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THE WILSON YEARS. The Election of 1912. Republican Party: President Taft Democratic Party: Woodrow Wilson (governor of New Jersey/progressive) Progressive Party (Bull Moose Party): Former President Teddy Roosevelt Socialist Party: Eugene Debs. Picking the Candidates. Wilson: New Freedom.
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THE WILSON YEARS The Election of 1912
Republican Party: President Taft • Democratic Party: Woodrow Wilson (governor of New Jersey/progressive) • Progressive Party (Bull Moose Party): Former President Teddy Roosevelt • Socialist Party: Eugene Debs Picking the Candidates
Wilson: New Freedom Roosevelt: New Nationalism • Criticized Roosevelt’s New Nationalism for supporting regulated monopolies • Said that approach gave the federal gov’t too much power in the economy • Argued for Free Enterprise • Accepted large trusts as a fact of life—sought regulation • Favored legislation to protect women and children and workers • Roosevelt and Taft split the Republican vote—and Wilson wins! Wilson vs. Roosevelt
Reforming Tariffs Reforming the Banks • Personally appeared before Congress to support a tariff reduction bill • Underwood Tariff (1913): reduced the avg. tariff on imported goods to about ½ of what it was in 1890’s • Provided an income tax on the earnings of individuals • Supported the establishment of a federal reserve system • Federal Reserve Act of 1913: Banks had to keep portion of reserves in a regional reserve bank • It created 12 regional banks supervised by Board of Governors. –national supervision of banking system Wilson’s Reforms
Wilson began to agree with Roosevelt on trusts once in office • Progressives in office still demanded reform • Federal Trade Commission (FTC): to monitor American business—monitor “unfair trade practices” • Clayton Antitrust Act: outlawed certain practices that restricted competition • Passing of this Act corrected some of the problems of Sherman Antitrust Antitrust Action
Keating-Owen Child Labor Act: prohibited the employment of children under the age of 14 in factories producing goods for interstate commerce • In 1918: Supreme Court declared it unconstitutional because child labor was not “interstate commerce” and therefore only states could regulate it • Adamson Act: established 8 hour workday for RR workers • Federal Farm Loan Act: helped farmers get low interest loans Regulating Business
Failure to address racial and religious discrimination • However, African Americans were absorbing the reform spirit and launched some campaigns of their own. NAACP was established in 1909 • Race Riots occurred in 1908 • Jewish people also lived in fear of mob violence • ADL-Anti-Defamation League was established The Limits of Progressivism