Monday, April 23, 2018


MONTGOMERY BUS BOYCOTT:  Event that resulted from Rosa Parks refusal to give up her seat to a white man on a Montgomery, AL bus on December 1, 1955.  Her arrest led to the Montgomery Improvement Association organizing  a yearlong boycott of the Montgomery bus system using carpools to transport.  The MBB brings the civil rights movement to the attention of the nation and propels Dr. Martin Luther King into national prominence.

BABY BOOMERS:  Those born between 1945 and 1965.  The nation was experiencing economic prosperity following WWII and people were marrying earlier and having more children.

ROCK and ROLL:  a new form of music beginning in the 1950s that combined country with black rhythm and blues. 

BROWN V. BOARD OF EDUCATION:  Supreme Court decision in 1954 that overturned the “separate but equal” doctrine established by Plessy v. Ferguson.  The B. v. B of C. case ruled that “separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.”  This case results in the integration of the public schools.

PLESSY v. FERGUSON:  Supreme Court case of 1896 that ruled that “separate but equal” facilities were constitutional.  Overturned by Brown v. Board of Education.

ROSA PARKS:  Montgomery, AL citizen who sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott by refusing to give up her seat to a white man. 

MARTIN LUTHER KING:  Montgomery pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church who was elected leader of the Montgomery Improvement Association in 1955 and rose to prominence as the leader of the civil rights movement.  Assassinated on April 4, 1968 in Memphis, TN. 

DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER:  Republican Elected President in 1952 and re-elected in 1956;  had been a war hero from WWII as the Supreme Allied Commander.  Responsible for the nation’s interstate highway system ; a reduction of ground forces in the military and greater dependence on increasing the nation’s nuclear arsenal.  His and his Secretary of State, John Foster Dulles’, defense strategy against the Soviet Union becomes known as MAD, mutually assured destruction.  It was based on massive retaliation if the Soviet Union attacked the U.S.  America’s stockpile of nuclear weapons quadrupled during his presidency.  This was known as the “New Look” defense policy.  Domestically, he did not want to expand the federal government’s power; did not strongly support segregation; did support the continuation of New Deal programs.  Little improvement for the poor.  Supported the French in Vietnam and voiced what became known as the “domino theory.”  Once Vietnam was divided, he supported the South Vietnamese government.  The CIA’s involvement increased during his presidency.  Did establish NASA.  U-2 incident in 1960 dashed ended any hope of a nuclear arms agreement that his administration had worked on with Nikita Khrushchev who had become the leader of the Soviet Union in 1953 upon the death of Stalin.

JOHN KENNEDY:  Democrat elected President in 1960 and initiates what he called “a NEW FRONTIER.”  Defeated Richard Nixon by a very narrow margin in the popular vote.   Was the youngest man every elected president and the first Roman Catholic.  “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”  Did not support racial justice until forced to.  Attacked poverty in the U.S. and called for a huge tax cut which congress passed.  Assassinated on November 22, 1963 by Lee Harvey Oswald.  Lyndon Johnson became President.

LYNDON JOHNSON :  Texan who was John Kennedy’s Vice-President.  Became President upon Kennedy’s death.  His program was the “GREAT SOCIETY.”   Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed.   War on poverty.   Economic Opportunity Act passed in 1964 which created the Head Start for preschoolers, Job Corps for unemployed young people, legal services for the poor, Community Action Program;  Medicare and Medicaid established.

RICHARD NIXON:  Republican elected President in 1968.  Promised to get the U.S. out of Vietnam.  In 1972, the first U.S. president to go to China and the two countries established formal diplomatic relations in 1979.  Promoted DÉTENTE, the easing of conflict with the Soviet Union through arms control and trade;  SALT, Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty in 1972 in which the U.S. and Soviet Union agreed to limit antiballistic missiles to two each; signed the Helsinki accords in 1975 which formally recognized the post-WWII boundaries in Europe and the recognition of “the universal significance of human rights and fundamental freedoms.”  WATERGATE was his downfall (June of 1972, five men working for Nixon’s reelection broke into Democratic Party headquarters in Washington D.C. to repair a bugging device planted earlier and were discovered and arrested.  Nixon and his aides attempted to cover this up and in 1974 the House of Representatives began impeachment procedures against Nixon, resulting in his resignation in August, 1974.)  Gerald Ford became President.

NEW FRONTIER:  Name given to John Kennedy’s programs during his presidency.

GREAT SOCIETY: Name given to Lyndon Johnson’s programs during his presidency

CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964:  Made discrimination in employment, education, and public accommodations illegal. 

VOTING RIGHTS ACT OF 1965:  passed in Johnson’s presidency, it banned literacy tests and other practices used to disqualify black voters and authorized federal intervention to ensure access to the voting booth. 

MIRANDA v. ARIZONA:  Supreme Court case and decision of 1966 that required police officers to inform suspects of their rights upon arrest.

GIDEON v. WAINWRIGHT:  Supreme Court case and decision of 1963 that ruled that when an accused could not afford to hire a lawyer, the state had to provide one.

ROE v. WADE:  1973 Supreme Court decision that the Constitution protects the right to abortion, preventing states from prohibiting abortions in the early stage of pregnancy.  In 1977, congress restricted the right to abortion by prohibiting coverage under all government-financed health programs, and the Supreme Court allowed states to impose additional obstacles. 

EDUCATIONAL AMENDMENTS ACT OF 1972:  banned sex discrimination in all aspects of education, such as admissions, athletics, and hiring.

SNCC:  Created during the civil rights movement in 1960; Student nonviolent Coordinating Committee;  grew out the sit-ins that resulted from four African American college students requesting service at the white-only Woolworth’s lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina. 

CORE:  Congress of Racial Equality;  helped to organize freedom rides.

NAACP:  National Association for the Advancement of Colored People

FREEDOM RIDERS:  groups of, usually young, blacks and whites who would come to the South for the purpose of implementing Court orders for integrated transportation.

MARCH ON WASHINGTON:  1963 demonstration of 250,000 blacks and whites in Washington D.C. calling for equality in jobs and freedom.  Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream” speech was the highlight of the demonstration

SELMA MARCH:  1965 march from Selma to Montgomery.  Came after “Bloody Sunday” in which Alabama troopers used violent force to turn back  this voting rights march at the Edmund Pettis Bridge in Selma, Alabama.

CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1968:  banned racial discrimination in housing and jury selection and authorized federal intervention when states failed to protect civil rights workers from violence

MALCOLM X:  Called for black pride and autonomy, separation from the  “corrupt [white] society, and self-defense against white violence; his ideas resulted in the term, “black power” which became the rallying cry in SNCC and CORE and the Black Panther party for Self-Defense.  Led to strong white backlash.

HENRY KISSINGER:  National Security Adviser and Secretary of State under Richard Nixon;  brokered the Paris Peace Accords.

PARIS PEACE ACCORDS:  Ended U.S. combat involvement in Vietnam in 1973.

GENEVA ACCORDS:  Results in division of Vietnam in 1954, resulting in the U.S. supporting South Vietnam and our subsequent military involvement.

 Jimmy Carter elected in 1976; Ronald Reagan elected in 1980 and 1984; George H.W. Bush elected in 1988; Bill Clinton elected in 1992 and 1996; George W. Bush elected in 2000 and 2004;  Barack Obama elected in 2008 and 2012;  Donald Trump elected in 2016.

 Berlin Wall came down in 1989;  Soviet Union disintegrated in 1991.

Monday, February 22, 2016

PROGRESSIVE MOVEMENT (PROGRESSIVISM)

A reform movement born in the last decade of the 1800 and will affect almost every area of American life.  Born out of the discontent due to industrialization and its effects.

A.  Quote:  "Believed in direct control of the government by the people."  Believed more
                   democracy was necessary for this to happen.

B. Some accomplishments of the Progressives:

     IN GOVERNMENT AND DIRECT DEMOCRACY:  Australian (secret) Ballot, Direct Primary,
     Initiative, Referendum, Recall, Popular Election of U.S. Senators, Woman Suffrage, Sixteenth
     Amendment (1913)

     IN GOVERNMENT AND BUSINESS:  Hepburn Act-1906, Mann-Elkins Act-1910, Meat
     Inspection Act-1906, Pure Food and Drug Act, Federal Reserve Act, Clayton Act, Keating-Owen
     Law, Prohibition

C.  WHO WERE THE PROGRESSIVES?
      1. Urban movement
      2. Wanted social and political reform in the nation's cities

D. AREAS OF REFORM:  working conditions, discrimination, direct government, better living      
     conditions, weaken power of special interest groups, end to corruption in government, better
     housing, equal rights for women

E.  TYPICAL PROGRESSIVES:  Middle class, White, Protestant, Near middle age, democrats and 
      republicans

F.  MUCKRAKERS:   group of journalists and novelists who aided the progressive movement by
     exposing corruption in politics and in the business world and who helped to energize public
     demands for reform. 

G.  SOME MAGAZINES, NEWSPAPERS, ARTICLES,  AND INDIVIDUALS WHO WOULD
      HAVE BEEN CONSIDERED AS  
      MUCKRAKERS
      1. "McClure's Magazine", "Cosmopolitan", "New York World"
      2. Lincoln Steffens:  The Shame of the Cities--dealt with corruption in city governments
      3. Ida Tarbell:  "History of the Standard Oil Company"
      The next 3 deal with social injustices:
      4. John Spargo:  The Bitter Cry of the Children--dealt with abuses in child labor
      5. Bessie and Marie Van Vorst:  The Woman Who Toils--life of poor working women
      6. Ray Stannard Baker:  Following the Color Line--attacked lynching and mob violence
          against blacks in the North and South
      7. Upton Sinclair:  The Jungle--deals with the plight of the immigrant worker in the meat-packing
          industry.
      8. Frank Norris:  The Octopus--railroad abuses
      9. Jack London:  The Iron Heel, The War of the Classes--abuses of industrial capitalism
     10.Theodore Dreiser:  The Financier

H.  NEW TYPES OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT RESULTING FROM THE PROGESSIVE MOVEMENT
  • Commission System:  elected officials, each in charge of a single department of city government
  • City-manager system:  a city hires a professional administrator to head its government
I.  STATE GOVERNMENT REFORMS
  • Initiative:  voters in a state can initiate or propose bills that the state legislature will have to consider
  • Referendum:  required state legislatures to refer certain bills to the voters for approval when a certain number of people signed a petition in favor or a specific pied of legislation.
  • Recall;  the people could remove public officials who abused the public trust.  After a petition was signed by a percentage of the voters then an election was held.
I.  VOTING REFORMS RESULTING FROM PROGRESSIVE MOVEMENT
  • Direct Primary Elections: elections held prior to a general election in which voters from each party choose the people who will run as their party's candidates in the general election
  • Direct Election of Senators:  the people themselves elect their senators  rather than the state legislatures electing the U.S. senators. (17th Amendment)
  • Secret Ballot:  voting secretly
J.   ROBERT LaFOLLETTE:  Strong progressive governor of Wisconsin;  responsible for many 
      reforms known as the WISCONSIN IDEA.  He led the progressive movement at the STATE LEVEL.
  • Wisconsin known as the "laboratory of reform."
  • OTHER reform governors and reform efforts
    • Hiram Johnson, governor or California; took on the Southern Pacific Railroad and its influence in California politics.
    • Charles Evans Hughes:  reform governor of New York.
    • In other states, secured the enactment of safety and sanitation codes for industry and stopped youth from working in certain jobs;  responsible for laws that set maximum hours and minimum wages.

K.  WOMEN'S MOVEMENT results in the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote in state and national elections;  ratified in 1920. 
  • Carrie Chapman Catt founded the National American Woman Suffrage Association in 1900.
  • By 1910,  nine states in the West had granted women the right to vote in state elections.
  • The Progressive Party, founded in 1912, made women's suffrage a part of its platform.
  • Emma Goldman:  Russian Jewish immigrant; worked for sexual liberation for women;  deported in 1919.
  • Margaret Sanger:  advocated birth control
  • Charlotte Gilman:  fought for a woman's right to work outside the home.

L.  NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF COLORED PEOPLE (NAACP):  created in 1909
  • When progressives spoke of equality, it was not speaking of equality for African-Americans. 
  • Some progressive did work for and end to discrimination as some white progressives did join the NIAGARA MOVEMENT in 1910 and helped to form the NAACP.  Its purpose was to end SEGREGATION, GUARANTEEING EQUAL EDUCATION, AND GIVING THE RIGHT TO VOTE TO ALL AFRICAN-AMERCANS. 
  • Many African Americans moved to the north to escape southern discrimination during this period.
  • BOOKER T. WASHINGTON and W.E.B. DuBOIS were the leading voices to end discrimination.  The two men did not agree on the approach that should be taken to achieve equality.
  • Washington's approach was known as the ATLANTA COMPROMISE.  He emphasized that African Americans should  focus on developing vocational skill rather than push for political power and social equality.  He believed these areas would be achieved once African Americans became strong economically.  DuBois disagreed with this approach.

M. RADICAL GROUPS OF THE PERIOD
  • SOCIALIST PARTY:  Socialists did not like capitalism and wanted public ownership of industry.  Divisions within the socialist movement prevented them from becoming powerful.
  • IWW (International Workers of the World) also called "Wobblies.": 
    • Most radical of the radical groups
    • Founded in Chicago when radical unionists and political leaders joined forces
    • Led by William Haygood, also known as "Big Bill" Haygood. 
    • Wanted a utopian state
    • Advocated class warfare, revolution, worker control of industry
    • Membership at its height was 100,000
    • Had little influence

Friday, January 22, 2016

WESTWARD MOVEMENT AND SETTLEMENT OF THE FAR WEST, 1862-1900


WESTWARD MOVEMENT AND SETTLEMENT OF THE FAR WEST, 1862-1900

The area we are studying about here consisted of THE GREAT PLAINS, THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS, AND THE GREAT BASIN.  Hardly any white people lived in this area by the end of the Civil War with the EXCEPTION of the MORMONS in Utah.  Was described as “1000 miles on all four sides; mountains, plateaus, deserts, plains inhabited by the Indian, buffalo, wild horses, prairie dogs, and coyote.”  This was the area into which those rugged mountain men went as the first non-Indian Americans.

·         Very colorful period of American history

·         Homestead Act, 1862

o   Federal government passed  this to entice Americans to move west

o   Citizen or immigrant who applied for citizenship could claim 160 acres by paying $10.00.  Had to live on the land or cultivate it for 5 years and the land would be theirs

o   Could buy it and own it after 6 months by paying $1.25/acre

 

·         Congress  organized the area into territories for states to be eventually established

·         Settlement became more rapid with the completion of the first transcontinental railroad in 1869 after Congress passed the Pacific Railway Act in 1862. 

·         Prior to the railroad, steamships had taken passengers from the east coast to the west coast and took a minimum of 30 days.  Also took mail; faster service needed.

·         1857, gov’t. awarded contract to John Butterfield to take mail from St. Louis to San Francisco; would be by stagecoach.  Wells Fargo bought this out in 1866 and continued it until railroad completed in 1869.

·         PONY EXPRESS:  started by Russell Majors, and Waddell in 1860, purpose being to cut mail delivery time.  Route:  St. Joseph, Missouri to San Francisco; 190 stations approx. 10 miles apart.  Took 10 days to deliver the mail.  Lasted 19 months due to the telegraph being introduced to the west.

·         INDIANS AND INDIAN WAR

o   Estimated that approximately 240,000 Indians in the West by 1860

o   Some tribes resisted very little except for the PLAINS TRIBES.  They resisted:  Sioux, Blackfoot, Cheyenne, Arapaho, Comanche, Apache, Nez Perce

o   Plains Indians were the lifeblood of the Plains Indian:  15,000,000 on the plains in 1860, approximately 1000 by 1880s.

o   1850s, federal gov’t. tried to get the Indians to stay north and south of where white settlement would be and made guarantees to the Indians of land, food, clothing, etc.  This did not happen as there were corrupt Indian agents. 

o   1860-1890 saw almost constant warfare between Whites and Indians

o   Federal government used army (cavalry) to protect settlers.  This included Black cavalry units such as the Tenth Cavalry.  About 1/5 of all soldiers there were black.

o   1851:  Treaty of Fort Laramie with Northern Plains tribes in which these tribes agreed to stay in a defined area and promised not to attack wagons that remained in the specified routes.  Gov’t would give $50,000 per year for 50 years.  Similar treaty negotiated with the Southern Plains tribes.  Will not be successful as settlers and miners crossed lines. 

o   Major Indian Confrontations with Whites

§  1862, Sioux of Minnesota went on warpath, murdering a number of settlers;  was crushed by federal troops and over 300 Sioux hanged after a short trial.

§  Sand Creek Massacre, 1864:  After attacks by the Cheyenne and Arapaho along the trails used by settlers going west along the South Platte River, The Cheyenne and Apache were to meet with the territorial governor at Sand Creek in southeastern Colorado.  CHIEF BLACK KETTLE took his tribe to the meeting.  On the morning of November 29, 1864, Colonel J.M. Chivington, out of revenge, ordered his Colorado militia to “Kill and scalp al, big and little.”  98 women, children, and older men murdered by Chivington’s men.  War resulted and led to the Fetterman Massacre.

§  Fetterman Massacre:  1866, Captain William J. Fetterman and 79 men killed by the Sioux.

§  1868, Battle of Washita:  George Armstrong Custer and his men killed Chief Black Kettle and over 100 Cheyenne.

§  1874-75:   Red River War with the southern Plains Indians

§  1876, Battle of Little Big Horn on June 25, 1876:  Gold had been discovered in the Black Hills of South Dakota on land that had been reserved for the Dakota Sioux.  Gold hunters ignored the Indian rights and crossed into land sacred to the Sioux.  Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull led the Sioux and other tribes to resist.  George Armstrong Custer, the “White chief with the yellow hair,”  and 700 troops killed by approximately 2500 warriors.  THIS BATTLE IS THE BEGINNING OF THE END FOR THE INDIANS.  This resulted in the army committing to end the Indian problem. 

§  1877, Nez Perce uprising.  The Nez Perce were under the leadership of CHIEF JOSEPH.  Tried to escape to Canada but caught and surrendered.  Chief Joseph is quoted as saying, “I am tired of fighting.  My heart is sick and sad.  From where the sun now stands I will fight no more forever.”

§  Apaches and GERONIMO continued to fight in southwest and will surrenderin 1886.

§  Battle of Wounded Knee, December 29, 1890:  This is where the end of the Indian problem occurs.  (GOOGLE THIS.)

·         CATTLE KINGDOM

o   Cattle roamed on the open range.  After the Civil War, ranchers began driving their cattle to the railheads. 

o   4 Cattle Trails

§  Goodnight-Loving Trail:  Fort Concho,Texas to Pueblo, Colorado to Denver to Cheyenne, Wyoming

§  Western Trail:  Bandera, Texas to Dodge City, Kansas to Ogallala, Nebraska

§  Chisholm Trai:  San Antonio, Texas to Wichita, Kansas to Abilene, Kansas

Shawnee Trail:  San Antonio, Texas to Austin to Ft. Worth, to Kansas City, Missouri (also split and went to Abilene)

o   Winter of 1886-87 was devastating to the open-range cattle industry.  That plus farmers, sheepherders, overexpansion, and overgrazing and barbed wire ended the open-range cattle industry.

o   JOSEPH GLIDDEN had invented barbed wire.

·         Helen Hunt Jackson, 1881, published CENTURY OF DISHONOR .  It exposed how badly the Indian had been treated by the federal government.  This resulted in strong calls for reform regarding the Indians.

·         DAWES SEVERALTY ACT or DAWES ACT:  1887, Congress passed this and it was to give 160 acres of farmland or 320 acres of grazing land to the head of each Indian family.  This was an effort to change the Indian’s concept of the tribe and tribal ownership of land and their culture.  Remained in effect until 1934 when the Indian Reorganization Act was passed.  (Google it)

MINING FRONTIER

·         1848: First major gold discovery….was at Sutter’s Mill on the American River near Sacramento, California and was discovered by James Marshall who was building a mill for John Sutter.  Tried to keep the discovery secret but obviously failed to do so

o   Europeans, Asians came, Canadians, whites from across the country, blacks from Massachusetts,, Indiana, Alabama

o   Those who came were known as “Forty-niners.”  +

o    

·         1858:  Gold discovered at Pike’s Peak area which would be part of Colorado territory…..Not as successful as the California discovery, but some fortunes were made

·         1860:  Comstock Lode discovery in Nevada….one of the richest veins of gold in the world…..yielded 306,000,000 dollars in bullion ,gold and silver+

·         Black Hills discovery which resulted in Custer’s Last Stand

·         Other discoveries in Idaho, Montana, Washington Terrritory, Wyoming, New Mexico Territory.

·         Other metals will also be mined such as copper, tungsten, coal, and petroleum deposits.

·         Mining camps that developed around these discoveries would grow into towns (Boom Towns) and cities.  Saloons seemed to be the main business….The Boom Towns would be referred to as “Helldorados.”  Term taken from the term,  “Eldorado,” a legendary city of gold. 

The U.S. Census Bureau declared in 1890 that there was no longer a frontier in the United States.

Frederick Jackson Turner wrote a paper entitled, “The Significance of the Frontier in American History.”  In it, he argued that the frontier shaped the American character which in turn helped explain the development of America.  This was due to the individualism needed by those who went west;  he also maintained that the frontier allowed the development of democracy.  Others will disagree with his thesis. 

Monday, October 26, 2015

SIGNIFICANT EVENTS OF JEFFERSON'S AND MADISON'S PRESIDENCIES.

SIGNIFICANT EVENTS OF JEFFERSON'S PRESIDENCY

I.  The Way He Was Elected in 1800
II.  Midnight Judges Issue
III.  Tripolitan War
IV.  Louisiana Purchase, 1803
V.   Lewis and Clark Expedition, 1804-1805
VI.  Hamilton and Burr Duel, July 1, 1804
VII. War Between Britain and France
        A. Went to war in 1803
        B. Both warned U.S. not to ship arms to the other and both will attempt to stop the U.S. and
            other countries from trading with the other. THE U.S. SEES THIS AS A VIOLATION OF
            OUR NEUTRAL RIGHTS.  The U.S. should be free to trade with whomever they want. 
        C. In 1806, Britain started stopping U.S. ships to inspect for arms and deserters
        D. Found some deserters but also took some American sailors
        E. Impressed these sailors into the British navy (Impressment)
        F. Jefferson convinced Congress to pass laws to stop the U.S. from importing certain British-   
            made goods.
        G. Tensions increased after the Chesapeake-Leopard incident, June, 1807.
             a. HMS Leopard stopped the USS Chesapeake at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay which is
                 in U.S. waters.
             b. Demanded to search the Chesapeake for deserters and the captain refused.
             c. Leopard opened fire, killing 3 and wounded 18
             d. Captain of Chesapeake surrendered and British boarded the ship
             e. Americans demand war against Britain
             f. President Jefferson, to avoid war because the Navy and Army were weak, proposed a  
                policy of "peaceful coercion" and demanded that the British stop impressment.  Britain
                would not.
             g. Jefferson's response was the EMBARGO ACT of 1807.

VIII. EMBARGO ACT
         A.Is "OGRABME" spelled backwards.  A newspaper cartoon called the embargo the
             OGRABME and portrayed it as a snapping turtle.
         B. The Embargo Act prohibited ALL international trade America.
         C. Was a disaster for the U.S. economy
         D.  Splits Republican Party;  revived the Federalist Party
         E. Congress repealed it on March 1, 1809 and passed the Non-intercourse Act allowing
              American merchants to trade with anyone except Britain and France.  The U.S. announced
               that if either Britain or France would stop violating America's neutral rights, the U.S.    
               would begin trade with that country.
         F.  WAS JEFFERSON'S WORST MISTAKE AS PRESIDENT

IX.  ELECTION OF 1808
       A. James Madison, Republican, elected over the Federalist, Charles Pinckney by a narrow
            margin of 47 electoral votes.


SIGNIFICANT EVENTS OF JAMES MADISON'S PRESIDENCY

I.  INDIAN TROUBLES IN THE WEST
As Americans moved westward, Indian lands continued to be taken.  In the Northwest, TECUMSEH, a Shawnee Indian chief attempted to organize the southern and northern tribes to stop further takeover of their lands.  In 1811, WILIAM HENRY HARRISON, governor of the Indiana Territory, attacked the Indians at TIPPECANOE RIVER and defeated Tecumseh and stopped Tecumseh's efforts.  This made Harrison a hero.

II.  WAR HAWKS
In the Congressional elections of 1810, some young Republicans were elected from the South, primarily because they supported war with Britain and Spain.  They will become known as WAR HAWKS because of this, and two that are most notable are HENRY CLAY of Kentucky and JOHN C. CALHOUN of South Carolina.  They want the U.S. to take Canada and Spanish Florida.  Farmers supported this.

III. ELECTION OF 1812
Madison re-elected over the Federalist candidate, DeWitt Clinton.  Some Republicans helped the Federalists in the North and almost defeated Madison.  Madison carried the South and West.  This shows that the Republican Party was divided, most of this over whether to go to war with Britain or not.

IV.  WAR OF 1812
Madison did not want war.  The War Hawks were calling for war because of impressment and Britain's violation of freedom of the seas.  Also, the farmers in the South and West were calling for war, blaming Britain's policies at sea for hurting them and contributing to a recession in 1806.  Some Republicans opposed the war, and the Federalists did not want war with Britain because it would hurt the New England shippers.  The Federalists were the strongest in New England.    The British did renounce some of their policies (the Orders in Council) but did so too late and notification of this did not reach the U.S. before Congress declared war.  On June 19, 1812, the U.S. declared war against Britain.  The country was divided, even among the Republicans.  Neither was the country prepared militarily.  The army and navy were weak, and the country was not prepared financially since it had not central banking system as the Bank of the United States charter had expired in 1811.
KEY CAMPAIGNS:
Oliver Hazard Perry captured a British fleet on Lake Erie in 1813 and won control of Lake Erie.  "We have met the enemy and they are ours," he reported.
1813:  William Henry Harrison defeated the British and their Indian allies at the Battle of the Thames; Tecumseh was killed.
Also, the U.S. took Mobile.
1814:  Andrew Jackson defeated the Creek and Cherokee Indians at HORSESHOE BEND.
1814:  British invaded WASHINGTON D.C. and BURNED IT.
           British attack BALTIMORE to try and take FORT MCHENRY, but it would not surrender.
           FRANCIS SCOTT KEY, being held on a British ship during the above attack, wrote the
           words that become "THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER," as he saw the flag still flying after
           the British had bombarded the fort.
1815:  January 18th, British attack NEW ORLEANS where ANDREW JACKSON was in command. 
            Jackson had 7,000 men, a mixture of many different types.
            British suffer their most devastating defeat of the war in just half an hour of fighting.
            Jackson was hailed as a hero.  This slaughter was unnecessary as two weeks earlier, the British had signed a peace treaty, the TREATY OF GHENT.    All territory lost or gained was returned to both sides and neither impressment nor neutral rights was dealt with. 

RESULTS OF THE WAR:  U.S. gained respect among other nations; a new sense of NATIONALISM and PATRIOTISM was born; American manufacturing was stimulated; Indian resistance in the Northwest and Southwest was broken; Further weakening of the Federalist Party, strengthening of the Republican Party; the Hartford Convention (google this). 


Monday, September 14, 2015

COLONIAL PERIOD

A FEW KEY POINTS ABOUT THE 13 COLONIES

JAMESTOWN (VIRGINIA)
  • England's first permanent colony in America, founded in 1607 by the Virginia Company.
  • Is the beginning of the colony of Virginia by 104 settlers
  • The charter granted by King James I of England guaranteed to these English settlers the same rights of Englishmen back in England and is important:  it was a foundation for our American rights and freedoms.
  • Colony saved by Captain John Smith after most of colony had died by 1609
  • John Rolfe introduce TOBACCO and colony's economics improved
  • 1609-1614:  colony's first Indian war
  • 1622-1632:  major Indian war. 
  • 1619:  HOUSE OF BURGESSES established giving the colonists the right to elect their own assembly and make laws for their colony.
  • HEADRIGHT SYSTEM initiated; a colonist would be given 50 acres for every person that they paid for to come to Virginia
  • Anglican church became well established in all the Virginia counties
  • First slaves brought to Virginia in 1619 by the Dutch
  • Virginia became controlled by a landowning, aristocratic class; leads to problems and BACON'S REBELLION IN 1676; Led by Nathaniel Bacon against the colonial leaders and Governor William Berkeley; was caused by the unhappy backwoodsmen who felt the leadership was providing protection against the Indians; will end in 1676 when Bacon dies and his rebellion falls apart.  Berkeley will execute some and took the property of others who had rebelled. 
PLYMOUTH
  • Founded in 1620 by 35 SEPARATISTS AND 66 non-Separatists.  You know them as the Pilgrims.
  • They did not land where their charter was for so 41 of the 44 males signed the MAYFLOWER COMPACT on 11/11/1620.  In it, they agreed to bind themselves in a political body that could pass laws.  Important as it contained the principle of democracy that the government should be controlled by the people.
MASSACHUSETTS BAY
  • Founded in 1629 by PURITANS
  • The Puritan church was most important in the early life of the colony.  They did not believe in SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE. 
  • Organization characterized the colony: Example:  laws were passed outlining how towns were to be laid out:  6 miles square and a village was laid out in each town
  • Residents of the towns met often to discuss issues of importance in what will be know as TOWN MEETINGS.....very democratic
  • Only freemen had the right to vote in elections affecting the entire colony.
  • The governor and his helpers made up the General Court which passed laws and enforced them.
  • John Winthrop became their first governor.
  • Dissent will arise later among some who did not agree with the treatment of the Indians and the fact that there was NO SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE. 
MARYLAND
  • Founded in 1634 by George Calvert, Baron of Baltimore.
  • He was CATHOLIC and wanted the colony to be a safe haven for Catholics who were being persecuted in England.
  • MARYLAND TOLERATION ACT passed in 1649:  provided religious freedom for all Christians.
CAROLINAS
  • 1670, King Charles II gave charter to 8 men for a grant of land stretching to the Pacific.
  • Hope to grow food and produce other products for profit.
  • Southern part prospered; Rice became the main crop and this opens the door for slaves to be brought from Africa to cultivate the rice; By 1710, Africans were the majority among the population;  Charles Town became busiest seaport in the South;  develops an aristocratic flavor and was religiously tolerant;  It had to contend with the Spanish and their Indian allies on its southern border.
  • Northern Carolina developed differently. Was settled by many unhappy with the aristocratic government of Virginia.  Will develop a dislike for all authority.  Will officially separate from South Carolina in 1712. 
GEORGIA
  • Last of the 13 English colonies to be settled
  • Chief settlement was Savannah
  • Founded by group led by James Oglethorpe who wanted it to be a place of safety for debtors.
  • England also saw it as a buffer between the Carolinas and Spanish Florida.
  • All Christians except Catholics experienced religious toleration.
  • The slowest growing colony.
RHODE ISLAND
  • Founded in 1636 by Roger Williams who had fled Massachusetts Bay Colony.  He had been found guilty by the church and government of preaching against Puritan views about government and also the mistreatment of the Indians.
  • Founded Providence and built a Baptist Church.
  • Established complete FREEDOM OF RELIGION;  Jews and Catholic were also granted freedom of religion;  the only colony to do this.
  • Established upon the principle of SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE
  • It was strongly resented by Massachusetts.
CONNECTICUT
  • Founded in 1635 when Hartford was settled.
  • Major contribution:  FUNDAMENTAL ORDERS......established a government controlled by the people....much like a modern constitution
NEW HAMPSHIRE
  • Was separated from Mass. Bay in 1679 by the king
  • Became a royal colony
  • Fishing and trading were the major industries.
NEW YORK
  • Established when the English took New Netherland from the Dutch
  • Charles II made his brother, James, Duke of York, the proprietor, and he renamed it New York
  • Colony of large land grants, most of it controlled by a few
  • Strong Dutch influence
NEW JERSEY
  • Formed in 1664
  • Duke of York gave land to some supporters to form it
  • Known for its religious freedom
PENNSYLVANIA
  • 1681.....Charter given to William Penn by Charles II as payment of a debt Charles owed William's father
  • Based upon Quaker teaching as Penn was a Quaker
  • Quakers had been persecuted by Charles II in England
  • Philadelphia established as it capital...."City of Brotherly Love"
  • Practiced religious toleration and many religions came there and many ethnic groups
  • Representative assembly elected by landowners
  • No tax supported church and freedom of worship guaranteed but Jews and Catholic could not vote nor hold office
  • Strong dislike for black slavery
  • Indians treated fairly
  • Grew quickly
DELAWARE
  • Made up of only 3 counties
  • Named after Lord de la Warr
  • Had its own assembly but under governor of Pennsylvania

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

THEODORE ROOSEVELT, TAFT, AND WOODROW WILSON NOTES


THEODORE ROOSEVELT AS PRESIDENT

·         Became President upon the death of President William McKinley who had been shot by an assassin while attending the Pan-American Exposition on September 6, 1901.  McKinley died eight days later.   Roosevelt was the youngest president to that time.  The Republican Party leaders never intended T.R. to be President, but now they have to contend with him.

·         Until his election in his own right in 1904, T.R. will largely continue the policies of President McKinley, however, T.R. was a Progressive president and will have the support of the progressives.  He strongly support labor and wanted labor, the owners, and the public to have what he called a “SQUARE DEAL.”  This becomes the term/slogan to describe his presidency. 

·         He began to show his support for labor in 1902 when a strike broke out at the anthracite coal mines in Pennsylvania.  The workers were demanding much needed changes for their safety, a pay increase, and a reduction in work hours.  The mine owners would not give in to the demands.  Roosevelt brought the mine owners to the White House and will threaten to take over the mines and run them using the army.  THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAD THREATENED TO USE FEDERAL TROOPS AGAINST OWNERS; in the past they had been used against the workers.  The mine owners will agree to a 10% pay raise and a 9-hour workday for the workers. 

·         In 1903, at Roosevelt’s insistence, the Department of Commerce and Labor was created by Congress.

·         Roosevelt will begin to go after the monopolies/trusts also.  This was not something that McKinley would have done.  This will begin his “trust-busting” reputation.  He will go after the RAILROADS first by getting congress to pass long needed regulations. 

o       Elkins Act passed in 1903.  It would place heavy fines on a railroad that gave rebates and would fine those who accepted the rebates. 

o       Hepburn Acts passed in 1906.  It makes it illegal for the railroads to offer free passes as a means of bribing.  It also will strengthen the Interstate Commerce Act.

o       One of his earliest trust-busting actions was against the NORTHERN SECURITIES COMPANY, created by J.P. Morgan and James J. Hill.  This gave them control of the railroads in the Northwest. 

§         Roosevelt brought an anti-trust suit against the company.

§         The Supreme Court upheld his suit and the company was dissolved.

§         This completely surprised owners and angered them as well.

·         You need to understand that Roosevelt did not see all trust as bad.  To him, there were “good” and “bad” trusts.  He did not believe that all trusts should be broken up.  It is said that he believed that if there were big businesses then the government should be big enough to control them.  His primary belief was in REGULATING them rather than BREAKING THEM apart. 

·         Roosevelt will bring over 40 suits against trusts, but it is said that by one historian, “In many ways, the huge industrial behemoths were healthier—though perhaps more “tame”—at the end of Roosevelt’s reign than they had been before.” (Bailey & Kennedy, The American Pageant, 9th ed., 1991, page 677). 

·         Meat Inspection Act passed by Congress in 1906; Pure Food and Drug Act passed in 1906:  these are intended to protect the consumer

·         CONSERVATION was a big interest of Roosevelt.  Some believe that it might be his most lasting legacy.

·         Presidential Election of 1904:  Roosevelt elected easily(Republican).  He announced that he would not run for re-election in 1908. 

·         Roosevelt continued his crusade to regulate big business and to support labor.

·         Is blamed by his opponents for the Panic of 1907; they blamed his government interference in business as the cause; of course, Roosevelt blames some of the big businesses for the Panic.   Congress will pass the ALDRICH-VREELAND ACT in 1908 (Google it.).  It will give national banks the freedom to issue emergency funds.  This will be a pre-cursor to the Federal Reserve Act which will be passed in 1913 during Wilson’s presidency and is still “on the books” today. 

AN ADDITIONAL POINT ABOUT THE PANAMA CANAL (In addition to your in-class notes)

·         The recognition of the need for quick movement of naval forces from the Pacific to the Atlantic had been the realized during the Spanish-American War.  Therefore, efforts to build an isthmian canal had increased. 

·         In the Hay-Pauncefote Treaty of 1901, Great Britain gave the U.S. the “OK” to build a canal and fortify it without British partnership.

·         In 1902, Congress finally gave approval to a Panamanian route rather than a Nicaraguan route.

·         Panama was a part of the country of Colombia at this time. 

·         Treaty negotiations were opened with Colombia and Colombia rejected the U.S. offer.

·         President Roosevelt wants the canal to be built; he will support helping Panamanian rebels overthrow their Colombian rulers in 1903 by using the U.S. Navy to prevent the Colombians from interfering, and Roosevelt immediately recognizes the new Panamanian government.

·         The HAY-BUNAU-VARILLA TREATY was negotiated.  The U.S. paid the French company that owned the rights to build a canal in Panama $40 million and Panama gave the U.S. a 10-mile wide zone to have as long as they wanted it, and the U.S. paid Panama $10 million and $250,000 per year.

·         Roosevelt’s support of the revolution did not improve the reputation of the U.S. in Central and South America and will result in further accusations of the U.S. IMPERIALISM.  Roosevelt’s actions did help his POPULARITY at home as the 1904 Election approaches. 

·         Work on the canal started in 1904.

o       Colonel George Goethals was in charge of building the canal.

o       Colonel William Gorgas was in charge of eradicating the mosquitoes that caused Yellow Fever. 

o       Canal completed in 1914; cost was $400 million

PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION OF 1908

·         Keeping his promise, T.R. will not run for President.

·         Republicans nominate WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT.  He was T.R.’s personal choice for the nomination.  He was 6 feet tall and weighed 350 pounds. 

·         Democrats nominate William Jennings Bryan. 

·         TAFT WON EASILY.

TAFT’S PRESIDENCY

·         He was by no means a Theodore Roosevelt.

·         Roosevelt has left the country to go to Africa on a hunting safari.

·         Was not as strong a progressive as Roosevelt.

·         His approach to foreign relations was to use DOLLAR DIPLOMACY rather than the BIG STICK  policy of T.R.

·         He will be a greater “trust-buster” than TR.

·         Eventually, he will LOSE THE SUPPORT OF ROOSEVELT because of some of his policies and actions.

·         He will also LOSE THE SUPPORT OF THE PROGRESSIVES for the same reasons.

·         PROGRESSIVES and ROOSEVELT turn against Taft largely over the following:

o       Taft’s support for the PAYNE-ALDRICH BILL which did not reduce tariffs as Taft had promised and even raised tariffs on many products.

o       Taft’s support of Secretary of the Interior Ballinger’s opening up of lands in several western states for development by companies.  GIFFORD PINCHOT, head of the Department of Forestry strongly criticized this and Taft FIRED Pinchot.  Pinchot had been appointed by Roosevelt.  Conservationists strongly opposed Ballinger’s and Taft’s decisions.  This will also anger Roosevelt.

o       Taft’s support of Speaker of the House, Joe Cannon who was continuously blocking Progressive efforts in the House of Representatives.  This will be what finally results in a SPLIT WITHIN THE REPUBLICAN PARTY and ROOSEVELTS’ SPLIT WITH TAFT. 

·         Roosevelt, upon his return to the states in 1910 began to speak out against Taft and his policies.  He let it be known that he believed the national government’s power should be increased to solve the problems the nation was facing.  This will be known as NEW NATIONALISM. 

·         Then, in 1911, Roosevelt split even further with Taft when Taft pursued a suit against the UNITED STATES STEEL CORPORATION.  Roosevelt had supported the creation of this trust when President. 

·         Republicans lose control of the House of Representatives in the 1910 mid-term elections and only slightly keep control of the Senate.  THE PARTY IS SPLIT.

·         This brings us to the Presidential ELECTION OF 1912.

 

ELECTION OF 1912

 

·        Democrats nominate WOODROW WILSON.  He was a strong progressive, had been president of Princeton University and prior to this nomination, Governor of New Jersey.  The Democratic platform will be based on reform.   His program will be  known as NEW FREEDOM. (Google this.)

·        Republican Party will refuse to nominate Roosevelt who had sought the party’s nomination.  They will nominate WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT and Roosevelt and his supporters leave the Republican convention very angry.

·        Progressive Party will nominate THEODORE ROOSEVELT, splitting the Republican ticket.  It will also be referred to as the Bull Moose Party due to a comment by TR that he was strong as a Bull Moose.  His program will be called NEW NATIONALISM. (Google this.)

·        The Socialist Party will nominate Eugene V. Debs.  Just a note, he had been the socialist nominee in the two previous presidential elections.  He had been the leader of the American Railway Union during the Pullman Strike of 1894.  Debs and his members had refused to stop striking after the courts had issued an INJUNCTION for them to do so.  Debs was jailed for 6 months and following this be joined the Socialist Party.

·        WILSON WON overwhelmingly in the electoral vote but did not receive a majority of the popular vote.  He will be what is known as a MINORITY PRESIDENT since he does not receive a majority of the popular vote.  Roosevelt was second.  He will be ONLY THE SECOND DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENT SINCE Zachary Taylor before the Civil War. (GOOGLE THIS ELECTION).

 

WOODROW WILSON’S PRESIDENCY

 

·         Terms describing Wilson:  idealist, very religious (Presbyterian), uncompromising, an intellectual, did not like journalists, stubborn.  He had a great ability to appeal to the people, especially when he was facing opposition to his program, and the people would hold their elected congressmen accountable. 

·         As part of his New Freedom, he will move to reduce the tariff, reform the banking system, and attack the trusts/monopolies.

·         Major legislation during his first term:

o       Underwood Tariff, 1913:  Wilson will actually go before Congress to present what he wanted.  This had not been done since before Thomas Jefferson.  (GOOGLE THE UNDERWOOD TARIFF).

o       Federal Reserve Act, 1913:  Created the Federal Reserve Board and established 12 Federal Reserve districts with a Federal Reserve Bank in each district.  It also authorized the Federal Reserve Board to issue paper money.  This allows for the amount of money in circulation to be increased if necessary.  This was a MAJOR piece of banking legislation for the nation and was greatly needed. 

o       Federal Trade Commission Act, 1914:  Allowed a commission to investigate for business practices that were harmful to the public and practices that were monopolistic.

o       Clayton Anti-Trust Act, 1914:  listed wrongful business practices; will also prevent labor unions and agricultural organizations from being prosecuted using antitrust laws and will legalize strikes.    Was called the “Magna Carta of Labor” by Samuel Gompers. 

o       Workmen’s Compensation Act, 1916:  allows federal financial assistance  to federal civil service workers if they experienced a disability while working. 

o       Other legislation was passed by Congress to help railroad workers with an 8-hour work day if the train was involved in interstate commerce.

o       Federal Farm Loan Act, 1916:  farmers could receive credit at low interest rates.

·         Wilson’s progressivism did NOT improve the condition of blacks.