Ch. 19 Review

Question 1

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

Answer 1

Jan 16, 1893: 13 American Businessmen and lawyers, calling themselves “the Committee of Safety” with assistance from the US military to overthrew the Queen Liliuokalani of Hawaii. 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

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 2

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 3

Coxey’s Army

Answer 3

A group of thousands of unemployed men ed by Populist James A. Coxey who marched on Washington in 1894 as a result of the depression. Demanded a public works program, but following their leader’s arrest, the group disbanded.

Question 4

The Atlanta Compromise

Answer 4

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 5

Jose Marti

Answer 5

Smuggled in from the United States into Cuba in 1995 to begin a revolution against the Spanish rule.

Question 6

Yellow Journalism

Answer 6

Sensationalized journalism to gain public support for war in 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 7

Separate but Equal

Answer 7

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 8

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

Answer 8

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

Question 9

Who won the election of 1896?

Answer 9

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

Question 10

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 10

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

Question 11

The first newspaper to reach 1,000,000 in circulation

Answer 11

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 12

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

Answer 12

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 13

Jingoism

Answer 13

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.

Question 14

Imperialism

Answer 14

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

Question 15

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

Answer 15

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 16

The De Lôme Letter

Answer 16

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 17

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

Answer 17

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 18

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 18

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 19

The Teller Amendment

Answer 19

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 20

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

Answer 20

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 21

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

Answer 21

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.

Question 22

The Open Door Policy

Answer 22

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.

Question 23

How did the United States respond to the Boxer Rebellion

Answer 23

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.

Question 24

What were the core issues of William Jennings Bryan’s 1900 campaign?

Answer 24

Free silverand anti-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.

Question 25

The Insular Cases (1901)

Answer 25

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.

Question 26

What were the Ocala Demands

Answer 26

In 1890, several regional farmers’ alliances gathered in Ocala, Florida, where they drafted the Ocala Demands. In part, the Demands advocated: increased federal regulation of the railroads; a graduated income tax; lower tariffs; silver currency; a federally regulated banking system. The Ocala Demands were incorporated into the Omaha Platform, the founding document of the Populist Party.

Question 27

In 1890, Alfred Mahan wrote The Influence of Sea Power on History. What did Mahan argue?

Answer 27

The head of the United States Naval College, Mahan contended that any army would eventually succumb to a blockade and thus sea power, and not a strong army alone, was imperative for national survival. Mahan’s work resulted in renewed enthusiasm for a strong U.S. Navy, which in the 1880s was weaker than the navies of countries such as Chile and Italy. A strong navy led to U.S. victories in the Spanish-American War, and the dispatch of the Great White Fleet.

Question 28

Sherman Silver Purchase Act (1890)

Answer 28

Obligated the government to purchase a minimum amount of silver each month, reducing the supply of silver in the open market, and driving up its price. Farmers hoped the Act would spur the economy and cause inflation, which would in turn enable farmers (many of whom were heavily in debt) to pay off their debt with less expensive dollars.

Question 29

McKinley Tarrif

Answer 29

Increased tariff rates to almost 50%. Strongly supported by Republican protectionists, who advocated protecting American businesses and workers within the country by restricting or regulating trade with foreign nations.

Question 30

The Populist Party

Answer 30

Active during the late 19th century, the Populists fielded James G. Weaver as a Presidential candidate in 1892. The Populists sought to build a coalition of urban workers and farmers in the Midwest, and appealed to supporters of the Greenback Party, union workers, and those who belonged to the Farmers’ Alliance. Over one million voters cast ballots for Populist candidates in 1892, and Weaver carried four states.

Question 31

What significant reforms did the Populists propose?

Answer 31

Drawing support from laborers, farmers, and reformers, the Populists proposed a graduated income tax, restrictions on immigration, public ownership of railroads, telephones and telegraphs, and the direct election of senators.

Question 32

In re Debs (1895)

Answer 32

Eugene V. Debs was the head of the American Railway Union, who had been arrested in the Pullman Strike of 1894 for violating a court injunction ending the strike. Debs argued that the use of court injunctions to stop strikes was impermissible. The Court disagreed, and justified the use of injunctions to avoid interruptions of interstate commerce during strikes. The decision had two results: It tacitly allowed corporations to destroy labor unions through the use of the courts; and Debs concluded that more radical solutions were needed to assist labor, and turned to socialism.

Question 33

the Interstate Commerce Act

Answer 33

In 1886, the Supreme Court held in Wabash v. Illinois that only Congress could regulate interstate shipping rates. By enacting the Interstate Commerce Act in 1886, Congress established the first regulatory agency, the Interstate Commerce Commission. Congress charged the Commission with ensuring that railroad rates were “reasonable and just.”

Question 34

Yellow dog contract

Answer 34

A yellow dog contract is an agreement between a worker and an employer that requires the worker to agree not to join a union. If the worker joins one, he would be automatically fired from the job.

Question 35

What prompted the Pullman Strike in 1894?

Answer 35

Pullman was the largest maker of railroad cars in the country. In 1894 George Pullman announced a reduction in wages, but not a corresponding reduction in rents at the Pullman company town. Workers went on strike and sought the assistance of Eugene V. Debs, head of the American Railway Union.

Throughout the country, Debs instructed workers to refuse to load, link, or carry any train that had a Pullman car attached, and the nation’s transportation infrastructure ground to a halt.

Question 36

How did rail owners respond to the Pullman Strike of 1894?

Answer 36

The Pullman Strike of 1894 paralyzed the nation’s rail network, as workers refused to load, link, or carry any train with a Pullman car. Rail owners attached mail cars to the Pullman cars, and then claimed to the U.S. government that the strikers were blocking the mail, a violation of U.S. law. With the approval of Grover Cleveland, rail owners sought and received an injunction from the courts, which required workers to stop striking. Workers and the American Railway Union leadership who refused (including Eugene V. Debs) were jailed.