History Notes
Chapter 29: “Wilsonian Progressivism at Home and
Abroad”
I.
Woodrow Wilson: wins the election of 1912 because
the Republican Party split
a. Progressive Democrat
b. Formally
president
of
Princeton
University,
c. Governor of New Jersey
a. Cleaned up NJ government
b. Busted trusts
ii. Intelligent and wanted you to know it
a. felt he was always right – His way or the
Highway
iii. Racist – “Birth of a Nation” was his favorite
movie , about the “greatness” of the KKK
iv. more comfortable around intellectuals, than
the common man
v. known for going directly to Congress to ask for
legislation – no one had spoken directly to
Congress so often since John Adams
2. First order of business: “triple wall of privilege”:
tariff, banks, trusts
i. the tariff,
a. Underwood Tariff of 1913,
i. Reduced tariff from 40% to 25%
tax
1. Most
significant
tariff
reduction since the Civil
War
ii. the banks,
a. Panic of 1907: couldn’t print enough
money to keep up with the demand –
TR came up with a temporary fix
b. Congress
investigated
banking
system and came up with ways to
create a stronger banking system
(Pujo committee)
b. In June 1913, Woodrow Wilson appeared
before Congress and pleaded for banking
reform
c. The result was the 1913 Federal
Reserve Act,
a. Created the new Federal Reserve
Board
1. Twelve regional district
banks had the power to
issue paper money
–
expand money supply
2. Could also increase interest
rates to reduce the amount
of money in circulation
3. Set required amounts of
money banks had to have
on hand.
iii. the trusts
a. 1914 Federal Trade Commission Act;
an appointed official would investigate
the activities of trusts/monopolies and
stop unfair trade practices such as
unlawful competition, false advertising,
mislabeling, adulteration, & bribery.
b. 1914 Clayton Anti-Trust Act
i. Allowed the government to
dismantle
trusts/monopolies
easier
ii. Legalized strikes and peaceful
picketing by labor union
members (HUGE DEAL!!!!!)
II.
More progressive reforms under Wilson
1. After tackling the triple wall of privilege Wilson
proceeded with further reforms
i. Federal Farm Loan Act of 1916, which made
credit available to farmers at low rates of
interest
ii. Warehouse Act of 1916, which permitted
loans on the collateral of staple crops
iii. The La Follett Seamen’s Act of 1915
required good treatment of America’s sailors
and fair pay
iv. The Workingmen’s Compensation Act of
1916 extended workman’s comp to federal
employees
v. The 1916 Adamson Act established an eighthour workday with overtime pay for interstate
railroad workers.
vi. Wilson nominated Louis Brandeis to the
Supreme Court – first Jewish member of the
Supreme Court
III. Wilson and foreign policy – “Moralistic Diplomacy” or
“Missionary Diplomacy”
i. Wilson believed that American imperialism
was wrong.
a. He believed that foreign policy should be
based on idealism and morality rather
than power and force.
b. He said he did not want to force
democracy on nations, rather to lead
them to democracy by example
c. Felt, like most Americans, that democracy
was the natural progression of
government.
ii. Felt that people had a right to self
determination – to determine what type of
government they want, not to have a form of
government imposed on them.
What Wilson said and what he did were 2 very different
things!
*Positive examples of missionary diplomacy
1. Stopped “dollar diplomacy”
2. Persuaded Congress to repeal the Panama Canal
Tolls Act of 1912 (which let American shippers not
pay tolls for using the canal), did not want to favor
America at the expense of other nations, not
morally correct!
3. Wilson signed the Jones Act in 1916, which
granted full territorial status to the Philippines and
promised independence as soon as a stable
government could be established.
i. The Filipinos finally got their independence on
July 4, 1946.
 Not so positive examples
4. When disorder broke out in Haiti in 1915, Wilson
sent American marines, and in 1916, he sent
marines to quell violence in the Dominican
Republic. (Citing Roosevelt Corollary, using force to
spread Democracy!)
5. In 1917, Wilson bought the Virgin Islands from
Denmark. –pretty imperialistic
IV. Wilson , Foreign policy, and Mexico
1. Mexicans revolted in 1913, General Victorian
Huerta ascended to the presidency.
i. This led to a massive immigration of Mexicans
to America, mostly to the Southwest.
2. The rebels were very violent and threatened
Americans living in Mexico, but Woodrow Wilson
would not intervene to protect American lives. He
didn’t want war.
i. He did allow American arms to be sold to
Huerta’s rivals
3. After a small party of American sailors was
arrested in Tampico, Mexico, in 1914, Wilson
threatened to use force, and even ordered the navy
to take over Vera Cruz, drawing protest from
Huerta.
i. Finally, the ABC powers—Argentina, Brazil,
and Chile—mediated the situation, and Huerta
fell from power and was succeeded by
Carranza, who resented Wilson’s acts.
4. In retaliation for the U.S. incursion at Vera Cruz, yet
another rebel, Pancho Villa, took a small band of
men and killed sixteen Americans while raiding a
small town in New Mexico in 1916.
i. Villa also hoped to start a war between his
enemy Carranza and the United States.
ii. Under Wilson’s orders, General John J.
Pershing and several thousand army regulars
invaded Mexico and crushed Villa’s forces in
1916.
V.
WWI Erupts in Europe
1. In 1914, a Serbian patriot killed the AustriaHungarian heir to the throne, and Austria Hungary declared war on Serbia, which was
supported by Russia, who declared war on AustriaHungary and Germany, which declared war on
Russia and France, then invaded neutral Belgium,
and pulled Britain into the war igniting World War
I.
2. Americans were thankful that the Atlantic Ocean
separated the warring Europeans from America,
and that the U.S. didn’t have to go into war…at least
not yet…
VI. US tries to Remain Neutral
1. Wilson, whose wife had recently died, issued a
neutrality proclamation and was promptly wooed
by both the Allies and the German-AustrianHungarian powers.
2. The Germans and Austro-Hungarians counted on
their relatives in America for support, but the U.S.
was mostly anti-German from the outset, as Kaiser
Wilhem II made for a perfect autocrat to hate.
3. German and Austro-Hungarian agents in America
further tarnished the Central Powers’ image when
they resorted to violence in American factories and
ports, and when one such agent left his briefcase in
a New York elevator, its contents were found to
contain plans for sabotage.
VII. American Neutrality???
1. Just as WWI began, America was in a business
recession, but the was, along with American trade
(fiercely protested by the Central Powers that were
technically free to trade with the U.S. but were
prohibited from doing so by the British navy which
controlled the sea lanes) with the Allies and Wall
Street financing of the war by J.P. Morgan et al,
pulled the U.S. out of it.
2. So, Germany announced submarine warfare
around the British Isles, warning the U.S. that it
would not try to attack neutral ships but that
mistakes would probably occur.
i. Wilson thus warned that Germany would be
held to “strict accountability” for any attacks
on American ships.
ii. German subs, or U-boats, sank many ships,
including the Lusitania, a British passenger
liner that was carrying arms and munitions as
well.
a. The attack killed 1198 lives, including 128
Americans.
b. The Germans had issued fliers warning
Americans of the ship’s possible
torpedoing by German subs before its
voyage.
3. America clamored for war in punishment for the
outrage, but Wilson kept the U.S. out of it by use of
a series of strong notes to the German warlords.
i. Event this was too much for Bryan, who
resigned rather than go to war.
ii. After the German sank the Arabic in August
1915, killing two Americans and numerous
other passengers, Germany finally agreed not
to sink unarmed ships without warning.
4. After Germany seemed to break that pledge by
sinking the Sussex, it issued the Sussex pledge,
which agreed not to sink passenger ships or
merchant vessels without warning, so long as the
U.S. could get the British to stop their blockade.
i. Wilson couldn’t do this, so his victory was a
precarious one.
VIII. 1916 Election
1. Wilson = Democratic Candidate
2. Republican= Charles Evans Hughes
i. made different pledges and said different
things depending on where he was
a. “Charles Evasive Hughes.”
3. Wilsons slogan - “He kept us out of war,” and
warned that electing Hughes would be leading
America into World War I.
i. Actually, even Wilson knew of the dangers of
such a slogan, as American neutrality was
rapidly sinking, and war was probably going to
be inevitable.
ii. Many war-hawks felt that Wilson should have
responded more harshly to the sinking of the
Lusitania; while many doves felt he may be
bringing us too close to war.
iii. in order to be reelected, he had to accomplish
three things:
a. adhere to the public's demands for only
moderate preparation for war with
Germany- just in case
b. push more progressive legislation
c. and finally, reaffirm his intentions to
remain out of the Great War in Europe.
iv. Wilson set out to accomplish each of these
three tasks.
a. He did prepare the United Sates for war,
but only in moderation and without fully
arming the country. He increased the size
of the military and reserves.
b. He also pushed for more progressive
legislation to be passed: he succeeded in
establishing an eight-hour working day
for railroad workers, a national child
labor law, and a worker's compensation
program for federal employees.
c. Keep us out of war at least until the
election was over
4. Wilson barely beat Hughes, with an electoral vote
of 277 to 254, with the final result dependent on
results from California – Wilson won because he
was able to prepare us, push progressive
legislation, and continued to keep us out of the war
until April 1917
i. the trusts
a. 1914 Federal Trade Commission
Act; an appointed official would
investigate
the
activities
of
trusts/monopolies and stop unfair
trade practices such as unlawful
competition,
false
advertising,
mislabeling, adulteration, & bribery.
b. 1914 Clayton Anti-Trust Act
i. Allowed
Congress
to
dismantle trusts/monopolies
easier
ii. Didn’t have to prove they
were
doing
anything
illegal; just that it hurt
consumers or employees
iii. Legalized
strikes
and
peaceful picketing by labor
union members
IX. More progressive reforms under Wilson
1. After tackling the triple wall of privilege
Wilson proceeded with further reforms
i. Federal Farm Loan Act of 1916, which
made credit available to farmers at low
rates of interest
ii. Warehouse Act of 1916, which permitted
loans on the collateral of staple crops
iii. The La Follett Seamen’s Act of 1915
required good treatment of America’s
sailors and fair pay
iv. The Workingmen’s Compensation Act
of 1916 extended workman’s comp to
federal employees – Supreme Court
declared it unconstitutional. ( Beyond
what Congress could do according to the
Constitution)
v. The 1916 Adamson Act established an
eight-hour workday with overtime pay
for interstate railroad workers.
vi. Wilson nominated Louis Brandeis to the
Supreme Court – first Jewish member of
the Supreme Court
X.
Wilson and foreign policy – “Moralistic
Diplomacy” or “Missionary Diplomacy”
i. Wilson
believed
that
American
imperialism was wrong.
ii. He believed that foreign policy should be
based on idealism and morality rather
than power and force.
iii. He did not want to force democracy on
nations, rather to lead them to democracy
by example
a. Felt, like most Americans, that
democracy
was
the
natural
progression of government.
iv. Felt that people had a right to self
determination – to determine what type
of government they want, not to have a
form of government imposed on them.
What Wilson said and what he did were 2 very
different things!
*Positive examples of missionary diplomacy
1. Stopped “dollar diplomacy”
2. Persuaded Congress to repeal the Panama
Canal Tolls Act of 1912 (which let American
shippers not pay tolls for using the canal), did
not want to favor America at the expense of
other nations, not morally correct!
3. Wilson signed the Jones Act in 1916, which
granted full territorial status to the
Philippines and promised independence as
soon as a stable government could be
established.
i. The
Filipinos
finally
got
their
independence on July 4, 1946.
 Not so positive examples
4. When disorder broke out in Haiti in 1915,
Wilson sent American marines, and in 1916,
he sent marines to quell violence in the
Dominican Republic. (Citing Roosevelt
Corollary, using force to spread Democracy!)
5. In 1917, Wilson bought the Virgin Islands
from Denmark. –pretty imperialistic
XI.
XII.
More progressive reforms under Wilson
1. After tackling the triple wall of privilege Wilson proceeded with further
reforms
i. Federal Farm Loan Act of 1916, which made credit available to
farmers at low rates of interest
ii. Warehouse Act of 1916, which permitted loans on the collateral of
staple crops—both Populist ideas.
iii. The La Follett Seamen’s Act of 1915 required good treatment of
America’s sailors, but it sent merchant freight rates soaring as a result
of the cost of maintain sailor health.
iv. The Workingmen’s Compensation Act of 1916 extended workman’s
comp to federal employees – Supreme Court declared it
unconstitutional. ( Beyond what Congress could do according to the
Constitution)
v. The 1916 Adamson Act established an eight-hour workday with
overtime pay.
vi. Wilson nominated Louis Brandeis to the Supreme Court – first Jewish
member of the Supreme Court
Wilson and foreign policy – “Moralistic Diplomacy” or “Missionary
Diplomacy”
i. Wilson believed that American imperialism was wrong.
ii. He believed that foreign policy should be based on idealism and
morality rather than power and force.
iii. He did not want to force democracy on nations, rather to lead
them to democracy by example
a. Felt, like most Americans, that democracy was the natural
progression of government.
iv. Felt that people had a right to self determination – to determine
what type of government they want, not to have a form of
government imposed on them.
What Wilson said and what he did were 2 very different things!
*Positive examples of missionary diplomacy
1. Stopped “dollar diplomacy”
2. Persuaded Congress to repeal the Panama Canal Tolls Act of 1912 (which
let American shippers not pay tolls for using the canal), did not want to
favor America at the expense of other nations, not morally correct!
3. Wilson signed the Jones Act in 1916, which granted full territorial status to
the Philippines and promised independence as soon as a stable government
could be established.
i. The Filipinos finally got their independence on July 4, 1946.
4. When California banned Japanese ownership of land, Wilson sent Secretary
of State William Jennings Bryan to plead with legislators, and tensions
cooled- allowed some Japanese ownership of land
 Not so positive examples
5. When disorder broke out in Haiti in 1915, Wilson sent American marines,
and in 1916, he sent marines to quell violence in the Dominican Republic.
(citing Roosevelt Corollary, using force to spread Democracy!)
In 1917, Wilson bought the Virgin Islands from Denmark