Review for First Exam PDF

Review for Reference: Review Questions for First First Exam Examination, Stranges Course Packet Exploitation and Unification in the Gilded Age BIG THEMES Movement towards unification and national economy from: National currency...

Review for Reference: Review Questions for First First Exam Examination, Stranges Course Packet Exploitation and Unification in the Gilded Age BIG THEMES Movement towards unification and national economy from: National currency Industrial and technological expansion Destruction of Indian life Agricultural success Tons of exploitation and materialism during Gilded Age Exploitation of American Indians Exploitation of Indians: Materialism (desire for land and minerals) led to destruction of Indian life Great Plains Indians depended on horses, buffalos, and open land—all exploited or destroyed by white settlers Westward expansion resulted in mining corporations, large ranches, and farms Dawes Act of 1887—voluntary removal of Indians from reservation lands, failed because they assumed Indians would want to adopt American lifestyle and ideas Indians Respond: Battle of Little Bighorn, 1876 Sioux under command of Sitting Bull killed General George Custer and defeated US Army Most decisive Indian victory, US wanted to take over Black Hills territory due to gold Short-lived victories: Indians put on reservations Assimilation encouraged after American-Indian wars, Indian situation hasn’t improved much since Exploitation of African Americans Progress after Civil War ended 13th amendment—outlawed slavery 14th amendment—gave African-Americans citizenship 15th amendment-–gave African Americans the right to vote Short-lived progress: Restriction of citizenship—voting restrictions like grandfather clause, literacy test, poll tax Plessy v Ferguson, 1896: separate but equal segregation Plessy, an Afro-Caribbean man, rode a white railcar Supreme Court ruled his 14th amendment rights were not violated as long as ”colored” railcar was equal, even if separate Lynching: Jesse Washington lynched in Waco, Texas after rumored to have raped a white woman. African American leadership Booker T. Washington—Black Americans should help themselves economically, accommodationist ideas (do this and white people will accept you) W.E.B. DuBois–political activity, voting, and stressed education Exploitation of the West Exploitation of the land: Exploiting mineral wealth —gold and silver (California Gold Rush, Comstock Lode in Nevada, Black Hills) 1862 Homestead Act gave heads of families 160 acres of land for 10 dollars Government gave land grants to build railroads heading westward (connect continental United States) Population had expanded westward at such a rate that the frontier was considered closed by 1890--> Frederick Jackson Turner, Frontier Thesis The Technological Transformation of the United States BIG THEMES: Several factors contributed to US’ technological transformation Financial support from abroad Inventors immigrated to US Civil War’s end allowed for country to focus on technological expansion Better transportation Development of the railroad industry Technological advancements improved safety and efficiency of railroads Government provided federal land for construction of rail lines Railroads were important to national economic growth Growth of the steel industry, petroleum industry, communications industry, automobile industry Consequences of technological transformation Acid rain, air pollution, water pollution, global warming Big business Morgan, Carnegie, and Rockefeller Used methods like vertical and horizontal integration Reactions to big business, public and political  Big Business Big business: Railroads, steel, petroleum, aluminum, communications, electricity, agribusiness Laissez-Faire economics was their economic philosophy –government should be hands off Methods like horizontal and vertical integration keep monopolies going Horizontal: one company controlled one or two stages in manufacturing a product John D. Rockefeller and the petroleum industry (Controlled refineries) Vertical: one company controlled all stages of transforming raw materials to finished products Andrew Carnegie and the steel industry (controlled mining, refining, distributing, and marketing) Reactions to Big Business Public feared that they were destroying economic and threatening democracy Political responses social responses: Looking Backward 2000-1887 by Edward Bellamy Social Darwinism applied Darwinian theory of survival of the fittest to human society Industries Industrialization: Industrialization came from Germany By 1900—technological transformation took hold and manufacturing because main source of economic growth of US, became world’s industrial leader Industries: Railroads Railroads improved in nineteenth century (safe and more efficient) Government support of railroads—land grants Railroads were KEY to economic growth after Civil War, helped connect the US Iron , steel, and aluminum Steel process made by Henry Bessemer and William Kelly All about the carbon Aluminum- electricity to separate iron from its ore Petroleum discovered in Pennsylvania Communication industry: Telegraph helped connect the US Bell wanted to help the deaf with his invention of the telephone in 1876 Using sound to make electric energy Electricity: Edison developed direct current electrical system Nikola Tesla and George Westinghouse developed AC electrical system which was more efficient than DC Effects of Industrialization Acid rain Discovered by Robert Angus Smith Caused by combusting coal Releases carbon dioxide into the air, gets trapped in the clouds, and comes back down in precipitation Air pollution Also result of combusting coal Global warming Identified during this period as a result of trapped CO2. Responses to Technological Transformations BIG THEMES: Workers had poor living conditions, low wages from 1870- 1900. Labor organized into unions to challenge big business Mass immigration led to government restriction through immigration laws. Immigrant life was difficult—laborers, assimilating, poor living conditions Cities were transformed by technological advancements. Mass immigration led to political bosses. Reform efforts came about to address issues of the Gilded Age. Responses to Changes brought by Technological Transformations Urbanization: Political responses: Urban political bosses used working class issues to get votes Social responses: Social Gospel-Christians need to respond to social problems Applied Christianity Settlement house movement Jane Addams responds to mass immigration to Chicago with Hull House Responses to Big Business Responding to big business: (non-radical and pragmatic) Knights of Labor- Workers’ union that allowed skilled and unskilled workers to join Wanted to distribute ownership of means of production (socialism) Wanted better working conditions, better pay, peaceful settlement with disputing with big business Blamed for violent strikes like the Haymarket Riot where several policemen and laborers died American Federation of Labor- organization of skilled workers only Pragmatic, better working conditions and higher wages Big business responds: establishes National Civic Federation in 1900 to address growing labor movement, provide safer conditions Effects of Industrialization Responding to pollution: Water pollution—water purification systems Immigration Pre-1890: mostly people from Northern and Western Europe (Old Immigrants) Cheap to immigrate, economic opportunities, push factors from Europe like religious and political problems Mass immigration ended with passage of 1924 quota law (preventing New Immigrants) Rough to be an immigrant—worked the jobs that no one wanted to do low wages, packed into urban slums that had terrible living conditions but developed their own subcommunities as a result Immigrants expected to change nationality, language, and culture (assimilate) Nativist reaction to immigration: anti-immigrant, anti- Catholic Working class: Poor living conditions, overcrowded, disease ridden Skyscrapers come about because elevators and steel framework make it possible Education, Science, and Culture in Late Nineteenth Century BIG THEMES: Primary and secondary education expands. Progressives respond to the way public schooling operates Higher education expands with government support, evolves with European influence. Scientific advancements were more focused on theoretical sciences, government provided support. Realism took over romanticism in art, literature, and architecture. Education, Science, and Culture in Late Nineteenth Century Education: Public education before 1860s was mostly focused in the Northeast, arrived in the South after Reconstruction Students learned moral lessons, learned passively John Dewey wanted to incorporate an unstructured, active learning environment Higher Education Expands and Evolves: Morrill Land Grant Act of 1862 gave agricultural and engineering colleges federal land grants Texas A&M University Universities transformed—less recitation and religious control, graduate schools instated, more specialization (inspired by Germany) Scientific Contributions: Theoretical and applied sciences grew (Albert Michelson discovers speed of light, Wright brothers invent warped wing and take flight, Richards determines atomic weight) Realism: Pragmatism-truth is relative and evolves Literature and art-stay as true to life as possible Ex: Huckleberry Finn , Thomas Eakins Architecture-Louis Sullivan builds using “form follows function” Participation MYOM- Make Your Own Meme regarding any of the topics covered today. You can make a quick sketch or send it to me via email. OR Can you think of any populist politicians in today’s age? What makes them populist in their politics? NAME ON TOP CORNER, FIRST AND LAST NAME  Politics in the Chapter 6 of Course Packet, Chapter 20 of Gilded Age: Carnes and Garraty The Politics of Reform The Politics of Equilibrium, 1865- 1890 Until 1890, politics achieved balance Republicans – Protestants of Anglo-Saxon descent, moralists, evangelical, reformist Democrats - embraced Catholics and Protestants, more ritualistic, favored laissez-faire economics, minimal government involvement, tolerated immigrants Republicans controlled presidency from 1872-1912 (with Grover Cleveland as exception), Democrats controlled House of Representatives on and off Parties were so balanced that elections usually focused on issues of integrity/character Upsetting the political equilibrium: Progressive reformers in urban America (Jane Addams, The Social Gospel movement) – deal with problems of urban life politically Populist revolt in rural America (Mary Lease, Jerry Simpson, Ben Tillman) – people’s party Populism Roots of Populism Typically small farmers, merchants, members of the Knights of Labor Usually from the South or Midwest Evangelical Influenced by labor movement Pushing back against industrial society and development of agribusiness Wanted to return to agrarian society Main issues: shipping rates that railroads charged, land prices fell, crop failures, high mortgage rates, economic pressure Populist Program-The Farmer’s Alliance What they wanted: Graduated income tax to relieve tax burden on farmers and low income groups Currency expansion with silver and gold (silver and gold instead of paper money that was subject to inflation) Agricultural credits Direct election of senators 17th amendment (prior to this, state legislature elected senators) Wanted measures like initiatives, referendums, and recall (some states adopted these) immigration restriction National railroad and telegraph system –get rid of monopolies and protect citizens from big business Viewed as too radical, public didn’t like how they mixed religion and politics, living in the past instead of looking to the future Merged with Democrats in 1896 and disappeared as a third party Economic Crisis and Political Turmoil, 1893-1896 Showdown on silver The depression of 1893—one of the worst recessions , Democratic administration seen as inept to solve the crisis and many join the Populist Party –Democrats adopt their platform The election of 1896– main issue was currency reform Election of 1896 Great Political Reversal of 1896 Democrats abandoned urban base and focused on agrarian reformers/Populists William Jennings Bryan became presidential nominee Republicans gained control of the cities and nominated William McKinley (high tariffs, gold standard, tight spending) McKinley wins 1896 election—shows that it was smart bet to ally with urban and industrial America Close popular election (7 million to 6.5 million votes) William Jennings Bryan, Cross of Gold Speech “If they dare to come out in the open field and defend the gold standard as a good thing, we shall fight them to the uttermost, having behind us the producing masses of the nation and the world. Having behind us the commercial interests and the laboring interests and all the toiling masses, we shall answer their demands for a gold standard by saying to them, you shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns. You shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold.” - Bryan, Cross of Gold Speech given at Democratic National Convention in Chicago, 1896. Why the Election of 1896 Matters Industrial America triumphs over agricultural America Shows the difficulty of being a third party in a two-party system Political parties would have to be broad to be successful Republican party took pragmatic and pluralistic approach—why they won By switching things up and moving outside rigid balance, they broke the politics of equilibrium Populists helped set the goals of the progressive movement of the early 20th century (income tax, electing senators, railroad regulation, referendum and initiative) Democrats now seen as advocating for the working class, republicans seen as advocating for big business Key Takeaways Populists wanted an income tax, restriction to immigration, direct election of senators, and to expand currency. Populist grievances include tight money supply, high railroad shipping rates, high mortgage rates, and crop failure. Populists wanted to introduce silver with gold to cause inflation so farms could make more money on crops. The 1896 election showed that the Democratic and Republican parties were no longer in equilibrium.