The Gilded Age- The Progressive Era

The Gilded Age- The Progressive EraChristopher Dorf, Jay Speights,Greyson Blaies, Farhad MerchantWhat is the Gilded Age?

Gilded AgePolitical corruptionWidening gap between rich and poorGreedBusiness TitansForgettable PresidentsSocial DarwinismForeign conflict

TitansNote: These are not in the notes sheet so we recommend writing them on the white space on front side.Andrew CarnegieOwner of Carnegie SteelRose from poverty to fortuneInspired belief in the American DreamCompany was bought out by J.P. Morgan Devoted to philanthropy, donated $350 million to help poor

John D. RockefellerStarted from humble beginnings and eventually created an oil empire Started his company, Standard Oil in 1870As part of his horizontal integration, by 1877 he controlled 95% of oil refineries in the US.

Vertical vs. Horizontal IntegrationVertical integrationA company seeks to own all aspects of production and manufacturingStarted by Andrew Carnegie in steel productionHorizontal integrationA company buys out or forces out all competition in specific industryUsed by John Rockefeller- Standard oilOther TitansVanderbiltJP Morgan

U.S. PresidentsPresidentsForgettable Presidents (Gilded Age)HayesGarfieldArthurCleveland (Two stints)HarrisonMckinleyProgressive Presidents

T. RooseveltTaftWilson

Rutherford B. Hayes

He was the 19th president of the U.S.He led the country through the end of Reconstruction.The Compromise of 1877 withdrew federal troops from Louisiana and South Carolina which helped formally end reconstruction.The Railroad Strike of 1877 also marked his time in office. Hayes deployed troops to end the strike.Hayes awarded political loyalty in his appointments instead of merit.He spent a good deal of effort fighting for black civil rights, but the House was dominated by Democrats so they blocked many of his efforts.

James A. GarfieldHe was the 20th president of the United States.Many office seekers harassed him following his election which convince him of the importance of civil service reform.Garfield appointed many former slaves into office including Frederick Douglas.He managed to initiate reform of the Post office Department.Unfortunately he was unable to carry out his duties because he was assassinated only after a few months in office.

Chester ArthurHe was the 21st president.During his time in office he advocated for lowering tariff rates to help relieve indebted farmers and middle class consumers.He was a champion of social service reform.Arthur signed into law the Pendleton Act which established a bipartisan Civil Service Commission.

Grover ClevelandHe was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States.He is best known for dealing with the Pullman Strike.Cleveland was not in favor of imperialistic moves.He was also not in favor of overthrowing the Hawaiian monarchy.Cleveland presided over the dedication of the Statue of Liberty.

Benjamin HarrisonHe was the 23th president of the United States of America.The Battle of Wounded Knee occurred during his time in office.The congress as the time was known as the Billion Dollar Congress. This congress helped shape later policies and asserted authority of the federal government.He was much into currency reform.Harrison signed into effect the Sherman Anti-trust Act which attempted to curb monopolies.Similar to the other presidents he failed to extend civil rights to blacks.

William McKinleyHe was the 25th president and the last of the forgettable presidents.McKinley is best known for acquiring Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines.He encouraged domestic industry which led him to pass the Dingley Tariff Act. This was the highest tariff in U.S. history.Trusts rose during his time in office.McKinley was a supporter of the Gold Standard like many other Republicans of the time. He defeated William Jennings Bryan who was a supporter of Free Silver.The Spanish-American War happened while he was in office.He was killed in 1901.

Teddy RooseveltHe was the 26th president of the United States and the first of the progressive era presidents.He became the youngest president in U.S. history.Roosevelt felt that the government should be an arbiter between capital and labor.He was the Trust Buster.Speak softly and carry a big stickUshered the construction of the Panama CanalTeddy used his Roosevelt Corollary to back up his intervention within Latin America.Conservation of resources was key to his ideals.In 1912 he later ran for a third term under the Bull Moose Party.The Square Deal highlights his presidency.

William TaftHe was the 27th president of the United States of America.Taft is the only person to serve as both the Chief Justice and the president.Payne- Aldrich Act It lowered certain tariffs and was the first time a since The Dingley Tariff that a tariff was changed.Dollar Diplomacy was also coined in effort to help Latin America with its financial issues.

Woodrow WilsonHe was the 28th president of the United States of AmericaWilson continued the progressive movement.Under his presidency the Federal Reserve Act, Federal Trade Commission Act, and Clayton Anti-trust Act were created.Child labor was also curbed under his leadership.He led the United States through the Great War.

WarSpanish- American War1898-1901BackgroundCuba was under Spanish control, despite American effortsCuban farmers began to rebel when sugar prices plummetedSpanish forces fought the insurrection back in a bloody war

Causes for US InvolvementYellow JournalismAmericans became aware of the Cuban crisis through sensationalized storiesJoseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst competed with each other to bring the news. You furnish the pictures, I furnish the war! -HearstCauses for US InvolvementUSS Maine Explosion- 1898American ship explodes in a Havana harborKilled 250 servicemenU.S.-a Spanish mine that exploded the shipSpain- it was an accident in the ships boiler room. History proved Spain correct.Americans rallied under the cry Remember the MaineCauses for US InvolvementDupuy de Lome letterSpanish ambassador to the US derided President McKinley in letter to the foreign minister of Spain.Was intercepted and published in New York Journal.Fueled an aggressive, war-like foreign policy.

"McKinley is weak and catering to the rabble and, besides, a low politician who desires to leave a door open to himself and to stand well with the jingos of his party."

US InvolvementMcKinley did not want to go to war, but feared if he went against public outcry for war, William Jennings Bryan would win next election of 1900.Congress declared war under the motive that the Cubans needed to be liberated from Spanish government.Passed the Teller Amendment, which promised Cuban independence if Spanish were successfully driven out.Rough Riders20,000 regular and volunteer troops prepared to invade CubaThe Rough Riders were a mixed group of ex-convicts and cowboys led by Colonel Theodore RooseveltHelped take charge of Sam Juan HillCuba eventually fell and Spain retreatedTreaty of ParisTerms:Spain gave the US Cuba, Guam, and Puerto Rico.McKinley agreed to buy the Philippines for $20 million.US honored the Teller Amendment, after introducing the Platt Amendment, which established a permanent military base at Guantanamo Bay.The PhilippinesAfter the conflict in Cuba the U.S. received ownership of the Philippines.The Spanish, however, didnt give it up easily.Both empires wanted the area for a strategic military position.Assistant Secretary of the Navy Theodore Roosevelt acted against orders and commanded George Dewey to take over the Spanish-controlled Philippines.He quickly defeated the Spanish navy in a surprise attack.Emilo Aguinaldo was a Filipino who led a revolt against the Spanish on land, working with the US.The U.S. took full control of the Philippines.The Philippine-American WarThe U.S. was just given ownership was the Philippines after the U.S. defeated Spain.The war was spurred by our belief that our Little Brown Brothers were inferior to us.The Filipino people did not want our help to help rebuild, they only wanted their independence.The U.S. government denied and the local population revolted against the U.S. forces.The Filipinos later down the line would be granted their independence.

Ideologies Gilded Age IdeologyThe Gilded Age is gilded because its shiny outer appearance is isnt skin deep (look up gilded metal). The american dream shifted towards becoming rich. This age was filled with corruption in both politics and in big business. Social Darwinism was a major beliefs. People applied Charles Darwins natural selection to business; the strong survive and the weak fail. Laborers/Factory workers dispensable because of a huge amount of immigrants and unemployed. This drove wages down to record lows. The supreme court supported big business by going against labor unions. This era was very conservative.Gilded Age Supreme Court DecisionsIn re Debs (Pullman Strike) - his case originated from the 1894 Pullman Strike. Workers at the Pullman Palace Car company went on strike after owner George Pullman cut wages, but kept rent and other cost of living expenses high in his factory town that surrounded the factory. The strike stopped railway traffic through the state of Illinois, crippling interstate trade as well as the governments ability to deliver mail. President Grover Cleveland issued a court injunction to put a stop to the strike. Eugene Debs, the leader of the American Railway Union, refused defied the injunction and refused to bring an end to the strike. President Cleveland had to use the U.S. Army to break the strike. Debs was arrested for refusing the injunction.

In re Debs ContinuedIn the supreme court case, the Supreme Court ruled that the federal government has the power to break a strike when the strike interferes with official government business (i.e. mail delivery) or the ability of other private business to operate effectively. This decision reinforces the governments support for management over the labor movement, further weakening the ability of workers and unions to organize and go on strike.Plessy v. Ferguson - The state of Louisiana passed a law requiring the segregation of all railway cars. Homer Plessy, who was one 1/8 Black, was arrested for sitting in a white only rail car and refusing to move. Plessy brought suit on the grounds that the state law violated his 14th Amendment to equal protection under the law. In this case, the Supreme court ruled that the Louisiana state law did not violate the 14th Amendment. Through this ruling, the Court established the separate but equal doctrine. Segregation was constitutional as long as it affirmed the idea of separate but equal. This decision upheld Jim Crow segregation throughout the South.Gilded Age Supreme Court DecisionsProgressive IdeologyWho were the Progressives? They were reformers; they were middle-class citizens intent on bettering society and saving capitalism in America by curbing the worst abuses of the capitalist system; they were bourgeois whites terrified of a workers' revolution and determined to thwart it by pushing through some nominal reforms; they were businessmen seeking to avoid more stringent reforms by supporting watered-down federal laws; they were women fighting for the right to vote; they were religious women struggling to stamp out alcohol as one of society's greatest vices; they were privileged idealists hoping and trying to uplift the poor.Progressive Ideology Continued14th Amendment: "No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law."The supreme court interpreted Person as not only people, but corporations, too. This helped them rule a bunch of cases in favor of businesses rather than citizens. This greatly contrasted the developing public mindset.Progressive Era Supreme Court DecisionsNorthern Securities Co. v. United States - Two competing railroad companies set up a holding company to buy the controlling interest of the two railroads. The constitutionality of the holding company was questioned when President Theodore Roosevelt pursued his trust busting campaign under the Sherman Anti-Trust Act of 1890.The Supreme Court ruled that a holding company formed solely to eliminate competition between the 2 railroads was in violation of the anti-trust laws because it unreasonably restrained commerce. The federal government now had the authority to regulate any conspiracy which sought to eliminate competition between otherwise competitive railroads. Led to Teddys Trust Busting.

Progressive Era Supreme Court DecisionsLochner v. New York - The Court upheld the Oregon law that barred women from certain factory and laundry work. The Court took into account the physical differences between men and women, based on the brief submitted by Louis D. Brandeis, stating that womens physical structure and the functions it performsjustify special legislation restricting the conditions under which she should be permitted to toil.So-called protective legislation regulated the hours, locations, and type of work that women could do. This protective legislation also prevented women from entering certain occupations, many of the occupations that paid higher salaries.Started out as beneficial to women but later became negative when it was used to discriminate against women in the workplace.

Progressive Era Supreme Court DecisionsHammer v. Dagenhart - Unable to regulate hours and working conditions for child labor within individual states, Congress sought to regulate child labor by banning the product of that labor from interstate commerce.The Keating-Owen Act of 1916 prohibited interstate commerce of any merchandise that had been made by children under the age of fourteen, or merchandise that had been made in factories where children between the ages of 14 and 16 worked for more than eight hours a day, worked overnight, or worked more than six days a week.The Supreme Court ruled that Congress had no authority under the Commerce Clause to restrict manufacturing activities involving children. This was a huge blow for progressivism.

AmendmentsNote that on the next slide the 14th and the 15th amendment were made prior to the Gilded Age but had a major influence on politics during the periodAmendments14th Amendment (1868) - Granted citizenship to anyone born in the United States and guaranteed due process and equal protection of the laws15th Amendment (1870) - Guaranteed the right to vote regardless of race, color, or previous condition of servitudeTeller Amendment (1898) - Stated that the United State would not establish permanent control of CubaPlatt Amendment (1903) - Treaty between America and Cuba that attempted to protect Cubas independence from foreign intervention16th Amendment (1913) - Established a federal income tax, Progressive victory18th Amendment (1919) - Established Prohibition, another Progressive victoryPlatforms1892 ElectionPopulists Party - formed by frustrated farmers in agricultural belts of West and South, reached out to black communityGrover Cleveland (Democrat) - denounced McKinley tariff, demanded rigid enforcement laws on trustsBenjamin Harrison (Republican) - favored extension of foreign commerce; build up the navy; opposed trusts; and supported construction of Nicaragua Canal James B. Weaver (Populists) - demanded graduated income tax; government ownership of railroads, telegraphs and telephones; called for inflation through unlimited and free coinage of silver; direct election of senators; one-term limit for Presidency; shorter workday; limited immigration; adoption of initiative and referendum to allow citizens to shape legislation more directlyPlatforms1896 & 1900 ElectionWilliam McKinley (Republican) - aid business, supported gold standardWilliam Jennings Bryan (Democrat/Populist) - demanded inflation through the unlimited coinage of silver at the ratio of sixteen ounces to one ounce of gold (silver in a dollar would be worth about fifty cents)Platforms1912 ElectionWoodrow Wilson (Democrat) - New Freedom, favored small enterprise, entrepreneurship, and the free functioning of unregulated and non-monopolized markets, Theodore Roosevelt (Bull Moose) - New Nationalism, stronger control of trusts, womens suffrage, and social welfare programsForeign PoliciesImperialismWhy?The U.S. wanted to expand economically and needed worldwide markets to do so.The need for raw materials was increasing.Many people wanted to spread Christianity and American Values.Supporters:White Anglo-SaxonsExpansionistsAlbert BeveridgeMissionariesOpponents:Mark TwainWilliam Jennings BryanAnti-expansionists

Foreign Policy by each Forgettable PresidentHayes:He wanted to continue to expand toward the Pacific OceanSince the Chinese immigrant population was growing he negotiated a trade agreement with China to regulate immigration.Garfield:He had limited foreign policies due to his death.Arthur:Started to create the first crucial steps in building a modern navy- Father of the Steel NavyHe negotiated many treaties with Mexico, Santo Domingo, Spain, Cuba, and Puerto Rico which all lacked Senate support.

ContinuedCleveland:He opposed territorial expansion and entangling alliances.Cleveland withdrew the treaty which gave the U.S. the right to construct a canal in Nicaragua.(Frelinghuysen-Zavala Treaty)Dealt with complex issues of U.S. fishing rights in the North Atlantic off Canada.He threatened Britain with war over the Venezuelan boundary dispute.Brought the Monroe Doctrine back to life.Harrison:Convened the first modern Pan-American Conference in Oct. 1889.Appointed Frederick Douglas as minister to Haiti.Supported expansion of the navyInspired Roosevelts Big Stick policyVigorous trade agenda

Mckinleys Foreign PolicyThe Incident in CubaThe United States wanted to free Cuba from Spain mainly for ECONOMIC purposes. We wanted to protect our investments in Cuba.Decision for War:Loss of MarketsCuban threats to Americans in CubaInability of both Spain and Cuba to resolve the Cuban revolutionthe sinking of the U.S.S. MaineLed McKinley to ask congress to declare war on SpainOn April 21, Congress declared war on Spain with the objective of establishing Cuban Independence with the Teller Amendment.

PhilippinesThe U.S. sent troops here after recognizing both its economic value and its strategic value to Spain. The Paris Peace Treaty gave the U.S. acquisition of the Philippines for $20 million. The Philippine-American War lasted from 1899-1902.Open Door PolicyThe Boxer Rebellion occurred in China which weakened the nation.When the rebellion ended Imperialistic countries exploited China for their own benefit. China is a world economic market.McKinleys Secretary of State, John Hay, created the Open Door Policy so that all nations could use China for its benefit.The U.S. wanted to be involved in China so that they could gain economically.

HawaiiAfter the previous presidents failed to annex Hawaii, McKinley finally annexed Hawaii in 1898 after the government was overthrown. It became a U.S. territory in 1900.

Progressive Foreign PolicyRoosevelt:He intervened in Latin American economic affairs with the Roosevelt corollary.He ushered the construction of the Panama Canal to create a better trade route.Big StickLarge Navy that sailed the worldTaft:Dollar DiplomacyWilson:WW1

PublicationsMajor Pieces of LiteratureThe Jungle by Upton Sinclair- It pointed out the abuses of the meat packing industry and led to the Meat Inspection ActThe Gospel of Wealth by Andrew Carnegie- It states that the rich have an obligation to give back to the poor.Looking Backward by Edward Bellamy- It was a about a man who woke up in 2000 to see that there was no classes. (Social Change)The Gilded Age by Mark Twain-It was about the political corruption and greed of the time.The Significance of the Frontier in American History by Frederick Jackson Turner- The novel states that the frontier was critical in the development of American Democracy.A Century of Dishonor by Helen Hunt Jackson-It exposes the atrocities of our dealings with Native Americans.How the Other Half LivesJacob RiisIt was used to highlight the horrible conditions in the Slums of New York.Influenced Teddy Roosevelt

Technology

First Transcontinental RailroadOpened up the far WestNew York to San Fransisco now took 6 days instead of 6 months.Railroad track mileage tripled between 1860 and 1880.

The TelephoneInvented by Alexander Graham Bell in 1878By 1884, long distance connections were being made from New York City to Boston.

The TypewriterInvented by Christopher Sholes in 1871Opened up job opportunities for women to become typersIncreased literary production