President Herbert Hoover’s Response to the Great Depression
 President Herbert Hoover was a Republican President; he believed in laissez-faire
capitalism – that the government should not intervene in the market and that the
market would fix itself
 When the stock market crashed in 1929, President Herbert Hoover did not
intervene in the economy due to his belief in laissez-faire capitalism and when the
economic situation worsened and people asked for government assistance, he still
held to his laissez-faire beliefs because he felt in the long run, it would be best for the
economy and the people
 But President Herbert Hoover’s response to the Great Depression was often
criticized because it failed to provide direct relief for the neediest persons
 Hoover believed that government should not tell businessmen what to do ; he
believed in rugged individualism – that people should make their own destinies
 He did not believe that government should force people to do things and he believed
that the volunteer efforts of churches and caring Americans would alleviate the
Great Depression – but the crisis was great and Americans needed help
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) – Its Purpose
 The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) was created during the Great
Depression – it was created to protect the savings accounts of Americans
 The FDIC was created in 1933 in response to the thousands of bank failures that
occurred in the 1920s and early 1930s
 The FDIC insures bank deposits in eligible banks against loss in the event of a bank
failure; it was established after the collapse of many American banks during the
initial years of the Great Depression
 The FDIC restored confidence in America’s banks – as Americans knew that even if
a bank failed, the government would guarantee that they received the money they
had saved
 During President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration, the Federal Deposit
Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
were created as a way to limit risks associated with savings and investments
A Major Cause of the Great Depression
 A major cause of the Great Depression was the economic factor of purchasing
stocks on credit
 To purchase on credit is to buy with borrowed money
 When an individual buys a stock, he is investing in a company – the company may
succeed or the company may fail – therefore the investor can lose all of his
investment money or make money, make a profit – he does not know when he
purchases the stock
 If an investor borrows money to buy stocks, this is very risky – for if the stock loses
money, he cannot repay the loan
 Thus, borrowing money to buy stocks places banks in danger for banks may not get
the money loaned back
 If too many loans are not repaid, the banks can go bankrupt!
The Group that Most Strongly Opposed Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal
 President Franklin Delano Roosevelt became president after Herbert Hoover –
unlike Hoover, FDR believed that government must intervene in the economy in
times of great crisis
 So, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt used the government and its money to
create jobs for Americans and put money back in the pockets of Americans – this
led to deficit spending or spending more money than the government had – but FDR
felt that in a Great Depression, by the time the market fixed itself, many people
would be dead from hunger and starvation
 The unemployed loved FDR’s policies as they could get back to work but some
Americans disagreed with FDR
 The strongest opposition to President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal programs
came from business leaders
 American business leaders felt that FDR was controlling the economy and denying
wealthy Americans the freedom to engage in the market without government
intervention
Two Causes of the Dust Bowl
 The Dust Bowl was the name given to the Great Plains region devastated by drought
in 1930s depression-ridden America
 When drought struck from 1934 to 1937, the soil lacked the stronger root system of
grass as an anchor, so the winds easily picked up the loose topsoil and swirled it into
dense dust clouds, called “black blizzards”
 Recurrent dust storms wreaked havoc, choking cattle and pasture lands and driving
60 percent of the population from the region – most of these “exodusters” went to
agricultural areas first and then to cities, especially in the Far West
 The two basic causes of the Dust Bowl during the early 1930s were overfarming and
severe drought
 Yes, between 1930 and 1940, the southwestern Great Plains region of the United
States suffered a severe drought
The Purpose of the Neutrality Acts passed by Congress in the mid-1930s
 Throughout much of its history, the United States has heeded the words of George
Washington and “steered clear of alliances” – the United States has followed a
policy of neutrality
 However, during World War I, the United States became involved in the conflict
due to unrestricted German submarine warfare and the Zimmerman telegram
 After WWI, the United States returned to neutrality and did not join the League of
Nations – did not join the international peacekeeping organization proposed by
Woodrow Wilson
 The Neutrality Acts passed by Congress in the mid-1930s were additional efforts to
avoid mistakes that led the country into World War I
 In the 1930s, the United States Government enacted a series of laws designed to
prevent the United States from being involved in a foreign war by clearly stating the
terms of U.S. neutrality
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While many Americans had rallied to join President Woodrow Wilson’s crusade to
make the world “safe for democracy” in 1917, this attitude changed by the 1930s
Americans began to argue that U.S. involvement in the First World War had been
driven by bankers and munitions traders with business interests in Europe
These findings fueled a growing “isolationist” movement that argued the United
States should steer clear of future wars and remain neutral by avoiding financial
deals with countries at war
“Hoovervilles”
 In the early years of the Great Depression, many Americans lost their jobs and were
unable to pay their rents and became homeless
 Some Americans built shanties or poorly built shacks or small homes and lived in
shantytowns
 In the 1930s, shantytowns were often called “Hoovervilles” and sprang up across the
United States
 These shantytowns were called “Hoovervilles” because of President Herbert
Hoover’s refusal to provide direct federal aid to the homeless
 In other words, the poor lived in poorly constructed homes with dirt floors and no
heat and blamed it on President Hoover because Hoover did not provide help to the
unemployed
 Hooverville shanties were constructed of cardboard, tar paper, glass, lumber, tin
and whatever other materials people could salvage
 Cardboard-box homes did not last long, and most dwellings were in a constant state
of being rebuilt
 Some homes were not buildings at all, but deep holes dug in the ground with
makeshift roofs laid over them to keep out inclement weather
Characteristics of an Economic Depression
 High unemployment and overproduction are characteristics of an economic
depression
 A business cycle consists of good times or times of expansion but also of bad times or
times of contraction
 A depression is a severe economic contraction – during a depression, businesses
produce more than people can afford and because of this – overproduction occurs
with many products unsold
 As businesses lose money from many unsold products, business owners must let
workers go – workers become unemployed as factories need far fewer workers
 These unemployed workers have no money and therefore people buy even fewer
goods – thus, even more people become unemployed
Why Congress Refused to Enact President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Court-Packing Plan
 President Franklin D. Roosevelt created the New Deal or policies and programs to
solve the crisis of the Great Depression
 But many of his policies and programs were found unconstitutional by the Supreme
Court
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So, FDR wanted to change the Supreme Court – instead of 9 justices, FDR wanted
expand the Supreme Court to as many as 15 justices
But Congress refused to enact President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s court-packing plan
because the plan threatened to upset the constitutional system of checks and
balances
Checks and balances ensures that each branch of government’s power is limited – if
FDR controlled the Supreme Court then the power of the presidency would not be
limited
The Purpose of Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and Works Progress Administration
(WPA)
 New Deal programs such as the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and the Works
Progress Administration (WPA) were primarily intended to help unemployed
workers
 The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) had two goals: the conservation of
America’s natural resources and the employment of America’s young men during
the Great Depression
 Formed in March 1933, the Civilian Conservation Corps, CCC, was one of the first
New Deal programs – it was a public works project intended to promote
environmental conservation and to build good citizens through vigorous, disciplined
outdoor labor
 The CCC gave jobs to the unemployed
 The Works Progress Administration (WPA) affected many people’s lives –
Roosevelt’s vision of a work-relief program employed more than 8.5 million people
and WPA employees built bridges, roads, public buildings, public parks and
airports
 The WPA also gave jobs to the unemployed
Why Women and Minorities Made Economic Gains during World War II
 During World War II, women and minorities made economic gains mainly because
a shortage of traditional labor created new opportunities in the workplace
 Yes, many American men had to fight in World War II and this provided
opportunities to women and minorities who often were not hired due to
discrimination – before WWII, the jobs went mostly to white men
 But the war changed that
 Now women and minorities were accepted in the workplace because there was a
great need for workers at home
 The war created new opportunities for women and minorities in the workplace
A Major Cause of the Internment of Japanese Americans during World War II
 Two months after the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor, U.S. President Franklin
D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 ordering all Japanese-Americans to
evacuate the West Coast
 This resulted in the relocation of approximately 120,000 people, many of whom were
American citizens, to one of 10 internment camps located across the country
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Yes, Japanese Americans were sent to internment camps where their movements
were greatly restricted and they lost their homes and property due to prejudice
There was a fear in American government that Japanese Americans would aid the
enemy – the nation of Japan
But Italian Americans were not sent to camps and German Americans were not sent
to camps and the U.S.A. was at war with Italy and Germany too
After Japan bombed Pearl Harbor in December 1941, rumors spread, fueled by
race prejudice, of a plot among Japanese-Americans to sabotage the war effort – the
relocation of Japanese Americans was a violation of their civil liberties
A major cause of the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II was
racial prejudice
The Harlem Renaissance
 The Harlem Renaissance of the 1920’s was a period when African Americans
created noteworthy works of art and literature
 The Harlem Renaissance was the name given to the cultural, social, and artistic
explosion that took place in Harlem between the end of World War I and the middle
of the 1930s
 During this period Harlem was a cultural center, drawing black writers, artists,
musicians, photographers, poets, and scholars
 Many had come from the South, fleeing its oppressive Jim Crow segregation in
order to find a place where they could freely express their talents
 Among those artists whose works achieved recognition were Langston Hughes and
Claude McKay, Countee Cullen and Arna Bontemps, Zora Neale Hurston and Jean
Toomer, Walter White and James Weldon Johnson
 The great scholar, W.E.B. Du Bois, encouraged talented African American artists to
leave the South
The Difficulties in Enforcing Prohibition
 Public disregard for Prohibition and for laws prohibiting gambling indicate that
attempts to legislate public morality may be met with strong resistance
 Americans want the freedom to make their own choices regarding what they drink,
what they eat, and how they live in the privacy of their homes
 Americans generally do not want the government to make laws about morality –
about what is good behavior or bad behavior in a family
 So, Prohibition made some Americans upset – some Americans viewed alcohol as an
accepted part of culture
 These Americans did not want the government to tell them what to do
 Some Americans broke the Prohibition laws and drank alcohol – it was hard to
completely stop the drinking of alcohol
The Sacco and Vanzetti Trial
 Sacco and Vanzetti were two Italian immigrants and radicals – they believed in
ideas that differed from American capitalism
 Sacco and Vanzetti were accused of murder
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But in their trial, the judge was prejudiced – he did not like Italians
Sacco and Vanzetti were sentenced to death but some Americans thought their trial
was unfair
In the 1920’s, Sacco-Vanzetti trial was typical of the increase in nativism (antiimmigrant attitude) and intolerance
The Immigration Act of 1924 was another example of the increase of nativism and
intolerance in the 1920s as the Immigration Act of 1924 established quotas or limits
on the number of immigrants from the countries of Southern and Eastern Europe –
and almost completely stopped Asian immigration
The Scopes Trial
 John Scopes was a biology teacher – John Scopes taught about evolution and in
Tennessee, the teaching of evolution was illegal according to state law
 John Scopes was arrested and went to trial – he was found guilty
 But the trial – also known as the Monkey Trial – revealed the tensions in the nation
between science and religion – between traditional America and modern America
 Yes, the 1925 trial of John Scopes reflects the conflict between science and religion
 Sometimes what religion teaches is not what science proposes
A Result of Prohibition
 A major result of Prohibition in the United States during the 1920s was an increase
in organized crime
 As many Americans still wanted to purchase and drink alcohol and as alcohol was
illegal, Americans turned to illegal suppliers of alcohol or criminals
 As the Chicago gangster, Al Capone, once said, “All I do is to supply a public
demand…somebody had to throw some liquor on that thirst. Why not me?”
 Al Capone devised a system to distribute his alcohol, which involved delivery truck
drivers, salespeople, speakeasies (equivalent to a bar), and of course heavily-armed
bodyguards to protect these investments
 Since the sale of alcohol was illegal, criminals like Al Capone bought paid bribes to
police and politicians – by paying off every law enforcement agent and politician in
the districts in which a criminal operated his illegal businesses, the criminal could
sell illegal alcohol
“Flappers”
 A flapper was a young woman in the 1920s who dressed and behaved in a way that
was considered very modern – she smoked and drank and wore short dresses in
public – she challenged traditional values and cut her hair short – flappers danced
at jazz clubs at night and participated in city night life
 Flappers were mostly northern, urban, single, young, middle-class women – many
held steady jobs in the changing American economy
 At night, flappers engaged in the active city nightlife – they frequented jazz clubs
and vaudeville shows
 Flappers cut their hair to shoulder length and raised the hemlines of their dresses to
the knee
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Having won the right to vote when the Nineteenth Amendment was ratified in 1920,
the new “emancipated” woman, the flapper, demanded to be recognized as man’s
equal in all areas – she adopted a masculine look, bobbing her hair and abandoning
corsets; she drank and smoked in public
During the 1920s, controversies concerning the Scopes trial, national Prohibition,
and the behavior of “flappers” were all signs of disagreement over traditional values
and changing lifestyles
The Red Scare of the 1920’s and McCarthyism in the 1950’s
 A Red Scare in American history is a fear of American communists and the fear
that American communists will lead a revolution and destroy the American way of
life
 During the 1920’s, there was a Red Scare in the country because Russia had
experienced a communist revolution and there was a fear that communist
revolutions would occur in other countries
 Immigrants were deported if suspected of communist activities and radicals were
often falsely accused and imprisoned during the Red Scare of the 1920’s
 In the 1950’s, there was another Red Scare – it was the Cold War – a time of tension
between the USA and the Soviet Union – again, many Americans were falsely
accused of being involved in communist activities and imprisoned
 Therefore, a similarity between the Red Scare of the 1920’s and McCarthyism in the
1950’s was that during each period the civil liberties of American citizens were
threatened
A Main Purpose of Government-Ordered Rationing during World War II
 World War II required many American soldiers to fight the war
 As soldiers need food and supplies, many of America’s resources had to go to the
soldiers to help the soldiers win the war
 This meant that Americans at home could not get every product they desired –
sacrifices for the soldiers and the war effort had to be made
 Rationing occurs when the government determines how many products an
American can buy – Americans were only allowed to buy so much meat, wheat, fats
and sugar – Americans were given war ration books allowing them to buy only so
many of the much needed by the soldiers items
 Therefore, a main purpose of government-ordered rationing during World War II
was to conserve raw materials for the war effort
U.S. Foreign Policy at the Beginning of World War II
 At the beginning of World War II, national debate focused on whether the United
States should continue the policy of isolationism
 This is not surprising – since George Washington’s Farewell Address, Americans
have been warned to “steer clear of alliances” – to stay out of Europe’s troubles and
to concentrate on building a strong nation – a nation conceived in liberty
 During WWI, Americans abandoned their policy of isolationism
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Unrestricted submarine warfare and the Zimmerman Telegram brought the USA
into the conflict
But at the start of WWII, Americans were determined to stay neutral – to return to
isolationism
However, this conflict was even worse than WWI and Americans had to become
involved – to ensure that democracy survived in the world!
Korematsu v. United States
 After the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941, the American government
suspected Japanese Americans of helping the enemy – the nation of Japan
 Of course, this was terribly unfair as Italian Americans and German Americans
were not suspected of helping the enemies – the other Axis nations (Italy and
Germany)
 Japanese Americans – after the bombing of Pearl Harbor – were forcibly sent to
internment camps during the war – they were forced to give up their possessions
and freedom and live in these camps during the war
 Korematsu was a Japanese American who challenged the internment camps and his
case went all the way to the Supreme Court
 The Court, however, ruled that during war, civil liberties can be limited – he was
found guilty and had to go to the internment camp
 The wartime policy toward Japanese Americans that was upheld by the Supreme
Court in its 1944 ruling in Korematsu v. United States was confinement in
internment camps
African Americans after World War II – Goals to End Segregation
 The experiences of African Americans serving in the military forces during World
War II influenced their postwar decision to increase efforts to end racial
discrimination
 African Americans served valiantly and bravely in World War II – they sacrificed
for the safety of the nation
 But when they returned to the United States, there was still Jim Crow segregation –
they felt that this was unjust in that they too were American citizens and they too
have fought to win the war
 After World War II, there was an increased effort to end Jim Crow segregation
 There was an increased effort to ensure that all Americans were entitled to their
natural rights and equal protection under the law
The Manhattan Project
 Shortly after entering World War II, the United States began the Manhattan
Project to work on the development of an atomic bomb
 The Manhattan Project was a government research project (1942–45) that produced
the first atomic bomb
 In 1943, a laboratory directed by J. Robert Oppenheimer was created on an isolated
mesa at Los Alamos, New Mexico
 The atomic bomb would help the U.S. win the war
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The first atomic bomb was exploded at 5:30 A.M. on July 16, 1945, at a site on the
Alamogordo air base 120 miles south of Albuquerque, New Mexico
J. Robert Oppenheimer said, “We knew the world would not be the same. A few
people laughed, a few people cried, most people were silent. I remembered the line
from the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad-Gita. Vishnu is trying to persuade the
Prince that he should do his duty and to impress him takes on his multi-armed form
and says, ‘Now, I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.’ I suppose we all
thought that one way or another.”
The Sale of War Bonds during World War II
 To help pay for World War II, the United States government relied heavily on the
sale of war bonds
 A bond is a loan to a government or a corporation – an investor loans money to the
government or a corporation and is repaid over time with interest
 As World War II was very costly, the government needed money and it needed
more money than tax dollars would generate – so, Americans were encouraged to
loan the government money by buying war bonds
 During World War II the government and even radio and movie stars worked hard
to convince people to buy war bonds
 During the war, the government needed all the extra money it could get to help pay
for war equipment
The Louisiana Purchase
 The Louisiana Territory was sold to the United States – Napoleon sold the territory
to fund his wars in Europe and after the French colony of Haiti gained its
independence in the Caribbean
 The Louisiana Territory included full control of the Mississippi River, the port of
New Orleans, and the Great Plains
 The Louisiana Purchase doubled the size of the country and the Mississippi River
and the port of New Orleans benefitted farmers, especially in the Ohio River Valley
– farmers could transport goods more easily
 The Great Plains became the “breadbasket” of the nation – as crops grew in the
Great Plains
 Thomas Jefferson debated buying the land as he was a strict constructionist and
there was nothing in the Constitution suggesting that a President could buy land –
but it was too good of a deal and friends convinced him that since the President can
make a treaty (the Senate must ratify the treaty), he could view the purchase as a
treaty
The Mayflower Compact
 The “Mayflower Compact” was signed in 1620 onboard the Mayflower – a ship
bringing the Pilgrims to North America – shortly after the ship came to anchor off
Provincetown Harbor
 It was the first framework of government written and enacted in the territory that is
now the United States of America
 The compact was signed by nearly all of the Mayflower’s adult male passengers
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The people were pledged to obey the laws created for the good of the colony
The Mayflower Compact is important to the concept of a democratic society because
it represents a clear step toward self-government
It is a clear step toward self-government because the men on the ship agreed to
work together in the creation of a new government – in other words, the people
agreed to the formation of a government and its laws – the power of that
government came from the permission of the people
Checks and Balances
 By creating three branches of government, the framers of the Constitution built a
“check and balance” system into the Constitution
 This system was built so that no one branch of our government could become too
powerful
 To check is to limit – therefore each branch of government (executive, legislative,
and judicial) can limit the power of the other branches – thereby preventing one
branch of government from becoming too powerful – thereby preventing tyranny
 The system of checks and balances is best illustrated by the power of the President
to veto a bill passed by Congress
 Congress can create a bill but the President can say no and prevent the bill from
becoming a law – of course, Congress can override or ignore the veto if two-thirds of
all the members of Congress vote “yes” – then yes, the bill can still become law
Schenck v. United States
 Schenck was a man arrested for distributing flyers to draftees of World War I – he
encouraged men to not fight in WWI
 His case went to the Supreme Court – he argued that it was his First Amendment
right – that he had a right to speak against the war
 The Court ruled against him – the Court ruled that freedoms can be limited if there
is a “clear and present danger”
 Like Korematsu v. United States, Schenck v. United States, illustrated the idea that
during wartime, limitations on civil rights have been upheld by judicial action
 Yes, during wartime, civil liberties can be restricted or limited
Marbury v. Madison
 In this Supreme Court case, the principle of judicial review was established
 Judicial review is the principle that the Supreme Court has the power to declare a
law unconstitutional
 Yes, the significance of the Supreme Court case Marbury v. Madison is that the
decision established the power of judicial review
 In very simple terms, Marbury v. Madison, is important because it was the first time
a law of Congress was ever declared unconstitutional, or in conflict with the
Constitution
 If the Constitution is the law of the land and something is conflict with that law of
the land, then that something is illegal – the Supreme Court has the power to
declare the law unconstitutional
Plessy v. Ferguson
 The Jim Crow legal system, which expanded in the South after Plessy v. Ferguson
(1896), was based on the Supreme Court’s interpretation of the equal protection
clause in the 14th Amendment
 In this Supreme Court case, the Court ruled that segregation was legal as long as
public facilities were equal – “separate but equal” was legal
 Its interpretation of the 14th Amendment was that facilities had to be equal and that
if facilities were equal then segregation was legal – because equal facilities meant
equal protection
 Of course, the facilities were not equal and another Supreme Court case – Brown v.
the Board of Education – reversed the decision – today separate can never be equal
 The case came from Louisiana, which in 1890 adopted a law providing for “equal
but separate accommodations for the white and colored races” on its railroads – in
1892, passenger Homer Plessy refused to sit in a Jim Crow car
The Monroe Doctrine
 A major reason for the issuance of the Monroe Doctrine (1823) was to prevent
further European colonization in the Caribbean region
 The Monroe Doctrine stated that the Americas were closed to future colonization –
that Europe must stay out of the Americas
 In the early 1800s, most nations in Latin America gained independence and the
U.S.A. did not want these newly independent nations from Spain and Portugal to be
conquered by other powerful European nations – like France
 So, the United States issued the Monroe Doctrine
 It made it clear that the Americas were closed to conquest
Andrew Jackson and the Spoils System
 During the presidency of Andrew Jackson, the spoils system resulted in elected
officials rewarding their supporters with government jobs
 Under the spoils system, government jobs are given to supporters of the President –
the idea was that more Americans would be brought into government service as
each President would bring his supporters into government service for his time in
office and then new people would enter government service with the next President
 But some people believed that the spoils system was corrupt because friends and
supporters received government service jobs as opposed to the best qualified
candidates
 Today, there is no spoils system
 Today, government service is based on ability – a candidate must take a test to
receive a job in government service – today we have the civil service system
Monopolists
 J.P. Morgan – like John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie – was a monopolist
 A monopolist is a single seller dominating a market – leading to higher prices
 J.P. Morgan was one of the most powerful bankers of his era
 He financed railroads and organized U.S. Steel, General Electric, and others
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During the late 19th century, J.P. Morgan was heavily involved in reorganizing and
consolidating a number of financially troubled railroads
In the process, he gained control of significant portions of these railroads’ stock and
eventually controlled an estimated one-sixth of America’s rail lines
“Eight Hours for Work, Eight Hours for Sleep, Eight Hours for What We Will”
 The slogan “Eight hours for work, eight hours for sleep, eight hours for what we
will” was used in the late 1800s to promote a major goal of organized labor
 Workers worked long hours – sometimes 14 to 16 hours every day
 Workers organized in unions – unions or organized labor promoted higher wages,
safer working conditions, and the eight-hour workday
 In the 1870s and 1880s, the eight-hour workday became a key demand of labor
unions across the country
 An eight-hour workday allowed workers to work and still have time for family and
sleep
Robber Baron
 A robber baron is an insulting term for a monopolist
 It suggests that a monopolist use unfair business practices and corruption to become
the single seller in the market
 The term robber baron was used to criticize the tactics of big-business leaders
 A robber baron engaged in monopolistic practices – practices that hurt consumers
 J.P. Morgan, John D. Rockefeller, and Andrew Carnegie were accused of being
robber barons
Effects from Rural to Urban Lifestyles
 To move from the countryside to the city is a big change – rural life is more
traditional; city life is more modern
 Urbanization is movement to cities
 As more Americans moved to cities, cities were often unprepared for so many
people, so many new arrivals
 The growth of tenements and slums was an effect of movement from rural to urban
areas as many new arrivals lead to crowded apartment buildings and crowded parts
of a city – often neglected areas in the city
 Of course, rapid industrial growth attracted more Americans to cities as factories
were located in cities and factory jobs provided employment
 The widespread use of child labor often occurred in factories in cities
 So, the shift from a rural to an urban lifestyle led to the growth of tenements and
slums, rapid industrial growth, and the widespread use of child labor
Goals of the Grangers
 The Grange Movement was a movement to help the nation’s farmers
 A main goal of the Granger movement of the 1870’s and 1880’s was to force the
railroads to lower freight rates
 Farmers depended on railroads to move their crops to markets
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Railroads often charged farmers higher rates than other consumers
The Grange Movement wanted the government to control and regulate the railroads
to ensure that all consumers were charged fair prices for railroad use
Why Did Most Immigrants to the United States Settle in Cities?
 The “New Immigrants” from Southern and Eastern Europe settled in cities in the
United States
 Factory jobs in cities attracted the “New Immigrants”
 Yes, at the turn of the century, most immigrants to the United States settled in cities
because jobs were readily available
 In cities throughout the United States, immigrants settled
 The “New Immigrants” typically moved to cities
Nativism
 Nativism is an anti-immigrant attitude
 It is hostility to immigrants
 “Help Wanted - Irish Need Not Apply” is an example of nativism
 It is discrimination against immigrants
 Immigrants often faced discrimination in the United States
The Gentlemen’s Agreement, Literacy tests, and the Quota System
 Due to nativism or an anti-immigrant attitude, immigrants from certain countries
were discouraged from entering the United States
 The Gentlemen’s Agreement limited immigration from Japan
 Literacy tests were administered to immigrants and if an immigrant failed, he
would not be admitted to the country
 The Quota System restricted the number of immigrants from countries that
nativists believed were undesirable countries and cultures – this was just
discrimination and prejudice
The “New Immigrants”
 The “New Immigrants” were immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe
 The “New Immigrants” faced discrimination because their cultures, languages, and
religions differed from the “Old Immigrants” – mostly Protestants from Northern
Europe
 The “New Immigrants” came to the United States for economic opportunities and
worked in factories in cities
 Yes, the “new immigrants” to the United States between 1890 and 1915 came
primarily from southern and eastern Europe
 They faced discrimination and prejudice from nativists
U.S. Imperialism
 The United States policy that is most closely associated with the annexation of
Hawaii and the Philippines is imperialism
 Imperialism occurs when a strong country conquers a weaker region
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The United States gained the colony of the Philippines from Spain – as Spain was
defeated in the Spanish-American War
American influence grew in Hawaii and in 1893, American colonists who controlled
much of Hawaii's economy overthrew the Hawaiian Kingdom in a peaceful, yet still
controversial coup
In 1898, Hawaii became a territory of the United States
Yellow Journalism and the Spanish-American War
 Yellow Journalism is to exaggerate the news to sell more newspapers
 Yellow journalists created support for the Spanish-American War by writing
articles about the sinking of the United States battleship Maine in Havana Harbor
 Yellow journalists blamed Spain for sinking the American ship – even without much
evidence
 This made Americans angry and made Americans blame Spain for the sunk ship
and made Americans demand war
 The Yellow Journalists created anger towards Spain by exaggerating the news and
not carefully researching the facts before printing their stories
The Sixteenth Amendment – Income Tax
 An income tax is the type of federal tax that was authorized by the 16th amendment
in 1913
 The 16th amendment empowered Congress to impose an income tax on individuals
and corporations
 Representative William Sulzer of New York, a supporter of the tax, said, “I have
been the constant advocate of an income tax along constitutional lines… I reiterate
that through it only…will it ever be possible for the Government to be able to make
idle wealth pay its just share of the ever-increasing burdens of taxation.”
 The income tax increased government revenue or government money
 It is a graduated tax in that the rich pay more – this allows the government to use
tax money to address some of the problems in society
Jacob Riis and Upton Sinclair
 Jacob Riis and Upton Sinclair were muckrakers – they were writers who exposed
injustices in society
 Jacob Riis wrote about the poor in cities in his How the Other Half Lives
 Upton Sinclair wrote about unsanitary conditions in the meatpacking industry and
the mistreatment of workers in The Jungle
 Yes, Progressive Era authors such as Jacob Riis and Upton Sinclair are best known
for focusing attention on social conditions
 By exposing injustices, Americans became aware of problems and turned to
government for solutions
The Panamanian revolt, the Russo-Japanese war, National Parks – Teddy Roosevelt
 President Teddy Roosevelt is remembered for many actions – like ordering
construction of the Panama canal and establishing national parks
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Teddy Roosevelt helped negotiate the peace treaty in the Russo-Japanese War and
won a Nobel Peace Prize
Teddy Roosevelt was known as the great “trust buster” for his strenuous efforts to
break up monopolies under the Sherman Antitrust Act
He was also a dedicated conservationist, setting aside some 200 million acres for
national forests, reserves and wildlife refuges during his presidency
In the foreign policy arena, Roosevelt won a Nobel Peace Prize for his negotiations
to end the Russo-Japanese War and spearheaded the beginning of construction on
the Panama Canal
The Purpose of the Meat Inspection Act
 The Federal Meat Inspection Act authorized the Secretary of Agriculture to inspect,
and condemn, any meat product found unfit for human consumption and was
designed to work in combination with the Pure Food and Drug Act
 The 1906 Meat Inspection Act meant that the preparation of meat shipped over
state lines would be subject to federal inspection throughout the whole of the meat
making process
 The Meat Inspection Act was a response to Upton Sinclair’s novel, The Jungle
 Sinclair wrote about the unsafe and unsanitary practices in the meatpacking
industry – this led to consumer demand for safer and more sanitary meat
 The Meat Inspection Act was passed in response to this demand and it regulates
meat processing to ensure clean conditions
Muckrakers
 Muckrakers were writers who exposed political and economic corruption and social
hardships
 Muckrakers wrote about the unsafe and unsanitary conditions in the meatpacking
industry, the lives of the urban poor, the monopolistic practices of robber barons,
and corruption in government
 Upton Sinclair (The Jungle), Jacob Riis (How the Other Half Lives), and Ida Tarbell
(The History of Standard Oil) were muckrakers
 Muckrakers contributed to the rise of Progressivism in the early years of the 20th
century by exposing widespread corruption in business and government
 Progressives wanted to improve society; they wanted to reform society
Anti-Communist or Anti-Red Sentiments during the 1950s
 The Cold War began after World War II as two new superpowers – the United
States and the Soviet Union – competed for power and influence in the world
 During the Cold War, there was a fear of communism in the United States, a fear
that communism would spread and that American communists would attempt to
overthrow the government
 Another Red Scare developed in the United States during the 1950s – this Red Scare
included McCarthyism or accusing people of communist activities without evidence
 Communists were known as Reds and many Americans hated communists
 There was tension in American society