Cleveland to McKinley 1893 - 1901

Question 1

Explain what happened during the 1893 Coup of the Kingdom of Hawaii.

Answer 1

13 American Businessmen and lawyers, calling themselves “the Committee of Safety” asked for assistance from the US military to overthrow the Queen of Hawaii. On Jan 16, 1893, 162 US sailors and marines were landed, where they helped the Committee of Saftey overthrow the Queen.

In 1893 President Cleveland criticized the involvement of American troops who had been used in the coup as a misuse of power by the United States.

Question 2

Complete the sentence:

Beginning in the 1890s and continuing until 1915, ______, composed by musicians such as Scott Joplin, proved increasingly popular, blending strict two-four time and the melody in a steady syncopation.

Answer 2

Ragtime

Ragtime music began in black neighborhoods in St. Louis and New Orleans before catching on with audiences nationwide. Ragtime blended European classical music with the syncopation utilized by Black musicians. Ragtime influenced many of the earliest jazz musicians, such as Louis Armstrong.

Question 3

In 1893, the stock market suffered a collapse similar to the one in 1873 when railroad overbuilding led to bank failures. How did President Cleveland address the depression that ensued?

Answer 3

Believing that the depression was caused by the free coinage of silver and a shortage of gold, Cleveland convinced Congress to repeal the Sherman Silver Purchase Act of 1890, and to reduce the McKinley Tariff’s rate.

Although reducing the tariff rate helped only a little bit, by repealing the Sherman Silver Purchase Act, Cleveland made the Panic of 1893 much worse, since it restricted the flow of money. Less money available meant Banks were less likely to loan money, which restricted the growth of business and jobs.

Question 4

What was Coxey’s Army?

Answer 4

Coxey’s Army, led by Populist James A. Coxey, was a group of thousands of unemployed men who marched on Washington in 1894 as a result of the depression.

Coxey’s Army demanded a public works program, but following their leader’s arrest, the group disbanded.

Question 5

Beginning in the 1860s and continuing until the birth of radio in the 1920s, what was the most popular form of entertainment in the United States?

Answer 5

Vaudeville

A vaudeville show was typically a variety show, with several unrelated acts, including acrobats, animals, singers, and comedians.

Question 6

Complete the sentence:

The most popular of the Wild West shows was led by _____ _____.

Answer 6

Buffalo Bill

William “Buffalo Bill” Cody’s shows featured Indians, sharpshooters such as Annie Oakley, and depictions of stage coach robberies. The most popular of the Wild West shows, Buffallo Bill and his troop toured North America and Europe to sold-out performances.

Buffalo Bill was the consummate showman. One of his biggest publicity stunts was to have his Indians arrive in Spain on October 12, 1892, the 400th anniversary of Columbus’s arrival in the Americas.

Question 7

Define:

Social Gospel

Answer 7

Proponents of the Social Gospel contended that it was their Christian duty to improve the lives of the less fortunate. They contended that Christian ethics should be applied to social problems, especially issues of social justice such as alcoholism, crime, racial issues, slums, poor hygiene, and inadequate schools.

Prominent Social Gospel advocates included Jane Addams and Walter Rauschenbusch.

Question 8

What was Hull House?

Answer 8

Founded by Social Gospel advocate Jane Addams, Hull House aided recent immigrants in Chicago. Hull House provided English lessons, childcare to working mothers, and children’s playgrounds.

Settlement houses like Hull House proliferated throughout the country’s major metropolitan areas during the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Question 9

What was the Atlanta Compromise?

Answer 9

During an 1895 speech at the Atlanta Exposition, Booker T. Washington announced that an agreement had been reached between Southern whites and Blacks.

Under the agreement, Blacks agreed to submit to white political rule, while whites guaranteed that blacks would receive basic education in trades and due process in law.

Question 10

Complete the sentence:

In 1895, José Martí, with arms and ammunition smuggled in from the United States, began a revolution against the Spanish government in _____.

Answer 10

Cuba

Both Hearst’s Journal and Pulitzer’s World covered Martí’s revolution and atrocities committed by the Spanish government in suppressing it, such as the decision to concentrate suspected revolutionaries in camps. Both newspapers urged American intervention.

Question 11

Define:

Separate but Equal

Answer 11

The South used “Separate but Equal” to justify segregation under the Constitution. The Supreme Court condoned Separate but Equal in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896), holding that racial segregation was legal, so long as the facilities offered to blacks were roughly equal to those offered to whites.

In reality, the separate bathrooms, drinking fountains, schools, railroad cars, and myriad other separate facilities were never equal. In 1954, the Court overturned Plessy in Brown v. Board of Education.

Question 12

How did William Jennings Bryan secure the 1896 Democrat nomination for President?

Answer 12

Bryan endorsed free silver in his famous “Cross of Gold” speech.

Question 13

Who won the election of 1896?

Answer 13

William McKinley crushed William Jennings Bryan in one of the most lopsided presidential elections in history.

Question 14

Who was the most popular bandleader of the early 20th century?

Answer 14

John Philip Sousa

Sousa specialized in patriotic marches and led his brass band in parades and concerts. His most famous march, Stars and Stripes Forever, written in 1897, continues to be popular today.

Question 15

Complete the sentence:

In 1897, early in President McKinley’s first term, gold was discovered in _____, bringing the U.S. out of the depression which followed the Panic of 1893.

Answer 15

Alaska

The Alaskan Gold Strike also increased the amount of gold in circulation, lessening the appeal of candidates who supported silver coinage.

Question 16

What was the first newspaper to reach 1,000,000 in circulation?

Answer 16

The New York World, published by Joseph Pulitzer, reached the 1,000,000 mark in the 1890s. Unlike the more staid papers of the day, Pulitzer’s World emphasized sensationalism with lurid tales of love gone wrong, murder, and corruption in high places.

Question 17

Who led the New York Journal, a rival to Pulitzer’s New York World?

Answer 17

William Randolph Hearst

Hearst and Pulitzer engaged in a newspaper war fighting for subscribers with ever-escalating sensationalism. Critics dubbed their conduct “yellow journalism.” The term “yellow journalism” stems from the Yellow Kid comic strip, which was published in both the Journal and the World.

Question 18

Define:

Jingoism

Answer 18

Jingoism is a belligerent nationalist foreign policy. The term was used in the 1890s to describe those who supported continued American expansion, by diplomatic means if possible, but by war if necessary.

The term is often associated with Teddy Roosevelt, who was quoted in 1895, “If by ‘jingoism’ they mean a policy in pursuance of which Americans will with resolution and common sense insist upon our rights being respected by foreign powers, then we are ‘jingoes.’”

Question 19

Define:

Imperialism

Answer 19

Imperialism is a policy of extending a country’s power, territory, or influence by diplomacy, force, or a combination of both.

By contrast, an anti-imperialist opposes such an extension.

Question 20

What political group opposed continued U.S. imperialism in the early 20th century?

Answer 20

the Anti-Imperialist League

Guided by William Jennings Bryan, the Anti-Imperialist League opposed the U.S. annexation of the Philippines in the aftermath of the Spanish-American War. The League contended that annexation was against the wishes of the Filipinos, and thus contrary to the American principle of the “consent of the governed.”

Question 21

What was the De Lôme Letter?

Answer 21

De Lôme was the Spanish Ambassador to the United States. In February 1898 (a few weeks before the Maine sank in Havana), a letter written by De Lôme to his government, which insulted President McKinley, was leaked and published in The New York Journal.

The letter, which described McKinley as “weak and catering to the rabble,” outraged Americans.

Question 22

Complete the sentence:

In 1898, the sinking of the _____ in Havana Harbor provided the excuse for an American declaration of war on Spain.

Answer 22

USS Maine

One of America’s new battleships, the Maine exploded on the night of February 15, 1898. Although probably the result of an accident, the sinking provided a pretext for war. A popular Spanish-American War recruiting slogan was “Remember the Maine, and to hell with Spain.”

Question 23

Before requesting Congress to declare war in 1898, President McKinley issued an ultimatum to Spain, demanding that Spain cease hostilities against the Cuban revolutionaries. How did Spain respond?

Answer 23

Spain agreed, but under domestic pressure President McKinley asked Congress for a declaration of war anyway. The Spanish-American War was officially declared on April 20, 1898.

Question 24

What was the Teller Amendment?

Answer 24

Affixed to the American declaration of war against Spain in 1898, the Teller Amendment declared that after the war, Cuba would be granted self-government. For the Cubans at least, the Spanish-American War would be a war of liberation, not of conquest.

Question 25

What were the terms of the Treaty of Paris (1898), ending the Spanish-American War?

Answer 25

Under the Treaty of Paris, the United States gained the Spanish possessions of Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines, for which the United States paid $20 million.

Cuba, where most of the fighting had taken place, was placed under the jurisdiction of the United States military, and achieved independence in 1902, albeit with significant limitations on its foreign policy.

Question 26

The Treaty of Paris (1898), ending the Spanish-American War, provided for American annexation of the Philippines. How did Filipinos respond?

Answer 26

Filipinos were outraged, having expected independence. Emilio Aguinaldo, a Filipino nationalist, led a guerrilla movement against American forces. The Philippine Insurrection resulted in thousands of casualties.

The Philippines would finally be granted independence in 1946.

Question 27

The United States suffered some 5,500 fatalities during the Spanish-American War. What was the leading cause of death?

Answer 27

Only about 500 American servicemen lost their lives due to enemy combat, while some 5,000 died due to disease; primarily malaria, yellow fever, and dysentery.

Dr. Walter Reed, a U.S. Army physician, investigated yellow fever. He determined that it was transmitted by a particular mosquito species, rather than by direct contact. Reed’s research formed the foundation of the new field of epidemiology.

Question 28

What was the Open Door Policy?

Answer 28

In 1899, Secretary of State John Hay sent a note to those nations holding “spheres of influence” (territorial grants from China). Hay requested a formal guarantee of Chinese territorial integrity and free use of ports within China for trade, an “open door” for all nations. Hay’s diplomacy marked America’s arrival as a first-class power, on par with the European nations.

One of the “spheres of influence” was Hong Kong, which remained under British control until 1999.

Question 29

Stationed in San Francisco in February, 1898, the USS Oregon sailed around South America in time to participate in the Battle of Santiago de Cuba, some two months later. What was the effect of this lengthy journey?

Answer 29

The Oregon’s two-month trip provided convincing evidence of the need for the Panama Canal; in the event of war with a major European power the United States would be able to ill afford the lengthy journey required to shift ships from the Pacific to the Atlantic.

Question 30

Complete the sentence:

In 1900, _____’s request for annexation was officially granted by the U.S. Congress.

Answer 30

Hawaii

American settlers overthrew the Hawaiian monarchy in 1893, but their request for annexation had been rebuffed by President Cleveland and the Democrats. The Spanish-American War provided a pretext to reconsider annexation, and the island became a U.S. territory.

Question 31

How did the United States respond to the Boxer Rebellion?

Answer 31

In 1900, the United States joined seven other nations in sending troops to protect foreign embassies in Peking from attack by Chinese nationalists known as the Boxers. In addition to the Open Door Policy, the United States’ response signified a more active U.S. foreign policy, and greater involvement in Asian affairs.

Westerners called the Chinese nationalists Boxers due to the martial arts and calisthenics they practiced.

Question 32

During the 1900 presidential election, the Democratic Party nominated William Jennings Bryan for a second time, and were a second time unsuccessful. What issues formed the core of Bryan’s campaign?

Answer 32

Bryan trotted out his familiar trope of free silver, and also campaigned against imperialism. Neither proved popular, as the Klondike gold discovery in Alaska had allowed the government to issue more gold-backed dollars, and much of the populace was proud that America had demonstrated itself a first-class power with a strong navy in its war with Spain.

In addition, McKinley’s Vice Presidential choice of popular war hero Teddy Roosevelt proved popular, and McKinley won a resounding victory.

Question 33

What were the Insular Cases (1901)?

Answer 33

The Insular Cases arose out of the question of whether the U.S. Constitution would apply in full in the territory acquired from Spain. Despite the urging of the Anti-Imperialists, the Court held that the Constitution did not follow the flag. Rather the territories only received those rights granted to them by the Congress.