Transcript Chapter 29-30 - WordPress.com

Mr. Long
AP US History

Democrats felt they could take
White House due to Republican
Split

Dr. Woodrow Wilson was
nominated
 Mild conservative turned strong
progressive
 Background in Education
 Backed by William J. Bryan
 PLATFORM:
 NEW FREEDOM: both liberal and
progressive policies

Bull Moose “Progressive
Party”

Teddy Roosevelt
 Nominated by reformer
Jane Adams

Republicans

William Taft
“NEW FREEDOM”



“NEW NATIONALISM”
Supported small
business

Wanted to bust all
trusts. NO TRUST IS
GOOD.

No social welfare
programs
Inspired by The Promise of
American Life by Herbert
Croly (1910)
Policy of leaving “good”
trusts alone and
controlling “bad” trusts.

Female suffrage

Social programs

Minimum wage laws

Wilson won the electoral vote easily


Electoral Vote: 435 (Wilson), 88 (TR) and 8 (Taft)
Popular Vote: 41% (Wilson), 50%(TR & Taft)
 American People did not want Wilson as President

TR and the “Bull Moose Party” cost the Republicans

Taft would later become Supreme Court Chief
Justice

As a progressive Wilson entered Presidency on
attack of the “triple wall of privilege”…
1.
2.
3.
Tariff
Banks
Trusts

Tariff:

Wilson sought to bring the tariff down

Underwood Tariff (1913)
1.
Considerably reduced tariff rates on imports
2.
Started a graduated income tax
 Tax rate increased as persons salary increased
 16th amendment had passed, Underwood laid out the rules
for income tax.

Banks:

Congress passed the Federal Reserve Act (1913)
 Law created the Federal Reserve Board which
oversaw 12 regional, federal banks.
 The FRB was given power to issue paper money
“Federal reserve notes
 Regulated the amount of money in circulation

Congress passed the
Federal Trade
Commission Act (1914)

Investigated activities of Trusts

GOAL:
 Stop trade practices deemed as
unfair
 EX: Unlawful competition, false
advertising, mislabeling, and
bribery

Congress replaced ineffective Sherman AntiTrust Act (1890) with the Clayton Anti-Trust
Act (1914)




It forbid price discrimination
Forbid interlocking directorates (J.P Morgan)
Exempted labor unions from being considered
Trusts
Legalized strikes as peaceful assemblies

Other Wilson Reforms…





Federal Farm Loan Act (1916):
 Offered low interest loans to farmers
Warehouse Act (1916):
 Offered loans on security of staple crops
La Follette Seamen’s Act (1915):
 Sailors guaranteed good treatment and wages
Workingmen’s Compensation Act (1916):
 Offered help to federal civil-service workers during time of
disability
Adamson Act (1916):
 8hr workday for workers on trains engaged in interstate trade

Wilson played the people…

Appoints Louis Brandeis to Supreme Court (Jew)
 Policy towards blacks was geared toward segregation
though.

Played politics with Big Business
 Made conservative appointments to Federal Reserve
Board and the Federal Trade Commission to keep
business happy.

What Wilson did in the foreign arena…
Had Congress repeal the Panama Canal Tolls Act
(1912)
 Jones Act (1916): granted Philippines territorial
status and independence when “stable” gov was
established.
 Had US bankers pull out of 6 nation loan to China


Peaceful President must take action…

Japanese Relations
 California/Japanese-Americans and Land



Military action in Haiti (1915)
WWI
Bought Virgin Islands from Denmark in 1917

In 1913 there was a mass immigration of
Mexicans to the US

Result of Mexican uprising and Gen. Victoriano
Huerta becoming President of Mexico
 Americans called for federal protection against he
violent Mexican revolutionaries (threatened
lives/property)
 Wilson would not give it.
 Wilson didn’t recognize Huerta’s regime
 Supplied Huerta’s rivals with American arms

US sailors were seized in Tampico, Mexico

Wilson asked for Congressional approval to use
military force.
 US Navy seized Vera Cruz, Mexico upsetting Huerta
and Carranza (rival)
 ABC Powers (Argentina, Brazil and Chile) mediated the
situation and Carranza replaced Huerta as President

Pancho Villa began stirring up trouble


Mexican “Robin Hood”
Wilson sent Gen. John J. Pershing to capture Villa
after he attacked numerous groups of Americans
WWI
Breaks Out

Woodrow Wilson (Dem)

“He kept us out of War”
 Neutrality is slipping

Charles Evans Hughes (Rep)

Known for flip flopping his decisions depending on
audience.

Wilson wins reelection 277 to 254
 Ironically Wilson led America to war 5 months later
Mr. Long
AP US History



In 1914 Austrian heir Franz Ferdinand was
assassinated by a Serbian nationalist.
Central Powers: Germany, Austria-Hungary
and Turkey (Ottoman Empire)
Allied Powers: Russia, France, England and
Australia.

Most Americans supported the Allies, but were
happy to stay neutral an ocean away.

President Wilson declared the US officially
neutral in the War.

American Business took advantage of being neutral
and sought trading with both sides.
 Trade with Allies was possible and took place
 Trade with Central powers was tough b/c British navy
controlled the sea

Germany announced “unrestricted submarine
warfare” on the Allies or anyone assisting
them.

Lusitania: greatest U-boat attack, 1,200 killed (128
US), British cruise liner.
 MOTIVATED AMERICANS TO CALL FOR WAR!

Sussex Pledge: Germany promised that no attacks
would be made on ships w/o warning.
 After Germany sunk the Sussex a French passenger ship

Causes of US involvement
Lusitania
Germany erasing the Sussex pledge
Vladimir Lenin’s communist revolution took over
Russia
Zimmerman Note:
1.
2.
3.
4.


Telegram sent to Mexico by Germany encouraging
Mexico to wage war against the US.
Congress declares War on April 6, 1917

Many Americans are still reluctant to go to War


6 Senators had voted against
“Make the world safe for democracy”

Not fighting for the riches of war, but to free others
from the tyranny of autocrats


Wilson becomes the moral leader of the War
Fourteen Points Address (Jan 1917)
Abolishing secret treaties
 Freedom of the seas
 Removal of economic barriers between nations
 Reduction of armaments
 Changing colonial claims to help both colonizers and
native peoples
 “Self Determination” where groups choose their
government for themselves
 **A committee called the League of Nations to
hopefully settle international disputes peacefully.**


Committee on Public
Information


Created to keep enthusiasm high in
America
Headed by George Creel

Used speeches (4min men)
Posters
Pamphlets
Movies
Songs

Didn’t show the reality of the war!






Feelings towards German-Americans and
German products changed in US
Espionage Act (1917)



Sought to prosecute spies (1,900)
Eugene V. Debs most notable (Socialist)
Sedition Act (1918)



Prosecute anyone engaging in seditious activity
Any activity that was anti-government (broad)
Pushed the limits of the 1st amendment

Problem #1: Mobilizing the
Factories for the war effort

Bernard Baruch is appointed leader
of the War Industries Board
 Goal is to orchestrate industry in the
war effort.
 Opposition in the form of…
 States Rights who didn’t want federal
gov. invovled
 America’s love for laissez-faire
economics

Keeping the Work Going…
“Work or Fight” Policy
High wages/Long hours
“Great Migration”
Union support






Samuel Gompers (American Federation of Labor)
Some didn’t (IWW)
Problems Still Remained…




Inflation threatened to negate wage increases
Strikes
“Great Migration” = racial tensions and violence

Many women went to work in factories as men
went to fight

National American Woman suffrage Assoc. backed
President Wilson’s efforts.
 Women must engage in the war effort in order to
participate after the war


19th Amendment (ratified 1920)
 Granted women the right to vote nationwide
Women’s Bureau
 Goal was to protect women’s new rights in the
workplace.
 Most women went back to the home after the war

Need for food was increased




Feed citizens at home
Package food for soldiers
Feed allies in Europe
Herbert Hoover is placed in
charge of Food
Administration

Hoover relied on voluntary efforts to increase
food supply.
“Meatless Tuesdays”
 “Wheatless Wednesdays”
 Victory Gardens
 No grain to make alcohol


Food Production increased
by 25%


In 1917 America realized it would have to go
“All In” in its war efforts
Selective Service Act:





All men 18-45 must register for draft
Could not purchase exemption like Civil War
Army rose to 4,000,000 men
Women served for the first time
African-Americans served as well (segregated)

Bolsheviks in Russia had taken over in 1917
and pulled out of the war in early 1918

This moved the war from the eastern to western
front

Americans were slow to get to Europe…
 Huge task of logistics/Organizing
 American desire to train and keep American troops
under American officers

America’s military roles included…




Stopping the German assault on Paris
Providing a boost in morale
Providing supplies
Important Battles for US:





Chateau-Thierry: 40 miles from Paris
2nd Battle of the Marne: started German withdrawl
St. Mihiel: stopped Germans southern flank
Belleau Wood: Marines proved themselves “Devil Dogs”
Meuse-Argonne: Largest American battle in history at the time.

Armistice Day (Nov. 11, 1918)


Later known as Veterans Day
What really beat the Germans was the
seemingly endless American troops and
supplies

Wilson achieves his goal: gets the Kaiser out of
power in Germany

Paris Peace Conference (1919) “Big Four”
David Lloyd
George (Britain)
Vittorio Orlando
(Italy)
Woodrow Wilson
(US)
Georges
Clemenceau
(France)

Conflicting ambitions ruled the conference:

Britain and France: wanted to punish Germany

Italy: wanted land and money

US: wanted to heal political wounds through
Wilson’s League of Nations
 Wilson really wanted to “end all wars” so he would
do whatever it takes to get his League of Nations

Compromising for the “Big Picture”

Britain and France agreed to the League
Wilson reluctantly agreed to the punishment of
Germany.

War Guilt Clause

 Formally placed all blame on Germany
 Charged Germany for cost of War ($33 billion)

Treaty of Versailles was not very popular in US

Europe demanded more…




France: wanted Rhineland and Saar regions
Italy: wanted seaport of Fiume
Japan: wanted China’s Shantung peninsula and
German islands in Pacific.
ALL DEMANDS VIOLATED WILSON’S POINT
OF “SELF-DETERMINATION”

Treaty of Versailles:

The main points of the Treaty [BRAT]





1. Germany had to accept the Blame for starting the war (Clause
231). This was vital because it provided the justification for...
2. Germany had to pay $33 billion (called Reparations) for the
damage done during the war.
3. Germany was forbidden to have submarines or an air
force. She could have a navy of only six battleships, and an Army
of just 100,000 men. In addition, Germany was not allowed to
place any troops in the Rhineland, the strip of land, 50 miles wide,
next to France.
4. Germany lost Territory (land) in Europe. Germany’s colonies
were given to Britain and France.





Isolationalists: didn’t want to get involved in alliances
as Jefferson/Washington had warned against
“Hun-haters”: Thought the treaty was to soft
“German-Americans”: Thought it was to tough on
their home country.
“Irish-Americans”: thought it gave Britain to much
power
Liberals: Thought the treaty was to harsh

The treaty still had to be approved by Senate
(2/3 vote)

Sen. Henry Cabot Lodge was the main oppostion to
the treaty.
 Amended it so much that by the time it was voted for
he approved and Wilson did not.
 The US never approved the Treaty of Versailles or the
League of Nations