| 28. Woodrow Wilson, 1913-1921, Democrat; VP - Marshall
• New Freedom—Wilson’s label for his Progressive agenda • Underwood-Simmons Tariff, 1913—lowers duties, especially on consumer goods • Progressive Amendments: 16th (income tax is progressive b/c rich pay more than poor), 17th (direct election of senators increases democracy), 18th (Prohibition of alcohol is the culmination of the temperance movement going all the way back to 1830s), and 19th (women’s suffrage, again goes way back to women’s rights movement—remember Seneca Falls in 1830s—although the idea of suffrage was just a wee bit radical in the ante-bellum era) • Federal Reserve System, 1913—allows money supply to expand and contract with economic needs; yeah it’s more complicated than that but that’s all you’re gonna get • Federal trade Commission, 1914—watchdog agency to prevent formation of trusts • Clayton Anti-trust Act, 1914—anti trust law that specifically targets price fixing and interlocking directorates; also says that labor unions are not “per se” combinations in restraint of trade (Sherman Act of 1890 did not mention labor and so was often used by courts to issue injunctions against unions/strikers) • A good argument can be made that the specific goals of reformers of the Progressive Era were much more far reaching than any other reform era in American history (programs are specifically targeted to effect economic, social and political change; the N.D. is specifically economic—but will have social and political ripple effects; the Great Society is specifically economic—uplift inner cities/improve economic situation for African Americans—but again has social and political effects) • Wilson allowed segregation in federal government (begun by postmaster general); he also applauded (literally and figuratively) Birth of a Nation • Troops to Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Virgin Islands, Mexico (Moral Diplomacy) • The Lusitania, May 1915; The Sussex Pledge, The Arabic Pledge (Germany’s unrestricted submarine warfare violates U.S. neutral rights; so does British interference w/ American trade, but sinking ships and killing civilians is obviously taken more seriously) • "Fourteen Points," January 1917 –plan to prevent future world war by addressing the causes of WWI; reduction of armaments, self determination, etc. (League of Nations 14th point) • Espionage Act & Sedition Act—citizens cannot interfere with war effort, raising of troops, or insult the government and/or the Constitution • Schenck v. United States—upholds conviction of man distributing anti war/draft pamphlets; speech that creates a clear and present danger is not protected by 1st Am • Abrams v. United States—upholds conviction of a man handing out pamphlets arguing against U.S. intervention in Russian Revolution • Selective Service Act—the draft • War Industries Board—to control war production (under Bernard Baruch)—War Labor Board (Taft) to prevent labor disputes (AFL cooperates with war effort w/ no-strike pledge) • The Creel Committee on Public Information (war propaganda galvanizes American support of war effort) • Food Board (Herbert Hoover)—voluntary efforts (Victory Gardens, Meatless Mondays, Wheat-less Wednesdays, When in doubt, eat potatoes! Effectively cuts domestic use of farm goods (no rationing) • The Great Migration—500,000 African Americans leave the south • Treaty of Versailles, 1919-1920; ends WWI, Wilson has to compromise many of his “points” to get European powers to agree to League of Nations, but he rationalizes that as long as we have the League it will be OK—Wilson loses the battle to get the Treaty/League of Nations ratified by the Senate • The Lodge Reservations—14 reservations against the treaty; Wilson won’t budge • The Red Scare/Palmer Raids—5000 arrested, 250 deported The Roaring Twenties, 1920-1929: General social nuttiness combined with Conservatism in Government 29. Warren G. Harding, 1921-1923, Republican; VP - Calvin Coolidge; Secretary of State - Charles Evans Hughes • Harding campaigned on “Return to Normalcy;” best interpretation of this phrase is probably more laissez-faire and less global involvement • Farm Depression begins when demand of WWI era drops; farmers remain depressed throughout 20s • Teapot Dome—scandal involving government oil reserves (Harding’s administration was involved in several corruption scandals, this was the biggest) • Washington Naval Conference, 1921-1922 –armament reductions • Fordney-McCumber Tariff, 1922—raised average tariff rate to 40% (reversal of Progressive era policy) • Immigration Acts of 1921 & 1924—growing nativism, restrictions on S & E Europeans • Regulatory agencies (ICC, FTC) obviously still exist in the 1920s, but they act to support the needs of Big Business (one of the ways that Progressive-ism loses momentum in 1920s); also Sec. of Treasury Andrew Mellon instituted a program of overall tax cuts (particularly valuable to the wealthy) • Good Neighbor Policy—1921; $25 m. to Columbia (old Panama Canal deal) 30. Calvin Coolidge, 1923-1929, Republican; VP – Dawes; Secretary of State - Frank Kellogg • Vetoes farm aid (twice) program of gov’t buying farm surpluses (didn’t work when Hoover tried it later, but might have been a good start if initiated before the overall depression hit?) • Kellogg-Briand Pact, 1928 –outlaws war as an instrument of foreign policy—obviously quite effective. • Scopes Trial—monkey trial exemplifies the cultural battle between old and new values • Stock Market Speculative Boom/margin buying—unregulated stock market • Rise of mass consumption/credit buying—Americans were drying up their future purchasing power (over expansion of credit is a classic cause of depression) • The New Klan—pro WASP; anti-anything else; membership peaks in mid-20s, probably about 5 m. 31. Herbert Hoover, 1929-1933, Republican; VP – Curtis; Secretary of State - Henry L. Stimson • Releases the Clark memo denying U.S. right to intervene in Latin American affiars • National Origins Immigration Act, 1929 • Panic and Depression begin in 1929; Stock Market Crash is the first symptom • Requests volunteerism/resists direct federal aid—perceived as uncaring • Some public works projects (but not much) • Hawley-Smoot tariff, 1930—causes reprisals • Federal Farm Board/Agricultural Marketing Act 1929-1931 (purchases farm surpluses; spent money but didn’t help much, as overproduction was the big problem) • Reconstruction Finance Corporation (lends $ to business—FDR kept this program but obviously supplemented it w/ many others) • Did not support direct relief (rugged individualism) as he believed it would hurt more than it helped • The Bonus Expeditionary Force—Spring to summer of 1932; 17,000 needy WWI vets with their families protest in DC for federal bonuses to be paid early (money was not due until 1945 but Congress was debating giving it to them early); Hoover had federal troops clear them out (commanded by General Douglas MacArthur, who thought the marchers were trying to overthrow the gov’t, obviously a communist plot); troops used bayonets and tear gas; 2 vets were shot and killed, 2 babies died from tear gas, many protestors were wounded. Huge public relations snafu right before the 1932 election. • Hoovervilles, Hoover flags (empty, inside-out pockets) —people tended to blame Hoover for the G.D. The New Deal, 1933-1940; World War II and the Cold War 32. Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1933-1945, Democrat; VP - Garner, Wallace, Truman • FDR appealed to voters: compassion, communication skills, try-anything approach • Dust Bowl, Oakies, Grapes of Wrath—John Steinbeck (read it sometime, it’s awesome) • New Deal –restore and maintain purchasing power: Relief, Recovery, Reform • Keynesian Economics/Pump Priming—gov’t spending to stimulate economy (Keynes published his book in 1938; New Deal began spending before that but FDR had always been concerned with too much deficit spending) • FERA, CCC, PWA, AAA, NRA, TVA • Fair Labor Standards Act—minimum wage, maximum hours • Wagner Act—guarantees unions the right to collective bargaining • Social Security Act—payment to old people; comes from payroll tax • FDIC; SEC—permanent reforms of New Deal for banking and stock market • Court Packing Plan—attempt to interfere with independence of judiciary; puts a damper on FDR’s 2nd term • Huey Long’s “Share Our Wealth” Program—liquidate huge fortunes, give the money to the poor • Dr. Francis Townsend’s Old Age Revolving Pension Plan—mad money to old people if they spend it quickly (impetus for Social Security Act) • American Liberty League—New Deal critics: it threatens individualism, free enterprise, states rights • New Deal Coalition (impact of ND on Democratic Party)—unites workers, women, African Americans, immigrants, intellectuals (I’m sure I’m leaving some group out!) and the ever-important MIDDLE CLASS (important ‘cause there’s so many of ‘em!) under the Democratic umbrella (the Democrats have been trying to get this coalition back since the 1980s) • Formation of CIO—John L. Lewis; unskilled & semi-skilled union (merged w/AFL in 1955; AFL-CIO) • New Deal and race: New Deal programs were “color blind” but did not specifically target African Americans, who were usually among the hardest hit by the Depression; FDR had a “Black Brain Trust” • 1933 Renounced the Roosevelt Corollary (TR); 1934 abrogated Platt Amendment (Cuba) • 1933 Recognition of U.S.S.R. • 1934 Reciprocal Trade Agreements (50% tariff reductions for nations that reciprocate) • Tydings-McDuffy Act grants Philippine independence by 1946 • Neutrality Legislation—attempt to keep United States out of WWII • Cash and Carry—allies must pay cash for United States goods and come pick them up • Lend-Lease—U.S. will give allies anything they need to fight the war (not neutral anymore!) • Destroyer for Bases—FDR moves closer to war; gives destroyers to England w/o Congressional approval • Arsenal of Democracy—FDR claims United States can help allies w/o actually fighting • Pearl Harbor—Japanese attack on United States naval base leads to declaration of war • Government during WWII: more economic controls than during WWI, rationing of food/gas; War Production Board halted consumer products in favor of war goods; Office of Price Administration regulated prices to prevent rampant inflation; War Labor Board capped wages (angered CIO) to prevent inflation; Income tax rates go up to fund war (40% of war funding came from taxes; 60% from the sale of war bonds); GNP doubled 1940-1945 (Keynes was right?); National Debt 250 B. in 1945 • Impact of WWII on women: served in domestic industry; 200,000+ served in military (non-combat) • Japanese Internment (Exec. Order 9066); approx. 110,000 West Coast Americans of Japanese descent; the vast majority are American born • Korematsu Case (1944) upholds internment; Congress apologizes in 1988 and awards token reparations • Impact of WWII on African Americans: 1 m. served in segregated forces in military; at home, an Executive Order banned racial discrimination in defense plants (because of A. Phillip Randolph’s threat of March on Washington); massive migration (1.6 m.; 3x the amount during WWI) to north for jobs; African Americans’ experiences in the military and in relatively high paying defense jobs during the war will be a part of the impetus for civil rights later; CORE is founded in 1942 • Yalta Conference—FDR, Churchill, Stalin—free elections in Poland (but Stalin has de facto control of Eastern Europe—foundation for the cold war; Soviets want buffer zone) |