Chapter 19 From Crisis to Empire

Major Changes O End to slavery O Urbanization/Industrialization O Westward Migration O Technology O Transportation

Gilded Age O Book by Mark Twain O O Everything looked like “gold” on the outside, but inside things were not as they seemed O Political corruption, bribery, spoils system O LPxpQnTV8https:// LPxpQnTV8

Politics O Republican presidents O High voter turnout (78%) O Disenfranchisement of blacks/women O Sectional loyalty O North: Republican O South: Democrat O Immigrants: Democrats

Civil War Pensions O Government provided checks to Civil War veterans O Blacks and whites O Pension system died out when vets died O Similar to what today?

Patronage O Spoils system O President made 100,000 appointments

Faction in Republican Party StalwartsHalf breeds Roscoe Conkling Favorite spoils system and political patronage James Blaine Wanted to reform government so qualified people would hold government positions

Hayes O Tried to reform civil service system, little support O Choose not to run for second term

Garfield O Garfield (R: Half-breed) and VP Arthur (Stalwart) O Republicans capture both houses in Congress O Garfield made many appointments of half- breeds championing for reform O Assassinated by Charles Guiteau O “I am a Stalwart and Arthur is president now”

Arthur Kept most of Garfield’s appointments and pushed for reform (surprisingly) Pendleton Act: required some federal jobs to be filled by competitive written exam rather than patronage Gradually extended to more federal jobs

Cleveland O Democrat candidate vs. Blaine (Republican) O Similar candidates O Cleveland seen as a “enemy of corruption” O Close election O Supported reduction of tariffs

Tariff O Tax on imported goods (from another country) O High tariff protects American goods because imported goods are more expensive O Low tariff makes imported goods cheaper

Harrison O Cleveland (D) vs. Harrison (R) O Harrison won electoral vote O Cleveland won popular vote O Push for government to end do something to end monopolies O Sherman anti-trust legislation: making monopolies illegal O Republicans lose control of Congress because of high McKinley protective tariff

Cleveland O Reelected to second term (non-consecutive) on platform of reducing McKinley tariff O Did not reduce tariff as much as he had hoped

Interstate Commerce Act O Banned discrimination in railroad rates O Required railroad rates be published O Declared rates be “reasonable and just” O Interstate Commerce Commission created to enforce O Not enforced well

Grange O Grange=farm organization started in 1860s O Goal to bring farmers together to learn new agriculture techniques O Economic Panic of 1873 causes Granger membership to grow O Farmers helping farmers O Cooperatives: farmers pull in their resources O Had a hard time getting people elected to office

Farmers Alliance O Grange turned into Farmers Alliance O Local alliances of farmers O Women played active role O Mary Lease O Local alliances merged together O Won seats in state and national government O Political Party became known as Populists/People’s Party

Populism O Political movement led by farmers to increase their political power

Populist Platform O Right of workers to unionize O Free coinage of silver O Graduated income tax O Banking reform O Regulation of railroad O Direct election of President, VP, and senators O Pensions for soldiers O Fair voting

Farmers Troubles O Overproduction: new technology made it easier to produce crops O Low prices: too many goods forced demand to drop and farmers to lower their prices O Railroads taking advantage of farmers O Good farming land was becoming scarce

Farmers Demands O Regulate the railroad O Income tax: don’t tax the land, tax income instead O Print more money because farmers needed cash

Gold vs Silver Standard O Gold Bugs: Industrialists and Businessmen O Wanted: gold standard O Why: Stable currency, no inflation O Effects: Deflation would occur, prices would fall, value of money would increase

Gold vs. Silver Standard O Silverites: Farmers O Wanted: bimetalism: gold and silver backed currency O Why: products could be sold for higher prices O Effects: inflation, prices rise, more people have money

Populist Party O What group supported bimetallism? O Why did farmers want currency backed by silver/gold? O Why were industrialists opposed to silver standard?

Legacy of Populism O Interstate Commerce Commission created to regulate railroad O Sherman Anti-Trust Act made forming a monopoly almost impossible O 16 th Amendment: Tax on income O 17 th Amendment: Direct election of US senators (less corruption in politics)

Election of 1892 O James Weaver runs for president under Populist Platform vs. Grover Cleveland (D) O Good showing for a third party O Elected many Populists to state/national government posistions

Panic of 1893 O Most severe economic depression country had ever faced O Reading Railroad in PA declared bankruptcy O Domino effect O Stock market crashed O Banks failed O “Mini Great Depression” O Depression in Europe too

Coxey’s Army O Jacob Coxey, businessman/Populist from Ohio wanted to create a public works program to help unemployed O Congress ignored him O Marched to Washington to demand Congress take action O 500 people O Ignored by Congress

William Jennings Bryan O 1896 Democrat candidate for president O Ran against Republican William McKinley O “Cross of Gold Speech” at Democrat National Convention in 1896

McKinley O 1896 Republican presidential candidate O Opposed to free coinage of silver O Winner of 1896 election, but it was very close O Currency Act (1900): Reaffirmed that the gold standard was here to stay

What happened to Populists? O Realized they could never make it as a third party O Fusion: merged with Democrat party and supported William Jennings Bryan (even though the only part of populist platform he supported was silver standard)

Age of Imperialism O Imperialism: policy of extending a country’s influence and power by creating oversees empires O Late 1800s, US wanted to expand its borders and establish itself as a world power O No more isolationism

Alfred Thayer Mahan O The Influence of Sea Power upon History (1890) O Argued sea power would determine how powerful a country could be O Argued US needed to build up naval forces to compete as world superpower

Hawaii O Located halfway between Asia and US O US had eyes on Pearl Harbor as Navy Base O Many Americans engaged in sugar business in Hawaii since 1790s, gradually taking authority away from locals O American missionaries O 1887: US negotiated treaty with Hawaii for Pearl Harbor

Hawaii O Native Hawaiians did not like how they were treated O 1891, Queen Liliuokalani takes throne O Wanted to get rid of American influence O Starting taxing American sugar companies O Hit American economy hard O US realizes they need to take over Hawaii

Hawaii O 1893: US staged revolution and overthrew Queen Liliuokalani O Americans set up provisional government O Hawaii doesn’t become a US state until 1959

Spain in Cuba O Spain in Cuba O Rumors spread that Cubans were being mistreated by Spain O Role of journalism O William Randolph Hearst and William Pulitzer (Yellow Journalism) O Depicted Spain as brutal enemy

Reasons US Declares War on Spain: #1 Dupuy de Lome letter O Spanish prime minister wrote a letter that was intercepted by US government O Described McKinley as weak leader who would never go to war O Published in magazine as “worst insult in American history”

Reasons US Declares War on Spain: #2 Yellow Journalism O US makes Spain look like enemy O US newspapers print stories about Cubans being mistreated O Urge America to help O Stories are over exaggerated

Reasons US Declares War on Spain # 3 USS Maine explodes in Havana Harbor O American ship is in Havana Harbor, Cuba to “patrol” O Ship explodes, killing 260 Americans O Explosion in blamed on Spain O Caused by mechanical issue

Spanish-American War O American public wants to go to war…McKinley is not as excited O April 1898…Congress declares war on Spain

“Splendid Little War” O Excitement about going to war O Quick war, only lasted a few months (April- August) O Most American casualties due to malaria, not battle

Spanish American War O 3 locations: O Cuba O Philippines O Puerto Rico

Philippines O US Secretary of Navy= Teddy Roosevelt O Saw war as a way to expand US power O Ordered ships to Philippines as soon as Congress declared war O George Dewey led American fleets in Cuba O Teamed up with Emilio Aguinaldo to defeat Spanish O Quick and easy victory for US/Philippines

Cuba O Platt Amendment: US would intervene in Cuba, but after the war Cuba would be left to govern self O Rough Riders: Teddy’s Calvary unit composed of cowboys and ranchers O Teddy eager to fight O Took chances on battle field, very bold tactics O Charging up San Juan Hill O Spain backed down and decided to leave

Puerto Rico O When Spain withdrew from Cuba and Philippines, they also gave up claims to Puerto Rico

Essential Question O What should the US do with the Spanish colonies they had just helped gain their independence? O Are they American colonies now? O Are they independent? O Are they ready to be independent?

“Unfit” for Independence? Cuba Platt Amendment (1901): Cuba was not allowed to make treaties with other coutries with US permission and the US had the right to intervene when they saw fit What does this violate? Philippines Philippine Government Act (1902): US helps Philippines create a Constitution with American governor, and 2 legislative houses (one appointed by US, other appointed by Filipinos ) Puerto Rico Foraker Act (1900): US helps Puerto Rico create a constitution and sets up a government with American governor, and 2 legislative houses (one appointed by US, other appointed by Puerto Rico) Jones Act (1917): Puerto Rico becomes an official territory of US and Puerto Ricans become US citizens

Protectorate O US controls these territories in exchange for promising to provide protection to them

Anti-Imperialist League O Some saw imperialism as immoral O Others feared cheap sources of labor from colonies would replace American workers

Reasons for Imperialism O Economic Motives O Military/Strategic Motives O “White Man’s Burden”: belief that the American white culture is superior and it the duty and responsibility of Americans to spread this culture to less civilized countries

Spheres of Influence in China

Boxer Rebellion O China protests foreign influence O China wants to control trade within China and abolish spheres of influence O O Violent

Open Door Policy O John Hay O US Secretary of State O Opens up trade in China, abolishing spheres of influence so everyone has the ability to trade with China

Panama Canal O US wants to build a canal through Colombia to link the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans O Quicker, cheaper, easier travel O French had tried and failed Because they ran out of money

Panama Canal O US approaches Colombia to gain rights to build canal through Colombia O US would operate canal O Offers Colombia $20 million O Colombia rejects US offer

Panama Canal O US does not give up O US approaches Panamanians (group living in Panama) O Helps Panamanians gain independence from Colombia in exchange for rights to Canal through Panama O Panama becomes own country O US builds canal O Opens in 1914