CHAPTER 29 OBJECTIVE: STUDENTS SHOULD UNDERSTAND THE MAIN POINTS OF WILSON’S PROGRESSIVISM, THE ELECTION OF 1912, AND THE CAUSES OF WORLD WAR I. Wilsonian Progressivism

The Bull Moose Campaign 1912 Wilson was nominated by the Democrats only after Bryan supported him  Strong Progressive platform “New Freedom”  Bryan becomes Secretary of State Wilson’s New Freedom favored small business, free functioning markets unregulated and unmonopolized TR was shot in the chest while in Milwaukee, kept him from campaigning temp. Wilson wins million Wilson only got 41% of the popular vote, Democrats also got a majority in Congress Eugene Debs got 900,000 votes, the progressive clearly won a mandate Taft went on to teach at Yale and later became a Chief Justice

Wilson the Idealist in Politics Thomas Woodrow Wilson was only the 2 nd Democratic president since 1861 A true southerner, sympathized with the southern cause during the Civil War, which helped convince him of some of his policies Believed in masses if they were properly informed Was an incredible orator used presidential pulpit to preach Believed like TR that the president should lead and he often appealed over the heads of congress to the people

Wilson Tackles the Tariff Fought against the “triple wall of privilege”—banks, tariff, and trusts Showed up himself to address congress after he called a special session in 1913 to fix the tariff Underwood Tariff 1913  Reduced import fees Congress also used the 16 th amendment to start an income tax  Revenue from income tax quickly outdistanced tariff duties

Wilson Battles the Bankers Biggest problem was that most of the currency was in large banks in the East and it couldn’t be redistributed to the areas that needed it quickly enough Federal Reserve Act 1913 (Wilson in front of Congress)  Split the country into 12 districts each had its own central bank  Created a board to watch over the districts  Board could also issue paper money, could easily increase the amount of money in circulation

Wilson Tames the Trusts Federal Trade Commission Act of 1914  Empowered a presidential appointed commission to inspect businesses involved in interstate commerce  Supposed to crush monopolies by ending unfair business practices Clayton Antitrust Act 1914  Longer list of illegal activities included price discrimination and interlocking directories  Exempted labor unions and agricultural organizations from prosecution

Wilsonian Progressives at High Tide Federal Farm Loan Act of 1916  Credit to farmers at low interest rates The Warehouse Act 1916  Loans on the security of staple crops Other laws that helped rural America building highways, college programs, etc. La Follette Seamen’s Act 1915  Decent treatment and a living wage on merchant ships  Hurt merchant marine forced rates upward to pay higher wages Workingman’s Compensation Fund 1916  Gave assistance to federal civil-service jobs when disabled Adamson Act 1916  8 hour workday for RR workers on interstate lines Appointed Brandeis the 1 st Jew to the Supreme Court Never helped blacks, stuck in sharecropping

New Directions in Foreign Policy Wilson was the opposite of TR in diplomacy, he chose to back away from imperialism, he even hated Taft’s dollar diplomacy Overturned Panama Canal Toll Act of 1912 which allowed US shipping to pass through without paying tolls (no tolls for US made Britain angry) Jones Act of 1916  Granted the Philippines territorial status and promised independence when they had a stable government Haiti had an uprising against its government  Wilson sent in troops to protect American lives and interests, stayed 19 years  Treaty with Haiti in 1916 gave US control over its finances Also sent troops into the Dominican Republic to stop riots, stayed 8 years 1917 bought the Virgin Islands from Denmark Caribbean was becoming a “Yankee Lake”

Moralistic Diplomacy in Mexico Mexico had been taken advantage of: mines, RR, oil, investors, etc and they finally revolted  1913 Huerta became president after the others were all killed  Helped start Mexican migration to US (1 million between )  Wilson refused to get involved even to protect American interests  Wilson never recognized Huerta’s regime and instead sold arms to Poncho Villa US sailors were arrested in Tampico, Mexico and released, it still upset Wilson enough to send in troops  Navy seized Vera Cruz  The ABC countries (Argentina, Brazil, and Chile) intervened and acted as mediators, Huerta’s regime crumbled  Carranza took over and Wilson recognized his regime Villa killed 16 Americans and crossed into NM and killed 19 more  John J Pershing chased Villa and fought his troops but couldn’t catch him, left Mexico because WWI

Thunder Across the Sea 1914 a Serb killed the heir to the throne of Austria- Hungary in Sarajevo, led to the outbreak of war  Germany was allied with Austria-Hungary  Russia and France backed Serbia Germany attacked France through Belgium, England joined to help Belgium and defend itself Central Powers: Germany, Austria-Hungry, Turkey, Bulgaria Allies: France, Britain, Russia, Japan Americans were happy for the distance the Atlantic granted Both sides wooed America but almost instantly US was anti German

America Earns Blood Money 1914 started with a US recession but war orders from Europe pulled the US out quickly and war born prosperity followed American businessmen loaned 2.3 billion to the allies US traded almost exclusively with Britain because Britain blockaded the rest of Europe (Central Powers) and refused to let in the US merchant ships Germany responded by unrestricted submarine warfare on Britain Put US in a tough position, there was bound to be a mistake, would the US declare war if one of its sips was sunk, Wilson took the chance and kept trading  Germans held to “Strict Accountability” for any attacks on US shipping

Wilson Tango Lusitania sunk on May 7, ,198 were killed and 128 of which were American  Was shipping small arms ammo  Wilson tried to scold Germans and get promises it wouldn’t happen which made Bryan resign—he was afraid it would lead to war  Wilson’s actions made very few happy, Pacifists or Big Stickers Arabic was sunk in August Americans died  Wilson made Germany agree to warn ships before sinking them Sussex sunk in March of 1916—French passenger ship sunk by Germans without warning, Wilson threatened war and Germany backed off Sussex Pledge  Germany wouldn’t sink passenger ships without warning (Germany also attached a string of ifs that the US ignored)

Wilson Wins Reelection Progressives nominated TR but he refused to run, afraid he would split the vote and allow Wilson to win—killed the Progressive Party Republicans nominated Supreme Court Justice Charles Evans Hughes with a platform that included fixing the tariff, trusts, and condemned the way the Demo dealt with Germany and Mexico Wilson ironically used the campaign slogan “He kept us out of war” Wilson barely won the election and 9.1 to 8.5 million votes