COVER SLIDE

The American Pageant

Chapter 29:
Wilsonian Progressivism at Home and Abroad 1912-1916

1912 BUTTONS: ROOSEVELT, TAFT, AND WILSON

1912 buttons: Roosevelt, Taft, and Wilson Political buttons continued to be ubiquitous in 1912. Roosevelt and his running mate, Hiram Johnson, the governor of California, are pictured with the Bull Moose that came to symbolize the Progressive Party after Roosevelt exclaimed that he felt as fit as a bull moose. Taft, the Republican candidate, and Wilson, the Democrat, are depicted with more traditional symbols of patriotism and party. (Collection of Janice L. and David J. Frent)
Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

CARIBBEAN IMMIGRANTS AT ELLIS ISLAND

Caribbean immigrants at Ellis Island The Caribbean as well as Europe sent immigrants to the United States. Proud and confident on arrival from their homeland of Guadeloupe, these women perhaps were unprepared for the double disadvantage they faced as both blacks and foreigners. (William Williams Papers, Manuscripts & Archives Division, The New York Public Library)

Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

ELECTION DAY

Election Day Critics of the woman-suffrage movement, including this cartoonist, believed that women's place was in the home, not in the public sphere. (Library of Congress)

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POSTER IN SIX LANGUAGES TO ENCOURAGE IMMIGRANT EDUCATION

Poster in six languages to encourage immigrant education Those who wished to Americanize the immigrants believed that public schools could provide the best setting for assimilation. This 1917 poster from the Cleveland Board of Education and the Cleveland Americanization Committee used the languages most common to the new immigrants--Slovene, Italian, Polish, Hungarian, and Yiddish--as well as English to invite newcomers to free classes where they could learn "the language of America" and "citizenship." (National Park Service Collection, Ellis Island Immigration Museum. Photo: Chermayeff & Geismar/MetaForm)

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SAN FRANCISCO CHINESE GROCERY STORE

San Francisco Chinese grocery store Though Chinese immigrants struggled, like other immigrants, to succeed in American society, they often faced severe discrimination because of their different lifestyles. As this photo of a San Francisco grocery shows, the Chinese looked, dressed, and ate differently than did white Americans. Occasionally, they suffered from racist violence that caused them to fear not only for their personal safety but also for the safety of establishments like this one, which could suffer damage from resentful mobs. (The Bancroft Library, University of California)
Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

WILSON AND TAFT

Wilson and Taft Having just squared off in the 1912 election campaign, the two politicians share a light moment before Wilson's inauguration on March 4, 1913. (Library of Congress)

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AUDIO: ADDRESS TO THE AMERICAN INDIANS

Click on image to launch audio. Apple QuickTime required to play.

Address to the American Indians

(1913. Great Speeches of the 20th Century, Rhino Records, Los Angeles, CA, 1991.)

Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

BULL MOOSE CAMPAIGN OF 1912

Democrats nominate (Thomas) Woodrow Wilson Progressive Idealist

Republicans nominate William H. Taft (again) a mild Progressive

New Jersey governor Past president of Princeton Born in the South Believed the President should play a dynamic role

Theodore Roosevelt bolts the Republican Party & joins with the Progressive Party AKA Bull Moose he is a Progressive

1912 ELECTION

Wilson wins the election with fewer votes than Bryan in any of his 3 attempts 435 EV, 6 million Pop. Republican Party is split but combine for 7 Million popular votes

Roosevelt & Taft had been friends now bitter enemies Bull Moose Party = Roosevelt will win 88 EV most successful 3rd Party ever.

WILSON THE IDEALIST

Born in Virginia and raised in Georgia first Southern president in 64 years Believed south should have had the right to secede promotes self-determination Son of Presbyterian minister against evil Somewhat cold in public he was self-assured and superior especially toward politicians and journalists He found compromise difficult

TRIPLE WALL OF PRIVILEGE

Tariff Banks Trusts All hurting the public in some way or another and therefore Wilsons program was to solve them

WILSON AND THE TARIFF

Calls Congress into special session he delivered his presidential message to a joint session of Congress in person (had not been done since Adams) Underwood Tariff Bill 1913down to 27% 16th Amendment = Income tax (over $3,000)

WILSON AND THE BANKS

Still using the Civil War National Banking Act

a temporary measure at the time shortcoming inelasticity of currency

House Arsene Pujo: $$ traced to hidden vaults of US banks & businesses Louis D. Brandies Other Peoples Money and How the Bankers Use It

1908 (Senate) Aldrich investigation recommendation: huge bank with many branches

1914 book showing that the wealthy were consolidating funds and establishing a monopoly He will testify for Pujo

These illustrations came from Harpers Weeklys Other Peoples Money articles by Brandeis.

WILSON AND THE BANKS

Federal Reserve Act 1913 Most important economic legislation between Civil War and New Deal Establishes a Federal Reserve System Restricted private control of money and banks 12 regional reserve districts and a central bank Banks are for bankers Issue Federal Reserve Notes

LOUIS D. BRANDEIS

Muller v Oregon, 1908:

Brandeis convinced the Supreme Court to use sociological & statistical evidence upholding an Oregon law that regulated the working conditions of women (10 hour day) Significance: first such evidence acknowledged by law in the US

1916 is appointed to the Supreme Court

Wilson nomination First person of Jewish faith to serve on Supreme Court

WILSON AND THE TRUSTS

Federal Trade Commission of 1914

Crush monopolies by eliminating

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Unfair trade practices Unlawful competition False advertising Bribery Has investigative powers

WILSON AND THE TRUSTS

Clayton Anti-Trust Act 1914 Attacks price discrimination and interlocking directorates (same individuals were on the boards of competing firms) Labor and agriculture both exempted from anti-trust action Allowed strikes and peaceful picketing Samuel Gompers called it the Magna Carta of labor

DANBURY HATTERS CASE 1908

Example of why Clayton Anti-Trust Act needed to exempt labor as a monopoly:

Strike

has lasted several months and the hat company lost $250,000 US Supreme Court assessed the workers 3x the amount of damages The S.C. invoked the Sherman Anti-Trust Act of 1890 saying that conspiracy is restraint of trade Fined workers lost savings and homes

WILSON PROGRESSIVISM AT HIGH TIDE

Federal Farm Loan Act, 1916

La Follette Seamens Act, 1915

Credit to farmers at low % rates Loans available (to farmers) based on security of staple (cash) crops

Warehouse Act 1916

Required decent treatment A living wage unexpected resultcrippled US Merchant Marine with higher freight costs

Highway construction & help to agricultural state colleges

Workingmens Compensation Act, 1916

Assistance given to disabled federal employees

WILSON PROGRESSIVISM AT HIGH TIDE

Keating-Owen, 1916

Child labor Act is passed but ruled unconstitutional in 1918 by Hammer v. Dagenhart

Wilson Progressivism stopped short of better treatment for blacks

Adamson Act, 1916

8 hour work day for RR workers and overtime pay (interstate commerce)

Likely due to his southern roots & prejudices When a delegation of blacks visited him he froze them out of his office

CHILD LABOR IN WEST VIRGINIA COAL MINE

WILSON AND FOREIGN POLICY

He hated imperialism and Dollar Diplomacy

Government no longer offer special support to American investors in Latin America and China Repealed the Panama Tolls Act 1912 (no tolls on US coast-wide shipping) Philippines gains territorial status promised self-rule

Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan persuades the California legislature to renege on a law that would not allow Japanese to own land eases relations with Japan

WILSON AND FOREIGN POLICY

Haiti
Revolution

(1912-1915) Forces Wilson to send in troops

Marines

to protect US lives and property Stay 19 years

Dominican Republic (1916)

Similar

to Haitidebt problems Marines stay 8 years

Virgin Islands (1917)

Purchased from Denmark for $25 Million to stop Germany

WILSON AND MEXICO

US investments =$1 Billion Revolutions

1913 Porfirio Diaz overthrown General Victoriano Huerta in power Wilson sent arms to rivals Venustiano Carranza and Francisco Pancho Villa Has a Rhode Island sized ranch in Mexico Begs for US intervention but Wilson promotes human rights over property rights

William Randolph Hearst

Pancho Villa

WILSON AND MEXICO

Tampico, April 1914

General John Blackjack Pershing

US sailors arrested Mexico releases them and apologizes but Wilson demands a 21-gun salute When Mexico will not grant this Wilson orders the Navy to take Vera Cruz Mexican leaders, Huerta & Carranza protest ABC Powers intervene for the US (Argentina, Brazil, Chile) Harms US-Mexican relations, and then
Sent into Mexico Pursue Pancho Villa who has killed 16 US engineers in Mexico, and 19 in Columbus, New Mexico No success: US had conflicts with Mexican troops & finally withdrew as conflict in Europe threatens
The Brancho-Buster: President Wilson: I wonder what I do next?

THE GREAT WAR

Assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand, in Sarajevo Austria-Hungary allied with Germany, in essence, demands that Serbia become a possession of Austria-Hungary Russia- the protector of the Slavic Nations, mobilizes to protect Serbia Europe at war within weeks Wilsons states that the US position is neutral trade with the Allies will pull the US out of a Recession and Wilson is still hoping to keep the US out of war

THE GREAT WAR

Central Powers = Germany, Austria-Hungary, later, Turkey & Bulgaria Allied Powers = France, England, Russia, later, Italy & Japan German U-boat warfare threatens US neutrality (we really were supporting the Allied Powers economically)

US NEUTRALITY

Slowly become more proAllies Wilson is privately pro-British as are most Americans also pro-French Dislike for German attack on neutral Belgium Hoover fed Belgium with US support Germans sinister and strange evil Heinous and militaristic Kaiser Wilhelm

US NEUTRALITY

Most Americans thought Germany caused the war Propaganda-British controlled the information transatlantic cable US sold weapons to the Allies commitment German Sabotage agent left briefcase with info about munitions plants on NY Subway 1916 New Jersey munitions plant explodes Germans suspected

LUSITANIA

US wants to be neutral but continues to ship to Allied Powers because England has control of the seas and a tight blockade around Germany Germany then declares a submarine War Zone around Britain Feb. 1915 Wilson protests saying that Germany will be held to strict accountability for any attacks on US vessels or citizens On May 7, 1915 the British passenger linger Lusitania is sunk, by a U-boat killing 1,198 (128 Americans) This nearly leads to war

SUSSEX PLEDGE
Arabic sunk killing 2 Americans French Ship the Sussex is sunk Wilson threatened to break diplomatic relations with Germany- a prelude to war Germany offers the Sussex Pledge will not sink passenger and merchant vessels without giving warning IF the US will try to break the British Blockade

ELECTION OF 1916

Democrats:

Wilson He kept us out of war. In the election, he sweeps the Midwest and west Wins 277 to 254 EV

Republicans:

Charles Evans Hughes NY Supreme Court Justice Attacks Wilson for not standing up to the Kaiser, in isolationist areas takes a softer line flip-flops Will win the Eastern States