President Wilson and Mexico

President Wilson (1913)

• Elected in 1913
• Focused on domestic policy
• Defeated Taft and Theodore Roosevelt
• Background: professor and Governor of New Jersey (2 years)
• A southerner and academician
• Became president because Republican votes were split

Wilson and Mexico (SHI 931-933)

• Attacked dollar diplomacy and wanted to improve relations with Latin America
• Despite good intentions, Wilson and WJB sent military forces to Latin America more often than any other president
• Argued for U.S. intervention to prevent Eastern countries from becoming imperialist
• The Dominican Republic refused to sign a treaty granting the U.S. governance role, so Wilson sent troops, establishing military nations in both the DR and Haiti
• New York Times criticized Wilson's interventions as "ten cent diplomacy"
• Mexico revolted against Porfirio Diaz due to corruption
• Fransisco Madero, the leader of the rebellion, was overthrown by his chief of staff, Victoriano Huerta, who established a dictatorship
• Wilson refused to recognize Huerta's government, calling it "full of butchers," and blocked weapon shipments to the nation
• Fransisco "Pancho" Villa tried to unseat Huerta
• American sailors were arrested for buying supplies but were eventually apologized to
• A U.S. admiral demanded a 21-gun salute to the U.S. flag, and when the salute was refused, Wilson sent troops
• The city was occupied, resulting in American lives lost
• Congress approved, stating “America’s honor was at stake.”
• Holding Veracruz until Huerta was overthrown by Venustiano Carranza
• Pancho Villa raided Texas and New Mexico to provoke U.S. intervention and burned down a town
• Wilson sent a general to chase Villa in northern Mexico, comparing it to "chasing a rat through a cornfield"
• Wilson then faced the bigger problems arising from the Massive War in Europe

Seven Causes of World War I

• Nationalism: The belief that one's own country is superior to others
• Antisemitism
• Militarism: The build-up of weapons and standing armies, unlike armies only active during wartime
  • The American colonies disliked standing armies, like the redcoats in Boston
  • New weapons included better machine guns, poison gas, flamethrowers, tanks, and air support
  • Howitzers, called "big Bertha," were a type of artillery
• Popular Press: Increased readership allowed for the spread of nationalism, antisemitism, and awareness of advancements in warfare
• Imperialism: all major powers were participating in imperialism at this point in time
• Zionism: The belief in the need for a homeland for the Jewish people in Palestine
• Alliances:
  • Triple Alliance: Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy
    • Defensive alliance: If one member was attacked, the others would come to its defense
  • Triple Entente: Britain, Russia, and France
    • Despite secret alliances, the U.S. was not yet involved as it was in America.
  • Franz Josef :Emperor of Austria- Hungary
  • Franz Ferdinand (FF): Heir of Franz Josef
    • Was popular and promised local rule

The Black Hand and the Start of WWI

• Nationalist Serbian group against Franz Ferdinand's plan
• On June 28, 1914, Franz Ferdinand and his wife were killed by Gavrilo Princip, setting in motion the events that started World War I
• On July 28, 1914, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, using the assassination as justification due to them “breaking the treaty”
• By August, the world was at war

American Neutrality

• Initially, the U.S. maintained a policy of neutrality under President Woodrow Wilson
• The American public felt it was "their war not ours" however this was difficult to execute given that many immigrants had family on both sides of the conflict
• Economics, not war, drove the U.S. desire to trade with both sides
• Britain blockaded sea routes to limit U.S. trade with the opposing sides, angering the U.S. due to the "freedom of the seas"
• British declared the North Sea a war zone and mined the waters
• Germany used submarine warfare in response to Britain's blockade
• Germany declared a war zone around the entire British Isles, ordering submarines to stop, search, and sink ships without warning sometimes

1915: Key Events at Sea

• Countries sometimes flew neutral flags to avoid being stopped, but their ships were eventually stopped, nonetheless, angering Americans
• Falaba:
  • A British cargo ship sunk by a German submarine in the Irish Sea
  • Approximately 100 people were killed, including one American, Leon Thrasher
• In May, a U.S. tanker was torpedoed, even though it flew a neutral flag
• Secretary of State William James Bryan thought Americans "shouldn't be over there"

The Sinking of the Lusitania

• The Lusitania was a British ship that was torpedoed by Germany in May 1915 in the Irish Sea, which was considered a war zone
• The attack killed 1,198 people, including 128 Americans
• The U.S. sent three Lusitania notes to Germany, warning against further action involving U.S. ships
• Significant because it gave Americans second thoughts about getting involved in war
• Germany responded by stating they would not sink anymore ships without warning but then went back on their word

Continued Submarine Warfare and Preparedness

• Arabic:
  • A British liner sunk by Germans in August 1916, resulting in the loss of 40 passengers and crew, including two Americans
  • Germany issued the Arabic pledge as another compromise
  • Germany would only attack merchant ships, as they could be carrying guns and warfare materials
• 1915: Preparedness Movement
  • An effort to prepare for war without actually entering it

National Defense Act

• Legislation passed that expanded the army and National Guard and provided federal funding to train civilians, establishing ROTC programs

Sussex Pledge and the Election of 1916

• Sussex:
  • In March 1916, a French passenger ferry was attacked by German, resulting in 80 casualties, including two Americans hurt
  • The Sussex pledge, similar to previous pledges, aimed to avoid U.S. involvement in the war
• Election of 1916:
  • Democrat Wilson vs. Republican Charles E. Hughes
  • Wilson's slogan was "He kept us out of the war"
  • Wilson won the election narrowly, as Americans knew they were nearing wartime

Towards War

• December 1916: Wilson asked both sides to state what they wanted in the war
• January 1917: Wilson made a speech to the Senate, asserting the U.S.'s right to share in laying the foundation for peace
• Wilson wanted "peace without victory" in that no big winners or losers would emerge from the war
• Late January 1917: Germany resumed unrestricted submarine warfare, escalating the situation before the U.S. got involved
• Laconia:
  • In February 1917, a British liner was sunk by at German submarine

The Zimmerman Telegram

• Arthur Zimmerman, the German Foreign Minister, sent a coded letter to the German ambassador in Mexico
• British spies intercepted and published the telegram
• The letter urged Mexico to start conflict on their border so that the United States would be dissuaded from becoming involved in Europe
• If Mexico aided Germany, it would regain Texas, New Mexico, etc.
• The telegram was the final straw for the U.S., leading the country into WWI
• US needed time to train and transport troops
• The Selective Service Act was passed, drafting men aged 21-30, later changed to 18-45
• Significance: Some historians believe the telegram was faked by the British to get the U.S. involved in the war
• The U.S. mobilized its economy from peacetime to wartime, forming the War Industries Board, led by Barnard Baruch, to achieve this goal

Managing the Homefront

• Food Administration:
  • Led by Herbert Hoover, its purpose was to save and ration food
  • Implemented Meatless Mondays, Wheatless Wednesdays, and promoted leftovers and victory gardens
• US Treasury:
  • Sold war bonds to finance the war and encouraged people to buy them
• Committee on Public Information (CPI):
  • Led by George Creel, it convinced people to support the war

American Involvement in WWI

• Late June 1917: The first U.S. troops arrived in France for training
• Over the course of the war, over 2 million Americans fought in Western Europe
• The U.S. had around 100,000 military deaths, relatively low because they were only at war for a year

League to Enforce Peace

• Founded in 1915 as a U.S. group promoting the idea of an international organization
• To prevent future wars
• May 1916: Woodrow Wilson endorsed U.S. participation in a speech to the group
• Wilson reaffirmed his stance in a January 1917 speech to the Senate
• He also addressed Congress in April 1917 relating to this topic
• Inquiry:
  • A "Braintrust" formed in September 1917
  • To advise Woodrow Wilson on a postwar statement

Wilson's Fourteen Points

• A plan presented by Woodrow Wilson in early 1918, written by a group of people who were involved with the economy
• Members:
  • Bernard Baruch
  • Herbert Hoover
  • John Foster Dulles
• The 14th point was a League of Nations
• Wilson showed the points to Congress and believed he would lead the world because the U.S. was a world power

Fall 1918 Midterm Election

• Wilson wanted Democratic control in Congress to approve his ideas, but Republicans were against this
• Both houses went Republican

The Paris Peace Conference

• Wilson announced he would personally attend the Paris Peace Conference, instead of sending the Secretary of State

• He took no senators or prominent Republicans along

• Key Figures:

  • Henry Cabot Lodge: a big senator and chairman of the committee that would have ratified the treaty who Wilson should have taken with him

• Held in January 1919 and closed to reporters

• Over 30 nations had delegates

• Germany was excluded because they lost the war (and Austria wouldn’t have invaded Serbia if Germany didn’t back them, and they have a big army)

• Russia wasn't invited due to the Russian Revolution

1917 Russian Revolution and the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

• Concluded in March 1918 between the new government of Russia and the Central Powers
• Russia left the war because they were having turmoil at home

The Big Four

• Led the conversation at the conference
• Included:
  • France (Georges Clemenceau)
  • Britain (David Lloyd George)
  • Italy (Viitorio Orlands)
  • US (Woodrow Wilson)
• Germany was to bide time until they were called

Treaty of Versailles (Early 1919)

• Contained some points that Germany knew about but not all
• Settlement with Germany involving a German delegation present at Versailles
• Alsace-Lorraine was returned to France
• Saar: a coal-rich area in West Germany, was governed under the League of Nations for 15 years, then a vote
• New countries were created and the map of Europe was redrawn
• Rhineland: the area between France and Germany along the Rhine river, was demilitarized for 15 years
• German territorial losses extended to Poland and Denmark
• The German army was limited to 100,000 troops with no tanks, submarines, or air force
• Germany was required to pay $33 billion in reparations and accept blame for the war (War Guilt Clause)

German Reaction

• The Germans were shocked at how different the treaty was from Wilson's Fourteen Points
• Was not a peace treaty which caused resentment
• French military leader quote: "not a peace treaty, it's a ceasefire for 20 years"

Facing the GOP at Home

• H.C. Lodge was the head of the GOP and not opposed to a world organization but felt that the League of Nations threatened U.S. sovereignty
• The U.S. should be able to say no to getting involved if we don't want to
• Lodge did not like Wilson so make it hard for WW

Two groups:

• Irreconcilables: opposed to the League of Nations in any form
• Progressives from the West: would not vote for the treaty
• Reservationist: would support if some changes made to treaty
• Most Americans favored League of Nations membership WITH Lodge reservations
• Wilson was against the changes

Wilson's Tour and Stroke

• Wilson began a nationwide tour to promote the League of Nations, which was exhausting
• He made so many speeches that he collapsed in Pueblo Colorado
• Back in D.C., his tour was called off
• In October 1919, Wilson had a stroke
  • Constitutional Issue: What happens when the president is there physically but not mentally?
  • Wilson stayed president for a year, not wanting the VP to be in charge because they disagreed on issues
  • "unofficial president" became Mrs. Wilson (Edith Galt), who took over parts of the president's duties
  • People wondered how much power she had
• Lodge pushed for minor reservations to the treaty, but Wilson was against
• The senate failed to ratify the treaty, so the U.S. did not join the League of Nations
• Because the U.S. didn't ratify the treaty, it was technically still at war with Germany, but the League of Nations went on
• Wilson received the 1919 Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts
• The U.S. emerged as a major world power but was not in the League of Nations

Postwar America

• A return to civilian life with GOP controlled national affairs
• Labor problems included a 20 percent workforce on strike in 1919 to receive what was due to them, as they were patriotic during the war
• A September 1919 Boston Police Strike was shut down by Gov. Calvin Coolidge, declaring that no one has the right to strike against public safety
• 1940s law: the law can now be made to mediate
• 1980s air traffic controllers went on strike during Ronald Reagan: led to weakening of organized labor

The Red Scare

• Shows very little communist in US (1 out of 10 of 1 percent) in US 1919/1920 but people thought to be everywhere
• Scared of radicals wanting violent change fast, anarchists undermine constitution, communist
• There were rumors of radical assassinations of public officials and bombing across the nation lead people to believe automatically communists

A Mitchell Palmer and the Palmer Raids

• Attorney General who was very strict on potential communists after his house was bombed
• Ordered agents in the Justice Department to round up hundreds of possible communist suspects
• The Palmer raids involved many deportations
• J. Edgar played a role in 2011?

1920 Election

• Third term for WW was considered as possible in that time period
• The League of Nations and the 14 points were not ratified
• GOP had no clear candidate
• Blackstone Hotel:
  • Secret room used like a speakeasy where in the Summer of 1920 they got together
• They decided to name Harding as the presidential candidate because he didn’t have secrets that others could use against him.
• Senator Warren G. Harding won

Warren G. Harding

• Was 24, Nervous breakdown
• Went to sanitarium (rehab center), for this but never brought it up and ppl wondered if he lied when he said he didn't have secrets
• Wife known as "the duchess” - not happy marriage, he liked to hang out a lot with his friend
• Carrie Phillips - 15 years on and off
• him and the duchess would go on trips with carrie and her husband, apparently they would go off together on these trips
• 1920 RNC - They paid for carrie and husband a trip to Japan - Made sure no problems came up during election
• Nan Britton
• She had a HS crush on Harding in 1910
• Asked Harding for assistance to get job as secretary, and after got pregnant

Scandals During Harding’s Era

• Rumor that Harding family had mixed race blood
• Democrats think this will be a landslide
• James Cox - For VP he chose Franklin Roosevelt
• Harding - Running by saying If you elect me the there will be normalcy
• Harding wins with 61%, some people said women voted for him bc he was attractive

Harding's Qualities

• personable but not very sharp but Surrounded himself with able men so ppl didn't care
• Similar example? - George W Bush
• GW Bush qualities:
  • not very smart, personable
  • Found people who were very sharp so ppl didn't care
• Harding's team:
  • Harry Daugherty
  • Albert fall
  • Charles Evans Hughes
  • Andrew Mellon
• Under Harding: - They formally concluded to WWI because they had to formally end it
• They Technically didn't sign the treaty
• Signed on his golf course - it turns out to be the decleration of end of war
• Arms limitations- 1921/1922 Washington Conference
• Fordney - mcCumber Tarriffs - Raised the Tarriff Charles Forbes
• Was head of Veterans Beaurau
• Stole millions of dollars from veterans bureau
• Harding didn’t know about the corruption

Scandals Continue

• Harry Daugherty
  • prosecutor, bribes caught people breaking - prohibition - Wasn't prosecuting
• Sec. of Interior
• Teapot Dome, Wyoming -Leased oil reserve lands to private oil operators- - his whole job to protect hands but he is letting reserve lands be drilled
• main point: looks bad for haring
• Took a trip in out west in Aug 1923
  • He Brought the Duchess w him
  • • Bad health
• Alaska - Significance*** first time president had been to Alaska since it was a territory
• August 3 spoke
• August 2 in hotel before he was talking to the duchess
  • She is reading a nice report to me and then she left the room -Harding dies, She didn't want autopsy

Harding's Death

• Maybe she knew about carrie Phillips, Nan Britton, and was mad about it
• After death .... Nan Britton returns and wants money Had a affair and wanted money or threatened to release all scandal he recently had DNA testing proved that the daughter was actually his daughter
• Calvin Coolidge -VP under Harding

Calvin Coolidge Takes Office

Belief’s

• limited federal government less pending
  • pushed WGH scandals -Was known for his use of the veto
• Election of 1924 -RNC was first national party convention to be hard on radio -“Keep Cool with Coolidge" -opposed gvm interference with private business -Solid South voted democratic Coolidge Prosperity
• wages up, income up, inflation low, unemployment low, roaring 20s Was 1920- 1921, strong coming from east and north Europe and Issues or Fears
• Was 1921 Immigration Act
  • restrictions on immigrants
• 1927 said he wouldn't run
• Was 1928 Election -Gov Al Smith (ny)- Democrat

Immigration and Nativism

• From 1920-1921 65% of immigrants came from E and S Europe
• 1921 Immigration Act restrictions that Looked at 1910 and 3% of the number here in 1910 census allowed in: They are scared of communism and red scare and they thought those countries would bring it
• 1924 Changed to 1890 2%: nativism very strong in 1920s Veterans Bonus in 1924
• WW1

Nativism to the 1920’s Immigration Policy and Legislation

• the klan rose

• They wanted american born/ native born

• There was opposition to spending for the “vets.” -Coolidges decision to not run opened door for Herbert Hoover, Sec. of Commerce

• Gov Al Smith was a democrat to run

  • “Happy Warrior” -Hoover won

1928 Election

• Al Smith opposed prohibition

• south is upset because they wanted to get rid of alcohol and that went against their religion.

• Had ties to Tammany Hall Hoover - rugged individualism pullyourself up for your own bootstraps “A Chicken in Every Pot and a Car in Every Garage" - slogan he used if they relected them Hoover wanted eradication to poverty Tariffs in 1930 increase for tariffs and industrial tariff to add agriculture/farmer and that tariffs should be high (Hoover) Agricultures

• money to aid farmers

Hawley- Smoot

tar riff increased tariff on farm products and industrial products from foreign places, so economist tell him not to sign the bill, but he did and the reslult was a global tariff wars Speculation

• Stocks and land in Florida people had DI margin

The Great Depression

• 3 signs of the the great depression 1 start 2 the sales sales are going down 3 inventory were not buying the product 1929 prices began to down
• Brokers were optimistic Oct 22 stated banks no problem - but the opppsite

Tuesday

• cause overproduction - underproduction 3. poor funncial decision