AP U.S. History; Political System Under Strain; Study Guide
“Where are we at” as a country by 1893? Davidson, et al. say that the Columbian Exposition in Chicago,
1893, was not reality. How is that related to the previous two chapter themes that we’ve studied?
Examine the graph on page 597.
What is the main idea of that
graph?
Democrats characteristics
List:
So, given what the graph tells you is happening with voting, what are
the results of that trend?
Republicans characteristics
List:
Union Army veterans were
receiving $157 million annually
Federal Workforce changes:
Federal workers want:
Democrats on the tariff:
Republicans on the tariff:
_____ the Pendleton Act is
passed.
Define it:
_____ The McKinley
Tariff
Define it:
Result:
For discussion: where did “greenbacks” come from? Do you suppose the originators of greenbacks
intended for them to become the issue they became? If not, what can that tell us about unintended
consequences of war?
_____ The “Crime of ‘73”
Results:
Define it:
______ The Sherman Silver
Purchase Act
Discussion: Pay close attention to how the Presidency got from Hays through to 1893.
For discussion: So what seem to be the three major political issues of 1870-1900?
(continued)
AP U.S. History; Political System Under Strain; Study Guide
The Revolt of the Farmers
Pay attention to the targets of farmers’ anger.
Pay attention to what were and what happened to the grangers, the Southern Alliance, Colored Farmers’
Alliance. Why did they fail?
Cause:
Democrat candidate:
Populist candidate:
Republican candidate:
Munn v. Illinois 1877.
Ruling:
Result:
______ The People’s Party Their beliefs (platform)
forms
Results:
Election of 1892
What became of the populists?
______ Williams vs.
Impact:
Mississippi
Ruling:
______ Booker T.
Result:
Washington delivers his
“Atlanta Compromise”
Define it:
Pay attention to the change in politics in the “Solid South” for democrats.
(continued)
AP U.S. History; Political System Under Strain; Study Guide
The New Realignment
______ Depression of
1893. Characteristics:
Results:
Specifically regarding old attitudes and new attitudes:
Define: Coxey’s Army
What happened to them?
For discussion: what does the sketch on page 608 show us that might frighten Americans of all classes or walks of life?
1893 repeal of the
Sherman Silver
Purchase Act of
1890
Good question for discussion: so what do we do about “depressions”?? More money? Less money?
Government action? Government inaction?
“Silverites”
“You shall not press down upon
the brow of labor this crown of
thorns. You shall not crucify
mankind upon a cross of gold.”
Populists
Candidate:
Platform / slogan:
The Battle of the Standards
“sound money” (also called “gold bugs”)
Election of 1896
Who said this?
What does Davidson, et al., suggest he wants you to understand?
Democrats
Candidate:
Republicans
Candidate:
Platform / slogan:
Gold or Silver?
Protective Tariff or not?
Slogan:
Election results:
Republican coalition:
_____ the Dingley Tariff
Define:
For discussion: In what ways did McKinley steer a moderate course? Consider: His relation to party
bosses, the Erdman Act, his plans for stronger regulation of the trusts.
For discussion: So what is the “New Realignment”?? Why might Davidson, et al., used the campaign
poster on page 611 to show that?
(continued)
AP U.S. History; Political System Under Strain; Study Guide
Visions of Empire
European Expansion Worldwide (also examine map on page 614).
Pay special attention to how imperialism was causing a race among the leading nations of the world for
conquest of territories around the globe. Think about how that will pressure the United States, which did
not have such foreign territories in its possession.
Examine graph on p612 or here:
Examine the graph. What is happening in that graph?
Given what is happening, how might that give us “visions of empire” ??
_____ “The Influence of Sea
Power Upon History”
Author:
His thesis:
Missionaries:
What is the
role of each of
these  in
creating a
“vision of
empire” in the
United States?
What is the
role of each of
these  in
actually
achieving an
international
role for the
U.S.?
Social Darwinism:
Hard Times 1893-1897:
William Henry Seward:
Sec. of State Blaine’s Pan-American Union:
The Venezuelan boundary dispute:
Sec. of State John Hay’s Hay-Paunceforte Treaty 1901:
American sugar planters in Hawaii:
For discussion: Like little children having “visions of sugarplums dancing in their heads” on Christmas Eve,
what made the U.S. have visions of empire dancing in its head?
(continued)
AP U.S. History; Political System Under Strain; Study Guide
The Imperial Moment
Identify each:
Jose’ Marti’s rebellion in Cuba
Pres. McKinley
U.S. investment and trade in Cuba
Results:
Americans believed Spain:
Spanish –
American
tensions
increase over
Cuba
The USS Maine
The USS Maine:
Congress:
Define the Teller Amendment:
… so now, Spanish-American War had begun …
Pay attention to how the war was fought, the social aspects of it, the “Rough Riders” and Lt. Col. Theodore
Roosevelt’s role – this will help make him President. We love our military heroes.
Spain
_____ Senate debates (and
The Results of the War: American Empire. What 4
surrenders
approves) the Treaty of Paris
territories did the U.S. acquire from this war?
Supporters:
1)
2)
3)
4) (The most significant):
Anti-Imperialists versus Imperialists
Who were the anti-imperialists, what did they
Who seemed to be the imperialists? What did they
believe?
believe?
The Filipinos wanted the Spanish
out of the Philippines.
The U.S. helped to drive the
Spanish out of the Philippines in
1898.
Why did the U.S. stay?
Results:
The Filipino
Insurrection
Characterize it:
Specifically, how did the U.S. handle the
Philippines:
Emilio Aguinaldo declares:
For discussion: The Filipino insurrection – does it prove the anti-imperialists correct or does it prove
correct the imperialists or neither?
Cause of the first open door note:
Cause of the second open door
note:
______ Sec. of
State John Hay
circulates “open
door” notes.
Define:
The new American empire would be built:
For discussion: notice how rebellions, insurrections, and civil wars affect the United States.
“We will not renounce our part in the mission of the
race, trustee under God of the civilization of the
world.”
Who said this?
What does he want you to understand, according to
Davidson, etal.?
For discussion: A French diplomat said “The United States is seated at the table where the great game is
played, and it cannot leave it.” There is a lot of foreshadowing in this. The “great game” is the building of
land empires around the globe. Why did the U.S. do so and why might it not be able to “leave the game”?
For that matter, has the U.S. ever “left” the game of acquiring more territory? What has this always led
to? Will it commit the U.S. to ‘defending’ it’s trade or foreign possessions?