Study Session: Old West to Progressives

1. Study Session: Old West to Progressives • OLD WEST • Transcontinental Railroad • First completed in 1869, 5 total, Irish & Chinese workers • Consequences for the Great Plains=key role in the near extinction of the buffalo-huge blow to Native culture • Nomadic way of life threatened • Disease • RR transforms economy of the entire region • Railroad brings settlers, miners, farmers & cattlemen • Range-fed cattle replace the buffalo herds

2. Impact on Native Americans • Century of Dishonor 1881- Helen Hunt Jackson • Dawes Act of 1887 • Goals: Inspired by CoD, attempt to reform govt. Native American policy & assimilate Natives • Consequences=natives lost 50% of 156 million acres, Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 partially reversed individualistic approach to Dawes Act • Ghost Dance= sacred ritual expressing vision that buffalo would return & white civilization would vanish • Resulted in Wounded Knee Massacre in 1890 out of fear that an uprising would occur

3. Fading Frontier • Watershed Report • 1890 census reported that there was no longer a “frontier line” • Basically said frontier was closed • Frederick Jackson Turner writes “Significance of the Frontier in American History” where he argued that cheap, unsettled land had played a key role in making American society more democratic- the American spirit of democracy, nationalism, individualism, but no hereditary landed aristocracy as a result

4. Your view of Frontier v. APUSH writer view • Where you think Custer, buffalo, gun fights and cattle drives when you imagine the Old West, the APUSH writers focus on other things. • APUSH Test Tip= High probability you will have questions on Helen Hunt Jackson’s Century of Dishonor and Frederick Jackson Turner’s Frontier Thesis

5. Industrial America • Consolidation of Big Business • Vertical integration=company controls both production and distribution of its product • Horizontal integration=occurs when one company gains control over other companies that produce the same product • Consequences of consolidation=corporations build large organized factories where machines & unskilled workers perform labor • Corporations accumulate vast sums of investment capital & railroads help develop markets for their goods

6. Labor 1865-1900 • Key trends: • Immigrants, women and children expand labor force • Machines replace skilled artisans • Large corporations dominate American economy • National markets & international markets for goods • Rags to riches- American Dream- Horatio Alger

8. APUSH TEST TIP • Very important to understand similarities and differences between the 3 unions. All dedicated to organizing workers, but varying views on violence, skilled vs. unskilled, etc.

9. Labor strikes • Homestead strike 1892 • Pullman strike 1894 • Pullman Palace Car Company cut wages while maintaining rents and prices in a company town where 12,000 workers lived- strike resulted • Pullman strike halted a substantial portion of American railroad commerce • Cleveland ordered federal troops to Chicago to “protect the mail” but really to crush the strike

10. Immigration • Old Immigrants- prior to 1880 most come from Britain and W. Europe • New Immigrants- in 1880s start coming from S. & E. Europe (Italy, Russia, Poland, A-H) • Settled in large cities but very few in the South • Chinese Exclusion Act 1882 • First law to exclude a group due to ethnicity • Prohibits immigration of Chinese to America • Working-class felt threatened by Chinese workers • Strong support in California Nativism= had opposed Irish & Germans in the past. Oppose new immigrants who are Catholic & Jewish, different languages & cultures, feel they don’t understand political traditions, feel they are threatening jobs

11. Industrial Order- Supporters & Reformers • Social Darwinism- fittest survive in nature & society • Wealthy business & industrial leaders use Social Darwinism to justify their success • Social Darwinists believe industrial & urban problems are part of natural evolutionary process that humans cannot control • Gospel of Wealth= Andrew Carnegie • Expressed the belief that as guardians of society’s wealth rich have a duty to serve society • Carnegie donates more than $350 million to libraries, schools, peace initiatives and the arts Social Gospel was a reform movement based on the belief that Christians have a responsibility to confront social problems- Christian ministers were among the leaders of the Social Gospel movement

12. Populism & Progressives • Angry frustrated farmers a.k.a agrarian discontent • RR high rates exploiting the farmer • Big business high taxes exploiting farmer • Gold standard hurting farmer • Corporations charging way too much for farmer equipment & fertilizer • Populist Party forms to unite farmers & improve famer conditions • Supported- • Silver standard at 16 to 1 to increase money supply • Use Interstate Commerce Act of 1887 to regulate RR & stop discrimination against small customers • Support candidacy of William Jennings Bryan in 1896

13. Reasons Populist Party fails • Western and Southern farmers did not agree on political strategies • Racism prevents poor white and black farmers from working together • Increases in urban population led to higher prices for agricultural products • Discovery of gold in the Yukon eased farmer access to credit • Democratic party was too similar to Populist and took ideas • WJB lost in 1896 & Populists faded off

14. Progressives • Key Points: • Middle class reformers concerned with urban & consumer issues • Govt should tackle social problems • Govt should regulate industry & improve labor conditions • Rejected Social Darwinism, arguing cooperation is best way to improve society

15. Progressives Key Goals • Direct election of senators • Women’s suffrage • Recall & referendum • City- manager type form of govt for greater professionalism • Nonpartisan local govt to weaken political machines • Child labor laws • Antitrust legislation • Pure Food and Drug Act APUSH TEST TIP Remember what Progressives fought for & what they did not fight for. DID NOT fight for civil rights

16. Progressive Amendments • 16th= gave Congress power to lay and collect taxes • 17th=senators to be elected by popular vote • 18th=outlaws sale and manufacture of liquor • 19th=women granted right to vote

17. Muckrakers • Keys: investigative reporters who promoted social and political reform by exposing corruption & urban problems • Criticized political bosses & robber barons • Mass circulation of newspapers & magazines reach the public • Leading muckrakers= • Upton Sinclair: The Jungle- leads to Meat Inspection Act & Pure Food & Drug Act • Jacob Riis: How the Other Half Lives • Ida Tarbell: History of Standard Oil APUSH TEST TIP: Writers feel most know Tarbell and Sinclair but not so much Riis, so a number of questions on Riis

18. Progressive Presidents • Teddy Roosevelt • Conservation of natural resources • Unsanitary conditions in meatpacking industry • Went after monopolies in RR industry • Went after food & drug safety • Square Deal: Three C’s ??? • Bull Moose Party to run again in 1912

19. Progressive President • Woodrow Wilson • All out assault on high taxes, banking trouble & trusts • Federal Reserve Act of 1913 • Created system of district banks coordinated by a central board • Made currency & credit more elastic APUSH TEST TIP: Teddy, Taft and Wilson all supported Progressive reform but the exam does not give them equal treatment. Most attention given to Teddy, omit Taft to a degree and limit questions to Wilson’s Federal Reserve. However…many questions on Wilson’s foreign policy stuff

20. Reformers and Suffragettes 1865-1920 • Jane Addams=Hull House (settlement house) in Chicago • Suffrage- greater sense of equality on frontier so Western states to allow women the vote before 1920- WY first in 1869 • Women’s Christian Temperance Union • Carry Nation best known & outspoken leader • Moral responsibility to improve society by working for prohibition

21. Women & Progressive Reform • Dorothea Dix- worked for better conditions for mentally ill • Ida B. Wells-Barnett- African American civil rights advocate especially opposed to lynching • Women also involved in progressive movements against: • Child labor • Limiting hours for women and children

22. Women at work • Late 19th & early 20th majority of female workers employed outside home were young and single • Domestic servants • Garment workers • Teachers • Cigar makers • Least likely to be doctors or lawyers

23. Black Americans & Progressive Era • W.E.B. DuBois-most influential advocate of full political, economic and social equality for Black Americans- founded NAACP 1909. Advocated development of the talented 10th- more educated & directly involved in change. Goal integration not separation • Booker T. Washington- advocated gradualism and separation- Atlanta Compromise speech • KKK active in progress period & has a resurgence due in part to D.W. Griffith’s film, Birth of a Nation which portrayed KKK activities as heroic