1890-1920

Question 1

Reaction to Big Business

Answer 1

Protest against dominance of big business and a demand for regulation

Question 2

Granger Movement 1870s

Answer 2

Grew to 800,000
Aimed to promote agriculture and the community
Forerunner to Populism

Question 3

Knights of Labour 1869

Answer 3

1886 - 20% of all workers affiliated with them
Nationwide trade union organisation

Question 4

American Federation of Labour (AFL)

Answer 4

National Labour Association
1880s - 27 states passed laws to curb trusts
1887 Interstate Commerce Commission
1890 Sherman Antitrust Act

Question 5

1890 Sherman Antitrust Act

Answer 5

Federal Law to ensure fair competition in business
Used federal powers to restrict monopolistic practices

Question 6

Reasons for Populism

Answer 6

1893 Depression - bankrupt businesses, people turned to populism
Silver and Bimetallists - wanted to abandon the gold standard and return to silver
Agricultural discontent - prices of wheat and cotton fell, high tariff competition from Europe

Question 7

The Populist Party

Answer 7

Formed in 1892 in Omaha, got 1 million votes in the 1892 election
Aims:
- Regulate railways
- Government regulation of farm prices
- Graduated income instead of tariffs
- Direct election of senators
- Max 8 hour working day
- Alter basis of currency - move away from gold standard

Question 8

William Jennings Bryan

Answer 8

Won nomination for Democrat party in 1896 (with support from Populists)
Lost to McKinley (M: 273, B: 176)

Question 9

Importance of Populism

Answer 9

Never recovered by 1900 - membership fell and activists had retired or joined other parties
Progressives adopted many Populist aims
1890-1908 - Elected 11 governors, 45 members served in Congress

Question 10

Rise of the Republican Party

Answer 10

1890 Republican party different from 1865
- Fewer African American voters after Reconstruction failed
- S. was a lost cause
- High tariffs and protectionist economics
Democrats were divided - E. Conservatives unenthusiastic about Bryan as he was unorthodox
Republicans supported by Mark Hanna - spent $7 million to elect McKinley

Question 11

William McKinley (1896-1901)

Answer 11

Assassinated in 1901
Passed legislation that pleased big business:
- Dingley Tariff Act 1897 - increased tariffs
- Alaska-Yukon Gold Rush - increased gold in circulation
- 1900 Currency Act - committed US to the gold standard
- Spanish American War

• Chose Roosevelt as VP and defeated Bryan again in 1900
• Condemned lynchings
• Created independent arbitration board for labour disputes
• Met with Booker T. Washington
• Supported by Progressives

Question 12

Progressivism

Answer 12

Wide ranged movement that demanded change due to political and social issues
Linked to urban areas, rather than rural ones:
Aims:
- Reform of political corruption
- Regulation of Big Business
- Break up of cartels and trusts
- Female suffrage and women’s rights
- Higher public morality
- Protection of worker’s rights
- Protection of the environment

Question 13

Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909)

Answer 13

Radical and Interventionist
Square Deal Campaign
- Fought corruption as police commissioner in NYC
- Publicly condemned ‘wealthy criminal class’
- 1902 Coal strike
- 1902 blocked creation of Northern Securities
- 1903 Bureau of Corporations
Relected by landslide in 1906
- 1906 Hepburn Act
- Created 193 million acres of national forest, 53 wildlife reserves and 5 national parks
- 1906 Meat Inspection Act

• Denounced socialists and populists
• Moderate towards race relations

Question 14

1902 Coal Strike

Answer 14

Roosevelt took on the mine owners and their backers in support of the workers

Question 15

1903 Bureau of Corporations

Question 15

Hepburn Act 1906

Question 15

Meat Inspection Act 1906

Question 16

William Howard Taft (1909-1912)

Answer 16

Hand picked by Roosevelt
Wanted to backtrack Roosevelt’s reforms
- Took action against US Steel
- 80 Antitrust suits against bug business (more than R)
- Empowered ICC to set railroad rates
- Constitutional Amendments for federal income tax

• Aligned self with conservative wing of Rep party
  -Payne-Aldrich Act - protectionist and anti-progressive

Question 17

1912 Election

Answer 17

Progressives joined with Democrats - elected Wilson as candidate
End of Republican dominance of US politics
Wilson - 435 votes/60 states
Roosevelt - 88 votes/6 states
Taft - 2 states

Question 18

National Progressive League

Answer 18

Led by Senator La Follette
Formed to drag Republican party back to Progressivism

Question 19

Bull Moose Party

Answer 19

Roosevelt’s party in the 1912 election

Question 20

Struggles of the Democratic Party

Answer 20

Badly damaged by divides in the 1890s
Challenge of Populists fell away
Republicans supported by Big business and prosperous economy

Question 21

1896 Election - Strengths and Weaknesses of the Democrats

Answer 21

Jennings Bryan attracts large audiences
Free silver divided opinion - failed in ‘96 and failed again in 1900

Question 22

1904 Election - Failure of the Democrats

Answer 22

Democrats abandoned Bryan and turned to moderate, pro-business candidate (Parker)
Roosevelt won easily

Question 23

1908 Election

Answer 23

Turned to Bryan who abandoned 'free silver' (coming off GS) Failed to win state in N.E

Question 24

Democrats Revival

Answer 24

Revival in 1910 after the Republicans suffered disaster: - Taft alienated Republicans and Roosevelt - Democrats won control of H. of Representatives in mid-terms

Question 25

Woodrow Wilson (1912-1919)

Answer 25

Led the USA through WW1

Question 26

Socialism & Eugene Debs

Answer 26

Railroad worker and trade union activist - led railway strike of 1893 Workers organised into trade unions and strikes in opposition to big business Demanded radical change to social and economic system Influential in WW1 but was overshadowed by the Progressive movement

Question 27

Homestead Strike

Answer 27

Steel industry steike

Question 28

Pullman Strike 1894

Answer 28

Railway strike