farming interests to fight against traditional Democrat and Republican candidates. James B Weaver stood for president for the "people's party". Although they did not do well, Weaver did poll 1 million votes. Aims: -regulation of railways -more government regulation of farm prices -maximum 8 hour working days -silver standard -a graduated income tax removing dependence on tariffs as the main source of government income, ensuring more exports Chapter 3 Pt1 –Populist Movement + Political Protest How important was Populism?: The Populist Party never recovered from the events of 1896. By 1900, membership had fallen and populist activists had either retired or joined one of the major parties. However, it did have importance in the politics of the USA: • the progressives adopted many of the populist party aims • The party also had electoral successes; electing 11 governors and approximately 45 members of the party served in congress between 1891 and 1902.

2. Meaning: Progressivism was a loose grouping of many individuals and organisations, with no easily identifiable leaders or aims. It was not confined to one of the main parties as, at presidential level, Republicans Roosevelt and Taft, and Democrat Wilson, were seen as progressive. One of the first historians of Progressivism thought the movement was concerned with the regulation of big business, political reform and social reform. Why did it emerge?: Economic problems- recession of 1893 meant unemployment remained at 12% in the 90s. This meant a fall in living standards, and many lost savings in addition to agricultural decline Social problems- many lived in poverty with low living conditions in addition to poor working conditions, with no restriction Need for political reform- growing dissatisfaction with the 2 main political parties. Progressives opposed corrupt party machines and business domination Need to regulate big business- in the late 1890s, large business became so powerful that they threatened to establish monopolies, fixing prices- 'Robber Barons'. There was growing demand for government regulation Influence of media- a huge increase in newspaper and magazine circulation played a major role in exposing the evils in American society, influencing public opinion and accelerating reform Fear of revolution- some Americans were concerned about the growth of socialism and radicalism and felt that unless there was reform there could well be a revolution Roosevelt: -Became president in 1901 -determined to make 1890 Sherman Anti-trust Act more effective, took on powerful businessmen such as Rockefeller and Morgan in proceedings against the Northern Securities Company, declared illegal in 1904 -embarked on 44 Anti-trust acts -Roosevelt played a big role in passing 1903 department of commerce and labour act which gave power to collect data from any business ensuring identification of corrupt business -intervened in the 1902 Anthracite Coal Strike, summoning both sides to Washington and threatening to send in troops unless employers agreed to arbitration, a 9 hour and rise in wages were agreed -ordered 150 million acres of forest to be placed on federal reserve and strictly enforced laws concerning grazing, mining and lumbering -yet, unable to persuade congress to pass more in terms of reform Chapter 3 Pt2 –Progressivism Aims: Political- Changes to constitution Greater role for federal government Radical reform of corrupt management of towns + cities Economic- greater role in regulating business, banks, and stock market New legislation ensuring workers rights and consumer protection Introduction of silver coinage Social- female emancipation Improvements to living standards through state funded welfare benefits Abolition of manufacture + sale of alcohol Reforms to help African Americans Opposition to Taft: Concerns regarding Taft's reluctance to carry out further reform headed to Roosevelt in 1910 whilst on safari in Africa. Roosevelt returned as opposition. In 1912 he left to form a new party- the Progressives. The new party split and weakened the Republicans and contributed greatly to their defeat in the 1912 election. Taft: Progressive- -initiated 80 anti trust acts -introduced 8 hour day for government employees -gave power to interstate commission to set railroad rates Not Progressive- -determined to act within the limits of the constitution -increasingly aligned himself with the conservative wing of the Republican Party -Payne-Aldrich Act did little to lower tariffs

3. Chapter 3 Pt 3-Economic and Social Change Industrial Growth: Continued to expand, particularly oil and steel. Trusts and monopolies continued to develop. By 1904, the largest 4% of US companies produced 57% of total industry in the USA. African Americans: Progress- -1895=Booker T Washington delivers his famous Atlanta Compromise on September 18th, saying the Negro problem would be solved by a policy of gradualism and accommodation p -1898= the Spanish American war begins in April in which 16 regiments of black volunteers are recruited. A number of black officers command troops for the first time. -1900=an estimated 30,000 black teachers have been trained since 1865, helping more than 50% of the black achieve literacy by 1900 -1901= on October 16th, Roosevelt holds a meeting at the White House with Booker T Washington and then formally invited him to remain for dinner -1903= W.E.D.DuBois's book is published on April 27th, rejecting the gradualism Booker.T.Washington, calling for agitation on behalf of African American rights -1909= the national association for the advancement of coloured people (NAACP) was set up by DuBois and other leading campaigners Not Progress- -1892=a record 230 people are lynched in this year. Between 1882 and 1951, 4730 people were lynched -1896= Plessey vs Ferguson is decided on May 18th when the US Supreme Court Rules that segregation laws and practices do not conflict with the 13th and 14th amendments -1901= the last African American congressmen elected leaves office. No African American will serve in Congress for the next 28 years -1906=Brownsville Affray, on August 13th in Brownsville, Texas, around a dozen black troops riot against segregation and in the process kill a local citizen. When the identity of the killer cannot be determined, Roosevelt discharged 3 companies of black soldiers in a November -1908= On August 14th, the Springfield Race riot breaks out in Springfield, Illinois, 6 people are killed. 1893 Depression: 4 year Depression in which 15,000 companies and 600 banks closed and the unemployment rate approached to 20%. This alienated people from the economy and political progress. Trade Unions: 1885 American Federation of Labor(AFL) represent unions. In 1886, there were 1400 strikes involving 500,000 members. Pittsburgh Steelworkers Strike of 1892 set back union power. 1894 Pullman Strike killed 4 people ending in failure and showed government to be hostile to unions. . Agricultural Discontent: Farmers in the South and West did not share the prosperity and expansion experienced by industry, objecting to the power of banks and corporations. Immigration: Between 1860 and 1900 at least 14 million immigrants arrived in the USA. Immigrants headed for cities where they provided cheap labour needed for industrial growth or headed to the West to farm in new territories. They were not only workers but consumers too. However, they did live in poverty- estimated by 1900 that over 2/3 of those who had arrived since 1880 lived below the subsidence level. They also suffered from discrimination, with fear that they brought dangerous political ideas. In 1887 the American Protective Association was set up to try to put pressure on the government to limit immigration. The 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act stopped immigration from China, and in 1908 immigration from Japan also ceased.

4. Motives for Imperialism: Accidental Empire-some argue that the USA never actually sought an empire, and for economic reasons, the USA did not need an empire because it was carrying out so much trade with Britain Progressive Imperialism- some suggest it was motivated by a desire to improve the lives on non-Americans, in order to spread American values to less well-developed countries, believing other countries would benefit from the pursuit of Americans to civilise the world Need for Markets- this economic motive with the Depression of 1893 stimulated a desire to see new markets, with the USA facing surpluses in farm produce and needing markets to absorb these End of Westward expansion- westward expansion was a form of Imperialism and the end of this meant America could then turn its attention to foreign adventures Preclusive Imperialism- this refers to the idea that countries take colonies to prevent others from doing so, with the US copying the example of European powers The Spanish-American War, 1898: Cuba was in Americas sphere of interest according to the Monroe Doctrine. It was controlled by Spain but Cuban revolutionaries were demanding independence. A private letter from the Spanish minister in Washington DC was stolen and printed, accusing McKinley of being a 'weak bidder for the administration of the crowd' in his Cuban policy. McKinley and the American public found this very insulting. This was followed by the Maine incident where the American battleship Maine was exploded while on a friendly visit to Pearl Harbour with 266 crew lost. This inflamed public opinion despite being ruled an accident, encouraging Roosevelt to order a blockade of Cuba. Latin America: Puerto Rico- in 1898 American troops invaded and after some fighting, the Spanish surrendered and withdrew. Under the organic act of 1900, Puerto Rico was to be administered by the USA. Venezuela- in 1895, Britain and Venezuela were in dispute over its border with the British colony Guiana. Cleveland demanded the British send the dispute to arbitration, at first rejected but then accepted when the USA threatened to send 54 vessels to the area. Arbitration eventually decided in favour of Venezuela Chapter 3 Pt4 –Foreign and Imperial Policies Pacific: Samoa- the US was aware of increasing German and British interests in the area. During the Civil War in Samoa in 1898, the Americans and British supported the opposing side to that of the Germans. In 1899 the USA established a protectorate in Eastern Samoa while Western Samoa became a German colony. The British relinquished all rights to Samoa Hawaii- in 1898 the USA annexed Hawaii. Since 1875, the USA had imported Hawaiian sugar duty free and Hawaii became increasingly dependent on the US economy. In 1887, the USA established its first major Pacific naval base at pearl harbour in Hawaii. In 1890, the McKinley tariff removed duties on raw sugar so Hawaiian growers lost their trading advantage and began to suffer as a result of competition. In 1891, the king died and the new queen led a rebellion in which American troops went in to help. The Philippines- as Party of the 1898 treaty of Paris the USA was allowed to purchase the Philippine Islands from Spain for $20 million. The USA had to fight a 4 year war of subjugation costing around $600 million and by 1904, 126,000 troops were stationed in the Philippines.

5. Defeating Spain: In April 1898, US forces launched a double attack on Spanish territories. While the navy attacked Spain in the Philippines, and blocked northern and southern approaches to the Cuba, 17,000 American troops under General Shafter landed near Santiago. The combination of forces meant surrender from the Spanish after less than 3 weeks fighting. In the action, 379 US soldiers were killed and over 5000 suffered from Yellow Fever. Reasons for US Involvement: -partly inspired by an aggressive and patriotic press campaign that inflamed public opinion known as 'yellow press' -there were economic motives; partly to protect US business interests in Cuba but also to offer a deliberate distraction from the depression of the 1890s -intervention was inevitable given the misrule of the Spanish, the geographical closeness of Cuba and the Monroe Doctrine; it was necessary to intervene to maintain order -there were real fears in the USA that they would not be able to control an independent Cuba which would threaten US interests on the island Latin America: Cuba- there was a debate over what to do with Cuba; in April 1898, prior to the war, the Teller Agreement stated that the USA would not annex the island, which would be given its independence. However the Platt Amendment was passed in 1901 giving the US control of Cuban foreign, financial and commercial affairs. Cubas final treaty with the US was signed in 1903 which imposed a new political system on the country and made its economy heavily dependent on the USA. Us forces which had occupied the island since 1898 left in 1902, however returned in 1906 and remained until 1909 because of the unrest. Then invaded again in 1912 with marines to help Cuban government put down a revolt of former slaves. Panama Canal- as early as the 1860s, US Secretary of State William Seward had tried to begin negotiations with Colombia which at that time controlled Panama for a canal but was stopped by the senate. In 1881 a French company began to build a canal in panama but ran into financial difficulties. An American company then too, over the rights to the canal. Colombia demanded $15 million from the USA and $10 million from the Panama Canal company. Roosevelt refused to pay. In 1903 the Panamanians staged a national revolt for independence from the rule of Colombia and were supported by the USA. Panama achieved independence and accepted a US offer for $10 million for a strip of land 16km wide through which the Canal could be built, completed in 1914. Within a year, 1000 ships were using it annually. Nicaragua- it was of importance to the US because of its proximity as well as the possible canal site and high level of economic investment. These were threatened by Nicaraguas anti-American president who cancelled economic privileges to the US. Taft sent in the marines to install a pro-American president extending American influence in Nicaragua by providing huge loans and in return the USA controlled the Nicaraguan national bank. Within 3 years, the US sent in 3000 troops when the position of the pro American president, Diaz, was threatened by revolution. The USA now set up a protectorate and occupied the country for a further ten years. Dominican Republic- in 1903 the republic defaulted on the repayment of American loans worth $40 million. Roosevelt took control of the customs revenue of the republic using it to pay off the debt in 1904. The results of the war: The US maintained that it was a purely American victory, and therefore did not include them in the final peace settlement with Spain, the Treaty of Paris, signed in Spain in August 1898, stating that: -Cuban independence was recognised but the USA was allowed possession of Guantanamo Bay -Spain lost the last parts of its American empire by ceding Puerto Rico in the Caribbean to the USA -The USA was able to purchase the Philippines for $20 million -Spain also ceded the Pacific island of Guam to the USA Chapter 3 Pt4 – Foreign and Imperial Policies

6. Chapter 3 Pt4 – Foreign and Imperial Policies The USA and the Far East: China- US had no wish to expand to China. In 1899 the Open door policy was introduced asking states to respect each other's trading rights in China. In 1900 an uprising known as the Boxer Rebellion broke out in China. The USA sent in a small number of troops to assist other countries, while an extension of the open door policy asserted the principle of equal and impartial trade in all parts of China. Japan- relations were tense after substantial Japanese immigration into both Hawaii and the USA and 1900 legislation put a stop to this. The USA felt threatened by the growth of a large Japanese navy. These threats increased when Japan defeated Russia in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05, which Roosevelt helped to negotiate the end of. However the Japanese blamed Roosevelt for the decision not to force Russia to pay a war indemnity. In 1908 the Root Takahira Agreement was for both countries to respect each other's interests in China. The USA agreed to the Japanese right to annex Korea.