Wilson’s “New Freedom”

Woodrow Wilson tries
to fill in the big shoes
left by Teddy Roosevelt
and William Howard
Taft
Eyewitness to History

“ We have been proud of our industrial
achievements, but we have not stopped to count
the fearful physical and spiritual cost to the men
and women and children upon whom the weight
and burden of it all has fallen. This is not a day
of triumph, it is a day of dedication. Here must
gather not the forces of party, the forces of
humanity!”

Woodrow Wilson, 1913
Wilson Makes Quick Changes

1913 Underwood Tariff Act
–
Lowered tariffs in US to lowest levels in 50 years

Congress would make up revenue with graduated
income tax.
–
$5,000 or less = 1% tax
– $20,000 = 3% tax
– $50,000 = 6% tax
Banking Reform

1913 Federal Reserve Act
–
Created a three tiered
banking system in US.

Fed Reserve Board
–


Makes deals for
economy through banks
Fed Reserve Banks
–
12 Federal Reserve Banks
Offers interest loans to
banks
Private banks
–
Federal Reserve Board
Offers money to
 People
 businesses
Private Banks
Wilson Tackles Big Business in 1914

Clayton Antitrust Act
–
Clarified what
businesses could and
could not do


Could no sell goods
below cost to drive out
competitors
Could not buy stock of
other companies to
drive them out of
business

Federal Trade
Commission
–
Authorized to investigate
any corporations!

Targeted issues like
–
Mislabeled items
– monopolies
Wilson Helps the Worker

Farmers
–

Got low interest loans to
start new farms
Railroad
–
Adamson Act is passed

Shortened the workday
of railroad workers from
10 to 8!
Wilson Tries to Help Child Laborers
and Women

Keating-Owen Child
Labor Act
–
Outlawed interstate sale
of products produced by
child labor.

Eventually overturned
by Supreme Court
–
Why?
Women’s Suffrage

National American Woman
Suffrage Movement
(NAWSA)
–
Leading force in the
suffrage movement.


–
Led by President Susan B.
Anthony
Took very local approach
to getting right to vote
Suffrage Movement –
women’s fight for the right
to vote!
Women fight for the right to vote!

Alice Paul
–
Broke away for NAWSA to form National
Woman’s Party

Focused more on national right to vote
–

Wanted a Constitutional change to allow women to vote!
But how?
Picket Around the White House!
Carrie Chapman Catt takes over
National Woman’s Party

1916 Catt’s fight for women’s right to vote gets help
–
WWI breaks out in 1914

–
Pres. Wilson says he agrees with women having the right to
vote.


Women offer lots of help to war cause
That always helps!
1919 19th amendment passed
–
Allows women the right to vote!