Give Me Liberty Chapter 17 Notes PDF

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Chapter 17 - Freedom’s Boundaries at Home and Abroad (1890-1900) The Populist Challenge I. The Farmer’s Revolt A. Many farmers were heading into perpetual poverty and faced with debt in response to falling agricultural prices and growing dependency in rural areas B. Cotton also decreased in value, especially during the Civil War, when it was beginning to be produced in other countries like India, Egypt, Brazil C. Farmers’ Alliance, was the largest citizen’s movement consisting of farmers to try and remedy this situation-- ultimately, they needed to get the government to be involved in order to issue loans at low interest rates (using crops as collateral) II. The People’s Party A. In the early 1890s, the Alliance evolved into the People’s Party (also known as the which consisted of not only farmers but other “producing classes” B. The party expanded by using language that argued how banks and large corporations are evil, and how the days of small producers like farmers (what American was envisioned to be under Jefferson) was gone C. They embraced modern technology, and believed that new technology should be used to promote farming cultivation, but they think the federal government should regulate new large-scale cooperatives for the public’s interest III. The Populist Platform A. Direct election of U.S. senators, government control of the currency, a graduated income tax, a system of low-cost public financing to enable farmers to market their crops, single term of presidency, and recognition of the right of workers to form labor unions B. Public ownership of railroads to guarantee inexpensive access to markets C. Immigration restriction IV. The Populist Coalition A. In the South, the populist coalition tried to unite both whites and blacks; however, because of the animosity from the civil war, blacks formed their own organization called the Colored Farmers’ Alliance B. However, white and black populists realized they needed to ally together to break the Democrats’ power 1. Tom Watson, Georgia’s leading populist, worked the hardest to forge a black-white alliance 2. Democrats fended off the Populist challenge C. Populist movement also engaged thousands of reform-minded women like Mary Elizabeth Lease D. In 1892, populist president James Weaver received more than 1 million votes (5% of electoral votes)

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The Government and Labor A. During economic depression or when there were worker strikes, the employers would bring in state or federal authority to squash it Debs and the Pullman Strike A. In 1894, workers in Pullman, Illinois organized a strike to protest a reduction in wages→ the American Railway Union (150,000 members) announced their members would refuse to handle trains with Pullman cars → President Grover Cleveland’s attorney general Richard Olney obtained a federal court injunction ordering the strikers back to work -- overall a lot of clashes B. The strikes stopped after the president, Eugene V. Debs was jailed for violating judicial order C. In case of In re Debs, Supreme Court confirmed the sentences and approved the usage of injunctions (order) against striking labor unions Populism and Labor A. Populist attempted to appeal to the industrial workers, but to little success as industrial workers did not have strong interest in higher prices for farm goods, and the revivalist atmosphere of Populist gatherings (didn’t attract the Catholic Irishes) Bryan and Free Silver A. In 1896, Democrats and Populist joined together to support WIlliam Jennings Bryan for presidency, where he appealed to farmers B. Bryan condemned the gold standard, and called for the “free coinage” of silver C. Bryan’s demand for “free silver” - that is increasing the amount of currency in circulation would raise prices farmers receive, which then would help pay their debts D. He was also a deeply religious man, and had other visions like banking regulations, progressive income tax, and right of workers to form unions The Campaign of 1896 A. Republicans disagreed and believed that the gold standard was the “honest” currency, and removing it would be disastrous for the economy B. Election of 1896, sometimes referred to as the first modern presidential campaign, because of how much money was septa by the Republicans 1. William McKinley’s (Republican nominee) Mark Hanna- his political manager - flooded the country with pamphlets, posters, etc. C. McKinley won the election; won many of the North and Midwest, while Bryan won the South and west 1. This solidified the Republican Party as a strong party

The Segregated South I. The Redeemers in Power

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A. Redeemers were racist white merchants, planters, and business entrepreneurs that tried to undo as much as possible of Reconstruction B. Those without employment and small petty crimes were now jailable offenses, and this led many blacks to be put into prisons - South’s prison became profitable because convicts can be rented (corporations needed these labor e.g. railroads, mines, etc.) The Failure of the New South Dream A. The southern region remained dependent on the North for capital and manufactured good and could not be self-independent as wished Black Life in the South A. Black farmers suffered most in the south because they were unable to acquire the capital necessary to repair irrigation systems and machinery that were destroyed in the war B. There was the creation of network of institutions that served as the foundation for increasingly diverse black urban communities 1. They supported each other, but the system was still built against them (rejected from supervisory positions) The Kansas Exodus A. In 1879 and 1880, an estimated 40,000 to 60,000 African-Americans migrated to Kansas seeking political equality, freedom from violence, access to education, and economic opportunity B. They lacked the capital to start farming so they ended up as unskilled laborers, few went to the south… northern employers didn’t want to hire blacks The Decline of Black Politics A. Political opportunities became increasingly limited for blacks B. National Association of Colored Women, founded in 1896, brought black women together to fight for more rights C. Blacks however continued to cast ballots and vote in places where they could The Elimination of Black Voting A. Southern states wanted to prevent blacks from voting by: drafting laws like the poll tax, literacy tests, demonstrate they “understand” the state constitution 1. “Grandfather clause” which was blatantly racist, where the Supreme Court strick it down in 1915 for violating the 15th amendment B. This disenfranchisement also led to poor, illiterate whites not being able to vote C. Because of the great limitations that the southern states put on black suffragetheoretically, they should have less representation in Congress; however, this was violated and never enforced The Law of Segregation A. Segregation has been set during Reconstruction

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B. In 1883, in the Civil Rights Cases, the Supreme Court invalidated the Civil Rights Act of 1875, which had outlawed racial discrimination by hotels, theaters, railroads, and other public facilities-- the court argued that the 14th amendment prevents discrimination from the state, not private businesses C. Plessy v. Ferguson (1896): Court approved for state laws to separate facilities fro blacks and whites D. In Louisiana, a Citizens Committee of black residents tried to challenge the law; one of their people were arrested; it was tried in the Supreme Court, but the Supreme Court upheld the Louisiana law Segregation and White Domination A. Segregation was a part of a larger purpose of white domination B. Blacks can be found in “white-only” areas, but only as servants, nurses, etc. C. Segregation affected other groups like Chinese people as well The Rise of Lynching A. Those blacks that challenged the system were often lynched (for example, Sam House killed his employer in self-defense, and was later gruesomely executed 1. Ida B. Wells argued against this act in her newspaper, Memphis Free Press, which led to her newspaper getting destroyed B. Lynching was unique to the United States, it was rare in other nations The Politics of Memory A. Schools history textbooks in the South emphasized happy slaves and the evils of Reconstruction

Redrawing the Boundaries I. The New Immigration and the New Nativism A. Many new immigrants came from Italy, Russia, and the Austro-Hungarian empires-- as they arrived, they took upon inferior jobs with bad wages-becoming a way for Americans to see them as “distinct” and inferior B. Immigration Restriction League (founded in 1894) called for the reduction of immigration by barring the illiterate form entering II. Chinese Exclusion and Chinese Rights A. Chinese were heavily discriminated against and they were excluded from entering the United States- which was one of the first legislation to be passed against a group of people B. In CA, they were provided with no public education, and in Tape v. Hurley, the CA Supreme Court ordered the city to admit Chinese students to public schools - the state responded by segregating schools C. Yick Wo v. Hopkins (1886) the Supreme Court ordered San Francisco to grant licenses to Chinese-operated laundries; effectively, allowing them to work

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D. United States v. Wong Kim Ark: the Court ruled that the 14th amendment awarded citizenship to children of Chinese immigrants born on American soil 1. However, the justices also affirmed the right of Congress to set racial restrictions on immigration 2. E.g. in the decision on Fong Yue Ting (1893) - Court authorized the federal government to expel Chinese aliens without due process of law The Emergence of Booker T. Washington A. Booker T. Washington urged that blacks should seek the assistance of white employers that would prefer a docile, dependable black force B. He was backed by many blacks The Rise of the AFL A. The demise of the Knights of Labor sees a rise of the American Federation of Labor B. They advocated for negotiating with employers for higher wages and better working conditions for its members C. AFL restricted membership to only skilled laborers- which was a small minority The Women’s Era A. The 1890s would launch this women’s era where we see women playing a greater role in public life B. Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) founded in 1874, became the largest female organization 1. It began as a temperance movement but changed to demanding a comprehensive program of economic and political reform including the right to vote C. One argument to extend women’s right to vote is that it would limit the “ignorant foreign vote”

Becoming a World Power I. The New Imperialism A. The latter half of the 19th century was known as the “age of imperialism” B. The purposes of imperialism were to bring modern civilization to the “backward’ people in the non-European world (White Man’s Burden) II. American Expansionism A. The last territorial acquisition before the 1890s was Alaska, which was purchased from Russia in 1867 B. Many Americans that looked overseas did so because they wanted to expand their markets (trading purposes) III. The Lure of Empire A. One group of people that wanted to spread the nation’s influences were missionaries- who wanted to spread the idea of Christianity

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B. Also wanted to expand the American institutions of self-government and liberty C. The United States annexed the Hawaiian Islands during the Spanish-American War in July 1898 1. This was after an American rebellion in the Kingdom of Hawaii (they had close ties in the past)- and Harrison tried to annex it, but his successor Grover Cleveland realized that Hawaiians was not happy, so he withdrew it D. The economic depression in 1893, made Americans think that they needed to be in foreign markets to stimulate American exports The “Splendid Little War” A. The Spanish-American War (1898) occurred after the Cuban struggle for independence from Spain-- led to support for the Cubans from Spain B. Demands for intervention escalated after February 15, 1898 when an explosion destroyed the American battleship Maine. America declared war on Spain (on the grounds of aiding Cuban patriots for liberty and freedom) and adopted the Teller Amendment, stating the US had no intention of annexing or dominating the island (shows humanitarian intentions) C. War lasted only 4 months Roosevelt At San Juan Hill A. The most publicized land battle of the war took place in Cuba- known as the charge up San Juan Hill by Theodore Roosevelt’s Rough Riders B. Roosevelt’s unit went to support the Cubans (omitting Blacks from his regiment), but after arriving there he noticed that Blacks arrived before him- this was a fact he omitted from his report C. Roosevelt’s acts made him a national hero, becoming McKinley’s VP in 1900 An American Empire A. In the treaty with Spain that ended the war, the US acquired the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and the Pacific island of Guam B. As for Cuba, McKinley forced Cuba’s new government to approve the Platt Amendment to the new Cuban constitution (allowing the US to intervene militarily whenever they see fit) C. Cuban patriots were disappointed (it passed by a single vote in the Cuban Congress), they saw it as almost changing masters from Spain to the United States D. Open Door Policy in China allowed the US to access the markets and investment opportunities in China The Philippine War A. The war broke out after the US seem to be increasingly involved and exercised control- changing local opinion in the Philippines

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B. This conflict was a loy more deadilier than the Spanish-American conflict, and there were reports of atrocities committed by American troops-- thus making this highly controversial C. McKinley administration’s justification was that it was trying to “uplift and civilize and Christianize” Citizens or Subjects? A. White Man’s Burden was viewed as a justification B. Insular Cases (1901-1904) - the Supreme Court held that the Constitution did not fully apply to the territories acquired by the US C. Ironically, the two principles of no taxation without representation and government based on the consent of the governed were abandoned Drawing the Global Color Line A. One lesson that was learned was that the “failure” of Reconstruction demonstrated the impossibility fo multiracial democracy “Republic or Empire?” A. Debates over whether the United States was a republic or empire flourished 1. Anti-Imperialist argued that they should focus their energies at home and not in other countries 2. Imperialist argued they were doing “benevolent” imperialism- where they wanted to spread the notion of liberty and freedom B. American would become an industrial power regardless, surpassing France, Britain, etc....