Reconstruction through Progressive Movement
Civil War 1861-1865—we have a divided nation
- United States of America—North
- Confederate States of America—South
During the war, Lincoln started to "reconstruct" (rebuild) the Union.
Slavery had an impact on Economics, Social aspects, Politics
Homestead Act (1862)
 Gives people free land out West
 Passed in Washington DC and applies to people living in the North
 This will stop the spread of slavery
 This will develop the West
Emancipation Proclamation (1863)
 States that all slaves in confederate held territory (land controlled by the South)
are now FREE.
 Actually No slaves are freed.
 Changes purpose of the war
Sharecropping
 a new farming arrangement for slaves
 a family farmed a portion of a planter’s land
 with a share of the crop as payment
 harsh punishments kept the sharecroppers from getting paid
 this kept sharecroppers dependent
Jim Crow Laws
 Laws enacted to keep African Americans segregated and unable to vote
 Poll tax—pay a toll or own property before African Americans could vote
 Grandfather clauses—exempts a group of people from obeying a law if they met
certain conditions before the law was passed.
 Literacy tests—had to demonstrate a minimum standard of knowledge before
they could vote
Plessy v. Ferguson—Supreme court decision which ruled, “separate-but-equal”
Booker T. Washington—encouraged African Americans to use vocational education to
achieve economic success. He believed they would eventually be accepted by succeeding
economically.
W.E.B. DuBois—in his Niagara Movement he encouraged people to educate themselves
through a college education in their quest for political and social equality and.
Dawes Act (1887)
 Reformers wanted to break Native American Traditions
 Gave separate plots of land to each Native American family headed by a male.
 Much of the land was not suitable for farming
 Native Americans had no interest or experience in agriculture
 Native Americans were forced to live on reservations.
When the war starts Lincoln's goal is to preserve the union (USA)—NOT to abolish
slavery. With the Emancipation Proclamation, now the goal is to end slavery.
"Reconstruction" Amendments:
13th Amendment—abolishes slavery in United States.
14th Amendment—grants full rights of citizenship to former slaves
15th Amendment—gives right for all former slaves (male) to vote
The Transcontinental Railroad
 Coast to coast (Atlantic to Pacific) railroad line
 Would facilitate trade and Western settlement
 Chinese and Irish main immigrant labor
 Started 1862 - Completed in 1869
Robber Barons/Captains of Industry
Used ruthless business tactics against competitors.
Andrew Carnegie
founded the first steel plants. Soon he controlled the
American steel industry. While expanding his business, he
became a major public figure.
John D. Rockefeller formed the Standard Oil Company—he persuaded his
railroad friends to give him illegal refunds as part of the
cost of transporting his oil. He could set Standard’s Oil
prices lower than his competitions. He soon bought out his
competitors.
Laissez-faire—free marketsystem based on supply and demand
Monopolies— one company who has complete control of a product or service. Buy or drive
out other companies in the business. Once they became monopolies, they could charge
any price they wished.
Cartels—a loose association of businesses that makes the same product. Members
agreed to limit the supply of their product and this kept the prices up.
Trust—Companies join the trust and the companies are managed as a single unit. This
new kind of monopoly proved an effective means of limiting industrial competition.
Sherman Antitrust Act—this law outlawed any combination of companies that
restrained interstate trade of commerce. This act was ineffective because it was
rarely enforced.
Clayton Antitrust Act—law passed to strengthen federal antitrust enforcement by
spelling out and regulating business activities that were forbidden. This helped restore
competition between businesses.
Labor Unions—were formed to help members get higher wages, shorter work days, and
better working conditions.
Populist movement—Farmers were suffering from a long-term decline in crop prices and
competition from other nations. They started political parties associated with the
Farmers’ Alliances, which began to enjoy success at the ballot box.
Grange— it helped farmers form cooperatives, in which farmers saved money by buying
goods in large quantities. It also pressured state legislators to regulate the businesses
on which farmers depended (grain elevators and railroads). They also called for an
increased circulation of money.
Progressive Income Tax—A tax in which the percentage of tax owed increases with
income.
Immigration during the 19th century was not limited because they needed a supply of
cheap labor for the expanding economy.
Railroad strikes—the railroad announced a 10% wage cut, which was the 2nd wage cut in
eight months. Employees went on strike and vandalism and violence broke out. A new
and violent era in labor relations began.
Railroad
Railroads were the most technological development in the US
Rebates
Railroads offered rebates
Farmers
Farmers became increasingly reliant on the railroads for transportation of their
crops to the eastern markets. "Farmers were not offered the special low prices,
because farmers needed the railroad more than the rail roads needed farmers."
Granges
Farmers formed organizations called Granges. Grange started as a social club for
farmers and evolved into a third political party—the Populist Party. This party
would focus on the needs of farmers; however, it is one dimensional—they are too
focused on one group.
The Populist Party
The Populist party wanted the Federal Government to regulate the railroads to
help out farmers. They also proposed three changes to how government operated:
initiatives, recalls, and referendums.
 Initiative: people can introduce legislation for a vote by the legislature
 Recall: removal of elected officials from office before their term is up
 Referendum: people can directly vote to enact and repeal laws.
Their Nativism was motivated because they did not want immigrants coming in and
taking their jobs.
Presidential Candidate
The Populist Party presidential candidate: William Jennings Bryan
Party Platform—Free Silver: gold & silver are used as money in the US. Populist
party wants to inject more silver into the money supply because it is abundant in
the WEST and put more money into the pockets of Farmers and not the East Coast
Bankers.
Cross of Speech
William Jennings Bryan says “America will not be crucified on a cross of gold.” It
means that America should not be controlled by BIG BUSINESS who operates for
their own benefit.
Progressive movement—wanted reform to make people’s lives better because
 Of big business and big industry
 Politics were corrupt
 Monopolies kept prices high and exploited workers
Progressive movement—
 Pushed the government to put brakes on unfair ways of doing business
 Gov. Robert LaFollette introduced reforms to give voters a more direct voice in
government.
 Had Four amendments passed during this time:
o 16th Amendment-allowed federal income
o 17th Amendment- mandated direct election of US senators tax
o 18th Amendment-forbade making or selling alcohol
o 19th Amendment-gave American women the right to vote.
Muckrakers—members of the Progressive movement
 Most members were of the middle class
 Mostly well educated
 Some were journalists
 They exposed corruption by writing about it “investigative journalism.”
 Upton Sinclair—The Jungle, novel about the horrors of the meatpacking industry
 Ida Tarbell—revealed abuses committed by Standard Oil
 Jacob Riis—exposed child labor
Expansion
The Panama Canal was built to create a shorter route between the Pacific and Atlantic
Oceans
United States foreign policy became one of Imperialism. They would protect any
country in the Western Hemisphere, Latin America, Central America, Cuba, etc.