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Terms & Concepts for
the AP US History Exam
Terms & Concepts for the AP US History Exam
1. Roanoke-English colony founded in 1585 by Sir Walter
Raleigh. Consisted of 100 settlers who were given a charter by Queen
Elizabeth I to settle American. All people of the colony returned to England
with Sir Francis Drake, while Raleigh left to get reinforcements and
supplies. Tried to settle there again in 1587 and all members of the colony
disappeared (Lost Colony)
2. Virginia Company-The Virginia Company was formed with a
charter from King James I in 1606. The Company was a joint stock corporation
charged with the settlement of Virginia. It had the power to appoint the
Council of Virginia, the Governor and other officials, and the
responsibility to provide settlers, supplies and ships for the venture. The
charter was revoked in 1624 and Virginia became a Crown Colony.
3. Jamestown-First successful English colony in the
Americas. The settlers reached Virginia on May 14, 1607. They brought 214
settlers that were not ready to survive in an untamed land.
4. "starving time"- The years 1609-10 are known
as the "Starving Time." Food was in such short supply that graves
were robbed and corpses eaten. One colonist murdered his wife and feasted on
her flesh. In 1610, with hope seeemingly extinguished, Jamestown was
abandoned. The colonists boarded ships for the return trip to England. As
their vessels prepared to clear the James River, a fleet appeared with
reinforcements and supplies. The departing settlers were reluctantly
persuaded to return to the colony.
5. House of Burgesses-In July 1619, a meeting of the House
of Burgesses was held in Jamestown, the first such assembly in the Americas.
The House of Burgesses was empowered to enact legislation for the colony,
but its actions were subject to veto by the governor, council and ultimately
by the directors in London. Voting for the burgesses was limited to
landowning males over 17 years of age. The assembly comprised 22 members who
represented the following constituencies:
a. The governor, who was appointed to his position by the company
officials in London
b. The governor’s council, six prominent citizens selected by the
governor
c. The burgesses (representatives) from various locales, initially
the larger plantations and later in Virginia history from the counties.
6. Mayflower Compact- Arriving at what is now Provincetown,
Mass., on Nov. 11 (Nov. 21, new-style calendar), 41 of the passengers signed
the famous "Mayflower Compact" as the boat lay at anchor in that
Cape Cod Harbor. The compact was an agreement to live and abide by the rules
set forth by members of the colony.
7. Powhatan Confederacy-A group of Native North Americans
belonging to the Algonquian branch. Their area embraced most of tidewater
Virginia and the eastern shore of Chesapeake Bay. Wahunsonacock, or
Powhatan, as the English called him, was the leader of the confederacy when
Jamestown was settled in 1607.
8. Royal Colony-A colony that is under the direct control of
the ruling family from another country. The rulers select the leaders of the
colony and can do with the colony what they wish. By the late 1600s, the
king of England had taken control of most of the corporate colonies,
including the Virginia, Plymouth, New York, and Massachusetts Bay Colonies.
The king did this because the colonies had become too independent or were
disobeying trade agreements and he felt he was losing control over them.
Usually, the king appointed a governor to live in the colony and enforce
laws and agreements. These governors often had difficulty getting the
colonists to obey them. Because the governors were not elected by the
people, they were often not very popular. The governors needed royal troops
to help them enforce the king's laws.
9. Charter Colony-A colony that is under the indirect rule of
the ruling family. A company or other organization are given permission by
the ruling family to establish a colony without the interference of the
royal family. The charter is simply a constitution of rights for the
colonists to follow. The company owners are usually the leaders. Connecticut,
Rhode Island, Massachusetts Bay, Plymouth, and Virginia were
established with charters.
10. Joint-Stock Colony- Sometimes a number of people invested
money in a company that planned to set up a colony in the New World. Each
person who invested money owned a part of the company. Massachusetts Bay was
a joint-stock colony established by the Massachusetts Bay Company.
11. Proprietary Colony- A type of settlement dominating the
period 1660–90, in which favorites of the British Crown were awarded huge
tracts of land in the New World to supervise and develop. Before this time
most of the colonies had been financed and settled under the jurisdiction of
joint stock companies.
12. Puritans- The Puritans were a group of people who grew
discontent in the Church of England and worked towards religious, moral and
societal reforms. The writings and ideas of John Calvin, a leader in the
Reformation, gave rise to Protestantism and were pivotal to the Christian
revolt. They contended that The Church of England had become a product of
political struggles and man-made doctrines. The Puritans were one branch of
dissenters who decided that the Church of England was beyond reform.
Escaping persecution from church leadership and the King, they came to
America. The Puritans believed that the Bible was God's true law, and that
it provided a plan for living. The established church of the day described
access to God as monastic and possible only within the confines of
"church authority". Puritans stripped away the traditional
trappings and formalities of Christianity which had been slowly building
throughout the previous 1500 years. Theirs was an attempt to
"purify" the church and their own lives.
13. Massachusetts Bay Colony- In 1628, group of distinguished
Puritan businessmen formed a venture named the Governor and Company of
Massachusetts Bay, which was initially conceived as a profit-making endeavor
in the New World. A land grant was received from the Council of New England,
the successor to the ineffective Virginia Company of Plymouth, providing
rights to the area between the Charles and Merrimack rivers and westward to
the Pacific Ocean. The colony was settled in 1630 by a group of about 1,000
Puritan refugees from England under Governor John Winthrop.
14. Great Migration- In the early 16th century to the mid-20th
century more than 60 million people left Europe to seek new homes overseas.
Ethnic groups included Africans, British, French, Dutch, Swedes, Germans,
Irish and several others.
15. Plymouth Bay Colony- The Pilgrims founded Plymouth on Dec.
21, 1620, establishing a settlement that became the seat of Plymouth Colony
in 1633 and a part of Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1691. The Pilgrims were
English Separatists who founded (1620) Plymouth Colony in New England. In
the first years of the 17th century, small numbers of English Puritans broke
away from the Church of England because they felt that it had not completed
the work of the Reformation. They committed themselves to a life based on
the Bible. Most of these Separatists were farmers, poorly educated and
without social or political standing
16. Maryland-Lord Baltimore was given the charter for founding
in 1632, but founded the colony in 1634. Lord Baltimore was motivated both
by the desire for profit and the desire to create a refuge for Roman
Catholics who were still being persecuted in Protestant England.
17. Connecticut- Thomas Hooker and a group of Massachusetts
colonists moved to what would become Connecticut because they were looking
for more freedom and financial opportunities in 1635/1636. Colonists were
moving into and starting towns in future Connecticut in 1635, but the main
towns did not join together to form the Connecticut colony until 1636.
18. Rhode Island-Roger Williams was banished to England by the
Massachusetts Bay Colony for his beliefs in separation of church and state
and freedom of religion. He fled and lived with the Narragansett Indians and
formed Providence in 1636. Anne Hutchinson was also banished for speaking
out against the Church in Massachusetts Bay. She formed Portsmouth. Two
other settlements arose and all four joined together with permission from
England to form Providence Plantations – later called Rhode Island.
19. Pequot War-Battle between the peoples of New England and
the Pequot Indians that took place in 1636-1637. This war led to the
extermination of the Pequot Indians and their allies.
20. Anne Hutchinson-Puritan woman that was banished from the
colony due to her differing religious beliefs and her outspokenness. She
left Massachusetts Bay and moved to Rhode Island where she founded the city
of Portsmouth in March of 1638.
21. Roger Williams-Founder of the Rhode Island colony in 1636.
He was cast out of Massachusetts Bay for teaching religious tolerance and
advocating the separation of church and state.
22. Maryland Toleration Act- In 1649, Maryland was the most
religiously diverse of the English colonies, having been founded as a
Catholic haven, and then populated by a large number of Protestants. While
the Act did prevent outright persecution for a long time, it failed to
prevent a political struggle over the control of the colonial assembly.
23. Fundamental Orders of Connecticut- (1639) The first
written constitution in North America. Adopted by the residents of Hartford,
Windsor, and Wethersfield, it was largely the work of Thomas Hooker, a
Puritan clergyman. A plan for self-government of the colony, the orders put
the welfare of the community above that of the individual, providing for the
election of a governor, six assistants, and a legislative assembly to make
laws.
24. New Amsterdam/New York- The Netherlands only controlled
the Hudson River Valley from 1609 until 1664. Dutch entrepreneurs
established New Netherland, a series of trading posts, towns, and forts up
and down the Hudson River that laid the groundwork for towns that still
exist today. In 1664, James, the Duke of York, received control of New
Netherland. The name of the colony was changed to New York in honor of the
Duke.

25. New Jersey- In 1664, James, the Duke of York, received
control of New Netherland. He granted land to two of his friends, Lord
Berkeley and Sir George Carteret, that would become New Jersey. The two
advertised and promised settlers many benefits for colonizing including
representative government and freedom of religion. The colony quickly grew.
Quakers eventually purchased both of their charters and created East and
West Jersey, which were joined by the crown in 1702.
26. Carolina- In 1663, King Charles II issued a royal charter
to eight nobles to settle the area south of Virginia. They created Carolina
and included the previous settlement. However, because of internal problems,
the crown took over the colony and formed North and South Carolina out of it
in 1729.
27. King Philip’s War-The most devastating war between the
colonists and the Native Americans in New England. It took place in
1675-1676. The war, which was extremely costly to the colonists in people
and money, resulted in the virtual extermination of tribal Native American
life in S New England and the disappearance of the fur trade. The war was
named for the leader of the Wampanoags.
28. Bacon’s Rebellion-A popular revolt in colonial Virginia
in 1676, led by Nathaniel Bacon. Many poor, landless, young men were tired
of the attacks that Native Americans were perpetrating on the colonists.
29. Pennsylvania- Pennsylvania was settled as 1630 by Dutch
pioneers who came up the Delaware Bay and River. Swedes began to arrive
about 1631. King Charles II, in 1664, being unwilling to sanction the
prosperity of the Dutch, as a separate community, granted patent to his
brother James, Duke of York and Albany, all that the Dutch then held as
their New Netherlands. The founding of Pennsylvania, about 40,000 square
miles, was confirmed to William Penn under the Great Seal on the 5th of
January 1681.
30. Dominion of New England- In 1686, all of New England was
joined in an administrative merger by the British government, the Dominion
of New England; two years later, New York and both New Jerseys were added.
The northern colonies were unified for the purposes of defense and
administrative control. The Dominion experienced little success, due largely
to colonial interference.
31. Glorious Revolution in England- 1688 marked the end of
absolutism and the beginning of Constitutional Government in England. The
British Parliament gained more power and the royal family’s power
declined.
32. Delaware- Peter Minuit was Dutch and formed New Sweden as
part of New Netherland. When Charles II, King of England gave his brother
James, the Duke of York, New Netherlands, he demanded and received its
surrender. He renamed New Sweden to Delaware, although it remained a part of
Pennsylvania until 1703. Peter Minuit and the New Sweden Company created
Delaware (New Sweden) in 1638.
33. Georgia- In 1732, James Oglethorpe was given a charter
from King George II to create a new colony which he would name Georgia. This
was located between South Carolina and Florida. It had two main purposes: to
serve as a place where debtors in prison could go to start anew and it
served as a barrier against Spanish expansion from Florida.
34. Harvard- Harvard College was established in 1636 by vote
of the Great and General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and was named
for its first benefactor, John Harvard of Charlestown, a young minister who,
upon his death in 1638, left his library and half his estate to the new
institution.
35. Halfway Covenant- In 1662 a Massachusetts synod agreed
that, for all churches, a "half-way" membership status would be
recognized. Adults who had been baptized as children but who had not yet
experienced the conversion necessary for full membership could nonetheless
have their children baptized. The parents in return were to agree to
maintain the church's standards of moral conduct. Until conversion, however,
these parents and their children were ineligible to vote in church affairs
or take communion.
36. Salem Witchcraft Trials-Trial in Massachusetts in 1692.
people are accused of bewitching children. The accusations began in 1688. As
events unfolded, 185 people were accused at Salem, 141 women and 44 men. Of
that number, 52 women and 7 men were tried; 26 women and 5 men were
convicted; and 14 women and 5 men were executed, the last group on September
22, 1692.
37. Scotch-Irish- Many thousands of Scots-Irish immigrants
came prior to 1776, with large-scale immigration beginning in 1718.
Immigration to America was at a standstill during the American Revolution
(1775-1783), but following the Revolution many Scots-Irish continued to come
to the United States.
38. Yale- Founded in 1701 in New Haven, Connecticut. A tool to
help the population of the US become more educated if they can afford it.
39. Great Awakening- What historians call "the first
Great Awakening" can best be described as a revitalization of religious
piety that swept through the American colonies between the 1730s and the
1770s. That revival was part of a much broader movement, an evangelical
upsurge taking place simultaneously on the other side of the Atlantic, most
notably in England, Scotland, and Germany. In all these Protestant cultures
during the middle decades of the eighteenth century, a new Age of Faith rose
to counter the currents of the Age of Enlightenment, to reaffirm the view
that being truly religious meant trusting the heart rather than the head,
prizing feeling more than thinking, and relying on biblical revelation
rather than human reason.
40. College of William & Mary- Founded in 1693, William
and Mary is the second oldest educational institution in the U.S. The
creation of the school shows the dedication that early colonists had towards
education, especially those at the upper end of the social ladder.
41. John Peter Zenger case- John Peter Zenger arrived in
New York from Germany in 1710 and served as an apprentice to William
Bradford, printer of the New York Gazette. In 1733, New
York Colonial Governor William Cosby stirred up a great controversy by
prosecuting the interim Governor, Rip Van Dam, and removing Chief Justice
Lewis Morris from the courts. After Governor Cosby adopted the measures
against these men, an opposition group arose to fight him politically. These
wealthy and powerful men established an opposition newspaper, the New York
Weekly Journal, and hired John Peter Zenger as the printer and editor. The
Weekly Journal printed numerous articles critical of Governor Cosby until
Cosby could take it no longer. In November 1734, Cosby had Zenger arrested
and put in jail without contact for ten months. On August 4, 1735, Zenger
was brought to trial and charged with seditious libel. He was defended by
Philadelphia lawyer, Andrew Hamilton. The prosecution argued that the sole
fact of publication was sufficient to convict and barred the truth from the
evidence. Hamilton admitted that Zenger published the stories, but denied
that it was libel unless it was false.
42. Stono Rebellion- Early on the morning of Sunday, September
9, 1739, 20 black slaves met in secret near the Stono River in South
Carolina to plan their escape to freedom. Minutes later, they burst into
Hutcheson's store at Stono's bridge, killed the two storekeepers, and stole
the guns and powder inside. The group of slaves grew in number as they
headed south. Stono's Rebellion was the largest slave uprising in the
Colonies prior to the American Revolution.
43. Regulators Uprising-Mainly poor farmers in the Carolinas
in 1769-1770 that were protesting unfair government practices, such as high
taxes, lack of protection from natives, and low prices for farm goods.
44. King William’s War 1689-1697- King William’s War
was the first in a series of colonial conflicts between France and England
for supremacy in North America. The major goal, other than prestige, was the
control of the fur trade. All of these struggles had European counterparts
that were often of greater significance than the American events. "King
William" refers to William III of England, the new monarch imported
from the Netherlands at the time of the Glorious Revolution in 1688-89. The
new king allied himself with the League of Augsburg (certain German states,
Spain and Sweden) to oppose the French expansion. The Austrians and the
Dutch also joined the fray against Louis XIV in the European phase of the
conflict
45. Queen Anne’s War 1702-1713- In 1702, Europe was again
convulsed in war, this time over the issue of succession to the Spanish
throne. In North America, the fighting involved not only the British and
French in the north, but also the British against the Spanish in the south.
Like the previous conflict (King William’s War), the French and their
Algonquian allies staged a series of devastating raids in Western New
England. Hostilities in the south were highlighted by the British capture of
Saint Augustine in Spanish Florida and by a failed Spanish attack against
Charleston, South Carolina. The Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 ended the European
and North American conflicts. The British received Acadia (renamed Nova
Scotia), Newfoundland and fur trading posts in the Hudson Bay area. France
managed to retain several islands in the Saint Lawrence River and Cape
Breton Island at the northeastern end of Nova Scotia.
46. "Salutary Neglect"-Salutary neglect refers to
the state of Anglo-American relations before the end of the French and
Indian War. British Parliament did not interfere in the government of the
colonies, and America existed in relative political isolation.
47. King George’s War 1744-1748- The third in a series of
Anglo-French colonial conflicts in North America, King George’s War had
been preceded by an outbreak of fighting in Europe. The death of Charles VI,
the Holy Roman Emperor, had touched off a succession crisis that pitted
France, Prussia and Spain against the British. Warfare developed in the
American colonies in 1744 when the French attacked a British position at
Canso, Nova Scotia, destroying a fortification and transporting prisoners to
the French stronghold at Louisbourg on Cape Breton Island. The French also
attempted to recapture Port Royal (Annapolis Royal), but failed. Peace was
achieved with the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle in 1748.
48. Albany Congress- Representatives of seven colonies of
British North America met in Albany, New York, in 1754, at the outbreak of
the French and Indian War. The Board of Trade, the organ of the British
government responsible for the colonies, called the congress to unify the
colonists in the face of the threat of war.
49. Albany Plan of Union-(1754), first plan for uniting the
colonies, proposed by Benjamin Franklin at the Albany Congress. Franklin's
Albany Plan proposed a loose confederation of colonies with a representative
grand council with power to levy taxes, raise troops, regulate Indian trade,
and provide mutual defense. The crown-appointed council head would have
final say about American affairs. To make his point, Franklin published in
his Pennsylvania Gazette a sketch of a snake divided into eight
pieces, each representing a colony, and entitled it "Join or Die."
Although the congress adopted the Albany Plan, it was rejected by the
colonial governments and by the British. It served as an important model for
intercolonial union.
50. French and Indian War- The French and Indian War (also
known as the "Seven Years War") saw the British pitted against the
French, the Austrians, and the Spanish. The early period of the war saw
localized action in North America and began with Washington's loss at Fort
Necessity. Neither side committed much in the way of troop strength or
resources to the effort. Most of the action was confined to attempts to
capture the opponent's fortified positions on the frontier. A middle phase
began with the declaration of war between France and Britain, and touched
off the first true world war (Seven Years’ War). The North American
conflict might well have remained a localized affair, but a realignment of
European alliances ignited new rivalries to add to the simmering feud
between Britain and France. A final phase was highlighted by the British
decision to concentrate on the North American phase of the conflict. The
investment of huge sums of money and innovative new military talent helped
to provide the margin of victory. Treaty of Paris in 1763 ends the war.
51. Treaty of Paris 1763-
|
FRANCE |
|
North America |
Ceded Canada and all North American claims east of the Mississippi
River to Britain, but not New Orleans |
|
North America |
Ceded west Louisiana (most of the present-day central United States)
and New Orleans to Spain |
|
North America |
Retained islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon (valuable fishing sites off
Newfoundland) |
|
West Indies |
Received back from Britain the islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique |
|
West Indies |
Ceded Grenada and Grenadines to Britain |
|
India |
Retained most posts, but lost influence to Britain, particularly in
Bengal |
|
Africa |
Ceded Senegal to Britain |
|
Mediterranean |
Ceded interest in Minorca to Britain |
|
Europe |
Agreed to withdraw armies from the German states |
|
SPAIN |
|
North America |
Ceded Florida to Britain |
|
North America |
Received west Louisiana and New Orleans from France |
|
West Indies |
Received Cuba and the Philippines from Britain |
|
Mediterranean |
Ceded interest in Minorca to Britain |
|
BRITAIN |
|
North America |
Received Canada from France |
|
North America |
Received Florida from Spain |
|
West Indies |
Ceded recently taken Guadeloupe and Martinique back to France |
|
West Indies |
Ceded recently taken Cuba and the Philippines to Spain |
|
West Indies |
Received Grenada and the Grenadines from France |
|
India |
Received extensive rights from France |
|
Africa |
Received Senegal from France |
|
Mediterranean |
Received Minorca from France and Spain |
52. King George III- King George III sat upon the throne of
England from 1760-1820. It was on his watch that the American colonies were
lost. George III inherited more than just the throne. He also had the royal
hereditary disease porphyria which had afflicted Mary Queen of Scots. She
passed it to her son, King James I of England. Porphyria is caused by the
insufficient production of hemoglobin. The symptoms are photosensitivity,
strong abdominal pain, port wine colored urine and paralysis in the arms and
legs. The interruption of nerve impulses to the brain causes the development
of psychiatric symptoms. Finally, epileptic convulsions occur and the patient
sinks into a coma. George III's first attack occurred in 1765, four
years after his marriage to Queen Charlotte. From 1811 to the time of
his death in 1820 he became progressively insane and blind.
53. Sugar Act-The Sugar Act levied taxes against colonial sugar
for the purpose of financing the large British military presence in North
America that was necessary to protect the colonies from the French and Spanish
on April 5, 1764. The Sugar Act also provided for more effective control
over colonial trade and allowed customs officials to require suspected smugglers
to stand trial in a vice-admiralty court in Halifax, Nova Scotia (Canada).
54. Currency Act-Parliament passed the Currency Act to soothe
British merchants, who complained about the colonies' issuance of worthless
paper currency. By extending to the rest of the colonies the Currency Act of
1751, which had applied only to the New England colonies, the Act restricted any
further issuance of paper currency and required that all such currency in
circulation eventually be retired.
55. Stamp Act- In 1765 King George the Third passed the
Stamp Act to regain money from fighting the French and Indian War. The Stamp Act
made the colonists pay taxes on various items such as paper, legal
documents, newspapers, ships papers, other publications, and even playing
cards.
The Colonists would use the stamps by putting them on the items
listed above. Colonists would buy the stamps from a stamp commissioner.
The colonists didn't want to pay taxes so they boycotted goods until the King
repealed the Stamp Act on March 18, 1766.
56. Quartering Act- On June 2, 1774 new legislation required the
colonies to provide soldiers with living accommodations in their private homes
along with using public facilities, such as inns, taverns, and unused buildings.
57. Stamp Act Congress- The Stamp Act Congress was a
meeting in October of 1765 of delegates from the British American Colonies that
discussed and acted upon the recently passed Stamp Act. The meetings adopted a Declaration
of Rights and wrote letters or petitions to the King and both houses of
Parliament. This Congress is viewed by some as the first American action in or
as a precursor of the American Revolution.
58. Sons of Liberty- During the Parliamentary debate over the
Stamp Act (1765), Isaac Barré referred to the American opponents of the new tax
as the "Sons of Liberty". Secret radical groups in the colonies
adopted this name and worked to oppose the stamp tax and other later
parliamentary revenue programs.
59. Declaratory Act- (March 18, 1766), an act passed by the
British Parliament after repeal of the Stamp Act. The act stated that the king
and Parliament had the right and power to make laws that were binding on the
colonies "in all cases whatsoever," even though American colonists
were unrepresented in Parliament.
60. Townshend Acts- The Townshend Acts were a series of measures
introduced into Parliament by Chancellor of the Exchequer Charles Townshend in
1767. The acts imposed duties on glass, lead, paints, paper, and tea imported
into the colonies and created a Board of Customs Commissioners to enforce
customs laws without the accused having recourse to a trial by jury. Townshend
hoped the acts would defray imperial expenses in the colonies. Because Benjamin
Franklin and other Americans in Britain had argued against Parliament's power to
impose the Stamp Act on the ground that it was a direct tax, British leaders
convinced themselves that the colonists would accept so-called indirect taxes
such as import duties, a wishful misunderstanding of colonial opinion.
61. Boston Massacre- The Boston Massacre occurred on March 5,
1770. A squad of British soldiers, come to support a sentry who was being
pressed by a heckling, snowballing crowd, let loose a volley of shots. Three
persons were killed immediately and two died later of their wounds; among the
victims was Crispus Attucks, a man of black or Indian parentage. The British
officer in charge, Capt. Thomas Preston, was arrested for manslaughter, along
with eight of his men. In an effort to demonstrate the impartiality of colonial
courts, two Patriot leaders, John Adams and Josiah Quincy, volunteered to defend
Captain Preston and his men. The prosecution produced little evidence, and
Preston and six of the soldiers were acquitted; two others were found guilty of
manslaughter, branded on the hand, and released. Although many Patriots
criticized the verdicts and the anniversary of the Boston Massacre became a
patriotic holiday, the removal of troops from Boston and the repeal of all but
one of the contested import duties resulted in a lowering of tension in the
years following the incident.
62. Gaspee Incident- The burning of the British naval cutter, the Gaspée
by the citizens of Rhode Island was an outstanding example of colonial
opposition to the enforcement of the Trade and Navigation Acts in the events
that led up to the American War of Independence. On the night of 9 June 1772,
the Gaspée ran aground a few miles from Providence. Early the next
morning the ship was boarded, the crew was put ashore and the ship was burned.
The captain was arrested by a local sheriff for 'illegal' seizure of casks of
rum and sugar: he stood three trials and lost them all.
63. Committees of Correspondence-Committees of Correspondence were
the American colonies' first institution for maintaining communication with one
another. They were organized in the decade before the Revolution, when the
deteriorating relationship with Great Britain made it increasingly important for
the colonies to share ideas and information. In 1764, Boston formed the earliest
Committee of Correspondence, writing to other colonies to encourage united
opposition to Britain's recent stiffening of customs enforcement and prohibition
of American paper money.
64. Tea Act- The Tea Act, passed by Parliament in May of 1773,
would launch the final spark to the revolutionary movement in Boston. The act
was not intended to raise revenue in the American colonies, and in fact imposed
no new taxes. It was designed to prop up the East India Company, which was
floundering financially and burdened with eighteen million pounds of unsold tea.
This tea was to be shipped directly to the colonies, and sold at a bargain
price. The Townshend Duties were still in place, however, and the radical
leaders in America found reason to believe that this act was a maneuver to buy
popular support for the taxes already in force. The direct sale of tea, via
British agents, would also have undercut the business of local merchants.
65. Boston Tea Party- The Boston Tea Party of December 16, 1773,
took place when a group of Massachusetts Patriots, protesting the monopoly on
American tea importation recently granted by Parliament to the East India
Company, seized 342 chests of tea in a midnight raid on three tea ships and
threw them into the harbor
66. Intolerable Acts- The Coercive Acts were four laws passed by
Parliament in the spring of 1774 to punish Massachusetts for its continuing
resistance to parliamentary rule (in particular, the Boston Tea Party). The
Boston Port Bill declared Boston Harbor closed until the East India Company and
the customs office had been reimbursed for their Tea Party losses. The
Administration of Justice Act permitted British soldiers and Crown officials in
Massachusetts to be tried in England rather than in provincial courts if they
were charged with a capital crime committed while quelling a riot or collecting
revenue. The Massachusetts Government Act virtually annulled the colony's
charter, significantly curtailing town meetings and changing most high elective
offices in the province to appointments by the king or governor. The Quartering
Act (the only one applicable to all the colonies) legalized billeting troops in
people's homes.
67. First Continental Congress- The First Continental Congress met
in Philadelphia, September 5-October 26, 1774, to develop a common colonial
response to the Coercive Acts recently passed by Parliament. An advisory council
rather than an empowered legislature, the Congress (as it came to be called)
included delegates from twelve of the American colonies; Georgia did not
participate. Congress advised each colony to form a militia, organized an
association to enforce strict economic sanctions against Britain, and
recommended that Massachusetts, the focus of the Coercive Acts, form an
independent government. After issuing addresses to the king and to the British
and American people, the delegates agreed to meet again in May 1775 if their
grievances had not been resolved.
68. Second Continental Congress- By the time the Second
Continental Congress convened in Philadelphia, fighting had taken place at
Lexington and Concord. Congress quickly assumed responsibility for coordinating
the rebellion, starting with the raising of a Continental army. A year later
Congress took the final step toward separation by officially adopting the
Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.
69. Valley Forge-Valley Forge - 25 miles from the Philadelphia-
was the choice of George Washington as a camp for the winter of 1777. It is a
high plateau that was easy to defend. One side is protected by the river. Two
shallow creeks provide natural barriers that would present problems for
attacking cavalry and artillery. Any attackers would have to charge up-hill.
Many soldiers died due to exposure and a variety of illnesses.
70. Franco-American alliance-An agreement between the French and
colonists for aid during the War for Independence. French soldiers were
recruited to train and lead American troops.
71. Thomas Paine- (1737-1809) A political philosopher and writer
during the era of the War for Independence. His writings remain classic
statements of the egalitarian, democratic faith of the Age of Revolution.
72. Common Sense- The political pamphlet Common Sense
was published in 1776 calling for American colonists to rebel against the
British monarchy and proclaim their independence. Its author was Thomas Paine
who had recently arrived in Philadelphia from England. It helped persuade the
majority of colonists to back the independence movement.
73. Declaration of Independence- Drafted by Thomas Jefferson
between June 11 and June 28, 1776, the Declaration of Independence is at once
the nation's most cherished symbol of liberty and Jefferson's most enduring
monument. Here, in exalted and unforgettable phrases, Jefferson expressed the
convictions in the minds and hearts of the American people. The political
philosophy of the Declaration was not new; its ideals of individual liberty had
already been expressed by John Locke and the Continental philosophers.
74. Articles of Confederation-(1781-1788), the first written
constitution of the United States, superseded by the Constitution in 1788.
a. Establishes the name of the confederation as "The United States
of America"
b. Explains the rights possessed by any state, and the amount of power to
which any state is entitled
c. Establishes the United States as a league of states united "...for
their common defense, the security of their liberties, and their mutual and
general welfare, binding themselves to assist each other, against all force
offered to, or attacks made upon them..."
d. Anyone can pass freely between states (excluding fugitives from the
law) and be entitled to the rights established by the state into which he or
she travels. If a crime is committed in one state and the perpetrator flees
to another state, he will be transported to and tried in the state in which
the crime was committed.
e. Allocates one vote in Congress to each state, which was entitled to a
delegation of between two and seven members. Members of Congress were
appointed by state legislatures; individuals could not serve more than three
out of any six years.
f. Limits the powers of states to conduct foreign relations and to
declare war.
g. When an army is raised for common defense, officers below the rank of
general will be named by the state legislatures.
h. Expenditures by the United States will be paid by funds raised by
state legislatures, and apportioned to the states based on the real property
values of each.
i. Defines the rights of the central government: to declare war, to set
weights and measures (including coins), and for Congress to serve as a final
court for disputes between states.
j. Defines a Committee of the States to be a government when Congress is
not in session.
k. Sets rules for new states requiring nine state approval, preapproves
Canada, if they apply for membership.
l. Reaffirms that the Confederation accepts war debt incurred by Congress
before the articles.
m. Declares that the articles are perpetual, and can only be altered
by approval of Congress with ratification by ALL state legislatures.
75. British Proclamation of 1763-In the fall of 1763, a royal
decree was issued that prohibited the North American colonists from establishing
or maintaining settlements west of an imaginary line running down the crest of
the Appalachian Mountains. The proclamation acknowledged that Native Americans
owned the lands on which they were then residing and white settlers in the area
were to be
removed.
76. Treaty of Paris 1783- The Continental Congress ratified the
Treaty of Paris on January 14, 1784, officially establishing the United States
as in independent and sovereign nation. The Continental Congress approved
preliminary articles of peace on April 15, 1783. The treaty, signed in Paris on
September 3, 1783, required Congress to return the ratified document to England
within six months. The Treaty of Paris granted the United States territory as
far west as the Mississippi River, but reserved Canada to Great Britain.
Fisheries in Newfoundland remained available to Americans and navigation of the
Mississippi River was open to both parties. Congress promised to recommend
states return confiscated loyalist property, but they had no power to enforce
this demand. Creditors in both countries were free to pursue collection of
debts.
77. Land Ordinance of 1785- (May 20), establishment of a system
for surveying and subdividing public land outside the states. Passed by the
Congress of the Articles of Confederation, the statute provided for the
surveying of blocks of land thirty-six square miles each, to be known as
townships. Each township was to set aside one section for public education and
schools, with each block or section containing 640 acres. Congress established
the prices at which the land was to be sold to the public.
78. Northwest Ordinance of 1787- The Northwest Ordinance, approved
by Congress on July 13, 1787, delineated rules for governing the Old Northwest,
the area lying north of the Ohio River and east of the Mississippi. Thomas
Jefferson had written the first ordinance for the territory three years earlier,
calling for a division of the region into states. Each was to have the same
political powers as the original thirteen states and was to prohibit slavery
after 1800. The ordinance was adopted in April 1784, but it had not been
instituted because no settlers held legal title yet. The new law, primarily
written by Rufus King and Nathan Dane of Massachusetts, called for dividing the
area into several territories, but specified that each would be administered
initially by a governor, a secretary, and three judges, all appointed by
Congress. Whenever a district reached a population of five thousand free males,
it could elect a bicameral legislature and send a nonvoting member to Congress.
When its population reached sixty thousand free inhabitants (Jefferson had set
the figure at twenty thousand), the district would be eligible for statehood.
The ordinance guaranteed freedom of religion, trial by jury, and public support
for education. It also provided that slavery was to be prohibited in the
territory.
79. Shays’s Rebellion- Shays' Rebellion is the name given to a
series of protests in 1786 and 1787 by American farmers against state and local
enforcement of tax collections and judgments for debt. Although farmers took up
arms in states from New Hampshire to South Carolina, the rebellion was most
serious in Massachusetts, where bad harvests, economic depression, and high
taxes threatened farmers with the loss of their farms. The rebellion took its
name from its symbolic leader, Daniel Shays of Massachusetts, a former captain
in the Continental army.
80. Constitutional Convention of 1787- The year was 1787. The
place: the State House in Philadelphia, the same location where the Declaration
of Independence had been signed 11 years earlier. For four months, 55 delegates
from the several states met to frame a Constitution for a federal republic that
would last into "remote futurity."
81. Federalist Papers- The Federalist Papers
were a series of articles written under the pen name of Publius by Alexander
Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay. The entire purpose of The Federalist
Papers was to gain popular support for the then-proposed Constitution. Some
would call it the most significant public-relations campaign in history.
82. Judiciary Act of 1789- This act of the First Congress
established the structure of the federal judiciary, the basic structure of which
has remained intact. The Constitution stipulated only that the federal court
system should consist of (1) a Supreme Court having original jurisdiction in
certain cases and (2) "such inferior Courts as the Congress may ...
establish." Congress could have declined to create lower courts, making
state courts rule first on almost all federal issues. The 1789 act created two
lower levels of courts. Federal district courts, each with a district judge,
composed the lowest level. Every federal district also fell within the circuit
of one of the three second-level courts, the circuit courts. In addition to
creating courts, the 1789 act granted the Supreme Court a controversial power to
order federal officials to carry out their legal responsibilities.
83. Hamilton’s report on Public Credit- Hamilton’s Report
on Public Credit supported ideas of war debt assumption, redemption of
Confederate securities at face value, and funding of new national securities as
a permanent national debt, in order to enhance the revenue and fiscal system of
the national government, creating a large body to which many wealthy citizens
would belong and support, bringing about its prosperity. Jeffersonians thought
that, because the public credit system was focused on the wealthy class, it
would give them power over the agricultural, lower class which made up the
majority of the population, thereby denying democratic ideals. Hamilton believed
that a national bank would make loans, handle government funds, issue financial
notes, provide national currency, and overall considerably help the national
government to accurately and efficiently govern financially.
84. Hamilton’s report on Manufacturers-Hamilton supported the
notion that a society based on manufacturing or the production of goods could
make it independent and powerful. In addition to national independence,
manufacturing would provide a path to equality in the global market. Hamilton
wanted a dual system of agriculture and manufacturing. To achieve this he
advocated tariffs and duties on foreign goods, inventions, and development of
industries. He wrote it on December 5, 1791.
85. First Bank of the United States- The First Bank of the
United States was needed because the government had a debt from the
Revolutionary War, and each state had a different form of currency. It was built
while Philadelphia was still the nation's capital. Alexander Hamilton conceived
of the bank to handle the colossal war debt — and to create a standard form of
currency. Up to the time of the bank's charter, coins and bills issued by state
banks served as the currency of the young country. The First Bank's charter was
drafted in 1791 by the Congress and signed by George Washington. In 1811,
Congress voted to abandon the bank and its charter. The bank was originally
housed in Carpenters' Hall from 1791 to 1795.
86. Bill of Rights-The first tem amendments to the Constitution
that spells out the rights of individuals and small groups.
Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or
prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of
the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the
Government for a redress of grievances.
Amendment II
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State,
the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
Amendment III
No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the
consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by
law.
Amendment IV
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and
effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and
no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or
affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the
persons or things to be seized.
Amendment V
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime,
unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising
in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time
of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to
be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal
case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or
property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for
public use, without just compensation.
Amendment VI
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy
and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the
crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously
ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the
accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory
process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of
Counsel for his defence.
Amendment VII
In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty
dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a
jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than
according to the rules of the common law.
Amendment VIII
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel
and unusual punishments inflicted.
Amendment IX
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be
construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
Amendment X
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor
prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to
the people
87. Washington’s Neutrality Proclamation- The outbreak of the
French revolution coincided with the beginning of Washington's first
administration, but by 1793 warfare had engulfed Europe, pitting England,
Prussia, Austria and Spain against the new French Republic. In the cabinet
Jefferson opposed any expression of neutrality while Hamilton supported it.
Washington eventually sided with the latter and issued a proclamation of
neutrality that barred American ships from supplying war material to either
side.
88. Citizen Genet- "Citizen Genet," as he was
called, was an ambassador sent to our government by the French Republic,
arrived at Charleston, South Carolina, in April, 1793. He came to solicit help
for the French against the British and Austria.
89. Jay’s Treaty- Relations with Britain, still smarting
from the loss of her colonies, worsened in the early 1790s. From the American
perspective, issues included seizure from American ships of cargoes unrelated
to war, impressment of American seamen and continuing British occupation of
western posts within U.S. borders. In 1794, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
John Jay was dispatched to England to seek solutions. The resulting agreement
stirred up heated passions within the cabinet with Hamilton supporting the
agreement and Jefferson opposing it. Key provisions included:
1. The withdrawal of British soldiers from posts in the American West
2. A commission to be established to settle outstanding border issues
between the U.S. and Canada
3. A commission to be established to resolve American losses in
British ship seizures and Loyalist losses during the War for Independence.
90. Chisholm v. Georgia- In 1777, the Executive
Council of Georgia authorized the purchase of needed supplies from a South
Carolina businessman. After receiving the supplies, Georgia did not deliver
payments as promised. After the merchant's death, the executor of his estate,
Alexander Chisholm, took the case to court in an attempt to collect from the
state. Georgia maintained that it was a sovereign state not subject to the
authority of the federal courts. In a 4-to-1 decision (2/5-2/18/1793),
the justices held that "the people of the United States" intended to
bind the states by the legislative, executive, and judicial powers of the
national government. The Court held that supreme or sovereign power was
retained by citizens themselves, not by the "artificial person" of
the State of Georgia. The Constitution made clear that controversies between
individual states and citizens of other states were under the jurisdiction of
federal courts. State conduct was subject to judicial review.
91. Whiskey Rebellion- This 1794 insurrection was caused, in
part, by the lack of federal courts (which necessitated trips to Philadelphia
for trial), large numbers of absentee landlords, lack of protection from the
Indians, lack of access to the Mississippi River and the high excise tax on
whiskey. Farmers made up the mob of people. President George Washington
ordered 12,000 to 13,000 troops to the Washington Pennsylvania area to put
down the rebellion. This was the first test of the power of the new
government.
92. Pinckney’s Treaty- One of the most important diplomatic
aims of the Washington administration was to secure recognition of American
borders from the great powers. Thomas Pinckney, U.S. minister to Britain, was
dispatched to Spain and won two highly desirable concessions:
1. Spain recognized U.S. borders at the Mississippi and the 31st parallel
(the northern border of Florida, a Spanish possession)
2. Spain granted Americans the right to deposit goods for transshipment
at New Orleans.
93. Washington’s Farewell Address- To announce his decision
not to seek a third term as President, George Washington presented his
Farewell Address in a newspaper article September 17, 1796. Frustrated by
French meddling in U.S. politics,
Washington warned the nation to avoid permanent alliances with foreign
nations and to rely instead on temporary alliances for emergencies.
Washington's efforts to protect the fragile young republic by steering a
neutral course between England and France during the French Revolutionary Wars
was made extremely difficult by the intense rhetoric flowing from the
pro-English Federalists, led by Alexander Hamilton, and the pro-French,
personified by Thomas Jefferson.
94. John Adams-He was elected as our second President in 1796.
Adams was a Federalist & this made him an arch-rival of Thomas Jefferson
and his Republican party. The discord between Adams and Jefferson surfaced
many times during Adams' (and, later, Jefferson's) presidency. This was not a
mere party contest. The struggle was over the nature of the office and on the
limits of Federal power over the state governments and individual citizens.
Adams retired from office at the end of his term in 1801.
95. XYZ Affair- The name usually given to an incident (1797–98)
in Franco-American diplomatic relations. The United States had in 1778 entered
into an alliance with France, but after the outbreak of the French
Revolutionary Wars was both unable and unwilling to lend aid. Negotiations
were carried on through Jean Conrad Hottinguer and Lucien Hauteval, both
Swiss, and a Mr. Bellamy, an American banker in Hamburg; the three were
designated X, Y, and Z in the mission's dispatches to the United States. The
proposal that the Americans pay Talleyrand about $250,000 before the French
government would even deal with them created an uproar when it was released in
the United States, where the pro-British party welcomed the chance to worsen
Franco-American relations. The U.S. representatives made no progress and the
mission broke up.
96. Alien and Sedition Acts- Under the threat of war with
France, Congress in 1798 passed four laws in an effort to strengthen the
Federal government. Known collectively as the Alien and Sedition Acts, the
legislation sponsored by the Federalists was also intended to quell any
political opposition from the Republicans, led by Thomas Jefferson.
a. Naturalization Act-passed by Congress on June 18. This
act required that aliens be residents for 14 years instead of 5 years
before they became eligible for U.S. citizenship.
b. Alien Act-passed on June 25, authorizing the President
to deport aliens "dangerous to the peace and safety of the United
States" during peacetime.
c. Alien Enemies Act-was enacted by Congress on July 6.
This act allowed the wartime arrest, imprisonment and deportation of any
alien subject to an enemy power.
d. Sedition Act-passed on July 14 declared that any
treasonable activity, including the publication of "any false,
scandalous and malicious writing," was a high misdemeanor, punishable
by fine and imprisonment.
97. Viriginia and Kentucky Resolves- Since Congress was
firmly controlled by the Federalists, the fight against the Alien and Sedition
Acts moved to the state legislatures in late 1798. James Madison prepared the
Virginia Resolutions and Thomas Jefferson wrote the Kentucky Resolutions. Both
followed a similar argument: The states had the duty to nullify within
their borders those laws that were unconstitutional. Nothing concrete resulted
from the passage of these resolutions; no other states followed with similar
actions. The death of Washington in 1799 helped to quiet tempers, and the
Alien and Sedition Acts soon expired or were repealed. However, the issue of
nullification had been put on the table.
98. Undeclared naval war with France-The XYZ Affair of 1798 led
to an undeclared naval war between France and the United States. The incident
had its beginnings during the administration of George Washington, who angered
the French by concluding Jay's Treaty (1794) with Britain and seeking (1796)
to replace the American minister in Paris, James Monroe, who had been friendly
to the principles of the French Revolution.
99. Adam’s "midnight judges"-Judicial
appointments made by John Adams just before the end of his presidential term
in 1801. The Federalist-controlled Congress passed the Judiciary Act of 1801,
which created sixteen federal judgeships. Adams appointed Federalists who
opposed the Democratic-Republican principles of his successor, Thomas
Jefferson. Many of the papers were signed just before midnight as a gesture of
antagonism toward Jefferson, who called the men "midnight judges."
Jefferson did not want to recognize the appointments, eventually leading to
the repeal of the Judiciary Act of 1801 and the landmark Marbury v. Madison,
case.
100. Tripoli War-A conflict between the United States and
Tripoli (now in Libya), incited by American refusal to continue payment of
tribute to the piratical rulers of the North African Barbary States of
Algiers, Tunis, Morocco, and Tripoli; this practice had been customary among
European nations and the nascent United States in exchange for immunity from
attack on merchant vessels in the Mediterranean. The combination of a strong
American naval blockade and an overland expedition from Egypt finally brought
the war to a close, with a treaty of peace (June 4, 1805) favorable to the
United States.
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101. Marbury v. Madison- (1803) is a landmark case
in United States law wherein the U.S. Supreme Court established judicial
review as a legitimate power of the Court on constitutional grounds. The
Court ruled that it had the power to declare a statute void that it
considered in contravention to the Constitution. Marbury established
the judiciary—and in particular, the Supreme Court—as an equal partner
among the three branches of the American federal government. Marbury's
commission, as well as that of others who were part of the lawsuit, was
signed by Adams and John Marshall, his Secretary of State. As a complication
of matters, Marshall had been appointed as Chief Justice of the Supreme
Court on February 4, but had continued to act as Secretary of State until
Jefferson was inaugurated. On March 3, Marshall became Chief Justice, and
swore in Jefferson. Jefferson treated as void the 42 commissions approved on
Inauguration Day, including Marbury's, because they had not been officially
delivered by day's end. He appointed James Madison as the new Secretary, and
ordered him not to deliver the Marbury commission.
102. John Marshall- (1755-1835), chief justice of the U.S.
Supreme Court. Marshall, who had almost no formal schooling and studied law
for only six weeks, nevertheless remains the only judge in American history
whose distinction as a statesman derived almost entirely from his judicial
career. Adams appointed him secretary of state and in 1801 chief justice, a
position he held until death. During Marshall's thirty-four years as chief
justice, he gave content to the Constitution's omissions, clarified its
ambiguities, and added breathtaking sweep to the powers it conferred.
103. Lewis and Clark-Explored the Louisiana Territory for
Jefferson and the US, after it was acquired from France in 1803.
104. Burr-Hamilton Duel- A duel fought in 1804 between
Aaron Burr, vice president of the United States, and Alexander Hamilton,
former secretary of the treasury. The two had been bitter political
opponents for years. Burr shot and killed Hamilton.
105. "Revolution of 1800"- Jefferson's election
in 1800 was considered revolutionary. It represents the change from
Federalist leadership to Republican and the change was entirely legal and
bloodless. Nevertheless, the changes were profound. The Federalists lost
control of both the presidency and the Congress. Jefferson's mere presence
in The White House encouraged democratic behavior. White House guests were
encouraged to shake hands with the president, rather than bowing as had been
the Federalist practice. Guests at state dinners were seated at round
tables, which emphasized a sense of equality. He taught his subordinates to
regard themselves merely as trustees of the people. He encouraged
agriculture and westward expansion. Believing America to be a haven for the
oppressed, he urged a liberal naturalization law.
106. British Orders in Council- In British government,
orders given by the sovereign on the advice of all or some of the members of
the privy council, without the prior consent of Parliament. Orders in
council, first so named in the 18th cent., are based either on royal
prerogative or on statutory authority. The prerogative allows an order in
council to be used to ratify a treaty, to declare the end of a state of war,
or to appoint civil service commissioners, but as a vehicle of royal power
such an order no longer has any utility. Orders in council are authorized by
statute in situations where a possible emergency is contemplated in which
routine legislative procedure might be take too long. The most important use
of this administrative device has been in time of war.
107. Chesapeake Affair- U.S. frigate, famous for her
role in the Chesapeake affair (June 22, 1807) and for her battle with
the H.M.S. Shannon (June 1, 1813). The Chesapeake left
Norfolk, Va., for the Mediterranean under the command of James Barron in
June, 1807. Just outside U.S. territorial waters the H.M.S. Leopard
stopped her and demanded the right to search her for British deserters.
Barron refused to allow this, and shortly afterward the Leopard
opened fire. Unprepared for action, Barron was forced to submit and allow
the impressment of four of his crew (two of whom were American-born). The
incident caused intense indignation, and war seemed imminent.
108. Embargo Act of 1807- This act was passed by Congress
to protest British and French interference with American neutral shipping
during the Napoleonic Wars. Thomas Jefferson imposed the embargo, which
prohibited all exports. Since foreign ships would be forced to depart empty,
the act also effectively limited imports. The president hoped that economic
pressure would persuade the British and French to moderate their maritime
policies. Further, he believed that keeping ships in American ports would
prevent further violations of national honor. Instead, the embargo caused
costly disruptions of the American economy and forced no concessions.
American merchants evaded it just as they had ignored British trade
restrictions before the Revolution
109. Nonintercourse Act-An extension of the Embargo of 1807.
On Mar. 1, 1809, the Nonintercourse Act allowed all commercial trade with
any European country except Britain and France.
110. Force Act-(May 1, 1810), law enacted by Congress
during the Napoleonic Wars to motivate Great Britain and France, then at
war, to cease illegal seizures of American commercial vessels. Macon's Bill
affirmed American trade with all countries but would ban trade with either
France or Great Britain unless seizure of neutral ships stopped. This bill
replaced the Non-Intercourse Act but failed to stop the seizure of ships.
111. Battle of Tippecanoe-William Henry Harrison was
governor of the Indiana Territory and superintendent of the Northwest
Indians. Fearing the growing strength of Tecumseh’s confederacy, Harrison
decided to strike quickly. He marched an army of 1,100 men along the Wabash
toward Prophet’s Town. Tecumseh was temporarily out of the area on a
recruiting venture among the Creeks in the south, but his brother, The
Prophet, prepared the men for battle with fiery oratory—including promises
that they could not be harmed by the white men’s bullets. Shortly before
dawn on November 7, 1811, Harrison’s soldiers were attacked. After a
two-hour battle, the natives were forced to flee and their village-the
gathering spot of the confederacy-was destroyed. Some military historians
regard the Battle of Tippecanoe as a draw, but note that it held important
ramifications:
· The safety of the white settlements in the Indiana Territory
became markedly improved.
· The Prophet was discredited as a leader because of his
inability to ensure the promised invincibility from the opponents' bullets
and also because he had violated Tecumseh's earlier counsel to hold off any
armed confrontation until his return.
· The confederation of the eastern tribes disintegrated.
· The bitterly disappointed Tecumseh, who did not return to
Indiana for another three months, remained an implacable foe of the American
settlers. He would later become allied with the British and participate in
the War of 1812.
· William Henry Harrison emerged with a reputation as the
hero of Tippecanoe, an image that he would use to his political advantage in
later years.
112. James Madison-Fourth president of the US from 1809-1817.
He was president during the War of 1812 and oversaw the continuation of the
Emabrgo of 1807 through the Nonintercourse Act and Macon’s Bill No. 2.
113. British burn Washington, D.C.-The British burned the
Capitol Building and White House August 24-25, 1814 near the end of the War
of 1812. Most of the city was
saved by a rain storm.
114. Star-Spangled Banner-In 1814, Francis Scott Key
wrote new words for a well-known drinking song, "To Anacreon in
Heaven," to celebrate America's recent victory over the British.
However, only in 1931, following a twenty-year effort during which more than
forty bills and joint resolutions were introduced in Congress, was a law
finally signed proclaiming "The Star Spangled Banner" to be the
national anthem of the United States.
115. Treaty of Ghent-This treaty, signed on December 24,
1814, ended the War of 1812, fought between Great Britain and the United
States. Ghent, Belgium, more seriously. Napoleon had
been defeated, but Britain was financially depleted. The American peace
commission included Albert Gallatin, Henry Clay and John Quincy Adams. The
resulting peace agreement, which basically restored prewar conditions,
included the following provisions:
· Called for the end of hostilities
· Required that conquered territory and prisoners be returned
· Appointed a commission to study lingering boundary issues
between the United States and Canada.
What was most significant about the treaty was the lack of mention of
such items as impressment and neutral rights. The United States was strong enough
to defeat Britain in what has been called a "second American
Revolution," but was not powerful enough to force more favorable terms at
the peace table.
116. Hartford Convention- The Hartford Convention (December
15, 1814-January 5, 1815) grew out of New England Federalists' opposition to
the War of 1812. Because of their close mercantile ties to Great Britain,
the New England states had tried to prevent the declaration of war in June
1812, and that summer, both Massachusetts and Connecticut refused to
contribute militia to the federal government. In spite of an embargo enacted
by Congress in December 1813, New Englanders continued to sell supplies to
British troops in Canada and to British vessels offshore. This lively demand
for wartime provisions benefited New England, as did the enhanced market for
domestic manufactures, but the overall loss of trade offset these benefits
and came to symbolize for the local Federalists their loss of national power
in relation to the southern-dominated Republican party. Early in 1814,
several Massachusetts towns urged that a regional convention be held to
formulate their grievances. That December, at the suggestion of the
Massachusetts legislature, twenty-six Federalists representing Connecticut,
Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont met in Hartford,
Connecticut.
117. Battle of New Orleans- On January 8, 1815, American
forces, under General Jackson, decisively defeat the British forces trying
to capture New Orleans. The battle, which takes place after the Treaty of
Ghent has been signed, is the most decisive American victory of the war.
118. James Monroe-(1817-1825) President during the Era of Good
Feelings.
119. Rush-Bagot Agreement- It opened the Oregon Territory to
mutual administration for ten years, which was later extended. The agreement
also demilitarized the Great Lakes. One of the shortest Agreements defining
peace/disarmament terms ever written, was negotiated as an exchange of notes
during 1817, ratified by the US Senate on April 28, 1818 and by Great
Britain on October 2, 1818, this one led to the "longest undefended
border".
120. Clemont-The first commercially successful
steamboat. The Clermont ushered in a new era in the history of
transportation. It was created by Robert Fulton. It took its first voyage in
August of 1807.
121. Cumberland National Road-Agitation for a road to the West
began c.1800. Congress approved the route and appointed a committee to plan
details in 1806. Contracts were given in 1811, but the War of 1812
intervened, and construction did not begin until 1815. The first section
(called the Cumberland Road) was built of crushed stone. Opened in 1818, it
ran from Cumberland to Wheeling, W.Va., following in part the Native
American trail known as Nemacolin's Path. Largely through the efforts of
Henry Clay it was continued (1825–33) westward through Ohio, using part of
the road built by Ebenezer Zane. By this time the older part of the road was
badly in need of repair. Control of the road was therefore turned over to
the states through which it passed, where tolls for maintenance were
collected. It was carried on to Vandalia, Ill., and finally to St. Louis.
122. Protective Tariff-From the time of the first Congress in
1789 to the outbreak of the Civil War there was dissension between the
northern and the southern states over the matter of protective tariffs, or
import duties on manufactured goods. Northern industries wanted high tariffs
in order to protect their factories and laborers from cheaper European
products. Demanding that "American laborers shall be protected against
the pauper labor of Europe," tariff proponents argued that the taxes
gave "employment to thousands of [American] mechanics, artisans, [and]
laborers."
123. Second Bank of the United States-The Second Bank of the United
States first established itself in Carpenters' Hall in 1817, after Congress
determined that a federal bank might spare the country a repeat of the
financial crisis the country experienced during the War of 1812. When the
magnificent marble temple was completed for the bank's use in 1824, Nicholas
Biddle was serving as its president. Under his dynamic leadership the bank
achieved its greatest influence. But active jealousy of the bank's power led
to its downfall in 1836, when, following the determined leadership of
President Andrew Jackson, Congress allowed the bank's charter to expire.
124. Erie Canal- Opened in 1825, the Erie Canal was the
engineering marvel of the 19th Century. When the planning for what many
derided as "Clinton's Folly" began, there was not a single school
of engineering in the United States. With the exception of a few
places where black powder was used to blast through rock formations, all 363
miles were built by the muscle power of men and horses. The Canal spurred
the first great westward movement of American settlers, gave access to the
rich land and resources west of the Appalachians and made New York the
preeminent commercial city in the United States.
125. "Era of Good Feelings"- The years following the end
of the War of 1812 have been called the "era of good feelings"
because of their apparent lack of partisan political strife. In the Election
of 1816, James Monroe decisively defeated the last of the Federalist
candidates. Monroe was overwhelmingly reelected in the Election of 1820 with
no opposition whatsoever.
Domestic politics under Monroe revolved around three main issues:
· The Second Bank of the United States
· Henry Clay’s American System
· Missouri and slavery
Monroe’s major foreign affairs issues involved the following:
· Spain and the Seminole
· Diplomacy under Monroe
· The Monroe Doctrine
The economic life of the country was impacted by technological
developments in several overlapping transportation eras: The Turnpike Era,
the Canal Craze, the Railroad Era and the Steamboat Era. Changes in the ways
Americans moved people and goods was paralleled by similar changes in the
way products were produced—the United States was a full partner in the
First Industrial Revolution.
At about the same time that the Industrial Revolution was starting in the
North, events were occurring that would transform the South. A cotton
culture emerged in that region, which revived the institution of slavery.
126. General Andrew Jackson in Florida- In the First Seminole War,
Jackson invades Florida, taking control of Spanish forts and executing
British nationals. He invades and takes over Pensacola, the Spanish capital
in Florida. This action leads to international tensions, and the United
States fears war with Britain. Afterwards, Jackson is accused of acting
without authorization and threatening the peace of the United States.
127. Adams-Onis Treaty- The Adams-Onís Treaty (1819), also known as the
Transcontinental Treaty, solved two problems. Citizens of Georgia wanted the
United States to purchase eastern Florida from Spain because Seminole natives
frequently raided the state and then retreated to the Spanish territory. Spain
wanted to establish the boundary between Mexico and the Louisiana Purchase
before too many American settlers moved into the area. John Quincy Adams,
secretary of state under President James Monroe, negotiated the treaty with
Luís de Onís of Spain. Because independence movements in Spain's other
colonies demanded attention, Onís was willing to sell eastern Florida. Despite
the Spaniard's initial insistence on his country's rights to much of the lands
involved, Adams secured a boundary between the Louisiana Purchase lands and the
Texas territory that was extremely favorable to the United States. The boundary
was set at the western bank of the Sabine, Red, and Arkansas rivers to the
Continental Divide. From that point the line followed the forty-second parallel
west to the Pacific Ocean. Spain also gave up all claims on the Oregon
territory. The purchase of Florida for a mere $5 million (paid directly to
citizens with claims against the Spanish government) assured the treaty's
popularity in the United States, but Adams considered establishing the western
boundary his most important diplomatic feat. The treaty was finally signed and
ratified in 1821.
127. McCulloch v. Maryalnd-
|
Argued: |
February 22, 1819 |
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Decided: |
March 6, 1819 |
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Facts of the Case
In 1816, Congress chartered The Second Bank of the United States. In
1818, the state of Maryland passed legislation to impose taxes on the
bank. James W. McCulloch, the cashier of the Baltimore branch of the bank,
refused to pay the tax. |
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Question Presented
The case presented two questions: Did Congress have the authority to
establish the bank? Did the Maryland law unconstitutionally interfere with
congressional powers? |
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Conclusion
In a unanimous decision, the Court held that Congress had the power to
incorporate the bank and that Maryland could not tax instruments of the
national government employed in the execution of constitutional powers.
Writing for the Court, Chief Justice Marshall noted that Congress
possessed unenumerated powers not explicitly outlined in the Constitution.
Marshall also held that while the states retained the power of taxation,
"the constitution and the laws made in pursuance thereof are supreme.
. .they control the constitution and laws of the respective states, and
cannot be controlled by them." |
128. Dartmouth College v. Woodward-
|
Argued: |
March 10, 1818 |
|
Decided: |
February 2, 1819 |
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Facts of the Case
In 1816, the New Hampshire legislature attempted to change Dartmouth
College--a privately funded institution--into a state university. The
legislature changed the school's corporate charter by transferring the
control of trustee appointments to the governor. In an attempt to regain
authority over the resources of Dartmouth College, the old trustees filed
suit against William H. Woodward, who sided with the new appointees. |
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Question Presented
Did the New Hampshire legislature unconstitutionally interfere with
Dartmouth College's rights under the Contract Clause? |
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Conclusion
In a 6-to-1 decision, the Court held that the College's corporate
charter qualified as a contract between private parties, with which the
legislature could not interfere. The fact that the government had
commissioned the charter did not transform the school into a civil
institution. Chief Justice Marshall's opinion emphasized that the term
"contract" referred to transactions involving individual
property rights, not to "the political relations between the
government and its citizens." |
129. Tallmadge Amendment-
When Representative James Tallmadge of New York attempted to add an
antislavery amendment to that legislation there ensued an ugly and rancorous
debate over slavery and the government's right to restrict slavery. The
Tallmadge amendment prohibited the further introduction of slaves into
Missouri and provided for emancipation of those already there when they
reached age 25. The amendment passed the House of Representatives,
controlled by the more populous North, but failed in the Senate, which was
equally divided between free and slave states.
130. Missouri Compromise-
Through the efforts of Henry Clay, "the great pacificator,"
a compromise was finally reached on March 3, 1820, after Maine petitioned
Congress for statehood. Both states were admitted, a free Maine and a slave
Missouri, and the balance of power in Congress was maintained as before,
postponing the inevitable showdown for another generation. In an attempt to
address the issue of the further spread of slavery, however, the Missouri
Compromise stipulated that all the Louisiana Purchase territory north of the
southern boundary of Missouri, except Missouri, would be free, and the
territory below that line would be slave. The Missouri Compromise was
repealed by the 1854 Kansas-Nebraska Act and declared unconstitutional in
the 1857 Dred Scott decision.
131. Cohens v. Virginia-
|
Argued: |
February 13, 1821 |
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Decided: |
March 3, 1821 |
|

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Facts of the Case
An act of Congress authorized the operation of a lottery in the
District of Columbia. The Cohen brothers proceeded to sell D.C. lottery
tickets in the state of Virginia, violating state law. State authorities
tried and convicted the Cohens, and then declared themselves to be the
final arbiters of disputes between the states and the national government. |
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Question Presented
Did the Supreme Court have the power under the Constitution to review
the Virginia Supreme Court's ruling? |
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Conclusion
In a unanimous decision, the Court held that the Supreme Court had
jurisdiction to review state criminal proceedings. Chief Justice Marshall
wrote that the Court was bound to hear all cases that involved
constitutional questions, and that this jurisdiction was not dependent on
the identity of the parties in the cases. Marshall argued that state laws
and constitutions, when repugnant to the Constitution and federal laws,
were "absolutely void." After establishing the Court's
jurisdiction, Marshall declared the lottery ordinance a local matter and
concluded that the Virginia court was correct to fine the Cohens brothers
for violating Virginia law. |
132. Denmark Vesey- 1767?–1822,
African-American leader. After many years as a slave he won (1800) $1,500 in
a lottery and purchased his freedom. Intelligent and energetic, he acquired
considerable wealth and influence in South Carolina. Using church meetings
as a cover, he supposedly planned (1822) a slave insurrection with the
intention of taking over Charleston, killing whites, and, if necessary,
fleeing to Haiti. Accused by informers, Vesey was hanged along with 34
slaves.
133 . Monroe
Doctrine- In December
1823, in a message to Congress, Monroe set forth the following principles,
which would later become known as the Monroe Doctrine:
· The Western Hemisphere was no longer open for colonization
· The political system of the Americas was different from
Europe
· The United States would regard any interference in Western
hemispheric affairs as a threat to its security
· The United States would refrain from participation in
European wars and would not disturb existing colonies in the Western
Hemisphere
The impact of the Monroe Doctrine was mixed. It was successful to the
extent that the continental powers did not immediately attempt to revive the
Spanish empire, but this was on account of the strength of the British Navy,
not American military might. The Doctrine also was successful in that it
kept France, Spain and other powers out of the region, but Britain would
long remain the dominant trade power in Latin America. The Doctrine was a
failure from the standpoint that the Latin American nations resented the Big
Brother behavior of the U.S.—a prescient attitude on their parts. It was
not until the 1880s that the newly built steel navy provided the United
States with the clout to enforce the Monroe Doctrine.
134. Gibbons v. Ogden-
|
Argued: |
February 4, 1824 |
|
Decided: |
March 2, 1824 |
|

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|
Facts of the Case
A New York state law gave two individuals the exclusive right to
operate steamboats on waters within state jurisdiction. Laws like this one
were duplicated elsewhere which led to friction as some states would
require foreign (out-of-state) boats to pay substantial fees for
navigation privileges. In this case a steamboat owner who did business
between New York and New Jersey challenged a law which forced him to
obtain an operating permit from the State of New York to navigate on that
state's waters. |
|

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Question Presented
Did the State of New York exercise authority in a realm reserved
exclusively to Congress, namely, the regulation of interstate commerce? |
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Conclusion
The Court found that New York's licensing requirement for out-of-state
operators was inconsistent with a congressional act regulating the
coasting trade. The New York law was invalid by virtue of the Supremacy
Clause. In his opinion, Chief Justice Marshall developed a clear
definition of the word commerce, which included navigation on interstate
waterways. He also gave meaning to the phrase "among the several
states" in the Commerce Clause. Marshall's was one of the earliest
and most influential opinions concerning this important clause. He
concluded that regulation of navigation by steamboat operators and others
for purposes of conducting interstate commerce was a power reserved to and
exercised by the Congress. |
135. John Quincy Adams-Sixth President of the US from
1825-1829. Adams, secretary of state, Calhoun, secretary of war, and
Crawford, secretary of the treasury--aspired to succeed him in his high
office. In addition, Henry Clay and Andrew Jackson were also candidates.
Calhoun was nominated for the Vice-presidency. Of the other four, Jackson
received 99 electoral votes, Adams 84, Crawford 41, and Clay 37; as no one
had a majority, the decision was made by the House of Representatives, which
was confined in its choice to the three candidates who had received the
largest number of votes. Clay, who was speaker of the House of
Representatives, and had for years assumed a censorious attitude toward
Jackson, cast his influence for Adams and thereby secured his election on
the first ballot. A few days later Adams offered Clay the secretaryship of
state, which was accepted. The wholly unjust and baseless charge of
``bargain and corruption'' followed, and the feud thus created between Adams
and Jackson greatly influenced the history of the United States.
136. Tariff of Abominations- (1828), a federal statute
placing high tariffs on imports. The highest tariff imposed in America up to
that time, it was labeled the "Tariff of Abominations" by southern
leaders, who bitterly opposed the bill and spoke of secession. Henry Clay
worked out the Compromise Tariff of 1833, which reduced tariffs gradually
until 1842.
137. South Carolina Exposition and Protest-
The South Carolina "Exposition", drafted secretly by
Vice-President John C. Calhoun, was presented to the state's House of
Representatives on 19 December 1828. Calhoun argued that the tariff violated
the state’s rights and made it the slave of Northern manufacturing
interests. More generally, he argued that a state had the right to nullify
any federal law that infringed on the constitutional rights of its people.
The Nullifiers did not attempt to put their theory into practice until they
realized that the revised tariff act of 1832 offered little relief.
138. President Andrew Jackson-Seventh President of the US from
1829-1837. A well-known general and westerner of a humble background. He
disliked banks and wanted people that worked hard in his administration. He
was a member of the Democratic-Republican party.
139. Maysville Road Veto- In 1830,
Jackson vetoed a bill to improve the Maysville Road using federal money,
which was a setback for the internal improvements sought by many. Jackson
felt the state of Kentucky should pay for the improvements and construction
due to the road being contained entirely in the state.
140. Indian Removal Act of 1830-In 1830, just a year after
taking office, Jackson pushed a new piece of legislation called the
"Indian Removal Act" through both houses of Congress. It gave the
president power to negotiate removal treaties with Indian tribes living east
of the Mississippi. Under these treaties, the Indians were to give up their
lands east of the Mississippi in exchange for lands to the west. Those
wishing to remain in the east would become citizens of their home state.
This act affected not only the southeastern nations, but many others further
north. The removal was supposed to be voluntary and peaceful, and it was
that way for the tribes that agreed to the conditions. But the southeastern
nations resisted, and Jackson forced them to leave.
141. Peggy Eaton affair-
Senator John Eaton, a close friend of Jackson, had married
the widowed daughter of a Washington innkeeper, Margaret (Peggy) O’Neill.
The local rumor mill ground out gossip that O’Neill and Eaton had had an
affair prior to her husband’s death. The Cabinet wives, led by Mrs. John
C. Calhoun, were scandalized and refused to attend events when she was
present. Jackson was not pleased with this tempest, remembering how deeply
his late wife had been hurt by scandal-mongering. He resented Calhoun’s
inability to control his wife
and was disappointed when Martin Van Buren alone among the Cabinet officers
defended the Eatons. In 1831, Eaton and Van Buren resigned their offices,
putting pressure on the other members to do likewise. These resignations
gave Jackson the opportunity to appoint Cabinet officers who were loyal to
him rather than Calhoun.
142 . Cherokee
Nation v. Georgia- By
refusing to consider Cherokee Nation v. Georgia (1831),
the Supreme Court denied self-government to a Native American tribe. Prior
to 1831, the federal government treated tribes as foreign entities in
conducting official interactions with them. In an effort to keep their
tribal lands, the Cherokee living within Georgia turned to farming and
ranching. They also wrote a constitution and laws reflecting some aspects of
U.S. law. The state of Georgia declared all the Cherokee laws void,
prompting that nation to appeal to the Supreme Court. Chief Justice John
Marshall wrote the opinion dismissing the case, saying that Indian tribes
were "domestic dependent nations" and could not turn to the
Supreme Court. The case's dismissal allowed Georgia to strip the tribe of
its governmental forms.
143. Antimasonic Party-
The Anti-Masonic Party was the original third party to be active on
the national scene. Popular opinion in America generally opposed secret
organizations, but Freemasonry largely escaped this scrutiny because so many
prominent citizens were members. In 1831, the anti-Masonic Party held a
national convention and nominated William Wirt as their presidential
candidate for the following year. Wirt had been the U.S. Attorney General
and, strangely, a Mason. Running against the popular Andrew Jackson, Wirt
did poorly, carrying only the state of Vermont. Their prime impact had been
to drain votes away from Henry Clay. Around 1834, the Anti-Masonic Party
began a rapid disintegration with some of its members helping to establish
the new Whig Party and others migrating to the Democratic Party.
144. South Carolina Ordinance of Nullification-After enactment
of the tariff act of 1832 South Carolina called a state convention, which
passed (Nov. 24, 1832) the ordinance of nullification. This ordinance
declared the tariff laws null and void, and a series of enactments in South
Carolina put the state in a position to resist by force any attempt of the
federal government to carry the tariff act into operation. President Jackson
in reply dramatically issued a strong proclamation against the nullifiers,
and a force bill was introduced into the U.S. Senate to give the President
authority to use the armed forces if necessary to execute the laws.
145. Compromise Tariff-(1833) An act sponsored by Henry Clay
to appease the southern states who opposed any type of protective tariff.
South Carolina's nullification of the tariff of 1832 and its threat to
secede from the Union prompted its passage. It provided that the rates be
progressively reduced until 1842, when they would be approximately the same
as they were in 1816. The Compromise Tariff brought about South Carolina's
repeal of its ordinance of nullification.
146. Force Bill-(Mar.
2, 1833) The first force bill, passed in response to South Carolina’s
ordinance of nullification, empowered President Jackson to use the army and
navy, if necessary, to enforce the laws of Congress, specifically the tariff
measures to which South Carolina had objected so violently.
147 . Whig
Party- Established in
1834, the Whig Party was a reaction to the authoritarian policies of Andrew
Jackson. "King Andrew," as his critics labeled him, had enraged
his political opponents by his actions regarding the Bank of the United
States, Native Americans, the Supreme Court and his use of presidential war
powers. The term Whig was taken from English politics, the name of a faction
that opposed royal tyranny. Opponents who gravitated to the Whig Party
included Jackson critics, states’ rights advocates, and supporters of the
American System. In some respects the Whigs were the descendants of the old
Federalist Party, supporting the Hamiltonian preference for strong federal
action in dealing with national problems. Henry Clay and Daniel Webster were
the unquestioned luminaries of the Whig Party. Neither was able to overcome
sectional jealousies and gain the coveted presidency. The Whigs' efforts to
unify were slow and ultimately unsuccessful. Their record on the
presidential level is as follows:
· The Election of 1836: The Whigs offered three regional
candidates but were easily beaten by the Democratic candidate, Martin Van
Buren
· The Election of 1840: The famous "log cabin and hard
cider" campaign yielded a Whig victory with William Henry Harrison and
John Tyler
· The Election of 1844: James K. Polk, the Democratic candidate,
outdistanced Whig Henry Clay in a contest noted for its close popular vote
· The Election of 1848: The final Whig presidential victory, in
which Zachary Taylor defeated Democrat Lewis Cass primarily because of votes
diverted to third party candidate Martin Van Buren; the vice president,
Millard Fillmore, became president upon Taylor’s death
· The Election of 1852: Democrat Franklin Pierce easily
out-pointed Whig Winfield Scott
· The Election of 1856: The Whigs made a nominal appearance with
Millard Fillmore of the National American Party (garnering feeble Whig
support), losing badly to Republican John C. Frémont and the victor
Democrat James Buchanan.
The issue of
slavery split the party. "Conscience Whigs" in the North favored
the abolition of slavery and halting the institution's spread into new
territories. The "Cotton Whigs" in the South took the opposite
viewpoints. Following Scott’s poor showing in 1852, the southerners moved
to the Democratic Party and
the northerners to the newly formed Republican Party.
148. Martin Van Buren-Eighth President of the US from
1837-1841.
149. Charles River Bridge v. Warren Bridge-
|
Argued: |
March 7, 1831 |
|
Reargued: |
January 19, 1837 |
|
Decided: |
February 12, 1837 |
|

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|
Facts of the Case
In 1785, the Massachusetts legislature incorporated the Charles River
Bridge Company to construct a bridge and collect tolls. In 1828, the
legislature established the Warren Bridge Company to build a free bridge
nearby. Unsurprisingly, the new bridge deprived the old one of traffic and
tolls. The Charles River Bridge Company filed suit, claiming the
legislature had defaulted on its initial contract. |
|

|
|
Question Presented
Did the legislature enter into an economic contract with the Charles
River Bridge Company that was impaired by the second charter in violation
of Article I Section 10 of the Constitution? |
|

|
|
Conclusion
In a 6-to-2 decision, the Court held that the state had not entered a
contract that prohibited the construction of another bridge on the river
at a later date. The Court held that the legislature neither gave
exclusive control over the waters of the river nor invaded corporate
privilege by interfering with the company's profit-making ability. In
balancing the rights of private property against the need for economic
development, the Court found that the community interest in creating new
channels of travel and trade had priority |
150. "Trail of Tears"-
The Trail of Tears refers to the route followed by fifteen thousand
Cherokee during their 1838 removal and forced march from Georgia to Indian
Territory (present-day Oklahoma). In 1791, a U.S. treaty had recognized
Cherokee territory in Georgia as independent, and the Cherokee people had
created a thriving republic with a written constitution. For decades, the
state of Georgia sought to enforce its authority over the Cherokee Nation,
but its efforts had little effect until the election of President Andrew
Jackson, a longtime supporter of Indian removal. Although the Supreme Court
declared Congress's 1830 Indian removal bill unconstitutional (Worcester
v. Georgia, 1832), the national and state harassment continued,
culminating in the rounding up of the Cherokee by troops in 1838. The
Cherokee were forced to abandon their property, livestock, and ancestral
burial grounds and move to camps in Tennessee. From there, in the midst of
severe winter weather, they were marched another eight hundred miles to
Indian Territory. An estimated four thousand people—over 25 percent of the
Cherokee Nation—died during the march.
151. Independent Treasury Act-
The Independent Treasury Act, passed in 1840, removed the federal
government from involvement with the nation's banking system by establishing
federal depositories for public funds instead of keeping the money in
national, state, or private banks. The act was proposed by President Martin
Van Buren in 1837, partly in response to the fact that public funds had been
lost when many state banks failed during the panic of 1837. Passage was
delayed, however, until southern Democrats could be persuaded to join
northern Democrats in approving the measure. Under the Independent Treasury
Act, bank notes were to be gradually phased out for payments to and from the
government; by June 30, 1843, only hard money was to be accepted. The bill
also established subtreasuries for federal funds in New York, Boston,
Philadelphia, St. Louis, New Orleans, Washington, and Charleston—hence its
alternative title, the subtreasury bill.The Whigs, led by Henry Clay and
Daniel Webster, opposed the Independent Treasury; they were committed to the
reestablishment of a national bank like the one defeated by President Andrew
Jackson in 1832. After winning a congressional majority in the election of
1840, the Whigs succeeded in repealing the Independent Treasury Act (August
13, 1841), although they were unable to gain President John Tyler's support
for their national bank proposals. For the rest of Tyler's term, in spite of
repeated Democratic efforts to reestablish the subtreasury system, the
secretary of the treasury was left free to manage public funds according to
his discretion, usually by depositing them in state banks. The return of the
Democrats to power after the election of 1844 led to the passage in 1846 of
a new Independent Treasury Act, nearly identical to that of 1841. This
legislation remained substantially unchanged until passage of the Federal
Reserve Act in 1913. The subtreasuries were finally abolished in 1920.
152. William Henry Harrison-
(1773-1841), ninth president of the United States, western military
hero, territorial administrator, congressman, and diplomat. Born into a
distinguished Virginia family, Harrison sought an army career and took part
in Anthony Wayne's successful expedition against the Indian tribes of the
Northwest that had defeated two American armies. He was present when the
western tribes at the Treaty of Greenville ceded millions of acres of land
to the United States. Although
scarcely a person of humble background, he was pictured as the epitome of
the common man of the West, the adventurous individualist who had built his
own log cabin and farmed his own acres in Ohio. The Whigs outdid themselves
in image building with coonskin caps, facsimile log cabins, popular tunes,
slogans, and badges that added a theatrical dimension to the emerging
two-party system. Their campaign also profited from economic depression.
Harrison defeated Van Buren in the election of 1840, the Democratic
candidate, by a wide margin, but died of pneumonia after only one month in
office.
153. Nat Turner- Black
slave preacher Nat Turner felt that God had called on him to lead his people
out of slavery. He was born on a small plantation in Virginia to an
African-born slave mother who taught him to hate slavery. His master's son
taught him to read, and over the years he became fanatically religious and
served as preacher for the slaves in the area. Some of his devoted flock
began to call him "the Prophet." A solar eclipse in 1831 was God's
sign to Nat Turner that the
time had come to strike the blow for freedom. The biggest slave uprising in
U.S. history began on the night of August 21, 1831, when Turner and seven
fellow slaves murdered their master and his family while they slept, and
then set out on a campaign of brutal murder that terrorized the countryside
and killed 55 white people. Picking up slave recruits as they traveled from
plantation to plantation, Turner and his followers moved through Southampton
County toward the county seat of Jerusalem, where they planned to capture
the armory. Some of the slaves were mounted so that they could
chase down anyone trying to escape as they swept down on a plantation
and bludgeoned to death all the white people they could find- children and
women, young and old indiscriminately. For 48 hours, Turner and his
undisciplined followers rampaged and killed until they, themselves, were
killed, captured, or dispersed in a confrontation with armed citizens and
the state militia outside Jerusalem. Nat managed to escape and hide out for
six weeks before he was captured. He and 16 of his followers were hanged.
Nat Turner's rebellion set off a reign of terror for all blacks in the area
as state and federal troops swept through, killing as many as 200 blacks. To
avoid future uprisings, new slave codes were enacted outlawing the education
of slaves and putting strict controls on their movements.
154. Lowell System-
The Lowell system was a method of factory management that evolved in
the textile mills of Lowell, Massachusetts, owned by the Boston
Manufacturing Company. In 1814, the Boston Company built America's first
fully mechanized mill in Waltham, Massachusetts. Nine years later, the
company built a complex of new mills at East Chelmsford, soon renamed Lowell
in honor of the company's founder, Francis Lowell. With the production
process fully mechanized, the principal limitation on the firm's output was
the availability of labor, and here the company made its second innovation:
it began to recruit young farm girls from the surrounding countryside. In
order to attract these women and to reassure their families, the owners
developed a paternalistic approach to management that became known as the
Lowell system.The mill workers were housed in clean, well-run
boardinghouses, were strictly supervised both at work and at home, and were
paid unusually good wages. The farm girls responded with enthusiasm. They
soon became renowned as excellent employees, and their lively
self-improvement program (including a literary magazine) drew international
attention. Few of the Lowell women worked more than a few years, but for
every one who returned home to marry, two new ones appeared. By the 1830s,
the Lowell system had become a national symbol of the fact that in America,
humanity could go hand in hand with industrial success. Even at the pinnacle
of its renown, however, conditions in Lowell had begun to deteriorate. In
1834, an economic downturn led to the mills' first wage cuts. In the 1840s,
managers instituted a speedup, requiring higher and higher output for the
same hourly wage. The women formed the Lowell Female Labor Reform
Association and tried to appeal to their employers and then to the state
legislature through petitions. These led to state investigations in 1845 and
1846, but little changed. After 1848, conditions deteriorated further, as
New England's textile industry began to suffer from overexpansion. Seeking
cheaper labor, the mill owners turned increasingly to Irish immigrants and
in the process discontinued the management policies they had devised to
attract workers from the farms. By the 1850s, the Lowell system had been
abandoned.
155 .
Commonwealth v. Hunt-
In Commonwealth v. Hunt (March 1842), Chief Justice
Lemuel Shaw of the Massachusetts Supreme Court held that it was not
inherently illegal for workers to organize a union or try to compel
recognition of that union by means of a strike. Three years earlier, the
Boston Journeymen Bootmakers' Society had called a strike against all
employers who insisted on hiring nonunion bootmakers. Although members were
not charged with violence or with intending to destroy the employers'
businesses, seven of the union leaders were indicted for criminal
conspiracy. All were found guilty in city court in October 1840. On appeal,
Chief Justice Shaw reversed the municipal ruling, on the ground that seeking
to induce one's fellow workers to join a union was not illegal unless the
methods used to accomplish that aim were unlawful. Shaw held that, since no
contracts were broken, the bootmakers' refusal to work for particular
employers was simply the legal exercise of their "acknowledged right to
contract with others for their labor," even if it might have the
indirect effect of impoverishing those employers. Later judges were more
prepared than Shaw to find unions' methods for enforcing recognition to be
illegal, but the Commonwealth v. Hunt decision had set an
important precedent in establishing the concept that seeking to compel
recognition of a union did not in itself constitute a conspiracy.
156. German and Irish immigration-Irish
immigrants moved out of their home country to the US and other countries
due to the potato famine of 1845. Over
the next ten years, 750,000 Irish died and another 2 million left their
homeland for Great Britain, Canada, and the United States. Freighters, which
carried American and Canadian timber to Europe, offered fares as low as
$17 to $20 between Liverpool and Boston--fares subsidized by English
landlords eager to be rid of the starving peasants. As many as 10 percent of
the emigrants perished while still at sea. Unlike Irish immigrants, who
settled primarily in northeastern cities and became active in politics, German
immigrants tended to move to farms or frontier towns in the Midwest and
were less active politically. While some Germans fled to the United States
to escape political persecution following the revolutions of 1830 and 1848,
most migrated for quite a different reason: to sustain traditional ways
of life. The industrial revolution severely disrupted traditional
patterns of life for German farmers, shopkeepers, and practitioners of
traditional crafts (like baking, brewing, and carpentering). In the
Midwest's farmland and frontier cities, including Cincinnati and St. Louis,
they sought to reestablish old German lifeways, setting up German fraternal
lodges, coffee circles, and educational and musical societies. German
immigrants carried important aspects of German culture with them, which
quickly became integral parts of American culture, including the
Christmas tree and the practice of Christmas gift giving, the kindergarten,
and the gymnasium.
157. Clipper ships-A new type of ship invented by the Americans,
especially designed to carry tea (their elongated form literally cut through
the water). These sailing ships were built for speed. They could make the
crossing in about 90 days, giving them a big head start on the vessels that
sailed from London, and the consequent advantage of being able to sell their
cargoes at much better prices.
158. Transatlantic cable & telegraph-The first form of
communication between people that were long distances for each other. It was
invented by Samuel F.B. Morse in May of 1844. The Transatlantic cable was
the attempt to connect the United States and Europe by telelgraph. The first
cable was laid in 1858, but failed shortly after. A second attempt in 1866
provided a cable that worked well. Cyrus Field along with several others was
given the task of developing and creating the cable.
159. Admiral Perry opens Japan-In 1853, Admiral Matthew Perry
sailed to Japan with a fleet of warships to open the Japan to the outside
world. The US sought a trade agreement from the Japanese in order to make a
larger market for goods and to exert influence in Asia.
160. Reform movements in the late 1800’s-Reform movements of
the late 1800’s hit several key areas of life for Americans. These areas
included the workplace, child labor, control of big business, government
corruption, alcohol, and equality/women’s rights.
161. Utopian communities-
The western idea of utopia originates in the ancient world, where
legends of an earthly paradise lost to history (e.g. Eden in the Old
Testament, the mythical Golden Age of Greek mythology), combined with the
human desire to create, or recreate, an ideal society, helped form the
utopian idea. The great success story, however, was a sect, the Shakers,
founded by an Englishwoman, Mother Ann Lee, and established in North America
in 1774. By the 1840s it had approximately six thousand members scattered in
various communities. Utopian movements dissipate in the 1850’s and will
pop up from time to time in the future.
162. Oneida Community-
The founder of the Oneida Community was John Humphrey Noyes in 1848.
The community, founded near Syracuse, New York in 1848, advocated a set of
social and religious practices that were collectively referred to as
"Bible Communism." In addition to mandatory adherence to rules
regarding exclusion of private property and communal responsibility, members
of the Community were expected to abide by principles that directly affected
their personal lives: the practices of complex marriage, mutual criticism
and communal child-rearing. Although many outside the community perceived
these practices as immoral and unacceptable for women, those within the
community found the new practices personally liberating.
163. Brook Farm- 1841–47,
an experimental farm at West Roxbury, Mass., based on cooperative living.
Founded by George Ripley, a Unitarian minister, the farm was initially
financed by a joint-stock company with 24 shares of stock at $500 per share.
Each member was to take part in the manual labor in an attempt to make the
group self-sufficient. Intellectual life was stimulating, with such members
as Nathaniel Hawthorne, John S. Dwight, Charles A. Dana, and Isaac Hecker,
and such visitors as Ralph Waldo Emerson, W. E. Channing, Margaret Fuller,
Horace Greeley, and Orestes Brownson. Brook Farm was mainly an outgrowth of
Unitarianism, although most of the members had left that church and were
advocates of the literary and philosophical movement
known as transcendentalism. Economically, the community’s excellent
school was the most successful part of the venture (anticipating John Dewey’s
progressive-education ideas of learning from experience); agriculture showed
little profit because of the sandy soil and the inexperience of the farmers.
164. Women’s Rights/Senenca Falls Convention-
The women's rights movement began in Seneca Falls, New York in July
1847, when Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott called for a convention
"to discuss the social, civil and religious condition and rights of
woman." In effect, Seneca Falls would become the genesis for the
women's rights movement.
165. Shakers- The
Shakers, or United Society of Believers in Christ’s
Second Appearing, are the most enduring and successful of the many
communitarian societies established in America in the 18th and 19th
centuries. The first Shakers, led by Ann Lee, came to America from
Manchester, England, in 1774 seeking a place to freely practice their
religious beliefs. Near Albany, New York, they established the foundation
for a unique sect, which has endured for more than 220 years.
166. Temperance Union- The
Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) was organized in 1874 by
women who were concerned about the problems alcohol was causing their
families and society. The members chose total abstinence from all alcohol as
their life style and protection of the home as their watchword
167. American Antislavery Society-
The American Antislavery Society was an organization founded in 1833
by reformer William Lloyd Garrison and others who attacked the institution
of slavery in the United States and demanded that it be ended. By 1838,
there were more than 250,000 members. People could become a member if they
weren’t slave holders. If they contributed money to the Society, they were
given the right to vote at the meetings. The growth of the abolition
movement was due in part to the similarity between it and other reform
movements of the era. This abolition turned out to be the most important of
all the reforms of the Jacksonian Era.
168. Horace Mann/Public Education-
Horace Mann, often called the Father of the Common School, began his
career as a lawyer and legislator. When he was elected to act as Secretary
of the newly-created Massachusetts Board of Education in 1837, he used his
position to enact major educational reform. He spearheaded the Common School
Movement, ensuring that every child could receive a basic education funded
by local taxes. His influence soon spread beyond Massachusetts as more
states took up the idea of universal schooling.
169. Liberty Party-Was the first political party in the United
States to give most of its attention to the slavery question. The politician
James G. Birney and the poet John Greenleaf Whittier were the leading
supporters of the group. From July 1844 to March 1845, Whittier edited the Middlesex
Standard, a paper published in Lowell, Mass., by the Liberty Party. The
Liberty Party nominated Birney for President in 1840, but he made a poor
showing in the election. He also headed the party ticket in 1844 and polled
62,000 votes. In 1848, the party met in Buffalo, N.Y., with other groups to
form the Free Soil Party.
170. Mormon Church-Founded by Joseph Smith Jr. (1805-1844), on
April 6, 1830. Smith claimed to have had a visitation from God in 1820 in
which God directed him to establish the true church. Consequently he
organized the Mormon Church on April 6, 1830, with six original members.
Beginning with a few hundred followers the church moved to Ohio, Missouri,
and Illinois before Smith´s death at the hands of a mob at the Carthage,
Ill., jail. Smith had been arrested for encouraging the destruction of the
Expositor, a Nauvoo, Ill., newspaper. After Smith´s death, Brigham Young
was affirmed as president of the church by a majority of the church´s
leaders and led several thousand followers to Utah where they established
Salt Lake City in 1847. Joseph Smith´s widow, Emma, resided in
Independence, Mo. Those who affirmed her son, Joseph Smith, as the true
successor of his father and as prophet of the church helped found the
Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, now headquartered
in Independence, Mo., in 1852.
171 . Emerson
and Thoreau-Two transcendentalist writers whose lives were
entertwined by a belief in the same system. Transcendentalism a literary and
philosophical movement, associated with Ralph Waldo Emerson and Margaret
Fuller, asserting the existence of an ideal spiritual reality that
transcends the empirical and scientific and is knowable through intuition.
172. Seventh Day
Adventist Church- According to historians of the movement, this
group gained its more recent name from the teaching that the expected return
of Jesus on October 22, 1844 had been fulfilled in a way that had not
previously been understood. This was termed "the Great
Disappointment." Further Bible study led to the belief that Jesus in
that year had entered into the Most Holy Place of the heavenly sanctuary,
and began an "investigative judgment" of the world: a process
through which there is an examination of the heavenly records to
"determine who, through repentance of sin and faith in Christ, are
entitled to the benefits of His atonement"¹ after which Jesus will
return to earth. According to the church's teaching, the return of Christ
may occur very soon, though nobody knows the exact date of that event
(Matthew 24:36). Early Seventh Day Adventist leaders, including Ellen G.
White, taught that those who did not accept the Adventist message prior to
October 22, 1844, would not be saved. This was called the
"shut-door" doctrine. The doctrine was later rejected by Seventh
Day Adventists.
173. Elizabeth Blackwell- Physician (1821 - 1910) She
received the first medical degree granted to a women in the United States
from Geneva College in NY in 1849). She started out as a teacher but for
various reasons she set out to get a medical degree. One of those reasons
was her dismay over the social inequities of the time.
174. Texas secedes from Mexico-In 1820, American Moses
Austin was granted land in Texas from Spanish officials. In 1821, his son
Stephen Austin brought 300 families to farm along the Brazos River in Texas.
That same year Mexico won independence from Spain. Mexico extended the
boundaries of Austin’s colony and granted other Americans land in Texas.
In 1823, the new colony created its head of government in present-day Austin
County. During the 1830s, tension grew between
Mexico and large numbers of American settlers in Texas. By 1835, the Texas
Revolution had begun. When Texas troops captured San Antonio, Mexican
General Antonio López de Santa Anna brought over 4,000 troops to regain
control of the mission. Less than 200 Texan rebels withdrew into a chapel
called the Alamo. Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie and others fought to their
deaths. Following the Alamo, more than 300 Texan prisoners from the battle
at Goliad were also executed. The Battle of San Jacinto was the last major
battle in this war. On April 21, 1836, Texans took the Mexico army by
surprise, capturing Santa Anna and defeating his army. They shouted the
famous phrase, "Remember the Alamo" while they fought. This
victory gave Texas independence from Spain. The new independent country
became the Republic of Texas. The Republic of
Texas tried for nearly 10 years to join the United States. Finally on Dec.
29, 1845, Texas became the 28th state. The following year, war
broke out between the United States and Mexico over the boundary between
Texas and Mexico. The Mexican War ended in 1848. Mexico gave up all claims
to Texas using the Rio Grande as the new boundary between the two countries.
175. John Tyler-10th President of the United
States from 1841-1845. He became president after William Henry Harrison died
while in office. He helped the US acquire Texas by a joint resolution of
Congress.
176. Webster-Ashburton Treaty- As the population grew in
northern Maine, friction developed between rival groups of lumberjacks (see
Aroostook War). An effort to resolve the situation had been made in 1831
when the King of the Netherlands sponsored negotiations, but his endeavor
was rejected by the Senate. In 1842, Secretary of State Daniel Webster met
with the British Foreign Minister, Alexander Baring, the first Baron
Ashburton. The resulting Webster-Ashburton Treaty reached agreement on the
following points:
· Boundaries: Clearly defined borders were drawn between
Maine and New Brunswick, and also in the Great Lakes area; the United States
received control of 7,015 square miles of the disputed territory and
Britain, 5,012 square miles
· Extradition: Some movement was made toward addressing
extradition (the legal process for returning fugitives to another
jurisdiction) concerns between the two nations; this matter had become
politically sensitive following the Caroline affair; a formal extradition
treaty was concluded later
· African slave trade: The United states agreed to station
ships off the African coast in an effort to detect Americans engaging in the
slave trade; Webster rejected a request to allow boarding of American ships
by the British Navy.
One question of growing concern, the Oregon boundary issue, was not
addressed in this agreement. The Webster-Ashburton Treaty was significant in
that it furthered the practice of settling troublesome issues through
diplomacy.
177. James Polk-11th President of the United
States from 1845-1849. He was a Democrat dark horse candidate from North
Carolina who presided during the Mexican-American War. Under his leadership
the US acquired most of the western US including California, Arizona,
Oregon, and Washington.
178. Texas enters Union- In 1846, war broke out between the
United States and Mexico over the boundary between Texas and Mexico. The
Mexican War ended in 1848. Mexico gave up all claims to Texas using the Rio
Grande as the new boundary between the two countries.
179. Slidell Mission- President Polk dispatched John
Slidell, a Louisiana lawyer, to Mexico City in the fall of 1845. His
assignment was to negotiate the following:
1. Mexican recognition of the Rio Grande as the border between Texas
and the United States
2. American forgiveness of the claims by U.S. citizens against the
Mexican government
3. The purchase of the New Mexico area for $5 million
4. The purchase of California at any price.
Mexican governmental affairs were in turmoil and the Slidell Mission was
not received. Slidell returned to the United States and recommended to the
president that strong action be taken against Mexico.
180. Oregon Treaty-A long history of dispute
characterized the ownership of the Oregon
Territory, which included present-day Oregon, Washington, Idaho and portions
of Montana, Wyoming and British Columbia. Spain and Russia had surrendered
their claims to the region, but the United States and Britain were active
claimants in the 19th century's early years. The matter's resolution was
delayed by the Anglo-American Convention of 1818, in which both parties agreed
to a temporary policy of "joint occupation" of the region. This
accommodation was extended in 1827. During the 1830s, the American position
came to favor establishment of the northern border along 49º north latitude,
arguing that the nation's Manifest Destiny required no less. The British,
however, wanted to see the southern boundary of British Columbia established
at the Columbia River and based their claims
on the Hudson's Bay Company's long history in the area. The British position
weakened in the early 1840s as large numbers of numbers of American settlers
poured into the disputed area over the Oregon Trail. Possession of
Oregon became an issue in the Election of 1844. Democratic candidate James
K. Polk took an extreme view by advocating the placement of the border at 54º
40' north latitude. Expansionists chanted, "Fifty-four Forty or
Fight!" After the election, Polk put the British on notice that joint
occupation would not be extended, but quietly entered into diplomatic
discussions. In June 1846, the
Treaty of Washington was signed between Britain and the United States, the
latter represented by Secretary of State James Buchanan. Provisions included:
· The boundary between Canada and the United States was set at
the 49th parallel, from the Rocky Mountains to the coast; the line was
extended southward through the Gulf Islands and then followed the mid-point
through the Strait of Juan de Fuca to the Pacific Ocean
· Navigation through the Gulf Islands and the Strait of Juan de
Fuca was to be ensured for both nations.
The United States achieved a favorable resolution on the main boundary issue
and the British retained full control of Vancouver Island, a matter of prime
importance to them.
One major point of contention resulted from ambiguous wording in the treaty.
It was unclear whether San Juan Island, one of the larger Gulf Islands, belonged
to Canada or the U.S. Tensions over this issue peaked in 1859 in the so-called
Pig War.
180. Wilmot Proviso-
This measure was designed to ban slavery within territory acquired as
a result of the Mexican War. It was introduced on August 8, 1846, only a few
months into the war, by Democratic representative David Wilmot of
Pennsylvania as part of a bill to appropriate $2 million to negotiate a
treaty with the Mexicans. The antislavery declaration reflected the national
political situation. The Democrats had divided over slavery and expansion
during the 1844 election, but after his victory James K. Polk had pushed for
the acquisition of the Oregon country and for a larger share of Texas from
Mexico. Northern Democrats such as Wilmot, who feared the addition of slave
territory, had resented Polk's willingness to compromise the Oregon dispute
with Great Britain at the forty- ninth parallel—less territory than
expected. More interested in northern free labor than in the plight of
southern slaves, Wilmot had been an administration
loyalist until he presented his proviso. Apparently, it may not even
have been his idea. The language was taken from the Northwest Ordinance of
1787, and several antislavery congressmen had written similar measures.
Although the measure was blocked in the southern-dominated Senate, it helped
widen the growing sectional rift, and it inspired such politicians of the
time as James Buchanan, Lewis Cass, and John C. Calhoun to formulate their
own plans for dealing with slavery as the nation expanded its territory.
181. Iowa enters Union-The state became part of the Union
in 1846 the 29th overall. It became a state around the same time
as Texas to help balance the free and slave states.
182. Mexican-American War-War between Mexico and the
US from 1846-1848. The defeat of Santa Anna and his army effectively showed
the power of the US and its determination to spread from Atlantic to the
Pacific. The origin of the war was contested as both sides claimed the other
side started it.
"Spot resolutions"- James
K. Polk, a Democrat, was president while Lincoln was in
Congress. Lincoln joined other Whigs in attacking Polk for starting
the Mexican War. Congress had declared war against Mexico in May 1846 upon
Polk's contention that Mexicans had fired on American soldiers in U.S.
territory. In December 1847 Lincoln challenged the truth of this contention.
He introduced a resolution questioning whether the spot on which the firing
took place was actually in U.S. territory. In another resolution he claimed
that the American troops were on that spot in violation of the orders of
their commanding officer, General Zachary Taylor. The next month, Lincoln
supported a Whig resolution declaring that the Mexican War had been
"unnecessarily and unconstitutionally . . . begun by the
President." Lincoln's "spot
resolutions" made little impression either on Congress or on the
president, but they caused an uproar in Illinois, where the war was approved
of by most voters. Lincoln was denounced as a traitor, and opposition
newspapers gleefully called him Spotty Lincoln. However, despite his opinion
of the war, once war was declared, Lincoln voted for all appropriations in
support of it.
183. Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo-Mexican officials and
Nicholas Trist, President Polk's representative, began discussions for a
peace treaty that August. On February 2, 1848 the Treaty was signed in
Guadalupe Hidalgo, a city north of the capital where the Mexican government
had fled as U.S. troops advanced. Its provisions called for Mexico to cede
55% of its territory (present-day Arizona, California, New Mexico, Texas,
and parts of Colorado, Nevada and Utah) in exchange for fifteen million
dollars in compensation for war-related damage to Mexican property. Other
provisions stipulated the Texas border at the Rio Grande (Article V),
protection for the property and civil rights of Mexican nationals living
within the new border (Articles VIII and IX), U.S. promise to police its
side of the border (Article XI), and compulsory arbitration of future
disputes between the two countries (Article XXI). When the U.S. Senate
ratified the treaty in March, it deleted Article X guaranteeing the
protection of Mexican land grants. Following the Senate's ratification of
the treaty, U.S. troops left Mexico City.
184. Zachary Taylor-12th President of the United
States from 1849-1850. He died while in office. He was a part of the Whig
party and is best known for his role as one of the successful generals in
the Mexican-American War. His nickname was "Old Rough and Ready"
and he never went to college.
185 . California
Gold Rush-In January of 1848, James Marshall had a work crew camped
on the American River at Coloma near Sacramento. The crew was building a saw
mill for John Sutter. On the cold, clear morning of January 24, Marshall
found a few tiny gold nuggets. Thus began one of the largest human
migrations in history as a half-million people from around the world
descended upon California in search of instant wealth. The first printed
notice of the discovery was in the March 15 issue of "The
Californian" in San Francisco. Shortly after Marshall's discovery,
General John Bidwell discovered gold in the Feather River and Major Pearson
B. Reading found gold in the Trinity River. The Gold Rush was soon in full
sway.
186. Mexican
Cession-The "Mexican Cession" refers to lands surrendered,
or ceded, to the United States by Mexico at the end of the Mexican War. The
terms of this transfer were spelled out in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
of 1848. To the United States, this massive land grab was significant
because the question of extending slavery into newly acquired territories
had become the leading national political issue. To Mexico, the loss of an
enormous part of its territory was a tremendous embarrassment and created
lasting anger among many of its citizens.
187. Free-Soil Party-In August 1848 at Buffalo, New York, a
meeting of anti-slavery members of the Whig Party and the Liberty Party
established the Free-Soil Party. The new party opposed the extension of
slavery into the western territories. The main slogan of the party was
"free soil, free speech, free labour, and free men". In the 1848
presidential election, Martin Van Buren, the party's candidate, polled 10
per cent of the vote. He split the traditional Democratic support and
enabled the Whig candidate, Zachary Taylor, to win. By 1852 the Free-Soil
Party had 12 congressmen but in presidential election, John P. Hale won over
5 per cent of the vote. Two years later, remaining members joined the
Republican Party.
188. Millard Fillmore-13th President of the
United States. He took over for Zachary Taylor after his death. He signed
into effect the Compromise of 1850 and sent Admiral Perry to Japan. He was
also a Whig and never went to college.
189. Compromise of 1850-The compromise was proposed by the
"Great Compromiser" Henry Clay. The measures were the admission of
California as a free state; the organization of New Mexico and Utah
territories without mention of slavery, the status of that institution to be
determined by the territories themselves when they were ready to be admitted
as states (this formula came to be known as popular sovereignty); the
prohibition of the slave trade in the District of Columbia; a more stringent
fugitive slave law; and the settlement of Texas boundary claims by federal
payment of $10 million on the debt contracted by the Republic of Texas.
190. Fugitive Slave Act-In payment for Southern support for
California's admission to the Union as a free state and ending the slave
trade in the District of Columbia, Congress enacted the Fugitive Slave Act
to assist the South with maintaining a
tight rein on slaveholders’ property. The new law created a force of
federal commissioners empowered to pursue fugitive slaves in any state and
return them to their owners. No statute of limitations applied, so that even
those slaves who had been free for many years could be (and were) returned.
The commissioners enjoyed broad powers, including the right to compel
citizens to assist in the pursuit and apprehension of runaways; fines and
imprisonment awaited those who refused to cooperate. A captured runaway
could not testify on his own behalf and was not entitled to a court trial.
The commissioners received a fee of 10 dollars for every slave returned; the
fee was reduced to five dollars if the accused slave were released.
The passage and enforcement of this law enraged many in the North.
Some states reacted by passing legislation designed to hamper the federal
commissioners' activities, but such laws were declared unconstitutional by
the U.S. Supreme Court. Riots occurred in some Northern communities and
soldiers were deployed to restore order. The 1852 publication of Uncle
Tom’s Cabin capitalized upon the Northern sensibilities, which had
been rubbed raw by the Fugitive Slave Act.
191. California enters the Union-California enters the union
as the thirty-first state in 1850. It shifts the balance of power in favor
of the free states.
192 . Minnesota,
Utah, and Oregon enter the Union-1858: Minnesota enters the union -
32nd. 1859: Oregon enters the union - 33rd. 1896: Utah
enters the union - 45th.
193. Clayton-Bulwer
Treaty-Zachary Taylor’s secretary of state, John M. Clayton, met
with a British representative, Sir Henry Bulwer, to calm a potentially
troublesome issue in Central America. Both powers had studied the
feasibility of constructing a canal to link the Atlantic and Pacific oceans
through the narrow isthmus in Central America. Initially the most promising
site appeared to be in Nicaragua. Neither party was prepared in 1850 to
undertake the massive project, but wanted to ensure that one country would
not act in the absence of the other.
Under the terms of the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty, the two parties agreed:
· Not to seek exclusive control of the canal or territory on
either side of such a canal
· Not to fortify any position in the canal area
· Not to establish colonies in Central America
The Treaty was ratified in the Senate, but was viewed in a negative light
by the public, which regarded it as a renunciation of the Monroe Doctrine.
Most historians of diplomacy today view the agreement more positively,
arguing that the United States did about as well as could be expected at the
time. Britain was a great world power; the United States was not. The treaty
prevented an immediate rush for influence in Central America and acted to
strengthen relations between the two counties. (Later secretaries of state
would attempt to modify the treaty, but without success. It was not until
1901 that this agreement would be superceded by the Hay-Pauncefote Treaty.)
194. Uncle Tom’s Cabin-This novel by Harriet
Beecher Stowe did much to galvanize northern public opinion against slavery.
Uncle Tom's Cabin, or, Life Among the Lowly began as a ten-month
serial in the National Era, an abolitionist newspaper, on June 5,
1851. Published in book form in March 1852, it quickly sold 300,000 copies
and eventually about 7 million throughout the world. It was also dramatized
in 1852 by George Aiken (without Stowe's consent) and had a successful stage
run.The book tells the story of a Christian slave, Uncle Tom, who is sold by
a Kentucky family burdened by debt. Finally, sold again, he dies under the
lash of the henchman of a cruel overseer, Simon Legree, who wants Uncle Tom
to accept him instead of God as his master. Stowe, a member of a family of
abolitionists and ministers, also recounts the flight of a family of
runaways on the Underground Railroad. Many northerners were shocked into a
hatred for the institution so melodramatically described. When introduced to
Stowe during the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln is said to have called her the
"little lady who made this big war." The novel also affected the
American language: "Uncle Tom" became an epithet for passive,
usually older blacks (paradoxically, considering that Tom will answer to no
white man, only to God), and "Simon Legree" became a synonym for
cruelty.
195. Know-Nothing (American) Party-byname of AMERICAN
PARTY, U.S. political party that flourished in the 1850s. The Know-Nothing
party was an outgrowth of the strong anti-immigrant and especially
anti-Roman Catholic sentiment that started to manifest itself during the
1840s. A rising tide of immigrants, primarily Germans in the Midwest and
Irish in the East, seemed to pose a threat to the economic and political
security of native-born Protestant Americans. In 1849 the secret Order of
the Star-Spangled Banner formed in New York City, and soon after lodges
formed in nearly every other major American city. Members, when asked about
their nativist organizations, were supposed to reply that they knew nothing,
hence the name. As its membership and importance grew in the 1850s, the
group slowly shed its clandestine character and took the official name
American Party. As a national political entity, it called for restrictions
on immigration, the exclusion of the foreign-born from voting or holding
public office in the United States, and for a 21-year residency requirement
for citizenship. By 1852 the Know-Nothing party was achieving phenomenal
growth. It did very well that year in state and local elections, and with
passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854 it won additional adherents from
the ranks of conservatives who could support neither the proslavery
Democrats nor antislavery Republicans. When Congress assembled on Dec. 3,
1855, 43 representatives were avowed members of the Know-Nothing party.
That, however, was the peak of Know-Nothing power. At the American Party
convention in Philadelphia the following year, the party split along
sectional lines over the proslavery platform pushed through by Southern
delegates. Party presidential candidate Millard Fillmore carried just one
state (Maryland) in the 1856 election, and congressional strength dropped to
12 representatives. Caught in the sectional strife disrupting all national
institutions, the American Party fell apart after 1856.
196. Republican Party-The Republican Party was born in the
early 1850's by anti-slavery activists and individuals who believed that
government should grant western lands to settlers free of charge. The first
informal meeting of the party took place in Ripon, Wisconsin. The first
official Republican meeting took place on July 6th, 1854 in Jackson,
Michigan. The name "Republican" was chosen because it alluded to
equality and reminded individuals of Thomas Jefferson's
Democratic-Republican Party. In 1856, the Republicans became a national
party when John C. Fremont was nominated for President under the slogan:
"Free soil, free labor, free speech, free men, Fremont." Four
years later, Abraham Lincoln became the first Republican to win the White
House. Republicans have a long and rich history with basic principles:
Individuals, not government, can make the best decisions; all people are
entitled to equal rights; and decisions are best made close to home. The
symbol of the Republican Party is the elephant. During the mid term
elections in 1874, Democrats tried to scare voters into thinking President
Grant would seek to run for an unprecedented third term. Thomas Nast, a
cartoonist for Harper's Weekly, depicted a Democratic jackass trying to
scare a Republican elephant - and both symbols stuck.
197. Kansas-Nebraska Act-Bill that became law on May 30,
1854, by which the U.S. Congress established the territories of Kansas and
Nebraska. Stephen A. Douglas, the Democratic senator from Illinois and
chairman of the Committee on Territories, introduced the bill in early 1854
dealing with these unorganized lands. Douglas was anxious to see the region
developed. Part of his motivation was personal gain—he was a heavy
speculator in western lands and also, as a resident of Chicago, supportive
of the development of the central route for a transcontinental railroad.
Further, an exposure on the national stage might be helpful to his
considerable presidential ambitions. Douglas’ bill succeeded in luring
Southern politicians with the following provisions:
· The Nebraska Territory was to be divided into two units—Kansas
and Nebraska
· The question of slavery, which had seemingly been answered,
was to be decided by "popular sovereignty"—allowing the
territorial legislatures to decide.
The effect of this proposal was to repeal the Missouri Compromise, a
prospect that enraged antislavery forces and most Northerners. Not content,
the Southern leaders insisted on a formal amendment which specifically
repealed the slavery provisions of the compromise. A bitter debate followed
in Congress, culminating in May 1854 in a narrow victory for Douglas and the
South. President Franklin Pierce signed the measure immediately. The passage
of the Kansas-Nebraska Act exerted a tremendous impact, which included:
· The reopening of the slavery question in the territories with
almost immediate tragic results in "Bleeding Kansas"
· The president's hope for reelection dashed
· The complete realignment of the major political parties
· The Democrats lost influence in the North and were to become
the regional proslavery party of the South
· The Whig Party, which had opposed the Kansas-Nebraska Act,
died in the South and was weakened in the North
· A new Republican Party emerged as an immediate political
force, drawing in anti-Nebraska Whigs and Democrats.
198. Franklin Pierce-14th President of the US from
1853-1857. During his term, feelings in
congress were so intense that fist-fights broke out on the floor of the
congress. Kansas was known as "Bloody Kansas" due to the state's
intense turmoil over the issue of slavery. He also authorized the Gadsden
Purchase in 1853.
199. Ostend Manifesto-Document drawn up in Oct., 1854, at
Ostend, Belgium, by James Buchanan, American minister to Great Britain, John
Y. Mason, minister to France, and Pierre Soulé, minister to Spain. William
L. Marcy, Secretary of State under President Pierce, instructed Soulé to
try to buy Cuba from Spain, but Soulé antagonized the Spanish by his
political intrigues and aggressive threats (he issued an unwarranted
ultimatum to the Spanish government on the Black Warrior affair). Pierce
then ordered a conference of the three diplomats in Europe, all proslavery
Democrats, at Ostend. The resulting manifesto strongly suggested that the
United States should take Cuba by force if Spain refused to sell.
Southerners, who had long feared that Cuba might become an independent black
republic, applauded the document, but it was vigorously denounced by the
free-soil press as a plot to extend slavery. Marcy immediately repudiated it
for the U.S. government.
200. "Bleeding Kansas"- The years of 1854-1861
were a turbulent time in Kansas territory. The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854
established the territorial boundaries of Kansas and Nebraska and opened the
land to legal settlement. It allowed the residents of these territories to
decide by popular vote whether their state would be free or slave. This
concept of self-determination was called popular sovereignty'. In Kansas,
people on all sides of this controversial issue flooded the territory,
trying to influence the vote in their favor. Rival territorial governments,
election fraud, and squabbles over land claims all contributed to the
violence of this era. Three distinct political groups occupied Kansas:
pro-slavers, free-staters and abolitionists. Violence broke out immediately
between these opposing factions and continued until 1861 when Kansas entered
the Union as a free state on January 29th. This era became forever known as
"Bleeding Kansas".
201. John Brown’s Attack at Pottawatomie Creek, Kansas-On
the night of May 24, 1856, John Brown and his company of Free State
volunteers murdered five men settled along the Pottawatomie Creek in
southeastern Kansas. The victims were prominently associated with the
pro-slavery Law and Order Party, but were not themselves slave owners. This
assault occurred three days after Border Ruffians from Missouri burned and
pillaged the anti-slavery haven of Lawrence, and two days after
Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner was severely beaten by Senator Preston
Brooks of South Carolina.
202. Brooks-Sumner Incident-As North-South tensions
heightened, so did
Massachusetts Congressman Charles Sumner's rhetoric against the South. In
his Crime Against Kansas speech, delivered in May 1856, he lambasted
southern efforts to extend slavery into Kansas and attacked his colleague,
Andrew P. Butler of South Carolina. The South was pictured as evil slave
holders, even though the issue the South was stressing was to allow the
people of the new states decide their own fate. Of course, like any
political cause, they sough allies, in this case new states and territories
that would be sympathetic with their political and economic concerns.
Shortly after Sumner's infuriating speech, Butler's cousin, Congressman
Preston Brooks of South Carolina, assaulted Sumner on the Senate floor.
203. James Buchanan-15th
President of the US from 1857-1861. He was the only president never to be
married. During his term, the John Brown raid occurred on Harper's Ferry.
During his term, the Lincoln-Douglas debates were being held in Illinois.
During his term, the Confederate States of America declared their
independence.
204. Dred Scott v. Sanford-(1856), known as the
"Dred Scott Case", was a lawsuit decided by the Supreme
Court of the United States in 1857. It is considered by many to have been a
key cause of the American Civil War, and of the later ratification of the
Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments to the United States
Constitution, leading to the abolition of slavery and establishment of civil
rights for freed slaves. The decision for the court was written by Chief
Justice Roger Taney. Dred Scott was an American slave who was taken first to
Illinois, a free state, and then to Minnesota, a free territory, for an
extended period of time and then back to the slave state of Missouri. After
his original master died, he sued for his freedom. After the Missouri
Supreme Court ruled against him, he appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court,
which upheld the decision of the Missouri court, but also used the case to
fundamentally change the legal balance of power in favor of slaveholders.
The Court ruled that:
· No Negroes, not even free Negroes, could ever become
citizens of the United States. They were "beings of an inferior
order" not included in the phrase "all men" in the
Declaration of Independence nor afforded any rights by the Constitution.
· The exclusion of slavery from a U.S. territory in the Missouri
Compromise was an unconstitutional deprivation of property (Negro slaves)
without due process (prohibited by the Fifth Amendment).
· Dred Scott was not free, because Missouri law alone applied
after he returned there.
205. Lecompton Constitution-The pro-slavery constitution
was formulated (Sept., 1857) there, and was ratified (Dec., 1857) after an
election in which voters were given a choice only between limited or
unlimited slavery; free state men refused to cast their ballots. President
James Buchanan urged Congress to admit Kansas as a slave state under the
Lecompton Constitution, but Stephen A. Douglas and his followers broke with
the pro-slavery Democrats, and the bill could not pass the House. At a
subsequent election (Aug., 1858), Kansas voters decisively rejected the
Lecompton Constitution. Kansas was later (1861) admitted as a free state.
206.
Lincoln-Douglas Debates-The debates between Stephen A. Douglas
and Abraham Lincoln were held during the 1858 campaign for a US Senate seat
from Illinois. The debates were held at 7 sites throughout Illinois, one in
each of the 7 Congressional Districts. Douglas, a Democrat, was the
incumbent Senator, having been elected in 1847. He had chaired the Senate
Committee on Territories. He helped enact the Compromise of 1850. Douglas
then was a proponent of Popular Sovereignty, and was responsible for the
Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854. The legislation led to the violence in Kansas,
hence the name "Bleeding Kansas" Lincoln was a relative unknown at
the beginning of the debates. In contrast to Douglas' Popular Sovereignty
stance, Lincoln stated that the US could not survive as half-slave and
half-free states. The Lincoln-Douglas debates drew the attention of the
entire nation. Although Lincoln would lose the Senate race in 1858, he would
beat Douglas out in the 1860 race for the US Presidency.
207. Freeport Doctrine-Senator Stephen A. Douglas
enunciated this policy at Freeport, Illinois, on August 27, 1858, during one
of his celebrated debates with Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln had asked in the
wake of the Dred Scott decision, "Can the people of a United
States Territory, in any lawful way, against the wish of any citizen of the
United States, exclude slavery from its limits prior to the formation of a
State Constitution?" Lincoln knew how his opponent would reply because
Douglas already had stated his position. Lincoln's purpose was to show
antislavery voters that Douglas's position differed from their own. A
longtime advocate of popular sovereignty, Douglas had broken with James
Buchanan's administration over its preference for the proslavery Lecompton
constitution in Kansas. Because this split had cost the "Little
Giant" from Illinois his chance for southern support at the forthcoming
Democratic presidential convention in 1860, Douglas could repeat his
previous statements in the form of the Freeport Doctrine: "Slavery
cannot exist a day in the midst of an unfriendly people with unfriendly
laws." In appealing to a middle ground on slavery, Douglas restated his
stand in behalf of popular sovereignty and defied the Dred Scott
ruling. Thus, Douglas went too far for the South, which began to push harder
for a territorial slave code, but not far enough for northerners who opposed
slavery.
208. John Brown’s Raid on Harper’s Ferry-
Late on the night of October 16, 1859, John Brown
and twenty-one armed followers stole into the town of Harper's Ferry,
Virginia (now West Virginia) as most of its residents slept. The men--among
them three free blacks, one freed slave, and one fugitive slave--hoped to
spark a rebellion of freed slaves and to lead an "army of
emancipation" to overturn the institution of slavery by force. To these
ends the insurgents took some sixty prominent locals including Col. Lewis
Washington (great-grand nephew of George Washington) as hostages and seized
the town's United States arsenal and its rifle works. The upper hand which
nighttime surprise had afforded the raiders quickly eroded, and by the
evening of October 17, the conspirators who were still alive were holed-up
in an engine house. In order to be able to distinguish between insurgents
and hostages, marines under Colonel Robert E. Lee waited for daylight on
October 18 to storm the building. Brown was hanged on December 2, 1859.
209. Abraham Lincoln-16th president of the
United States from 1861-1865. On January 23, 1863, he issued the
Emancipation Proclamation. He was the first president to be assassinated. He
was shot five days after the end of the Civil War. He was the first
president born outside of the original thirteen colonies. Just one month
after his inauguration, the Civil War began.
210. Fort Sumter-Throughout March of 1861 the Confederate
authorities sought to drive out the Union occupants of Fort Sumter
peacefully. However, once Abraham Lincoln's administration would not
surrender the fort to the Confederates, Jefferson Davis decided to
take action. Davis hoped that in seizing command of Fort Sumter he
could drive the northerners out of the South and help South Carolina secede
to the Confederate States of America. Action could not be delayed for fear
of reinforcements of the garrison at Fort Sumter. Davis and his cabinet
decided to dispatch General Beauregard to siege Fort Sumter. Beauregard was
faced with a difficult situation. Anderson, the commanding officer at Fort
Sumter, was his instructor at West Point, who recommend his elongated
service at West Point due to his outstanding behavior. Prior to the
bombardment, Buearegaurd sent a letter formally requesting surrender of the
Fort. Anderson regretfully denied this offer, and the bombardment began. On
April 12th at 4:30 AM he opened fire, bombarding the fort with heavy fire.
General Anderson, with his ammunition on fire and
supplies depleted, surrendered the following day and left the fort on April
14th. Although no casualties were caused by the enemy, one Union soldier was
killed during the surrendering ceremony when a cannon backfired. The fort
was neither a strategic location nor a deciding battle, but it did start
what was to be the United States worst war and one of the bloodiest in
history.
211. The Confederate States of America-The Confederate
States of America (CSA, also known as the Confederacy) was
the confederation formed by the southern slave states that seceded from the
United States and existed from 1861 to 1865. The seceding states took
control of federal forts and custom houses within their boundaries,
triggering the American Civil War. Eventually a total of 11 states became
part of the Confederacy, including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia,
Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas,
and Virginia. Missouri and Kentucky never officially seceded, but factions
from those states applied for acceptance into the confederacy, and those
states are represented as stars on the Confederate battle flag. The five
tribal governments of the Indian Territory, which became Oklahoma in 1907,
also mainly supported the Confederacy. Some residents in New Mexico and
Arizona territories at Mesilla and Tucson also petitioned the Confederate
government for annexation of their lands, prompting an expedition in which
territory south of the 34th parallel was claimed by the Confederacy. Also
note that West Virginia seceded from Virginia and rejoined the Union or
United States as a free state in 1863. Martial law was declared in 1861 in
Maryland (the state which surrounds Washington, D.C.) to block attempts at
secession there. Delaware, also a slave state, never considered
secession.The Confederacy was formed on February 4, 1861, and Jefferson
Davis was selected as its first President of the Confederate States the next
day. For most of its duration, the Confederacy was engaged in the American
Civil War against the remainder of the Union.
212. Trent Affair-The Trent Affair was the
diplomatic crisis that potentially brought Great Britain and the United
States closest to war during the first year of the American Civil War.
Although war seemed possible, both sides managed to avoid an armed conflict,
and in the process gained greater confidence in one another. Confederate
President Jefferson Davis, seeking support against the North, sent diplomats
James Mason of Virginia as minister to Britain and John Slidell of Louisiana
as minister to France. Eluding the Union blockade, the Southerners reached
Cuba, where they boarded a British mail steamer, the Trent, for
passage across the Atlantic Ocean. On November 8, 1861, Captain James of the
USS San Jacinto, halted the Trent 300 miles east of Havana
with two shots across the bow. A boarding party from the San Jacinto
seized the Confederate diplomats and their secretaries, but then allowed the
Trent to resume its voyage. This decision became a source of
controversy, with the British many claiming that the San Jacinto had
violated international law by removing persons from a ship without taking
the ship to a prize court for adjudication.
213. Confiscation Act-The Confiscation Acts were a
series of laws passed by the federal government during the American Civil
War that were designed to liberate slaves in the seceded states. The first
Confiscation Act, passed on Aug. 6, 1861, authorized Union seizure of rebel
property, and it stated that all slaves who fought with or worked for the
Confederate military services were freed of further obligations to their
masters. President Abraham Lincoln objected to the act on the basis that it
might push border states, especially Kentucky and Missouri, into secession
in order to protect slavery within their boundaries. He later convinced
Congress to pass a resolution providing compensation to states that
initiated a system of gradual emancipation, but the border states failed to
support this plan. And Lincoln repudiated the position of Generals John C.
Frémont and David Hunter, who proclaimed that the first Confiscation Act
was tantamount to a decree of emancipation. The second Confiscation Act,
passed July 17, 1862, was virtually an emancipation proclamation. It said
that slaves of civilian and military Confederate officials "shall be
forever free," but it was enforceable only in areas of the South
occupied by the Union Army. President Lincoln was again concerned about the
effect of an antislavery measure on the border states and again urged these
states to begin gradual compensated emancipation.
214. Sherman’s march through Georgia-General Grant arranged
two campaigns for the year 1864. One, under his own immediate direction, was
for the seizure of Richmond, the Confederate capital; the other was for the
seizure of Atlanta, Ga., the focus of several converging railways. The
latter expedition was led by General Sherman. His army numbered nearly
100,000 men, comprising the Army of the Cumberland, led by Gen. George H.
Thomas; the Army of the Tennessee, commanded by Gen.
J. R. McPherson: and the Army of the Ohio, led by Gen. J. M. Schofield.

Appomattox Court House-Early on April 9, 1865, the remnants of John
Brown Gordon’s corps and Fitzhugh Lee’s cavalry formed a line of battle at
Appomattox Court House. Gen. Robert E. Lee determined to make one last attempt
to escape the closing Union pincers and reach his supplies at Lynchburg. At
dawn the Confederates advanced, initially gaining ground against Sheridan’s
cavalry. The arrival of Union infantry, however, stopped the advance in its
tracks. Longstreet couldn’t reinforce because of pressure from the east. Lee
knew his army was now surrounded on three sides, and asked for a truce. It was
a while before all the fighting died down – after years of combat men didn’t
believe white flags, didn’t believe there would be a surrender. Lee
surrendered to Grant in the afternoon of April 9, in the parlor of Wilmer
McLean’s house. The war in Virginia was over.
Lincoln’s Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction-Even before
the war ended, President Lincoln began the task of restoration. Motivated by a
desire to build a strong Republican party in the South and to end the
bitterness engendered by war, he issued (Dec. 8, 1863) a proclamation of
amnesty and reconstruction for those areas of the Confederacy occupied by
Union armies. It offered pardon, with certain exceptions, to any Confederate
who would swear to support the Constitution and the Union. Once a group in any
conquered state equal in number to one tenth of that state's total vote in the
presidential election of 1860 took the prescribed oath and organized a
government that abolished slavery, he would grant that government executive
recognition. Lincoln's plan aroused the sharp opposition of the radicals in
Congress, who believed it would simply restore to power the old planter
aristocracy.
Wade-Davis Bill-This Civil War measure, introduced by two Radical
Republicans, Ohio senator Benjamin F. Wade and Maryland representative Henry
Winter Davis, asserted congressional power over Reconstruction.
It required that a majority of a seceded state's white men take an oath of
loyalty to the Constitution and guarantee black equality. Then the state could
hold elections for a constitutional convention, starting the readmission
process. The Radicals were seeking an alternative to Abraham Lincoln's
Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction. Lincoln's plan called for creating
new southern state governments when 10 percent of voters in the 1860 election
pledged loyalty to the Union and agreed to abolish slavery but without
enfranchising blacks. Congress passed the Wade-Davis bill in 1864, but Lincoln
pocket-vetoed it. He then invited southerners to rejoin the Union under either
plan, knowing they would prefer his easier terms. Wade and Davis replied with
a blistering manifesto, charging Lincoln with defying Congress and acting like
a dictator. The widespread support for the Wade-Davis bill by congressional
Republicans reflected their desire for a larger role in shaping Reconstruction
Freedmen’s Bureau-Congress created the Bureau of Refugees,
Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands in March 1865. Its responsibilities included the
provision of food, shelter, and medical aid for the destitute, the education
of freedpeople, the establishment of free labor arrangements in former
plantation areas, and the securing of justice for blacks in southern legal
proceedings. Early on, bureau commissioner Maj. Gen. Oliver O. Howard and
assistant commissioners for various states tried to resettle a portion of the
freed population on the 850,000 acres of abandoned and confiscated southern
land, but President Andrew Johnson's policy of pardoning large numbers of
erstwhile Confederates and restoring their land frustrated this project. The
bureau thenceforth focused on compelling freedpeople to accept plantation work
on a wage labor basis. The contract labor system quickly gave way, however, to
various sharecropping and tenancy arrangements in large parts of the South.
The bureau's education policy was more successful. Working with private aid
societies, it had helped establish nearly three thousand schools by 1869. It
contributed, too, to the founding of black colleges and normal schools. n the
summer of 1866, Congress extended the life of the Freedmen's Bureau over
Johnson's veto, but it always lacked adequate funds and never fielded more
than nine hundred agents. Moreover, by 1867, the bureau's administrators were
trimming its legal agencies, its contract supervision, its medical network,
and its relief activity. General Howard believed that blacks would be better
served if the states were compelled to deal with them as part of the general
citizenry rather than their continuing as wards of the federal government. By
1869, Congress had ended all the bureau's work except education, which
continued into 1870, and help for black veterans, which survived until 1872.
13th Amendment-The Thirteenth Amendment to the United
States Constitution, passed by the Senate on April 8, 1864, by the House on
January 31, 1865, and ratified on December 6, 1865, abolished slavery as a
legal institution.
14th Amendment-Following the Civil War, Congress
submitted to the states three amendments as part of its Reconstruction
program to guarantee equal civil and legal rights to black citizens. The
major provision of the 14th amendment was to grant citizenship to "All
persons born or naturalized in the United States," thereby
granting citizenship to former slaves. Another equally important
provision was the statement that "nor shall any state deprive any
person of live, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny
to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the
laws." The right to due process of law and equal protection of the law
now applied to both the Federal and state governments. On June 16, 1866, the
House Joint Resolution proposing the 14th amendment to the Constitution was
submitted to the states. On July 28, 1868, the 14th amendment was declared,
in a certificate of the Secretary of State, ratified by the necessary 28 of
the 37 States, and became part of the supreme law of the land.
15th Amendment-15th Amendment to the Constitution was
proposed in February 1869. It stated simply that "The right of citizens
of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United
States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of
servitude." There was much debate in
Congress about what should be included in the Amendment. Henry Adams
remarked that the 15th Amendment was "more remarkable for what it does
not than for what it does contain." It did not guarantee blacks the
right to hold office, which many congressmen felt should be included. It did
not offer a blanket guarantee of the right to vote because many Radical
Republicans feared that would void the disenfranchisement of
ex-Confederates. Many states, North and South, required payment of poll
taxes, property ownership, or literacy as a condition of voting. The 15th
Amendment did not address any of those stipulations. Feminists, especially,
fought against the amendment because women were not included in the
guarantee of suffrage.
Black Codes-Black Codes was a name given to laws passed by
southern governments established during the presidency of Andrew Johnson.
These laws imposed severe restrictions on freed slaves such as prohibiting
their right to vote, forbidding them to sit on juries, limiting their right
to testify against white men, carrying weapons in public places and working
in certain occupations.
Civil Rights Act-The
Civil Rights Act was passed by Congress on 9th April 1866 over the veto
of President Andrew Johnson. The act declared that all persons born in the
United States were now citizens, without regard to race, color, or previous
condition. As citizens they could make and enforce contracts, sue and be
sued, give evidence in court, and inherit, purchase, lease, sell, hold, and
convey real and personal property. Persons who denied these rights to former
slaves were guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction faced a fine not
exceeding $1,000, or imprisonment not exceeding one year, or both. The
activities of organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan undermined the workings
of this act and it failed to guarantee the civil rights of African
Americans.
Ku Klux Klan-The first branch of the Ku Klux Klan was established
in Pulaski, Tennessee, in May, 1866. A year later a general organization of
local Klans was established in Nashville in April, 1867. Most of the leaders
were former members of the Confederate Army and the first Grand Wizard was
Nathan Forrest, an outstanding general during the American Civil War. During
the next two years Klansmen wearing masks, white cardboard
hats and draped in white sheets, tortured and killed black Americans and
sympathetic whites. Immigrants, who they blamed for the election of Radical
Republicans, were also targets of their hatred. Between 1868 and 1870 the Ku
Klux Klan played an important role in restoring white rule in North
Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia.
At first the main objective of white supremacy organizations such as the Ku
Klux Klan, the White Brotherhood, the Men of Justice, the Constitutional
Union Guards and the Knights of the White Camelia was to stop black people
from voting. After white governments had been established in the South the
Ku Klux Klan continued to undermine the power of blacks. Successful black
businessmen were attacked and any attempt to form black protection groups
such as trade unions was quickly dealt with.
Military Reconstruction Act-This act sought to rebuild the
governments of the Southern states in the Northern mold and ensure the civil
rights of the freed blacks. The members of the existing state governments in
the South, made up of the leaders of the Confederacy, were removed, and the
states were placed under the military rule of the U.S. Army. No one who had
supported the Confederate government was allowed to vote or hold political
office. As a result, the state governments were controlled by scalawags,
carpetbaggers, and the military rulers of the Radical Republican Congress.
The South was divided into five military districts, with a U.S. Army general
in charge of each. Virginia, the first district, was commanded by Gen. John
Schofield. The second district brought North and South Carolina under the
command of Gen. Daniel E. Sickles, and Gen. John Pope oversaw the
reconstruction of Georgia, Alabama, and Florida in the third district. The
fourth district, comprising Mississippi and Arkansas, was commanded by Gen.
Edward Ord, and in the fifth,
Texas and Louisiana came under the control of Gen. Philip H. Sheridan. Some
200,000 U.S. soldiers were stationed throughout the South to preserve order
and carry out the dictates of Congress. These first military commanders had
virtually unlimited power. They removed thousands of civil officials from
their jobs and actively cultivated the registration of black voters, thereby
placing former slaves in position to dominate their former
masters and to wring from the South what little was left after four
years of devastating war. Military rule in the South lasted for 10 years,
until 1877, when Rutherford B. Hayes agreed to return the states to home
rule in exchange for Southern support in his bid for the presidency.
Tenure of Office Act-The Tenure of Office Act, passed over the
veto of President Andrew Johnson on March 2, 1867, provided that all federal
officials whose appointment required Senate confirmation could not be
removed without the consent of the Senate. When the Senate was not in
session, the Act allowed the President to suspend an official, but if the
Senate upon its reconvening refused to concur in the removal, the official
must be reinstated in his position. It was not entirely clear whether
the Act applied to cabinet officials appointed by a previous president, such
as Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, a Lincoln appointee.
Command of the Army Act-All orders from the president as
Commander-in-Chief had to go through the general of the army. During the
Civil War the general in charge was Grant.
Impeachment of Andrew Johnson-Early in 1868, President Johnson
attempted to fire his Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton, without Senate
approval. Stanton had been working with the Radicals to undermine Johnson's
reconstruction policies. Firing Stanton violated the Tenure of Office Act.
The Radicals blocked Johnson's attempt to test the constitutionality of this
law in the Supreme Court. On February 24, 1868, the House of Representatives
voted to impeach President Johnson. Congress wanted Johnson impeached
because he refused to cooperate or compromise over black rights and the
reconstruction of Southern state governments. But under the Constitution,
Congress had to charge him with "high crimes or misdemeanors."
Most of the charges related to his violating the Tenure of Office Act by
firing Stanton. The constitutionality of this law was questionable and had
never been tested in the courts. It was a weak reason to remove a president.
Johnson's trial began in the Senate on March 30. Seven House members,
including Thaddeus Stevens, served as the prosecutors of Johnson. Five able
lawyers defended Johnson. The president himself never appeared in the Senate
during his trial. After the trial, which lasted over a month, the Senate
failed by one vote to convict Johnson and remove him from the presidency.
The doctrine of separation of powers prevailed. Congress had not taken over
the government (President Pro Tem of the Senate Benjamin Wade, a Radical,
would have become president if Johnson had been removed). On the other hand,
military reconstruction still remained in the South. Moreover, Johnson had
only about nine months left in his term, his hopes for being elected
president in November all but gone. It was a victory for the presidency, but
not for President Johnson.
Ulysses S. Grant-18th President of the US from
1869-1877. He was a Republican and was a better military strategist than a
president.
Fisk-Gould Scandal-In August 1869, Gould and Fisk began to buy
gold in an attempt to corner the market, hoping that the increase in price
of gold would increase the price of wheat such that western farmers would
sell, causing a great amount of shipping of breadstuffs eastward, increasing
freight business for the Erie railroad. During this time, Gould used
contacts with President Ulysses S. Grant's brother-in-law, A. H. Corbin, to
try to influence the president and his Secretary General Horace Porter.
These speculations in gold culminated in the panic of Black Friday, on
September 24, 1869, when the price of gold fell from 162 to 135.
Boss Tweed and Tammany Hall-The Tammany Society was founded in
New York City in 1789 by William Mooney, a Revolutionary War veteran. It
drew its name from a respected Delaware chief, Tammend, who had
reportedly befriended William Penn. The Society, sometimes called the
Columbian Order, was originally a patriotic and charitable organization.
In 1798, Aaron Burr helped to mold the organization into a political
force dedicated to anti-Federalist principles. This partisan group was used
effectively to support Burr and Thomas Jefferson in the Election of 1800. A
watershed event occurred in 1817 when the Irish managed to force their way
into membership in Tammany. The practice of exchanging votes for benefits
quickly became the organization's backbone. In 1830, the group's
headquarters were established in Tammany Hall and thereafter the name of the
association and the location were synonymous. Tammany Hall elected its first
mayor, Fernando Wood, in 1855. New York City would be governed by Tammany
forces for the next 70 years with only a few short interruptions. In 1868,
William Marcy Tweed headed Tammany and ushered in an era of extreme
corruption. Tweed was successful with making the organization a statewide
force, but was eventually brought down by a reform attorney, Samuel J.
Tilden. Tammany Hall regained its strength in the 1880s and was prominent in
the life of the city. Such figures as Richard Croker, Alfred E. Smith and
Jimmy Walker were deeply involved in the dealings of the machine. In the
1930s, reform mayor Fiorello la Guardia, backed by Franklin D. Roosevelt,
sharply reduced the power and influence of Tammany Hall. It lingered for
several decades as a county organization, but was finally ended by another
reform mayor, John V. Lindsay, in the 1960s.
Amnesty Act-Gave the right to hold office again to almost all
Southern leaders who had been excluded from public office by the 14th
Amendment in May 1872.
Credit Mobilier scandal-The Crédit Mobilier scandal of 1872-1873
damaged the careers of several Gilded Age politicians. Major stockholders in
the Union Pacific Railroad formed a company, the Crédit Mobilier of
America, and gave it contracts to build the railroad. They sold or gave
shares in this construction to influential congressmen. It was a lucrative
deal for the congressmen, because they helped themselves by approving
federal subsidies for the cost of railroad construction without paying much
attention to expenses, enabling railroad builders to make huge profits. When
the New York Sun broke the story on the eve of the 1872 election,
Speaker of the House James G. Blaine, a Maine Republican implicated in the
scandal, set up a congressional committee to investigate.The House censured
two of its members who were involved in the scandal: Oakes Ames of
Massachusetts and James Brooks of New York. But the affair also tarnished
the careers of outgoing vice president Schuyler Colfax, incoming vice
president Henry Wilson, and Representative James A. Garfield, all of whom
were implicated (although Garfield denied the charges and was subsequently
elected president).The scandal also showed how corruption tainted Gilded Age
politics, and the lengths railroads and other economic interests would go to
assure and increase profits
"Salary Grab" Act-Congress passed a bill that doubled
the salaries of legislators, the President and Supreme Court Justices on
March 3, 1873. The bill was eventually repealed at the demand of the public.
Greenback Party-The Greenback party (also called the National
Greenback party) was organized in 1876 to campaign for expansion of the
supply of paper money—"greenbacks"—first issued by the federal
government in 1862 to help pay for the Civil War. The idea that maintaining
a flexible supply of paper money served the interests of working people,
whereas paper money backed by specie (hard money, like gold or silver)
benefited only the rich, had been advanced by Edward Kellogg as early as
1841. In the 1860s, Alexander Campbell popularized Kellogg's ideas, but
greenbackism did not develop a significant following until the panic of
1873, when low prices and tight credit gave Campbell's writings new appeal,
especially to farmers. Many people, however, passionately opposed
greenbackism, arguing that an inflated supply of paper money was immoral. In
addition, of course, creditors as a group stood to lose from inflation,
since debts could be repaid with less valuable dollars than those originally
borrowed.Greenbackers had tried unsuccessfully to prevent passage of the
1875 Specie Resumption Act, the law that put the nation back on hard money;
in 1876 they formed a political party to demand that the law be repealed and
that more paper money be issued. The Greenback party won only 80,000 votes
in its first year, but its strength increased as the labor troubles of 1877
left more and more workers prepared to blame hard times on the manipulations
of business leaders and bankers. In the congressional elections of 1878, the
newly formed Greenback party polled nearly a million votes, sending fourteen
Greenbackers to Congress and electing many to local office. As prosperity
returned in the late 1880s, however, and as it became clear that the Specie
Resumption Act would not be repealed, greenbackism lost its following; the
party mounted its last national campaign in 1884. Still, the Greenbackers'
emphasis on the political implications of monetary policy left its mark on
future reform programs like populism; indeed, in 1892 the Populists chose as
their presidential candidate James B. Weaver of Iowa, one of the Greenback
congressmen of 1878.
Whiskey Ring-A group of distillers and public officials who
defrauded the federal government of liquor taxes. Soon after the Civil War
these taxes were raised very high, in some cases to eight times the price of
the liquor. Large distillers, chiefly in St. Louis, Milwaukee, and Chicago,
bribed government officials in order to retain the tax proceeds. The Whiskey
Ring was a public scandal, but it was considered impregnable because of its
strong political connections. U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Benjamin H.
Bristow resolved to break the conspiracy. To avoid warning the suspects, he
assigned secret investigators from outside the Treasury Dept. to collect
evidence. Striking suddenly in May, 1875, he arrested the persons and seized
the distilleries involved. Over $3 million in taxes was recovered, and of
238 persons indicted 110 were convicted. Although President Grant’s
secretary, Orville E. Babcock, was acquitted through the personal
intervention of the President, many persons believed that the Whiskey Ring
was part of a plot to finance the Republican party by fraud.
Rutherford B. Hayes-19th President of the US from
1877-1881. He was given the Presidency through the Compromise of 1877. He
was part of the Republican Party and helped to end Reconstruction.
Compromise of 1877-In order to settle the contested 1876
election, a bargain was struck that also ended Reconstruction. Democrat
Samuel J. Tilden led Republican Rutherford B. Hayes in popular votes, and
203-165 in the electoral college, but fraud and violence in South Carolina,
Florida, and Louisiana, and questions about an Oregon elector's eligibility,
left 20 electoral votes in doubt. Splitting over each state's contradictory
returns, the Democratic House and Republican Senate created a fifteen-member
electoral commission of ten congressmen and five Supreme Court justices,
divided by party, with one independent, Justice David Davis. When Davis
declined to serve, Republican Joseph Bradley replaced him, and the
commission gave Hayes all 20 votes, prompting a Democratic filibuster.
Representatives of the candidates and parties then negotiated a compromise
through correspondence and at a meeting at Washington's Wormley House. The
South would accept Hayes's election, back Republican James A. Garfield for
House Speaker, and protect black rights; Republicans would provide federal
aid for internal improvements, patronage, and, especially, home rule. But
Garfield was defeated for Speaker, the government failed to subsidize
improvements, and Hayes dispensed patronage and followed existing policy by
removing federal troops from the South. The final southern Republican
governments, all in the disputed states, collapsed, leading to the
Democratic Solid South and violence and discrimination toward blacks.
Atlanta Exposition/Compromise-On September 18, 1895,
African-American spokesman and leader Booker T. Washington spoke before a
predominantly white audience at the Cotton States and International
Exposition in Atlanta. His “Atlanta
Compromise” address, as it
came to be called, was one of the most important and influential speeches in
American history. Although the organizers of the exposition worried that “public
sentiment was not prepared for such an advanced step,”
they decided that inviting a black speaker would impress Northern visitors
with the evidence of racial progress in the South. Washington soothed his
listeners’ concerns about “uppity”
blacks by claiming that his race would content itself with living “by
the productions of our hands.”
Plessy v. Ferguson-
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Facts of the Case
The state of Louisiana enacted a law that required separate railway
cars for blacks and whites. In 1892, Homer Adolph Plessy--who was
seven-eighths Caucasian--took a seat in a "whites only" car of a
Louisiana train. He refused to move to the car reserved for blacks and was
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Question Presented
Is Louisiana's law mandating racial segregation on its trains an
unconstitutional infringement on both the privileges and immunities and
the equal protection clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment? |
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Conclusion
No, the state law is within constitutional boundaries. The majority, in
an opinion authored by Justice Henry Billings Brown, upheld state-imposed
racial segregation. The justices based their decision on the
separate-but-equal doctrine, that separate facilities for blacks and
whites satisfied the Fourteenth Amendment so long as they were equal. (The
phrase, "separate but equal" was not part of the opinion.)
Justice Brown conceded that the 14th amendment intended to establish
absolute equality for the races before the law. But Brown noted that
"in the nature of things it could not have been intended to abolish
distinctions based upon color, or to enforce social, as distinguished from
political equality, or a commingling of the two races unsatisfactory to
either." In short, segregation does not in itself constitute unlawful
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Guinn v. U.S.-An important U.S. Supreme Court case
dealing with Jim Crow laws, which helped enforce segregation in the United
States between 1865 and 1964. Argued before the court on October 17, 1913,
the court handed down its decisions on June 21, 1915. Ruling that an
Oklahoma law denied the right to vote was unconstitutional, the case helped
defend voting rights for African Americans.
Bureau of Indian Affairs-March 11, 1824 Secretary of War John C.
Calhoun created what he called the Bureau of Indian Affairs without
authorization from the Congress. McKenney, formerly superintendent of Indian
trade, was appointed to head the office, with two clerks assigned to him as
assistants.
Homestead Act of 1862-The Act, which became law on Jan. 1, 1863,
allowed anyone to file for a quarter-section of free land (160 acres). The
land was yours at the end of five years if you had built a house on
it, dug a well, broken (plowed) 10 acres, fenced a specified amount, and
actually lived there. Additionally, one could claim a quarter-section of
land by "timber culture" (commonly called a "tree
claim"). This required that you plant and successfully cultivate 10
acres of timber.
Morrill Land Grant Act-The Morrill Land Grant Act of 1862 gave to
every state that had remained within the Union a huge tract of federal land,
each state receiving a number of acres equivalent to the
number of members in its congressional delegation multiplied by
30,000. (States that had insufficient federal acreage within their own
borders were given land on the frontier.) The states were to sell the land
and use the proceeds to endow at least one college that would offer courses
in agriculture, engineering, and home economics, as well as regular academic
programs.This bill, which its sponsor, Congressman Justin Morrill of
Vermont, had pressed for since 1857, represented a total grant of more than
17 million acres, from the sale of which the states received some $7
million. Over seventy land-grant colleges were established under the Morrill
Act, laying the foundation for the development of higher education in the
Middle and Far West. Another provision of the act required that military
training be offered at each college, a program that ultimately became part
of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps. A second Morrill Act in 1890
extended the land-grant provisions to sixteen southern states and permitted
them to divide federal funds between white and black schools.
Sioux Wars-Three separate wars between the US army, white
settlers, and the Sioux Indians of the Dakotas, Montana, and Wyoming
(1854-90). The Sioux, a confederation of nine tribes, lived throughout the
northern plains. Known for their bravery and fighting ability, they had
fought on the side of the British in the American Revolution and the War of
1812. As white settlers and gold seekers encroached on Sioux hunting grounds
during the last half of the 1800s, hostilities increased. Strong leaders
such as Red Cloud, Sitting Bull, and Crazy Horse led the Sioux in their
resistance to having their land taken from them and being forced onto
reservations. In 1862 in Minnesota, Chief Little Crow launched an
unsuccessful uprising against the white settlers. From 1865 to 1867 Red
Cloud rebelled against the use of Sioux territory as a route to the mines of
western Montana. Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer attacked the Sioux at the
Little Bighorn River in 1876, resulting in his troops being wiped out in
what came to be known as "Custer's Last Stand." In 1890 Gen.
Nelson A. Miles ordered the arrest of Sitting Bull, who was killed when he
resisted. The army then conducted the massacre of 146 Sioux men, women, and
children at Wounded Knee, South Dakota, on December 29, 1890. This was the
last violent encounter between American Indians and the U.S. military.
Chief Joseph/Nez Perce-(1840-1904) Chief Joseph, known by his
people as In-mut-too-yah-lat-lat (Thunder coming up over the land from the
water), was best known for his resistance to the U.S. Government's attempts
to force his tribe onto reservations. The Nez Perce were a peaceful nation
spread from Idaho to Northern Washington. The tribe had maintained good
relations with the whites after the Lewis and Clark expedition. Joseph spent
much of his early childhood at a mission maintained by Christian
missionaries. In 1855 Chief Joseph's father, Old Joseph, signed a treaty
with the U.S. that allowed his people to retain much of their traditional
lands. In 1863 another treaty was created that severely reduced the amount
of land, but Old Joseph maintained that this second treaty was never agreed
to by his people. A showdown over the second "non-treaty" came
after Chief Joseph assumed his role as Chief in 1877. After months of
fighting and forced marches, many of the Nez Perce were sent to a
reservation in what is now Oklahoma, where many died from malaria and
starvation. Chief Joseph tried every possible appeal to the federal
authorities to return the Nez Perce to the land of their ancestors. In 1885,
he was sent along with many of his band to a reservation in Washington
where, according to the reservation doctor, he later died of a broken heart.
Exodusters-African-Americans that left the south in order to
migrate to western lands after 1877. They mainly settled in Kansas and other
states that were on the Great Plains.
Helen Hunt Jackson/ A Century of Dishonor-American writer
that backed the plight of Native Americans to retain their tribal lands and
live in autonomy in the US. Her book, A Century of Dishonor,
documented the struggles and trials of Native Americans and their
relationship with the US government. It was written in 1881.
Wounded Knee Massacre- On the morning of December 29, 1890, US
soldiers entered the Lakota Sioux camp at Wounded Knee, demanding that all
Indian firearms be relinquished. A medicine man named Yellow Bird advocated
resistance, claiming the Ghost Shirts would protect them. One of the
soldiers tried to disarm a deaf Indian named Black Coyote. A scuffle ensued
and the firearm discharged. The silence of the morning was broken and soon
other guns echoed in the river bed. At first, the struggle was fought at
close quarters, but when the Indians ran to take cover, the Hotchkiss
artillery opened up on them, cutting down men, women, children alike, the
sick Big Foot among them. By the end of this brutal, unnecessary violence,
which lasted less than an hour, at least 150 Indians had been killed and 50
wounded. In comparison, army casualties were 25 killed and 39 wounded.
Forsyth was later charged with killing the innocents, but exonerated. There
were 350 total Indians with 120 of them being men and the rest were women
and children.
Bessemer Process-The first process for mass-producing steel
inexpensively, essential to the development of skyscrapers. An
American, William Kelly, had held a patent for "a system of air blowing
the carbon out of pig iron" a method of steel production known as the
pneumatic process of steelmaking. Air is blown through molten pig iron to
oxidize and remove unwanted impurities. Bankruptcy forced Kelly to sell his
patent to Bessemer, who had been working on a similar process for making
steel. Bessemer patented "a decarbonization process, utilizing a blast
of air" in 1855. Modern steel is made using technology based on
Bessemer's process.
Transcontinental Railroad- A railroad connection with the Pacific
coast. In 1845, Asa Whitney presented to Congress a plan for the federal
government to subsidize the building of a railroad from the Mississippi
River to the Pacific. The settlement of the Oregon boundary in 1846, the
acquisition of western territories from Mexico in 1848, and the discovery of
gold in California (1849) increased support for the project; in 1853,
Congress appropriated funds to survey various proposed routes. Rivalry over
the route was intense, however, and when Senator Stephen Douglas introduced
(1854) his Kansas-Nebraska Act, intended to win approval for a line from
Chicago, the ensuing sectional controversy between North and South forced a
delay in the plans. During the Civil War, a Republican-controlled Congress
enacted legislation (July 1, 1862) providing for construction of a
transcontinental line. The law provided that the railroad be built by two
companies; each received federal land grants of 10 alternate sections per
mile on both sides of the line (the amount was doubled in 1864) and a
30-year government loan for each mile of track constructed. In 1863 the
Union Pacific RR began construction from Omaha, Nebr., while the Central
Pacific broke ground at Sacramento, Calif. The two lines met at Promontory
Point, Utah, and on May 10, 1869, a golden spike joined the two railways,
thus completing the first transcontinental railroad. Others followed. Three
additional lines were finished in 1883: the Northern Pacific RR stretched
from Lake Superior to Portland, Oreg.; the Santa Fe extended from Atchison,
Kans., to Los Angeles; and the Southern Pacific connected Los Angeles with
New Orleans. A fifth line, the Great Northern, was completed in 1893. Each
of those companies received extensive grants of land, although none obtained
government loans. The promise of land often resulted in shoddy construction
that only later was repaired, and scandals, such as Crédit Mobilier (see
Crédit Mobilier of America), were not infrequent. The transcontinental
railroads immeasurably aided the settling of the west and hastened the
closing of the frontier. They also brought rapid economic growth as mining,
farming, and cattle-raising developed along the main lines and their
branches.
Standard Oil- An oil refining organization founded by John D.
Rockefeller (1839-1937) and partners beginning in 1863. Borrowing heavily to
expand his business, Rockefeller drew five big refineries including the
business concern of Henry Morrison Flagler into one firm, Rockefeller,
Andrews & Flagler. By 1868 he headed the world's largest oil
refinery. On January 10, 1870 he formed the Standard Oil Company of Ohio and
started his strategy of buying up the competition and consolidating all
oil-refining under one company. In 1874, Rockefeller acquired the oil
interests of Charles Pratt and Company. Founder Charles Pratt (1830-1891)
and his protégé Henry Huttleston Rogers (1840-1909) came with the deal. By
1878 Standard Oil held about 90% of the refining capacity in the U.S. In
1882 the company was reorganized as the Standard Oil Trust. The three
main men of Standard Oil Trust were Henry H. Rogers, William
Rockefeller, and, the most important, John D. Rockefeller. In 1890 the
Congress of the United States passed Sherman Antitrust Act. This act is the
source of all American anti-monopoly laws. The law forbids every contract,
scheme, deal, conspiracy to restrain trade, though the phrase "restrain
trade" is open to intepretation. It also forbids conspirations to
secure monopoly of a given industry. Standard Oil Trust attracted attention
from antitrust authorities and the Ohio Attorney General filed and won an
antitrust suit in 1892.
Munn v.Illinois- case decided by the U.S. Supreme Court in
1876. Munn, a partner in a Chicago warehouse firm, had been found guilty by
an Illinois court of violating the state laws providing for the fixing of
maximum charges for storage of grain (see Granger movement). He appealed,
contending that the fixing of maximum rates constituted a taking of property
without due process of law. The Supreme Court upheld the Granger laws,
establishing as constitutional the principle of public regulation of private
businesses involved in serving the public interest.
Edison/Light Bulb-
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The modern world is an electrified world. It might be argued that any
of a number of electrical appliances deserves a place on a list of the
millennium's most significant inventions. The light bulb, in particular,
profoundly changed human existence by illuminating the night and making it
hospitable to a wide range of human activity. The electric light, one of
the everyday conveniences that most affects our lives, was invented in
1879 simultaneously by Thomas Alva Edison in the United States and Sir
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However, the story of the electric light actually goes back to 1811,
when Sir Humphrey Davy discovered that an electrical arc passed between
two poles produced light. In 1841, experimental arc lights were installed
as public lighting along the Place de la Concorde in Paris. Other
experiments were undertaken in Europe and America, but the arc light
eventually proved impractical because it burned out too quickly. Inventors
continued to grapple with the problem of developing a reliable electric
light that would be practical for both home and public use as a viable
alternative to gas light. |
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The solution lay not in an electrical arc in open space, but in
electricity passed through a filament. The breakthrough theory became
known as the Joule effect after James Prescott Joule, who theorized
that electrical current, if passed through a resistant conductor, would
glow white-hot with heat energy turned to luminous energy. The problem was
devising the right conductor, or filament, and inserting it in a
container, or bulb, without oxygen because the presence of oxygen would
cause the filament to bum.
Swan was the first to construct an electric light bulb, but he had
trouble maintaining a vacuum in his bulb. Edison solved this problem, and
on October 21, 1879, he illuminated a carbon filament light bulb that
glowed continuously for 40 hours. |
Wabash case-Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific Railroad
Company v. Illinois, decided by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1886.
The decision narrowed earlier ones (see Munn v. Illinois) favorable to state
regulation of those phases of interstate
commerce upon which Congress itself had not acted. The court declared
invalid an Illinois law prohibiting long- and short-haul clauses in
transportation contracts as an infringement on the exclusive powers of
Congress granted by the commerce clause of the Constitution. The result of
the case was denial of state power to regulate interstate rates for
railroads, and the decision led to creation of the Interstate Commerce
Commission.
Sherman Antitrust Case-1890, first measure passed by the U.S.
Congress to prohibit trusts; it was named for Senator John Sherman. Prior to
its enactment, various states had passed similar laws, but they were limited
to intrastate businesses. Finally opposition to the concentration of
economic power in large corporations and in combinations of business
concerns led Congress to pass the Sherman Act. The act, based on the
constitutional power of Congress to regulate interstate commerce, declared
illegal every contract, combination (in the form of trust or otherwise), or
conspiracy in restraint of interstate and foreign trade. A fine of $5,000
and imprisonment for one year were set as the maximum penalties for
violating the act. The Sherman Act authorized the federal government to
institute proceedings against trusts in order to dissolve them, but Supreme
Court rulings prevented federal authorities from using the act for some
years. As a result of President Theodore Roosevelt's
"trust-busting" campaigns, the Sherman Act began to be invoked
with some success, and in 1904 the Supreme Court upheld the government in
its suit for dissolution of the Northern Securities Company. The act was
further employed by President Taft in 1911 against the Standard Oil trust
and the American Tobacco Company.
Interstate Commerce Act-During the 1870s, many Americans
(particularly farmers) began to resent the apparent stranglehold the
railroads exerted over many parts of the country. However, the postwar
presidents and many in Congress resisted intervention into economic matters.
Early efforts to bring some form of regulation to the giants were made at
the state level, but those measures were later struck down by the Supreme
Court. In 1887, Congress passed the Interstate Commerce Act which created
the Interstate Commerce Commission, the first true federal regulatory
agency. It was designed to address the issues of railroad abuse and
discrimination and required the following:
· Shipping rates had to be "reasonable and just"
· Rates had to be published
· Secret rebates were outlawed
· Price discrimination against small markets was made
illegal.
Although the law granted the Commission power to investigate abuses and
summon witnesses, it lacked the resources to accomplish its lofty goals.
Later presidents would assure that reform would not go too far, by
appointing pro-railroad commissioners.
U.S. v. Knight Co.-Permitted combinations of local
manufacturers and put most monopolies beyond the reach of the Sherman
Antitrust Act of 1890. The E.
C. Knight Company, which enjoyed a virtual monopoly of sugar refining in the
U.S., was sued by the government under the provisions of the Sherman Act.
The Supreme Court ruled (8—1) against the government, declaring that
manufacturing (e.g., refining) was a local activity not subject to
congressional regulation of interstate commerce. Not until serious
trust-busting began under presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard
Taft were effective means of enforcement added to the antitrust laws and the
power of monopolies somewhat curtailed.
US Steel Corporation-J. P. Morgan and Elbert H. Gary founded U.S.
Steel in 1901 (incorporated on February 25) by combining the steel
operations owned by Andrew Carnegie with their holdings in the Federal Steel
Company. The federal government attempted to use federal anti-trust laws to
break up U.S. Steel in 1911. That effort ultimately failed. Time and
competitors have, however, accomplished nearly the same thing. In its first
full year of operation, U.S. Steel made 67 percent of all the steel produced
in the United States; it now produces less than ten percent.
National Labor Union-Patricipants in the ambitiously named
International Industrial Assembly of North America sought a stronger
organization. Lead by William H. Sylvis, trade union
officicers gathered in Baltimore during August 1866 to launch a National
Labor Union. As the labor movement remained a local affair, the NLU focused
on mutual support. However, it found common ground in the desire for a
government-imposed eight-hour workday and an interest in the organization of
cooperatives which confronted the difficulties of credit. Both began to
involve components of the part in local and state politics. Nevertheless,
the effort to launch a National Labor Reform Party proved disastrous
partly due to the death of Sylvis. The remnants of the NLU had debated
whether to merge their organizations into the northeastern-based Sovereigns
of Industry, but opted instead for the western and southern Industrial
Brotherhood in 1874.
Knights of Labor-American labor organization, started by
Philadelphia tailors in 1869, led by Uriah S. Stephens. It became a body of
national scope and importance in 1878 and grew more rapidly after 1881, when
its earlier secrecy was abandoned. Organized on an industrial basis, with
women, black workers (after 1883), and employers welcomed, excluding only
bankers, lawyers, gamblers, and stockholders, the Knights of Labor aided
various groups in strikes and boycotts, winning important strikes on the
Union Pacific in 1884 and on the Wabash RR in 1885. But failure in the
Missouri Pacific strike in 1886 and the Haymarket Square riot (for which it
was, although not responsible, condemned by the press) caused a loss of
prestige and strengthened factional disputes between the craft unionists and
the advocates of all-inclusive unionism. With the motto "an injury to
one is the concern of all," the Knights of Labor attempted through
educational means to further its aims—an 8-hour day, abolition of child
and convict labor, equal pay for equal work, elimination of private banks,
cooperation—which, like its methods, were highly idealistic. The
organization reached its apex in 1886, when under Terence V. Powderly its
membership reached a total of 702,000. Among the causes of its downfall were
factional disputes, too much centralization with a resulting autocracy from
top to bottom, mismanagement, drainage of financial resources through
unsuccessful strikes, and the emergence of the American Federation of Labor.
By 1890 its membership had dropped to 100,000, and in 1900 it was
practically extinct.
Workingmen’s Party-The name of the Socialist Labor party from
1874 to 1877 that was made up of mainly German immigrants.
Chinese Exclusion Act-Passed in 1882, the Chinese Exclusion Act
was a climax to more than thirty years of progressive racism. Anti-Chinese
sentiment had existed ever since the great migration from China during the
gold rush, where white miners and prospectors imposed taxes and laws to
inhibit the Chinese from success. Racial tensions increased as more and more
Chinese emigrated, occupied jobs, and created competition on the job market.
By 1882 the Chinese were hated enough to be banned from immigrating; the
Chinese Exclusion Act, initially only a ten year policy, was extended
indefinitely, and made permanent in 1902. The Chinese resented the idea that
they were being discriminated against, but for the most part they remained
quiet. In 1943, China was an important ally of the United States against
Japan, so the Chinese Exclusion Act was repealed; however, a lasting impact
remained. The act was both cause and effect: it came from decades of Chinese
discrimination, and initiated decades of Chinese exclusion.
Brooklyn Bridge-Considered a brilliant feat of 19th-century
engineering, the Brooklyn Bridge was a bridge of many firsts. It was the
first suspension bridge to use steel for its cable
wire. It was the first bridge to use explosives in a dangerous underwater
device called a caisson. At the time it was built, the 3,460-foot
Brooklyn Bridge was also crowned the longest suspension bridge in the
world.
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But the Brooklyn Bridge was plagued with its share of problems. Before
construction even began, the bridge's chief engineer, John A. Roebling, died
from tetanus. The project was taken over and seen to its completion by his
son, Washington Roebling. Three years later, Roebling developed a crippling
illness called caisson's disease, known today as "the bends."
Bedridden but determined to stay in charge, Roebling used a telescope
to keep watch over the bridge's progress. He dictated instructions to
his wife, Emily, who passed on his orders to the workers. During this time,
an unexpected blast wrecked one caisson, a fire damaged another, and a cable
snapped from its anchorage and crashed into the river. Despite these
problems, construction continued at a feverish pace. By 1883, 14 years after
it began, Roebling successfully guided the completion of one of the most
famous bridges in the world -- without ever leaving his apartment
Here's how this bridge stacks up against some of the longest-spanning bridges
in the world. (total length, in feet)
American Federation of Labor-The American Federation of Labor (afl)
was organized as an association of trade unions in 1886, growing out of an
earlier Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions founded in 1881. The
afl's president, Samuel Gompers (who served nearly every year until 1924),
was convinced that unions open to workers of all types of skills within a
given industry—called industrial unions—were too diffuse and
undisciplined to withstand the repressive tactics that both government and
management had used to break American unions in the past. The answer, he
believed, was craft unions, each limited to the skilled workers in a single
trade. According to Gompers's "pure and simple unionism," labor
should not waste its energies fighting capitalism; its sole task was to
hammer out the best arrangement it could under the existing system, using
strikes, boycotts, and negotiations to win better work conditions, higher
wages, and union recognition.
Haymarket Square Riot-The Haymarket affair began when a bomb
exploded among a squad of policemen at a workers' rally in Haymarket Square,
Chicago, on May 4, 1886. Since May 1, a loosely organized national strike
for the eight-hour day had been gaining momentum in Chicago. On May 3
strikers had come to the support of an already-existing strike at the
McCormick Harvesting Machine Company; police had fired on the crowd and four
people had been killed. The Haymarket rally, organized by a small anarchist
group, was one of many called to protest the killings. Only thirteen hundred
people attended, and most left when it began to rain. About three hundred
remained when 180 police arrived and demanded that they disperse. Suddenly a
bomb exploded among the policemen, killing one and wounding many more,
including seven who died later. The police responded with wild gunfire,
killing seven or eight people in the crowd and injuring about a hundred,
half of them fellow officers. The Haymarket bombing triggered a national
wave of fear; public officials, civic leaders, the press, and some union
leaders joined in equating foreign birth with anarchism and terror. In
Chicago hundreds of socialists, anarchists, and other radicals were rounded
up. Eight anarchists (all but one of them German immigrants) were indicted
for conspiracy, though none was charged with throwing the bomb. After a
conspicuously biased trial, seven were condemned to hang; the eighth was
given a long prison sentence. The convictions were upheld in September 1887,
and the executions set for November 11. On November 10 one of the condemned
men, Louis Lingg, hanged himself; a few hours later, Governor Richard J.
Oglesby commuted two of the men's sentences to life imprisonment. The
remaining four, Albert Parsons, August Spies, Adolph Fischer, and George
Engel, were executed on schedule. On June 26, 1893, Governor John Peter
Altgeld pardoned the three survivors, Samuel Fielden, Michael Schwab, and
Oscar Neebe. This action, though applauded by many, was also widely
criticized and probably contributed to Altgeld's defeat for reelection. The
nativistic fear of immigrants and radicals aroused by Haymarket lingered for
years, preparing the ground for further red scares in the future.
Samuel Gompers-(1850-1924), cofounder and first president,
American Federation of Labor. Born into a Jewish working-class family in
London, Gompers migrated with his family to New York City in 1863. Taught
both the cigar trade and union principles by his father, Gompers thrived in
the heady atmosphere that surrounded New York's labor movement during the
1870s. Advocates of Marxist and utopian socialism, anarchism, communalism,
and a host of other reform programs jostled for support. Influenced by
British trade union principles and by the Marxist emphasis on the primacy of
economic organization of workers, Gompers favored the creation of strong,
centralized trade union institutions that would foster the growth and direct
the activity of local unions. In conjunction with Adolph Strasser and
others, Gompers restructured the Cigar Makers International Union along such
lines. Although never an avowed Marxist himself, Gompers's approach to
organizing workers owed much to two ideas advanced by Marxists. He agreed
with them that it was only through the trade union that awareness
of a broad class interest among workers could emerge.
American Protective Association-A secret proscriptive society in
the United States, which was a disturbing factor in most Northern States
during 1891-97. It was founded by Henry F. Bowers, who established the first
council at Clinton, Iowa, 1887, and reached its height in 1894. Members were
bound by oath to endeavor to exclude Catholics entirely from public offices.
Propaganda was carried on by literature and lectures; forged documents were
used, especially an alleged "papal bull" calling for a massacre of
Protestants. Capital was made out of the coming of Monsignor Satolli, papal
delegate, and also out of the parochial-school question. Few prominent men
acknowledged membership. It was associated with the Republican party, and a
great source of vexation to it. In failing to prevent the nomination of
William McKinley (1896) and also to secure representation in the Republican
platform for some principles of the order, its prestige received a blow from
which it never recovered.
Jane Addams/Hull House-Hull House has long been known as a
pioneering effort in social equality. Jane Addams and Ellen Starr Gates
opened the house in 1889 to educate and improve the lot of the newly arrived
European immigrants. At that time, the overcrowded tenement neighborhoods
west of Halsted Street were a jungle of crime, vice, prostitution and drug
addiction. Jane Addams became the "voice of humanity" on the West
Side, enriching the lives of many unfortunate people at the house.
Homestead Strike-The Homestead strike, 1892, in Homestead,
Pennsylvania, pitted one of the most powerful new corporations, Carnegie
Steel Company, against the nation's strongest trade union, the Amalgamated
Association of Iron and Steel Workers. An 1889 strike had won the
steelworkers a favorable three-year contract; now Andrew Carnegie was
determined to break the union. His plant manager, Henry Clay Frick, stepped
up production demands, and when the union refused to accept the new
conditions, Frick began locking the workers out of the plant; on July 2 all
were discharged. The union, limited to skilled tradesmen, represented less
than one-fifth of the thirty-eight hundred workers at the plant, but the
rest voted overwhelmingly to join the strike. An advisory committee was
formed, which directed the strike and soon took over the company town as
well. Frick sent for three hundred Pinkerton guards, but when they arrived
by barge on July 6 they were met by ten thousand strikers, many of them
armed. After an all-day battle, the Pinkertons surrendered and were forced
to run a gauntlet through the crowd. In all, nine strikers and seven
Pinkertons were killed; many strikers and most of the remaining Pinkertons
were injured, some seriously.The sheriff, unable to recruit local residents
against the strikers, appealed to Governor William Stone for support; eight
thousand militia arrived on July 12. Gradually, under militia protection,
strikebreakers got the plant running again. Frick's intransigence had won
sympathy for the strikers, but an attempt on his life by anarchist Alexander
Berkman on July 23 caused most of it to evaporate. Meanwhile, the
corporation had more than a hundred strikers arrested, some of them for
murder; though most were finally released, each case consumed much of the
union's time, money, and energy. The strike lost momentum and ended on
November 20, 1892. With the Amalgamated Association virtually destroyed,
Carnegie Steel moved quickly to institute longer hours and lower wages. The
Homestead strike inspired many workers, but it also underscored how
difficult it was for any union to prevail against the combined power of the
corporation and the government.
Eugene V. Debs-Socialist Eugene V. Debs was one of the major
players in American politics at the turn of the 20th century. He made five
attempts to gain the presidency - in 1900, 1904, 1908 1912 and 1920 - all as
the standard bearer of the Socialist Party. He conducted his last campaign
from behind the bars of a federal prison. A gifted orator, Debs rivaled
William Jennings Bryan in his ability to move a crowd with his words.
Born in Indiana in 1855, Debs went to work for the railroad at age 14 but
soon gave it up at his mother's urging. He became active in the union
movement forming the American Railway Union, the nation's largest, in 1893.
Arrested during the Pullman Strike of 1894, he served six months behind
bars. In jail, Debs converted to socialism. He helped found the Social
Democratic Party of America in 1897, the Socialist Party in 1901 and the
Industrial Workers of the World in 1905. "I am for socialism because I
am for humanity" he declared. He opposed
America's entrance into World War I and denounced the Espionage Act designed
to silence all antiwar sentiment. In 1918, he received a 10-year prison
sentence for his public opposition to the war. At his trial, Debs admitted
he spoke the words the federal government considered traitorous and
addressed the jury in his own defense. "I am doing what little I can to
do away with the rule of the great body of people by a relatively small
class and establish in this country industrial and social democracy." A
guilty verdict sent Debs to the federal prison in Atlanta. In 1920, the
Socialist Party again nominated him as their presidential candidate and over
915,000 voted for prisoner #9653. President Wilson vigorously denied a
request for Deb's pardon in 1921. Finally, Warren G. Harding released Debs
under a general amnesty on Christmas Day 1921. Harding asked the old
socialist to stop by the White House. "I have heard so damned much
about you, Mr Debs, that I am very glad to meet you personally" Harding
remarked at their meeting. Debs died in 1926.
American Railway Union-The American Railway Union (ARU) was
formed in Chicago on June 20, 1893 as a single organization representing all
crafts of railroad employees.
Pullman Strike-In the 1880s George Pullman built the town of
Pullman near Lake Calumet to manufacture his famous railway sleeping cars.
All buildings in the town were company owned and rented to workers, churches
and stores. The town and surrounding areas were annexed to Chicago in 1889.
The company cut wages a number of times in the 1880s and '90s, but failed to
reduce the rent in the company owned housing. This double squeeze lead to
dire economic circumstances for the workers. Workers struck the car works
May 11, 1894. By late June sympathetic railway workers had agreed to boycott
trains carrying Pullman cars nationwide. Federal troops were called in to
keep the trains moving and to break the strike, prompting violence and
looting in Chicago. With the arrest of the leaders in Chicago, the strike
collapsed, and workers returned August 2, 1894. This strike is widely
regarded as being pivotal in labor history. Issues raised included a
national rail strike, the use of federal troops and company towns.
Dillingham Commission-The Dillingham Commission was appointed in
1907 by the U.S. Senate to study immigration patterns. The Commission's
appointment was largely due to the pressures of groups like the Immigration
Restriction League. Such groups claimed that unchecked immigration into the
United States caused unmanageable social problems. In its reports published
in 1910-11, the Dillingham Commission concluded that since the 1880s,
immigrants had been mainly of southern and eastern European stock. The
Commission assumed that immigrants from places like Austria-Hungary, Russia,
Italy, Turkey, Lithuania, Romania, and Greece were inferior compared to the
immigrants who had come before 1880, who were assumed to be of mainly
northern and western European descent. The Commission's 42-volume report
recommended that literacy tests be used to deny inferior immigrants from
entering the country.
Gentleman’s Agreement-An agreement between the United States
and Japan in 1907 that Japan should stop the emigration of its laborers to
the United States and that the United States should stop discrimination
against Japanese living in the United States. This agreement was ended in
1924 by the act of Congress excluding immigration from Japan, as immigration
from China had been previously excluded.
Chautaugura Movement-The Chautauqua movement was founded in 1874
in the far southwestern corner of New York State in the town of Chautauqua.
The founding idea was to have a place where families could gather together
for several days of education, inspiration, enlightenment, and enjoyment.
From miles around people came in the summertime to an encampment along the
shore of Lake Chautauqua where they heard from speakers of national renown,
listened to bands and glee clubs, enjoyed plays, dined together, and
generally engaged in an open forum for the discussion of public issues,
literature, music, and science.
Muckrakers-Name applied to American journalists, novelists, and
critics who in the first decade of the 20th cent. attempted to expose the
abuses of business and the corruption in politics. The term derives from the
word muckrake used by President Theodore Roosevelt in a speech in
1906, in which he agreed with many of the charges of the muckrakers but
asserted that some of their methods were sensational and irresponsible. He
compared them to a character from Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress who
could look no way but downward with a muckrake in his hands and was
interested only in raking the filth. Since the 1870s there had been
recurrent efforts at reform in government, politics, and business, but it
was not until the advent of the national mass-circulation magazines such as McClure’s,
Everybody’s, and Collier’s that the muckrakers were provided
with sufficient funds for their investigations and with a large enough
audience to arouse nationwide concern. All aspects of American life
interested the muckrakers, the most famous of whom are Lincoln Steffens, Ida
Tarbell, David Graham Phillips, Ray Stannard Baker, Samuel Hopkins Adams,
and Upton Sinclair. In the early 1900s magazine articles that attacked
trusts—including those of Charles E. Russell on the beef trust, Thomas
Lawson on Amalgamated Copper, and Burton J. Hendrick on life insurance
companies—did much to create public demand for regulation of the great
combines. The muckraking movement lost support in about 1912. Historians
agree that if it had not been for the revelations of the muckrakers the
Progressive movement would not have received the popular support needed for
effective reform.
Ashcan School-New York City, 1908 to C.1913 The
Ashcan School was a group of artists who sought to capture the feel of
turn-of-the-century New York City, through realistic and unglamorized
portraits of everyday life. It largely consisted of Robert Henri and his
circle. Henri, an influential teacher, was an admirer of the down-to-earth
American realism of Thomas Eakins and Thomas Anshutz. In addition to Henri,
the Ashcan School consisted of George Wesley Bellows, William Glackens,
George Luks, Everett Shinn, and John Sloan. The spirit of the Ashcan School
was carried on by the American Scene Painting of the 1920's and 1930's.
Frederick Jackson Turner-Writer of The Significance of the
Frontier in American History. The impetus of the frontier thesis was
Turner's fervent belief that historians up to that time had not devoted
sufficient research to what he termed in an earlier essay "the
fundamental, dominating fact in United States history," the territorial
expansion from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. Central to Turner's
frontier thesis is the notion that the development of the American frontier
helped to shape not only the character of the American people but also the
nature of its institutions. More specifically, Turner claimed that traits
and characteristics which developed during the Nineteenth-Century push from
East to West -- individualism, nationalism, mobility, egalitarianism -- not
only deviated from the perceived standard American cultural attitudes which
prevailed at the time, but eventually came to dominate the formation of the
American character.
With his announcement of the "closing" of the frontier,
moreover, Turner implied that the nation would be forced to undergo a
painful transition, from a perception of America as a land of endless
boundaries, to one which required Americans to accept that their nation was
finally a closed-space world, replete with the limitations inherent therein.
The Grange/ Oliver Kelley-The Grange came into being in 1867
because of the vision of Oliver Hudson Kelley, a Minnesota farmer and
activist. He had long held that farmers, because of their independent and
scattered nature, needed a national organization whicb would represent them
much as unions were beginning to do for industrial workers. Farmers were at
the mercy of merchants for both needed farm supplies and for marketing their
crops. Railroads and warehouse companies were taking advantage of farmers as
well. Kelley and some of his
friends organized the National Grange (officially known as the Order of
Patrons of Husbandry) as a fraternal group similar to the Masonic lodge. The
early leaders were responsible for promoting cooperatives which had the
potential of helping farmers economically. Effective lobbying efforts were
undertaken early and this activity remains a bulwark of Grange service to
rural America. Education of rural residents was championed by the
early Grange and, due to Grange agitation, dramatic improvements were made
in rural schools. The birth of the Extension Service, Rural Free Delivery,
and the Farm Credit System were largely due to Grange lobbying. The Grange
at all levels is strictly nonpartisan and does not endorse candidates for
public office nor contribute to their campaigns.
Bland-Allison Act-1878 Passed by the U.S. Congress to provide for
freer coinage of silver. The original bill offered by Representative Richard
P. Bland incorporated the demands of the Western radicals for free and
unlimited coinage of silver. This was passed by the House but was
unacceptable to the conservative Senate. Senator William B. Allison then
offered an amended version. The act as adopted required the U.S. Treasury to
purchase between $2 million and $4 million worth of silver bullion each
month at market prices; this was to be coined into silver dollars, which
were made legal tender for all debts. Attempts of the free-silver forces to
replace the act with provision for unlimited coinage were defeated, as were
attempts of the gold-standard forces to repeal it altogether. President
Hayes and his successors weakened the act's effect by purchasing only the
minimum amount of bullion. It remained law until replaced by the Sherman
Silver Purchase Act of 1890.
James Garfield-20th President of the US. He was
elected in 1881 and was assassinated after about 100 days in office. He was
a Republican and was shot by a man who thought he would receive a political
office under Garfield. He was the last president born
in a log cabin.
Pendleton Act-The Pendleton Act classified certain jobs, removed
them from the patronage ranks, and set up a Civil Service Commission to
administer a system based on merit rather than political connections. As the
classified list was expanded over the years, it provided for a competent and
permanent government bureaucracy. In 1883 fewer than 15,000 jobs were
classified; by the time McKinley became president in 1897, 86,000—almost
half of all federal employees—were in classified positions. Today, with
the exception of a few thousand policy-level appointments, nearly all
federal jobs are handled within the civil service system.
Civil Service Commission-A three-member, nonpartisan board
created to administer competitive examinations for applicants to low-level
federal jobs.
Mongrel Tariff-During the last quarter of the 19th century,
attitudes regarding the tariff broke down along the following lines:
· The majority of the farmers in the South and West, mostly
Democrats, opposed a high protective tariff. Their production of corn,
wheat, cotton and livestock was unrivaled in any other part of the world;
American farmers could usually undersell the competition and, therefore,
did not need or want tariff protection.
· Influential manufacturing interests in the North pushed hard
and effectively for high tariffs. Their products needed protection from
cheaply produced goods from foreign nations. However, when the U.S.
imposed high duties, foreign nations would respond in kind; the parties
hurt most directly by this retaliation were the American farmers whose
products became more expensive in foreign markets.
There were exceptions to the rules, however. Some specialized
agricultural producers (such as sugar growers) favored high tariffs as a
means to protect themselves from inexpensive Caribbean sugar. On the other
hand, one of the great industries of the era, the railroads, opposed
protectionism because they wanted access to cheap steel, regardless of
whether it was American or foreign.
The tariff debate had persisted since the republic's inception, but one
feature was different in the early 1880s – the government had accumulated
large dollar surpluses. Those funds were deposited in government vaults, not
placed in banks where the money could be recirculated. Farmer and debtor
elements protested this shrinkage of the money supply. President Arthur
responded to the public outcry and appointed a commission to come up with
the most effective ways to lower the tariff. The recommendations of the
board were ignored by Congress, which passed a new measure, the
"Mongrel" Tariff of 1883, a compromise measure that satisfied
nobody. Duties were lowered on a few items, but increased on most
manufactured goods.
Benjamin Harrison-23rd President of the US from
1889-1893. Six states entered the United States during his administration:
ND, SD, MT, ID, WY and WA. Electric lights were
installed in the White House during his term.
Sherman Silver Purchase Act-Agitation for action on the silver
question was intense by 1890. Farmers were straining under growing debt and
sharply falling prices. Western mining interests were anxious for a ready
market for their silver and exerted pressure on Congress. Western voices
were much stronger with the recent addition of Idaho, Montana, Washington,
Wyoming and the Dakotas to the Union. The Sherman Silver Purchase Act was
part of a broader compromise. The Democrats gave their support to the highly
protective McKinley Tariff in return for Republican votes for silver. The
measure provided for the following:
· The Treasury would purchase 4.5 million ounces (or 281,250
pounds) of silver each month at market rates
· The Treasury would issue notes redeemable in either gold or
silver.
The planned government purchases amounted to almost the total monthly
output from the mines. However, the increased supply of silver drove down
the price. Many mine operators in the West tried to reduce expenses by
cutting the miners' wages. Labor unrest and sporadic violence followed. As
the price of silver continued to decline, holders of the government notes
understandably redeemed them for gold rather than silver. The result of the
growing disparity between the two metals was the depletion of the U.S. gold
reserves, an event that played prominently during the Panic of 1893.
McKinley Tariff-The tariff bill of 1890 was sponsored by
Republican Senator William McKinley of Ohio. The measure gained support from
seemingly unlikely sources: Western and Southern Democrats. This was thanks
to a bargain between these regional forces to support protectionism in
return for cooperation on the Sherman Silver Purchase Act. The final version
of the tariff gave a small nod to reform by adding a few items to the free
(not taxed) list. However, many more were subject to higher rates. The
result was the highest protective tariff in American history to that point
with an average rate of 48 percent. President Benjamin Harrison successfully
persuaded his fellow Republicans to support provisions in the law in order
to establish reciprocity. The McKinley Tariff was truly onerous and led to a
sharp rise in the prices of many products. Many who had supported the
measure were defeated at the polls in 1892.
Coxey’s Army-Jacob S. Coxey, a wealthy Ohio businessman and
noted populist, had failed with earlier efforts to persuade public officials
to act on behalf of unemployed citizens following the Panic of 1893. Coxey
organized a march on Washington, D.C., starting from Massillon, Ohio, on
March 25, 1894. The procession was met by cheering crowds in many cities as
it worked its way eastward. However, some newspaper editors and elected
officials were fearful of this mass of jobless men and their ultimate
intentions. The army arrived at its destination on May 1 with 500 marchers,
far less than Coxey's predicted 100,000. The event ended obscurely after
Coxey and a few others were arrested for walking on the Capitol grass.
Coxey's plea for government action on behalf of the unemployed yielded
nothing. He had envisioned a vast program of federally sponsored public
works, but neither the president nor Congress showed any inclination to
respond. It would not be until the 1930s that support for such direct
actions became more widely accepted.
Wilson-GormanTariff-William L. Wilson of West Virginia, head of
the House Ways and Means Committee, introduced a far-reaching tariff reform
bill. It added a number of items to the free list, including sugar, lumber,
coal and wool. Further, the duties on imported manufactured goods would be
reduced while maintaining their protective nature. To compensate for the
revenue shortfall that tariff reform would create, Wilson’s bill called
for the imposition of a two percent income tax, an idea recently heralded by
the Populists. The Wilson bill passed the House and moved on to the Senate
where protectionist forces under A.P. Gorman of Maryland went to work. They
managed to attach more than 600 amendments to the measure, which destroyed
its reform intent. The domestic sugar industry was one of the prime
benefactors, since a whopping 40 percent duty was applied to foreign sugar.
In the end, both the House and President Cleveland surrendered to the Senate’s
will. The resulting Wilson-Gorman Tariff offered slight reductions in the
overall average rates, an improvement over the McKinley Tariff, but not an
example of tariff reform. Cleveland’s lack of involvement hurt his
reputation. He had campaigned on tariff reform, but allowed the bill to
become law without his signature. The president rationalized that
Wilson-Gorman was better than McKinley and so decided against a veto. The
income tax provision survived and became law. In 1895, however, the Supreme
Court ruled the tax unconstitutional. The Populists of the South and West
labored under the disadvantage of a high protective tariff and, after the
court decision, became convinced that the judicial system was working
hand-in-glove with big business.
William McKinley-25th President of the US from
1897-1901. During his term, the United States was involved in the
Spanish-American War. After the Spanish-American War, the United States
received the Philippines, Guam and Puerto Rico from Spain. Cuba became free
but was not a United States territory.
William Jennings Bryan-Bryan was elected to Congress twice, 1890
and 1892. His influence grew rapidly, due largely to his strong advocacy of
free silver, opposition to high protective tariffs and oratorical skills. In
1894, Bryan worked to unite the Democrats and Populists in Nebraska, but
later lost a bid for a Senate seat. Out of politics, Bryan became the editor
of the Omaha World-Herald and traveled widely as a lecturer on the
Chautauqua circuit. Popular perception notwithstanding, Bryan's nomination
at the Democratic convention in 1896 was not a spontaneous event fueled by
his "cross of gold" speech. The gathering was electrified by his
performance, but Bryan's handlers had long been at work securing votes from
the delegates. His advocacy of free silver later brought him the Populist
Party's nomination. During the campaign, Bryan became the first candidate to
unabashedly seek voter support. He traveled thousands of miles by train and
delivered hundreds of speeches, stopping even in the smallest of towns. His
oratorical prowess earned him the nickname "boy orator of the
Platte," but his detractors liked to point out that the Platte River
was only six inches deep and a mile wide at the mouth. Bryan's limited
message was instrumental in his loss to William McKinley, an event that
ushered in another era of Republican leadership. Under Bryan's influence,
the Democratic party underwent a dramatic change. The earlier Jacksonian
legacy was one dedicated to limited government, but the party from 1896
onward promoted a more expansive role. Bryan remained active in a variety of
causes, including peace, women's suffrage, prohibition and Christian
fundamentalism. In 1925, he served as an associate counsel in the trial of
John Scopes, a Tennessee instructor accused of teaching evolution in a
public school. Bryan took the stand and underwent a withering
cross-examination by Clarence Darrow. Bryan's side won the case, but he
became the subject of widespread ridicule. He died less than a week later.
"Cross of Gold" Speech-Speech given during the
Democratic nomination of 1896 by William Jennings Bryan. He was asking for
the abandonment of the gold standard and for silver and gold to be utilized
as a form of money. (bimetallism)
Populist Party Platform-The Populist (or People's) Party platform
in 1892 incorporated a host of popular reform ideas, including the
following:
· Australian (or Secret) Ballot. Voting was still
conducted publicly in many areas, potentially subjecting voters to
pressure or recrimination by employers and landlords. (This proposal was
adopted almost everywhere in the United States in the early 20th century.)
· Popular Election of U.S. Senators. As provided in the
Constitution (Article I, Section 3), senators were selected by the state
legislatures, not by popular vote. It was believed that business lobbies
exerted inordinate influence over the selection of these officials. (This
plank would become part of the Constitution in 1913 when Amendment XVII
was ratified.)
· Direct Democracy. The Populists urged the adoption of
the initiative, referendum and recall as means to give the people a more
direct voice in government. (Some or all of these procedures became part
of the constitutions of many states during the early 20th century.)
· Banking Reform. The Populists believed that much of
their economic hardship had been caused by bankers' unfair practices. They
proposed to end the national banking system, a point of view not widely
held. (The Populists failed with this proposal and a Federal Reserve
System was established by law in 1913.)
· Government Ownership of the Railroads. Anger against
the railroads for alleged price discrimination was so intense that the
Populists advocated for federal appropriation. (Opponents charged the
Populists with socialism and little public support existed for this plank.
However, during the Theodore Roosevelt administration, steps were taken
toward reform of the railroads.)
· Graduated Income Tax. The Populists viewed the
graduated income tax as a means to pry loose a portion of the tremendous
wealth of the nation's most prosperous citizens. A "graduated"
tax meant that the rate of taxation would increase as one's income
increased. (A step was made in this direction in the Wilson-Gorman Tariff
of 1894 when a uniform tax was imposed, but that portion of the law was
declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court the following year.
Authority to impose such taxation was granted to Congress under Amendment
XVI in 1913.)
· Free and Unlimited Coinage of Silver. The Populists in
1892 raised the silver issue, but not with the same fervor that would
emerge four years later. (The free silver crusade would die a natural
death in the years following 1896 as prosperity returned and the world's
gold supply increased.)
Seward Purchase of Alaska-William
H. Seward, secretary of state under both Lincoln and Johnson, was an ardent
expansionist. He was committed to the spread of American influence
throughout the Pacific as a means of enhancing the nation’s trade and
military standing. Russia had been interested in selling Alaska for a number
of years. The region seemed to have little value and was remote and hard to
defend. Negotiations with the United States were opened during the Buchanan
administration, but came to a halt with the opening of the Civil War. Seward
actually began negotiations with the Russians before receiving authorization
from Johnson. Nonetheless, when the outline of a deal was presented to the
cabinet, Seward was surprised to find little opposition. The agreement was
signed in March 1867 and transferred Alaska to the United States in return
for a payment of $7.2 million, amounting to a price of about 2.5 cents per
acre for an area twice the size of Texas. The treaty was ratified by the
U.S. Senate by a single vote. Criticism in the press was harsh, portraying
the newly acquired wasteland as "Seward’s Folly," "Seward’s
Icebox" or Johnson’s "polar bear garden." It was not until
the 1890s with the discovery of gold that public attitudes regarding Alaska
began to change.
Alfred Thayer Mahan/The Importance of Sea Power Upon History-Alfred
Thayer Mahan was born in West Point, New York, educated at the U.S. Naval
Academy and served as a Union naval officer during the Civil War. He was a
lecturer at the Newport War College, where he prepared ideas that would
later appear in his highly influential writings. Mahan served twice as
president of the college, 1886 to 1889 and 1892 to 1893.
The Influence of Sea Power upon History appeared in 1890 and The
Influence of Sea Power upon the French Revolution and Empire in 1892.
These works made Mahan one of the leading spokesmen for the age of
imperialism. He downplayed the philanthropic side of overseas involvement
and concentrated on harsh political realities. According to his analysis of
history, the great powers were those that maintained strong navies and
merchant marines. He urged the United States forward in its naval building
programs. Mahan also argued that modern navies needed repair and coaling
stations. Those facilities would not be dependable if controlled by other
nations. This reasoning inferred a rationale for American acquisition of
port facilities throughout the world. Mahan wrote at the time of a great
international arms race. He exerted a major impact on Theodore Roosevelt, as
well as upon leaders in Britain, Japan and Germany.
Queen Lilliuokalani-Monarch of Hawaii in 1898 when the island
nation was annexed by the US.
Spanish-American War-John Hay, the diplomat and writer, described
the Spanish-American War as that "splendid little war." For some
it was just that. The war lasted less than 4 months, only a few hundred men
were killed in battle and a generation grown weary of their elders’ Civil
War tales had its own conflict to embellish. No American conflict ever
enjoyed greater popular support and exacted a lower cost. On paper, Spain
appeared to be a formidable power. Upwards of 200,000 regular
soldiers were stationed in Cuba and thousands of Cubans remained
loyal to the Spanish government. By contrast, the U.S. army numbered only
about 25,000 in 1898 and most of those soldiers had been confined to
supervision of the Native Americans in the West. The major difference would
be made by the navies. The Spanish fleet boasted impressive numbers, but was
in poor repair and badly out of date. Beginning in the 1880s, the American
navy had instituted expansion programs, heeding the calls of such figures as
Alfred Thayer Mahan. The war was contested in two divergent theaters, the
Far East and the Caribbean, attesting to the fact that the conflict had
become more about imperialism and less about Cuban independence.
De Lome Letter-Enrique Dupuy de Lôme was the Spanish minister to
Washington. On February 9, 1898, a letter he had written to a government
official in Havana was published in the American press. The private
correspondence labeled President McKinley as "a low politician"
and a man who was weak and catered to the rabble. Many Americans probably
shared those views, but were outraged when they were voiced by a foreign
official. War fever began its spread throughout the country. De Lôme
promptly submitted his resignation and informed the U.S. authorities that
the letter represented his views, not those of his government. This public
insult, coupled with looming congressional elections in the fall, pushed
McKinley into reconsidering his view of the conflict in Cuba. That change
was accelerated by the destruction of the Maine a few days later.
U.S.S. Maine-The U.S.S. Maine was dispatched to Havana
harbor in January 1898, ostensibly as a good will gesture, but in reality to
protect American lives and property in the troubled colony. On February 15,
the Maine exploded, killing 260 men aboard. Public opinion in the
United States, urged on by the yellow press, assumed that Spain had plotted
the treachery. Scant attention was given to the possibility that an
accidental internal explosion had occurred. Cries of "Remember the
Maine, To Hell with Spain" were heard throughout the country and war
fever increased. Congress responded by appropriating $50 million for
military preparedness. President McKinley, despite his anger, still
proceeded cautiously. A navy court of inquiry concluded on March 28 that the
explosion had been caused by an external source, probably a mine.1
Spain was blamed by an increasing segment of the American population.
McKinley explored means to maintain peace and prayed earnestly over the
dilemma, but soon realized that he could not hold back the push toward war.
Theodore Roosevelt, a leader of the war faction, opined, "Let the fight
come if it must. I rather hope that the fight will come soon. The clamor of
the peace faction has convinced me that this country needs a war."
President McKinley requested a declaration of war and Congress responded
affirmatively on April 25, but had earlier disavowed any interest in
annexing Cuba. The first military action followed within a week.
Rough Riders-At the outbreak of war with Spain in 1898, the U.S.
Army was very small in numbers. This situation necessitated an immediate
call for volunteers. President McKinley’s appeal was overwhelmingly
answered by a generation that had grown up in the shadow of their elders’
Civil War glory. One group answering the call was the First Regiment of the
U.S. Cavalry Volunteers, headed by Colonel Leonard Wood, a distinguished
army doctor and Medal of Honor recipient. The regiment was actually the
brainchild of Theodore Roosevelt, assistant secretary of the navy and Wood's
friend. Roosevelt, realizing his own lack of military experience, suggested
Wood for the command. The Rough Riders, as the regiment was soon known,
comprised 1,250 men, including cowboys, Native Americans and eastern college
athletes. Despite their dissimilarities, they were in excellent physical
condition—a stark contrast to most of the other volunteer contingents.
Joseph Pulitzer/William Randolph Hearst/"Yellow Journalism"-
"Yellow press" was a term applied to the popular, frankly
imperialistic newspapers of New York City, circa 1890s. Today, "yellow
journalism" refers to lurid publications that emphasize the sensational
side of news stories. In the 1890s, a bitter circulation war erupted between
Joseph Pulitzer's New York World and William Randolph Hearst's New
York Journal. In an spiraling contest of outrageous journalism, the
newspapers used all means to attract readers—heavy doses of murder and
sex, banner headlines and colored supplements. Pulitzer introduced the first
comic strip, The Yellow Kid, drawn by Richard Outcault. The character
became immensely popular and inspired the name for the sensationalist press
of the era. Both Hearst and Pulitzer played leading roles in molding
American public opinion about the conflict between Spain and its Cuban
colony. The papers reported Spanish atrocities in exaggerated detail, but
neglected to mention Cuban misdeeds. Both repeatedly called for armed
intervention, then later, all-out war.
Teller Amendment (April 1898)-
In order to reassure anti-imperialist elements on the eve of
declaring war on Spain, Congress adopted a measure pledging that the United
States had no designs on remaining in Cuba following conclusion of the
conflict. Sen. Henry M. Teller of Colorado drafted an amendment to the
resolution of war, which stated that the United States "hereby
disclaims any disposition of intention to exercise sovereignty,
jurisdiction, or control over said island except for pacification thereof,
and asserts its determination, when that is accomplished, to leave the
government and control of the island to its people." The United States
did not, as pledged, annex Cuba. Occupation continued until 1902 when the
Platt Amendment was inserted into the Cuban constitution in return for the
withdrawal of American forces. In 1903, the U.S. also secured rights to
maintain a naval base at Guantánamo Bay, one of the world's great harbors,
located at the southeastern tip of Cuba. American rights were reconfirmed in
a formal treaty in 1934, an agreement that cannot be rescinded without
mutual consent.
Dewey/Manila-Manila, in the Philippines, provided the front
and back covers for the Spanish-American War. It was in this
harbor that the opening shots of the 106-day war were fired by the ships of
Commodore Dewey on May 1st. On August 13th Admiral Dewey's ships fired
the closing volley that signaled the end of the Spanish Empire. In the
104 days between, almost all of the combat was waged half-a-world away in
the Caribbean.
Treaty of Paris-Following the Spanish defeats in Cuba and Puerto
Rico, an armistice was arranged on August 12, 1898. Fighting was halted and
Spain recognized Cuba's independence. The U.S. occupation of the Philippines
was recognized pending final disposition of the islands. The final treaty
was concluded in Paris on December 10, 1898 and provided for the following:
· Spain agreed to remove all soldiers from Cuba and recognize
American occupation of the area; the U.S. had previously pledged not to
annex the island in the Teller Amendment
· Spain ceded Guam and Puerto Rico to the United States
· The United States compensated Spain for its losses with a
payment of $20 million.
Ratification of this treaty was not a foregone conclusion in the United
States Senate. A great debate ensued, pitting imperialists against
anti-imperialists. The point of friction was the Philippines, which were
deemed by many not to be an area of vital interest to the U.S. Proponents of
expansion argued that other powers (probably Germany) would move into the
Philippines if American did not. Further, the U.S. had a duty to export its
superior democratic institutions to this region—a revival of the old
manifest destiny argument. In February 1899, the treaty received the
necessary two-thirds ratification approval by a single vote. The United
States had emerged as a world power, but its public was divided over the
nature of the role to be played. When the sun set on the evening of May 1,
1898 Manila Harbor was still filled with smoke--all that remained of a once
mighty Spanish Naval squadron. The defeat was unprecedented, Dewey
accomplishing what few could have dreamed possible, and all without the loss
of a single life (save for the heat stroke victim). It would be
however, a full week before officials in Washington, DC would hear the
details of the American victory.
Venezuela Boundary Dispute-(1895), Conflict between Great Britain
and Venezuela over the boundary between British Guiana and Venezuela; the
controversy arose when gold was discovered in the disputed area. In 1895
Secretary of State Richard Olney declared that Great Britain's claim to this
territory violated the Monroe Doctrine and demanded a settlement. The threat
of war was averted when Great Britain agreed to arbitration in 1897. A Paris
tribunal in 1899 awarded the land taken for gold back to Venezuela; the rest
of the land in dispute reverted to Great Britain.
The Philippines/Filipino Insurrection-An insurrection smoldered
in the Philippines prior to the Spanish-American War. The insurgents'
leader, José Rizal, was captured and executed by Spanish authorities. His
successor, Emilio Aguinaldo, then in exile, was helped to return by
Commodore George Dewey following the latter's triumph at Manila Bay. In
August 1898, many Filipinos rejoiced at the collapse of Spanish power and
assumed that independence would soon follow. Despite Filipino aspirations,
Dewey advised Washington that the native republican element was a minority
and a strong hand was needed to prevent the islands from falling into other
hands. Dewey’s caution was not without foundation. Germany had been in
contact with Spain in hopes of purchasing the islands. Tensions rose to such
a height that the German Far Eastern fleet threatened Dewey’s smaller navy
prior to the events at Manila Bay. Only the timely appearance of British
ships enabled the Americans to continue their conquest. (The British had no
interest in seeing the U.S. become a power in the Pacific, but realized that
war with Germany was on the horizon and desired strong relations with
America.) In late 1898, with the fighting stopped and peace negotiations
underway, President McKinley faced the dilemma of deciding what to do with
the Philippines. Imperialist and anti-imperialist forces at home voiced
their opinions. The president hesitated and turned to prayer. He concluded
that the United States should accept control of the Philippines to educate
and Christianize the natives—overlooking the fact that the overwhelming
majority of the islands’ population was Roman Catholic. Filipino
republican leaders were incensed with the prospect of a continuing American
presence in their homeland. Fighting broke out in February 1899, following
the shooting of three Filipinos by U.S. soldiers in suburban Manila. The
insurrection raged for more than two years, exacting a far higher toll than
the Spanish-American War. More than 120,000 American soldiers served in the
conflict; at least 4,200 were killed. More than 16,000 Filipino fighters
died. Atrocities were common and committed by both sides. Further, a
terrible toll was taken among the civilian populace with an estimated
200,000 succumbing to famine and disease. The Filipino forces were no match
for the Americans in open combat, but more than held their own in guerilla
warfare. The insurgent forces split their command among a number of regional
theaters, forcing the Americans to conduct extremely difficult operations in
a variety of jungle locations. In March 1901, Aguinaldo was captured. He
realized that the insurgent cause was ultimately hopeless and called for an
end to resistance. Nevertheless, sporadic fighting continued in the outlying
areas until early 1902.
Open Door Notes-China was in political and economic disarray as
the end of the 19th century approached. The giant was not recognized as a
sovereign nation by the major powers, who were busy elbowing one another for
trading privileges and plotting how the country could be partitioned. The
imperial nations sought spheres of influence and claimed extraterritorial
rights in China. The United States took Far Eastern matters more seriously
after the Spanish-American War, when they came into possession of the
Philippines. In the fall of 1898, President McKinley stated his desire for
the creation of an "open door" that would allow all trading
nations access to the Chinese market. The following year, Secretary of State
John Hay sought a formal endorsement of the concept by circulating
diplomatic notes among the major powers, enabling the secretary to be
credited with authoring the Open Door policy. Hay’s proposal called for
the establishment of equal trading rights to all nations in all parts of
China and for recognition of Chinese territorial integrity (meaning that the
country should not be carved up). The impact of such a policy would be to
put all of the imperial nations on an equal footing and minimize the power
of those nations with existing spheres of influence. No nation formally
agreed to Hay’s policy; each used the other nations' reluctance to endorse
the Open Door as an excuse for their own inaction. An undeterred Hay simply
announced that agreement had been reached. Only Russia and Japan voiced
displeasure. On the surface, it appeared that the United States had advanced
a reform viewpoint, but the truth was otherwise. The U.S. had no sphere of
influence in China, but had long maintained an active trade there. If other
nations were to partition China, the United States would likely be excluded
from future commercial activities. In short, Hay was simply trying to
protect the prospects of American businessmen and investors. Challenges to
the Open Door policy would be mounted frequently in the ensuing years,
including the Boxer Rebellion of 1900 in which Chinese nationalists resorted
to armed opposition in an attempt to end foreign occupation of their
country; Japanese incursions into Manchuria following the Russo-Japanese
War; and the "21 Demands" levied by Japan on China in 1915. An
effort was made to shore up the Open Door in 1921-22 at the Washington Naval
Conference, but a challenge was again mounted by the Japanese in the 1930s
as they expanded their control in Manchuria. China would not be recognized
as a sovereign state until after World War II.
Boxer Rebellion-Commercial concessions had been forced on China
dating to the end of the Opium Wars (1839-1842), a contrived series of
conflicts engineered by British trading interests. France, Germany and
Russia later demanded and received similar treatment. Paramount among the
great powers’ requirements was the granting of treaty ports and
extraterritorial status. China was later divided into spheres of influence
in the aftermath of the First Sino-Japanese War (1894-95), allowing outside
nations even greater latitude. Understandably, the Chinese deeply resented
the presence of the great powers and the weakness of their own government.
China had effectively lost its independence. One reaction to this
exploitation was the emergence of a clandestine martial arts society
referred to by the English as the "Boxers" (their Chinese name
being translated as "righteous harmonious fists"). The nativist
group launched a series of attacks against foreigners, Chinese Christians
and complicit government officials. The high point of the rebellion occurred
in mid-1900, when Beijing was occupied by 140,000 Boxers. They laid siege to
the British legation, which harbored most of the international community.
The entrenched foreigners held out for two months until a hastily arranged
multinational military force managed to break the siege, scattering the
Boxers. As a result of the rebellion, China was subjected to even greater
humiliation. An indemnity of more than $300 million was levied on the nearly
bankrupt nation and the government was forced to allow the permanent
quartering of foreign soldiers in Beijing. The United States attempted to
mitigate some of the financial damage by later using much of its share of
the reparations to fund scholarships for Chinese students studying in
America. From the international perspective, the Boxer Rebellion increased
support for the Open Door policy. The great powers realized that warring
among themselves would inhibit their ability to exploit China.
Puerto Rico, Samoa, Guam-All became commonwealths of the US after
the Spanish-American War in 1898. They each have their own local government
just like any state, but they are not considered states. An elected governor
is the highest official on the island, but the President of the US is
considered their official leader.
Platt Amendment-Inspired by Secretary of State Elihu Root and
drafted by Connecticut senator Orville H. Platt, the Platt Amendment gave
the United States an oversight role in Cuban affairs and was formally
incorporated into the Cuban constitution. U.S. consent was required for all
Cuban treaties and trade agreements. More significantly, the United States
was given "the right to intervene for the preservation of Cuban
independence, the maintenance of a government adequate for the protection of
life, property, and individual liberty . . . ." The Platt Amendment, an
unwelcome limitation on Cuban independence, was not abrogated until 1934.
Jones Act-The Jones Act was passed by Congress in 1917, creating
territorial status for Puerto Rico and making its people citizens of the
United States.
National Woman Suffrage Association-Formed in 1890, NAWSA was the
result of a merger between two rival factions--the National Woman Suffrage
Association (NWSA) led by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, and
the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA), led by Lucy Stone, Henry
Blackwell, and Julia Ward Howe. These opposing groups were organized in the
late 1860s, partly as the result of a disagreement over strategy. NWSA
favored women's enfranchisement through a federal constitutional amendment,
while AWSA believed success could be more easily achieved through
state-by-state campaigns. NAWSA combined both of these techniques, securing
the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920 through a series of
well-orchestrated state campaigns under the dynamic direction of Carrie
Chapman Catt. With NAWSA's primary goal of women's enfranchisement now a
reality, the organization was transformed into the League of Women Voters.
Susan B. Anthony-(1820-1906), women's rights leader. Anthony was
born in Adams, Massachusetts. Her father, a Quaker, was excluded from his
meeting when he married her mother, a Baptist, and Susan, while much
affected by her Quaker background, was also shaped by the proud independence
this exclusion gave her family. In the depression of 1837, the family's
economic security was shaken, and Anthony became a teacher, the only
profession open to middle-class women. She never married and was a lifelong
self-supporting woman. Her most distinctive contribution to the early
women's rights movement was her appreciation of the importance of economic
independence to women's emancipation. In 1851, while visiting in nearby
Seneca Falls, New York, Anthony met Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who had
organized the first women's rights convention in 1848. Together they led the
women's rights movement for the next half century. They first tried to
organize a women's temperance society, but that reform proved too
church-bound for their feminist concerns. In 1854, they turned to the
creation of a women's rights movement per se. While Cady Stanton wrote
articles and declarations to legislatures, Anthony discovered her own
special genius, the organization of women into a sustained political
movement. From 1854 to 1860, she circulated petitions demanding married
women's rights to property, wages, and the custody of their children in the
event of a divorce, and all women's rights to the suffrage. In 1860, all but
the vote were secured by New York's landmark Married Women's Property Act.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton-(1815-1902), women's rights leader. Born
in Johnstown, New York, Elizabeth Cady received the best female education
available at the time, at Emma Willard's Academy, but regretted not having a
full-fledged college education. She spent her postacademy years like other
young women of leisure, in visiting and social activities, primarily at the
home of her cousin, the abolitionist Gerrit Smith. There she fell in love
with another abolitionist, Henry B. Stanton. An older, romantic figure,
Henry was part of the exciting world of reform and politics to which she was
drawn. Despite her father's opposition, they married in 1840 and for their
honeymoon went to London to attend the World's Antislavery Convention. There
Cady Stanton met Lucretia Mott, the leading American female abolitionist,
and began to study the Anglo-American traditions of women's rights. In 1847,
the Stantons moved to rural Seneca Falls, New York, where Elizabeth bore the
last three of their seven children and grew resentful of her domestic
confinement. In 1848, with the help of Mott, she organized the world's first
women's rights convention. Despite Mott's reluctance, she insisted on
including the right to woman suffrage in its resolutions. In 1851, Cady
Stanton met Susan B. Anthony, with whom she formed a lifelong partnership
based on their common dedication to women's emancipation. Three years later,
she addressed the New York legislature on an omnibus women's rights bill. In
1860, most of the legal reforms she sought in women's status, with the
notable exception of enfranchisement, were secured.
Bradwell v. Illinois-
|
Argued: |
January 18, 1873 |
|
Decided: |
April 15, 1873 |
|

|
|
Facts of the Case
Myra Bradwell asserted her right to a license to practice law in
Illinois by virtue of her status as a United States citizen. The judges of
the Illinois Supreme Court denied her application with only one judge
dissenting. |
|

|
|
Question Presented
Is the right to obtain a license to practice law guaranteed by the
Fourteenth Amendment to all citizens of the United States? |
|

|
|
Conclusion
No. While the Court agreed that all citizens enjoy certain privileges
and immunities which individual states cannot take away, it did not agree
that the right to practice law in a state's courts is one of them. There
was no agreement, argued Justice Miller, that this right depended on
citizenship. In his concurrence, Justice Bradley went above and beyond the
constitutional explanations of the case to describe the reasons why it was
natural and proper for women to be excluded from the legal profession. He
cited the importance of maintaining the "respective spheres of man
and woman," with women performing the duties of motherhood and wife
in accordance with the "law of the Creator." |
Women’s Christian Temperance Movement-This organization grew out
of an aggressive women's temperance movement in Washington Court House, Ohio,
in 1874 and became a national crusader for prohibition. After the Ohio women
ended the local liquor trade with a combination of marches, negotiations, and
axes wielded in saloons, they formed the Woman's Christian Temperance Union (wctu).
It was small and largely unsuccessful until Frances Willard became its
president in 1879. A former schoolteacher, president of a women's college, and
dean of women at Northwestern University, Willard took over the leadership of
a group of mostly middle-class, Protestant women and tried at first to turn it
into an organization advocating socialism. In this she failed, but the wctu
gained in membership—150,000 by 1890. Arguing that alcohol consumption was
related to a poor environment, the group sought to improve the conditions of
the working class—more than did most male temperance reformers. In some
ways, too, the wctu challenged patriarchy and the nuclear family, seeking more
power for women inside the home and more opportunity outside it, as well as
advocating equal pay for equal work. It also gave strong support to the
national Prohibition party. (Some members, however, disagreed with this policy
and split off to form the Non-Partisan wctu.) Joining with other groups such
as the Anti-Saloon League, the wctu worked at first for prohibition at the
state level before turning to the fight for a national constitutional
amendment. Although the wctu proved stronger than its sister groups after
Prohibition became a reality in 1919, the advent of women's suffrage the next
year divided its members. Like many other women's groups, the organization
debated the question of what women's new role in politics should be. With the
subsequent failure of Prohibition, the wctu's influence steadily declined.
Minor v. Happersett-In the case of Minor v. Happersett
(1874) the Supreme Court decreed that the state of Missouri had been within
its constitutional rights in denying a woman applicant, Virginia Minor, the
right to vote. The feminist Victoria Woodhull had urged women to try to vote,
arguing that the Fourteenth Amendment forbade the states to limit citizens'
rights. This "new departure" was adopted by the National Woman
Suffrage Association (nwsa), and Susan B. Anthony organized seventy
suffragists nationwide—among them, Minor—to vote in the 1872 elections.
Minor was denied entrance to the Missouri polls by the registrar, Reese
Happersett, on the ground that the state constitution limited voting to males.
With her husband (because married women could not bring legal action on their
own), she then sued the registrar, arguing that her rights of citizenship had
been unlawfully abridged. When the case reached the Supreme Court, however,
the justices declared that voting was not among the privileges guaranteed to
all citizens and was therefore not protected by the Fourteenth Amendment. This
decision ended the "new departure," convincing the nwsa that woman
suffrage could be won only by a new constitutional amendment.
Anti-Saloon League-Congregationalist minister and temperance
activist Howard Hyde Russell started the Anti-Saloon League of Ohio in 1893.
One of his recruits was Wayne Wheeler, a recent graduate of Oberlin who became
the organization's chief administrator for a quarter of a century. The Ohioans
merged with a similar group in Washington, D.C., to form the national
Anti-Saloon League in 1895. Under Wheeler's leadership, the league focused on
one issue at a time, avoiding partisanship: its unofficial motto was "It
is better to be united in a bad fight than divided in a good one." It won
prominence when it helped unseat Myron Herrick, Ohio's Republican governor and
one of the league's foes, in 1905. The league organized at the grass-roots
level, working through churches and carefully questioning politicians about
their views on temperance and then endorsing or opposing them accordingly, no
matter what their stands on other issues, their party affiliation, or their
progressivism. Unlike other such groups, the Anti-Saloon League worked with
the two major parties rather than backing the small Prohibition party. Wheeler
and the Anti-Saloon League had considerable national influence. The league
concentrated on lobbying legislatures on behalf of antiliquor laws and were
especially successful in the South. Wheeler helped draft both the Eighteenth
Amendment, which enacted national Prohibition in 1919, and the Volstead Act,
which created the machinery to enforce it. The league's lobbying contributed
to the passage of these measures, and its resources defended them in the
courts. But when the Democrats nominated the antiprohibition Alfred E. Smith,
governor of New York, for president in 1928, the league became tied more
closely to the Republican party. With the death of Wheeler, the rise of
Franklin D. Roosevelt, and the end of Prohibition in 1933, the Anti-Saloon
League faded in importance.
Theodore Roosevelt-26th President of the US from
1901-1909. He was a progressive Republican that sought reforms in many
different areas of life. He was the first
president to win the Nobel Peace Prize; he was awarded it for the
Russo-Japanese Treaty.
Hay-Pauncefote Treaty-(1901) Negotiations began during the McKinley
administration between John Hay, the U.S. secretary of state, and Lord Julian
Pauncefote, the British ambassador to Washington. Initial bargaining was
slowed by disagreements over
fortifying the proposed canal and seeking other signatories for any agreement
that might be reached. Agreement was reached late in the year after Roosevelt
had succeeded the slain McKinley. The following points were approved by both
nations:
· The U.S. was authorized to construct and manage a Central
American canal
· The U.S. was to guarantee the neutrality of the canal and was
authorized to fortify the area, if necessary
· The canal was to be open to all nations; rates were to be
fair and equal.
The Hay-Pauncefote Treaty superceded the earlier Clayton-Bulwer agreement
and would be followed by the failed Hay-Herrán Treaty and the Hay-Bunau-Varilla
Treaty, both in 1903.
Newlands Reclamation Act-Rep. Francis G. Newlands of Nevada was the
prime moving force behind an effort to extend federal assistance to farmers
and ranchers who worked the arid lands of the West. Under a measure passed in
1902, a self-perpetuating funding system was established:
· The federal government would plan, construct and manage
irrigation projects for the purpose of reclaiming marginal lands
· Money for these projects would be generated by the sale of
public lands
· The on-going expenses of the projects would be supported by
fees paid by farmers and ranchers using the water.
This measure, along with subsequent legislation, brought thousands of new
acres under cultivation and placed the federal government front and center in
the water distribution question in the West.
Women’s Trade Union League-This organization sought to organize
working women into trade unions while introducing their everyday concerns
about wages and working conditions to the growing women's rights movement. The
Women's Trade Union League (wtul) was formed in 1903. Modeled on a similar
league in England, it faced problems in outlook from its beginnings. Its
members included progressive reformers from settlement houses and the Young
Women's Christian Association, who sought federal and state protective
legislation, and working women from the trade union movement, who emphasized
the need to organize labor. Both groups had to deal with the chauvinism of
male reformers and the increasingly conservative American Federation of Labor.
Thus, they turned to groups created inside and outside the league to promote
education and better working conditions and to boycott companies guilty of
bias or overpricing, looking to protective laws only when all other means had
failed. The wtul did succeed in advancing women's education, better wages, job
safety, and sexual and racial integration. Especially in its early years under
the leadership of Margaret Robins, it helped women during strikes set up
picket lines, counter police violence, build up public opinion behind their
efforts, and support their families. The wtul also joined other women's groups
to lobby state and national politicians. But the organization broke up in 1950
amid antiunionism, McCarthyism, and the post-World War II baby boom that
returned many wartime working women to the home. It declared—prematurely—that
it had achieved its goals.
Northern Securities Co. v. US-In 1901, the Northern Securities
Company was formed as a holding company in the business-friendly state of New
Jersey. The new venture brought together the talents and wealth of J.P. Morgan
and James J. Hill on one side and E.H. Harriman on the other. These former
competitors joined forces in an effort to dominate railroad traffic in the
West. The NSC controlled the stock of the Great Northern, Northern Pacific and
the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy railroads. Noting that traffic between
Chicago and the Northwest was monopolized, Roosevelt in 1902 ordered Attorney
General Philander C. Knox to bring suit, alleging restraint of trade. Morgan
and Mark Hanna pleaded personally with the president to halt the action, but
to no avail. In court, Northern Securities attorneys argued that the company
did not really engage in interstate commerce, but simply was a stockholder. By
the narrowest of margins, five to four, the Supreme Court in 1904 sided with
the government and ordered the NSC's breakup. This decision was notable for
the following reasons:
· The Supreme Court reversed a position taken previously in the
E.C. Knight case
· The giant push of E.H. Harriman to consolidate the nation’s
railroads was halted
· Enthusiasm for creating holding companies was dampened
· Roosevelt’s popularity skyrocketed among the masses.
Roosevelt Corollary-May
1904 and later expanded in his annual message to Congress in December,
Roosevelt stated what would become known as his corollary (logical extension
of) the Monroe Doctrine. This change in policy was deemed necessary because of
a desire to avoid having European powers come to the Western Hemisphere for
the purpose of collecting debts. It was feared that those nations might come
as earnest creditors, but remain as occupying powers. This prospect was
especially unwelcome at this time when the United States was pushing full
steam ahead with the construction of the canal in Panama. Defensive interests
demanded that the Caribbean be kept as an "American lake." Roosevelt
felt that the United States had a "moral mandate" to enforce proper
behavior among the nations of Latin America.
Hay-Bunau Varilla Treaty-The joint efforts of John Hay, U.S.
secretary of state, and Philippe Bunau-Varilla, the former engineer for the
French canal company and the recently appointed Panamanian envoy to the United
States, yielded an agreement acceptable to Roosevelt. Terms included the
following:
· The United States was to receive rights to a canal zone which
was to extend five miles on either side of the route
· Panama was to receive a payment of $10 million
· Panama was to receive annual rental payments of $250,000.
Russo-Japanese War-At the conclusion of the Boxer Rebellion,
the major powers agreed to remove their expeditionary forces from China,
except for those soldiers occupying Beijing. The evacuation was completed in
the fall of 1901 by all nations except Russia, which maintained a large
presence in Manchuria and northern Korea. The Japanese had undergone rapid
westernization at the end of the 19th century and developed a strong
commercial position in China. They lacked vital domestic natural resources,
iron and coal in particular, but had found those items in abundance in China.
They viewed the continuing presence of Russia as a threat to their access to
those valuable Chinese resources. Efforts by the great powers to ease tensions
between Russia and Japan made little progress. Britain, still the dominant
military force, re-deployed its Far Eastern fleet to waters closer to home in
response to continuing friction with Germany. Japan quickly filled the vacuum.
The Russo-Japanese War was fought on Chinese soil with China a neutral
observer. Russia was anxious for the conflict, regarding Japan as militarily
weak and hoping to divert attention from domestic turmoil. In February 1904,
Japan struck first without a declaration of war, and attacked Port Arthur on
the western extremity of the Liaotung peninsula. In the ensuing months, the
world was astounded by a string of Japanese successes. The most notable
encounter was the destruction of the Russian fleet in May 1905 at Tsushima
Strait, the area between the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea. Both sides,
however, desired peace. Russia was not only losing militarily, but was also
experiencing a revolution at home. Japan found that its success came at the
price of near bankruptcy. Theodore Roosevelt offered mediation, summoning
representatives of the warring parties to Portsmouth, New Hampshire in the
summer of 1905. Peace was concluded in September and provided for the
following:
· Both Japan and Russia pledged to withdraw from Manchuria
· Russia turned over a number of valuable port leases in China
to Japan
· Japan received the southern half of Sakhalin Island in the
Sea of Okhotsk north of Japan.
One important item was not included in the final peace terms—reparations.
Japan, staggering under the cost of the war, had sought $600 million from
Russia. Roosevelt refused to accept this provision, a slight the Japanese
would long remember. The Russo-Japanese War was a major embarrassment to
Russia, which became the first major modern European power to be defeated by
an Asian nation. Public outrage played prominently in the Russian Revolution
of 1905. Japan, however, emerged as a world power and believed that its
hegemony in the Far East would be unchallenged.
Treaty of Portsmouth-Treaty ending the
Russo-Japanese War. It was signed at the Portsmouth Naval Base, New Hampshire,
on Sept. 5, 1905. Negotiations leading up to the treaty began in the spring of
1905 when Russia had suffered severe defeats and Japan was in financial
difficulties. Therefore, both nations indicated a desire for peace. Germany,
the United States, and Great Britain were instrumental in forcing conciliation
between the belligerents. However, the United States and Britain exacted
certain concessions from Japan before smoothing the way for the treaty.
President Theodore Roosevelt demanded that Japan follow the Open Door policy
in Manchuria and return the region to Chinese administration. In the Taft-Katsura
agreement of July, 1905, Roosevelt agreed to Japanese dominance in Korea in
return for American freedom of action in the Philippines. Great Britain had
the Anglo-Japanese treaty extended to cover all of E Asia and in return also
gave Japan a free hand in Korea. Under the terms of the Portsmouth agreement,
Russia was compelled to recognize Korea's independence and the "paramount
political, military, and economic interests" of Japan in Korea. Russia
also agreed to place Manchuria again under the sovereignty of China, and all
foreign troops were to be removed. The railway lines in S Manchuria,
constructed by Russia, were ceded to Japan without payment. The disputed
Liaodong peninsula (see Liaoning), containing the ports of Dalian and Port
Arthur (see Lüshun, was turned over to Japan, as was the southern part of the
island of Sakhalin. Japan also obtained fishing rights in the waters adjacent
to the Russian Far East. The Treaty of Portsmouth marked the temporary decline
of Russian power in East Asia and the emergence of Japan as the strongest
power in the area.
Taft-Katsura Agreement- In the Taft-Katsura agreement of July,
1905, Roosevelt agreed to Japanese dominance in Korea in return for American
freedom of action in the Philippines.-
Niagara Movement/NAACP-
This was a major step on the road to black militancy. Its beginnings
may be traced to the publication in 1903 of The Souls of Black Folk
by W. E. B. Du Bois, the first black American to earn a doctorate from
Harvard. That book included an essay, "Of Mr. Booker T. Washington and
Others," which attacked Washington'sAtlanta Compromise speech and accused
him of abandoning the fight for black political rights and accepting
segregation in exchange for illusory economic gains. In 1905, Du Bois and
several other black supporters wishing to meet gathered at Niagara Falls, but
on the Canadian side since no hotel on the American side would allow them to
register. They drafted a list of demands that included an end to segregation
and to discrimination in unions, the courts, and public accommodations, as
well as equality of economic and educational opportunity. Although the Niagara
movement attracted the attention of like-minded whites, it had little impact
on legislative or popular opinion. But after race riots in Springfield,
Illinois, in 1909, a group of white progressives—including the social worker
Jane Addams, the philosopher John Dewey, the novelist William Dean Howells,
and the editor Oswald Garrison Villard, a grandson of abolitionist William
Lloyd Garrison—formed the National Association for the Advancement of
Colored People (naacp). They adopted many of the goals of the Niagara movement
and hired its leader, Du Bois, as director of publicity and research, and
editor of their journal, Crisis.
W.E.B. DuBois- African-American
author and teacher who helped found the National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). A recipient of the World Peace Council
Prize (1952) and the Soviet Lenin Peace Prize (1959), Du Bois became a member
of the Communist party in 1961 and a citizen of Ghana, where he served as
director of the Encyclopedia Africana.
Jacob Riis/How the Other Lives- Jacob
Riis, the third of fifteen children, was born in Ribe, Denmark, on 3rd
May, 1849. He worked as a carpenter in Copenhagen before emigrating to the
United States in 1870. Unable to find work, he was often forced to spend the
night in police station lodging houses. Riis did a variety of menial jobs
before finding work with a news bureau in New York in 1873. The following year
he was recruited by the South Brooklyn News. In 1877 Riis became a
police reporter for the New York Tribune. Aware of what it was like to
live in poverty, Riis was determined to use this opportunity to employ his
journalistic skills to communicate this to the public. He constantly argued
that the "poor were the victims rather than the makers of their
fate". In 1888 Riis was employed as a photo-journalist by the New York
Evening Sun. Riis was among the first photographers to use flash powder,
which enabled him to photograph interiors and exteriors of the slums at night.
He also became associated with what later became known as muckraking
journalism. In December, 1889, an account of city life, illustrated by
photographs, appeared in Scribner's Magazine. This created a great deal
of interest and the following year, a full-length version, How the Other
Half Lives, was published. The book was seen by Theodore Roosevelt, the
New York Police Commissioner, and he had the city police lodging houses that
were featured in the book closed down. Over the next twenty-five years Riis
wrote and lectured on the problems of the poor. This included magic lantern
shows and one observer noted that "his viewers moaned, shuddered, fainted
and even talked to the photographs he projected, reacting to the slides not as
images but as a virtual reality that transported the new York slum world
directly into the lecture hall." Riis also wrote over a dozen books
including Children of the Poor (1892), Out of Mulberry Street
(1898), The Battle With the Slum (1902) and Children of the Tenement
(1903).
Lochner v. New York-
|
Argued: |
February 23, 1905 |
|
Decided: |
April 17, 1905 |
|

|
|
Facts of the Case
The state of New York enacted a statute forbidding bakers to work more
than 60 hours a week or 10 hours a day. |
|

|
|
Question Presented
Does the New York law violate the liberty protected by due process of
the Fourteenth Amendment? |
|

|
|
Conclusion
The Court invalidated the New York law. The majority (through Peckham)
maintained that the statute interfered with the freedom of contract, and
thus the Fourteenth Amendment's right to liberty afforded to employer and
employee. The Court viewed the statute as a labor law; the state had no
reasonable ground for interfering with liberty by determining the hours of
labor |
Hepburn Act- (June
29, 1906) Law that strengthened the power of the Interstate Commerce
Commission by increasing its membership from five to seven and allowing it
to determine reasonable rates upon the complaint of a shipper. The act also
prohibited free railroad passes and forbade railroads to haul commodities
they had produced themselves.
Upton Sinclair/The Jungle-
Upton Sinclair's novel The Jungle tells the epic tragedy of
a Lithuanian immigrant Jurgis Rudkus and a group of his friends and
relatives. Penniless and unable to speak English, they are mercilessly
exploited by employers, foremen, police, political bosses, and others with
access to power in Packingtown. Women are forced into prostitution; older
men, unable to work, are left to starve. Jurgis loses his wife in
childbirth, and his infant son drowns in a pool of stinking water outside
their shack. The novel also includes gruesome descriptions of food
production: tubercular beef, the grinding up of poisoned rats, and even
workers falling into vats and emerging as Durham's Pure Leaf Lard. Published
in January 1906, The Jungle unleashed a storm of public
indignation. The scene had already been set by the "embalmed beef"
scandal in the Spanish-American War of 1898 (concerning the quality of food
supplied to U.S. troops) and the muckraking exposés of journalists like
Samuel Hopkins Adams on patent medicines and Charles Edward Russell on the
"Beef Trust." But the impact of The Jungle was probably
decisive. Within six months of its publication a Pure Food and Drug Act and
a Meat Inspection Act had been passed. The irony is that Sinclair included
the horrific details on meat production only in order to bolster his main
theme, the exploitation of immigrant labor and the need for socialism. As he
later wrote: "I aimed at the public's heart and by accident hit it in
the stomach." Undeterred, Sinclair invested the proceeds from his
masterpiece in the Helicon Hall colony, an experimental socialist community
at Englewood, New Jersey.
Meat Inspection Act- As
a companion measure to the Pure Food and Drug Act, the Meat Inspection Act
brought the following reforms to the processing of cattle, sheep, horses,
swine and goats destined for human consumption:
· All animals were required to pass an inspection by the U.S.
Drug Administration prior to slaughter
· All carcasses were subject to a post-mortem inspection
· Cleanliness standards were established for slaughterhouses
and processing plants.
Pure Food and Drug Act- Public pressure forced a reluctant
Congress to consider a Pure Food and Drug bill in 1906. Provisions of the
measure included the following:
· Creation of the Food and Drug Administration, which was
entrusted with the responsibility of testing all foods and drugs
destined for human consumption
· The requirement for prescriptions from licensed physicians
before a patient could purchase certain drugs
· The requirement of label warnings on habit-forming drugs.
Passage of the measure in Congress was not assured. The lobbying
association representing the medicine makers was vocal and well-funded, as
were representatives of the "beef trust" and other food producers.
Some members of Congress, especially a number of Southern senators, opposed
the bill as constitutionally unsound. The active involvement of Theodore
Roosevelt, who was repulsed by slaughterhouse practices described in Upton
Sinclair’s The Jungle, successfully overcame the lawmakers’
reluctance. The first casualty of this legislation was the patent medicine
industry; few of the nostrums gained certification from the FDA. The law was
strengthened in 1911 when additional provisions were added to combat
fraudulent labeling.
National Municipal League-
Founded in 1894, the National Municipal League grew out of the first
National Conference for Good Government held in Philadelphia. The League's
distinctive method of developing expert models, which could be adapted by
cities, counties, or states to improve the conduct of public affairs, has
achieved significant change in the structure and policy of local government
in nearly every state. In 1920, the League moved to New York City. In 1986,
the League adopted a new name, National Civic League, and, in 1989, moved to
Denver, Colorado.
Root-Takahira Agreement- Relations
between Japan and the United States remained tense during Theodore
Roosevelt's second term. Tensions had developed earlier over spheres of
influence in the Far East and the treatment of Japanese living in the U.S.
Further, Roosevelt had never been forgiven for his opposition to Russian
reparations for the Japanese at the end of the earlier war between those two
nations. Many American farmers and laborers on the West Coast resented
competition from hard-working Japanese immigrants. Conditions had
deteriorated so badly by 1907 that there was talk of war in both countries.
A small, positive step was taken in 1907 when the United States and Japan
concluded the so-called "Gentlemen's Agreement," in which Japan
promised to slow the exodus of workers destined for the U.S. Racial
antipathy remained, however, particularly in California. Roosevelt was
dedicated to further improving relations, realizing that the American
position in the Philippines would be difficult to maintain against a
Japanese adversary. An exchange of notes followed between Elihu Root, the
U.S. secretary of state, and Takahira Kogoro, the Japanese ambassador in
Washington. The resulting position statements included the following:
· A pledge to maintain the status quo in the Far East
· Recognition of China's independence and territorial
integrity, and support for continuation of the Open Door policy
· An agreement to mutual consultation in the event of future
Far Eastern crises.
The Root-Takahira Agreement appeared to be a great success, given that
the war drums in both nations were quieted. However, implicit in the
understanding was American recognition of two controversial Japanese actions—the
annexation of Korea and their increasing dominance in Manchuria. Indeed, the
Japanese were espousing a type of Monroe Doctrine for the Far East, but one
that assigned Japan a far more powerful economic role than the United States
had in Latin America.
Muller v. Oregon-
|
Argued: |
January 15, 1908 |
|
Decided: |
February 24, 1908 |
|

|
|
Facts of the Case
Oregon enacted a law that limited women to ten hours of work in
factories and laundries. |
|

|
|
Question Presented
Does the Oregon law violate a woman's freedom of contract implicit in
the liberty protected by due process of the Fourteenth Amendment? |
|

|
|
Conclusion
There was no constitutional violation. The factory and laundry owners
claimed that there was no reasonable connection between the law and public
health, safety, or welfare. In a famous brief in defense of the Oregon
law, attorney Louis Brandeis elaborately detailed expert reports on the
harmful physical, economic and social effects of long working hours on
women. Brewer's opinion was based on the proposition that physical and
social differences between the sexes warranted a different rule respecting
labor contracts. Theretofore, gender was not a basis for such
distinctions. Brewer's opinion conveyed the accepted wisdom of the day:
that women were unequal and inferior to men. |
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire-
One of the nation's worst industrial tragedies, the Triangle
Shirtwaist fire had a profound impact on women's unionism and job safety and
affected local and national politics in the process. On March 25, 1911, a
fire swept through the Triangle Shirtwaist Company in the Greenwich Village
section of New York City, a sweatshop where workers, mostly women, did
low-paying piecework in a building with no safety precautions. The blaze
killed 146 workers who were trapped by the lack of fire escapes and
management's practice of locking all the exits to keep workers from leaving
the job for breaks. The factory's owners were indicted, but a jury acquitted
them, fanning the outrage over the tragedy. The fire led to stepped-up
efforts on the part of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union, which
had been founded in 1900 to organize the women who worked in the Triangle
factory and improve working conditions in sweatshops. The public outcry also
prompted the creation of a state commission, which investigated both the
factory in question and industrial working conditions generally. In 1914,
its report called for widespread changes. New York's state legislature
balked at first but finally acted under pressure from Tammany Hall and its
boss, Charles Francis Murphy, and two lawmakers who would go on to
prominence, State Senator Robert Wagner, later a U.S. senator, and
Assemblyman Alfred E. Smith, later governor and a presidential candidate.
New laws imposed tougher municipal building codes and more stringent factory
inspections in New York and elsewhere.
17th Amendment- The Senate of the United States shall
be composed of two Senators from each State, elected by the people thereof,
for six years; and each Senator shall have one vote. The electors in each
State shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most
numerous branch of the State legislatures. When vacancies happen in the
representation of any State in the Senate, the executive authority of such
State shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies: Provided, That
the legislature of any State may empower the executive thereof to make
temporary appointments until the people fill the vacancies by election as
the legislature may direct. This amendment shall not be so construed as to
affect the election or term of any Senator chosen before it becomes valid as
part of the Constitution. Passed May 13, 1912. Ratified April 8, 1913.
Guinn v. US- Guinn v. United States is an important
U.S. Supreme Court case dealing with Jim Crow laws, which helped enforce
segregation in the United States between 1865 and 1964. Argued before the
court on October 17, 1913, the court handed down its decisions on June 21,
1915. Ruling that an Oklahoma law denied the right to vote was
unconstitional, the case helped defend voting rights for African Americans.
Margaret Sanger/birth control- Margaret Sanger was educated as
and worked as a nurse. In her work with poor women on the Lower East Side of
New York, she was aware of the effects of unplanned and unwelcome
pregnancies. Her mother's health had suffered as she bore eleven children.
She came to believe in the importance to women's lives and women's health of
the availability of birth control, a term which she's credited with
inventing. In 1912, Sanger gave up nursing work to dedicate herself to the
distribution of birth control information. However, the Comstock Act of 1873
was used to forbid distribution of birth control devices and information.
She wrote articles on health for the Socialist Party paper, the Call,
and collected and published articles as What Every Girl Should Know
(1916) and What Every Mother Should Know (1917). In 1913 she went to
Europe, founding a paper, Woman Rebel, on her return. She was
indicted for "mailing obscenities," fled to Europe, and the
indictment was withdrawn. In 1914 she founded the National Birth Control
League which was taken over by Mary Ware Dennett and others while Sanger was
in Europe. In 1916 (1917 according to some sources), Sanger set up the first
birth control clinic in the United States, and the following year, she was
sent to the workhouse for "creating a public nuisance." Her many
arrests and prosecutions, and the resulting outcries, helped lead to changes
in laws giving doctors the right to give birth control advice (and later,
birth control devices) to patients. In 1927 Sanger helped organize the first
World Population Conference in Geneva. In 1942, after several organizational
mergers and name changes, Planned Parenthood Federation came into being.
Sanger wrote many books and articles on birth control, marriage and an
autobiography (the latter in 1938). Her first marriage, to William Sanger in
1900, ended in divorce in 1920; she was remarried in 1922 to J. Noah H. Slee,
though she kept her by-then-famous (or infamous) name. Today, organizations
and individuals which oppose abortion and, sometimes, birth control, have
charged Sanger with eugenicism and racism. Sanger supporters consider
the charges exaggerated or false.
19th Amendment- The right of citizens of the United
States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by
any State on account of sex. Congress shall have power to enforce this
article by appropriate legislation. Passed June 4, 1919. Ratified August 18,
1920.
Adkins v. Children’s Hospital-
|
Argued: |
March 14, 1923 |
|
Decided: |
April 9, 1923 |
|

|
|
Facts of the Case
In 1918, Congress enacted a law which guaranteed a minimum wage to
women and children employed in the District of Columbia. This case was
decided together with Children's Hospital v. Lyons. |
|

|
|
Question Presented
Did the law interfere with the ability of employers and employees to
enter into contracts with each other without assuring due process of law,
a freedom guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment? |
|

|
|
Conclusion
The Court found that upholding the statute would dangerously extend the
police power of the state and, thus, found it unconstitutional. Justice
Sutherland recognized that the freedom of individuals to make contracts is
not absolute and curtailments of this right may be justified in the face
of "exceptional circumstances." However, in this case, the
statute's implementation procedures were overly vague and did not act to
regulate the character or method of wage payments, or the conditions and
hours of labor, areas in which regulation to protect the public welfare
were legitimate. The Congress simply had enacted a "price-fixing
law." |
William H. Taft-27th President of the US from
1909-1913. He was the first president to go to the Supreme Court after his
presidency.
Ballinger/Pinchot Affair-In 1909, Taft appointed Richard
Ballinger Secretary of the Interior. While Secretary, he was accused by L.
R. Glavis of the Land Office of having halted investigation into the
legality of certain private coal-land claims in Alaska. With Taft's
approval, Glavis was dismissed from service. Glavis took his case to the
public in a series of articles in Collier's Weekly that roused the
conservationists. Led by Gifford Pinchot, they demanded an investigation. A
congressional committee exonerated Ballinger, but the questioning of
committee counsel Louis D. Brandeis made the Secretary's anticonservationism
clear; he resigned in Mar., 1911. The incident split the Republican party
and helped turn the election of 1912 against Taft.
Payne-Aldrich Tariff-The Republican platform of 1908 supported a
downward reform of the tariff. For this purpose, President Taft called
Congress into special session. Sereno E. Payne, a Republican congressman
from New York, sponsored a tariff bill that called for several reduced
rates, which the House swiftly passed. The Senate responded with a bill
authored by Nelson W. Aldrich, a Republican multi-millionaire from Rhode
Island, that effected fewer downward revisions and stepped up many rates.
Aldrich had anticipated rapid approval of his measure, but Robert M. La
Follette mounted a lengthy examination of the bill's exceedingly complex
wording. To the dismay of Aldrich and other conservatives, the public
learned of the protectionist nature of the proposal. Following this assault,
a compromise bill was adopted that moderated the bill's high rates. Taft
immediately signed the measure. This act was the first modification of
tariff laws since the Dingley Tariff of 1897, which it replaced. President
Theodore Roosevelt had simply avoided the issue during his tenure. The act
lowered the general tariff rate from 46 to 41 percent while it increased
rates on items such as animal hides, iron ore and coal. It lowered 650
tariff items, raised 220 and left 1,150 untouched. Taft came to the act's
defense against Democratic and progressive Republican charges that it was a
token measure offering precious little relief from the conservative
Republicans' protectionist tactics. In fact, the new bill made only very
small changes in the law and many reformers had expected Taft to veto it. A
disappointed Taft thought it was nevertheless better than the previous
tariff. Therefore, he signed it into law. But the president drew the ire of
many by commending the act as "the best tariff bill the Republican
Party ever passed." Although the Payne-Aldrich Tariff was less
protectionist than the McKinley Tariff (1890) and the later Dingley Tariff,
it was still protectionist. It remained in effect until the Underwood Tariff
of 1913. The struggle over Payne-Aldrich clearly identified the growing
fissures within the Republican Party. The progressive or insurgent element
was growing away from the G.O.P. Old Guard.
Mann-Elkins Act-The Mann-Elkins Act is passed by Congress. It
amends the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887 to regulate telephone, telegraph,
and cable companies.
Standard Oil Co. v. US-Dissolved 34 companies controlled by
John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil Trust as constituting a monopoly in
violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act. While in one sense the case was the
high point of the "trust-busting" efforts of two presidents (see
also Northern Securities Co. v. United States), in another sense it marked a
turn toward a more conservative interpretation of the Sherman Act. Chief
Justice Edward Douglass White promulgated the idea that a restraint of trade
by a monopolistic business must be "unreasonable" to be illegal
under the Sherman Act. White's failure, however, to define a
"reasonable" restraint, coupled with the imprecise brevity of the
Sherman Act, made subsequent antitrust decisions exceedingly difficult to
predict.
Bull Moose Party-Formally Progressive Party
U.S. dissident political faction that nominated former president Theodore
Roosevelt for the presidency in 1912; the formal name and general
objectives of the party were revived 12 years later. Opposing the entrenched
conservatism of the regular Republican Party, which was controlled by Pres.
William Howard Taft, a National Republican Progressive League was organized
in 1911 by Sen. Robert M. La Follette of Wisconsin. The group became the
Progressive Party the following year and ran Theodore Roosevelt for
president; it called for revision of the political nominating machinery and
an aggressive program of social legislation. The party's popular nickname of
Bull Moose was derived from the characteristics of strength and vigour often
used by Roosevelt to describe himself. The Bull Moose ticket polled some 25
percent of the popular vote. Thus split, the Republicans lost the election
to the Democrats under Woodrow Wilson. The Bull Moose Party evaporated and
the Republicans were reunited four years later.
Triple Entente-Britain was also concerned by the growth in the
German Navy and in 1904 the two countries signed the Entente Cordiale
(friendly understanding). The objective of the alliance was to encourage
co-operation against the perceived threat of Germany. Three years later,
Russia, who feared the growth in the German Army, joined Britain and France
to form the Triple Entente. The Russian government was also concerned about
the possibility of Austria-Hungary increasing the size of its empire. It
therefore made promises to help Serbia if it was attacked by members of the
Triple Alliance.


Triple
Entente Resources in 1914
|
Country |
Population |
Soldiers |
Battleships |
Foreign Trade (£) |
Steel Production (tons) |
|
Great Britain |
46,407,037 |
711,000 |
57 |
1,223,152,000 |
6,903,000 |
|
France |
39,601,509 |
3,500,000 |
19 |
424,000,000 |
4,333,000 |
|
Russia |
167,000,000 |
4,423,000 |
4 |
190,247,000 |
4,416,000 |
Woodrow Wilson-28th President of the US from
1913-1921. Wilson was president during World War I and was elected as a
Democrat after Taft and Roosevelt split the Republican vote during the
election of 1912. During his term, the Federal Reserve and Federal Trade
Commission were established. He was the second president to be awarded the
Nobel Peace Prize. He was given the prize for his commitment to world peace
and his attempt to create the League of Nations.
Underwood Tariff-(October 3, 1913), act passed by Congress during
the administration of Woodrow Wilson that lowered tariffs on hundreds of
items that could be produced more cheaply in the United States than abroad.
Sponsored by Representative Oscar W. Underwood of Alabama (1862-29), the
tariff reduced the rates of the Payne-Aldrich Tariff (1909) by about 10
percent. As the first bill since the Civil War to lower tariff rates, the
Underwood Tariff included an income tax to make up for the loss in revenues
caused by the lower tariffs.
16th Amendment-The Congress shall have power to lay
and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without
apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or
enumeration. Passed July 12, 1909. Ratified February 3, 1913.
Triple Alliance- In 1879 Germany and Austria-Hungary agreed to
form a Dual Alliance. This became the Triple Alliance when in 1882 it was
expanded to include Italy. The three countries agreed to support each other
if attacked by either France or Russia. It was renewed at five-yearly
intervals. The formation of the Triple Entente in 1907 by Britain, France
and Russia, reinforced the need for the alliance.


Triple
Alliance Resources in 1914
|
Country |
Population |
Soldiers |
Battleships |
Foreign Trade (£) |
Steel Production (tons) |
|
Germany |
65,000,000 |
8,500,000 |
37 |
1,030,380,000 |
17,024,000 |
|
Austro-Hungary |
49,882,231 |
3,000,000 |
16 |
198,712,000 |
2,642,000 |
|
Turkey |
21,373,900 |
360,000 |
- |
67,472,000 |
- |
Federal Reserve Act-
Functions of the Federal Reserve System
By 1913, America’s economic growth both at home and abroad required a more
flexible, yet better controlled and safer banking system. The Federal Reserve
Act of 1913 established the Federal Reserve System as the central banking
authority of the United States. Under the Federal Reserve Act of 1913 and
amendments over the years, the Federal Reserve System:
· Conducts America’s monetary policy.
· Supervises and regulates banks and protects consumers’ credit
rights.
· Maintains the stability of America’s financial system
· Provides financial services to the U.S. Government, the public,
financial institutions, and foreign financial institutions.
The Federal Reserve makes loans to commercial banks and is authorized to
issue the Federal Reserve notes that make up America’s entire supply of paper
money.
Organization of the Federal Reserve System
Board of Governors
Overseeing the system, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System,
controls operations of the 12 Federal Reserve Banks, several monetary and
consumer advisory committees and the thousands of member banks across the U.S.
The Board of Governors sets minimum reserve limits (how much capital is on hand)
for all member banks, sets the discount rate for the 12 Federal Reserve Banks,
and reviews the budgets of the 12 Federal Reserve Banks.
Clayton-Antitrust Act- 1914,
Passed by the U.S. Congress as an amendment to clarify and supplement the
Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890. It was drafted by Henry De Lamar Clayton. The act
prohibited exclusive sales contracts, local price cutting to freeze out
competitors, rebates, interlocking directorates in corporations capitalized at
$1 million or more in the same field of business, and intercorporate stock
holdings. Labor unions and agricultural cooperatives were excluded from the
forbidden combinations in the restraint of trade. The act restricted the use of
the injunction against labor, and it legalized peaceful strikes, picketing, and
boycotts. It declared that "the labor of a human being is not a commodity
or article of commerce." Organized labor was as heartened by the act as it
had been dejected by the doctrine of the Danbury Hatters' Case , but subsequent
judicial construction weakened the act's labor provisions. The Clayton Antitrust
Act was the basis for a great many important and much-publicized suits against
large corporations. Later amendments to the act strengthened its provisions
against unfair price cutting (1936) and intercorporate stock holdings (1950).
Archduke Ferdinand- The assassination
of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, on 28 June
1914, set in train a series of diplomatic events that led inexorably to the
outbreak of war in Europe at the end of July 1914. Ferdinand - and his wife
Sophie - were killed by Serb nationalist Gavrilo Princip while on a formal visit
to Sarajevo. Princip shot Ferdinand at point blank range while the latter
was travelling in his car from a town hall reception, having earlier that day
already survived one assassination attempt.
World War I-First battle between Germany and her allies against the
British, French, and their allies from 1914-1918. US involvement physically will
not come until 1914.
Lusitania- In February 1915, the German government declared the
existence of a war zone around the British Isles, intended as a warning to
neutral ships and passengers. The Germans hoped to avoid the enmity of neutral
governments, such as the earlier angry protest that arose from the United States
following the sinking of the William P. Frye.
The Germans, however, became increasingly convinced that enemy and
neutral passenger ships were transporting war matériel. The German Embassy in
Washington indicated clearly that they were going to take strong action in such
instances and published the following notice in American newspapers:
Travellers intending to embark on the Atlantic voyage are reminded that a
state of war exists between Germany and her allies and Great Britain and her
allies; that the zone of war includes the waters adjacent to the British
Isles; that, in accordance with formal notice given by the Imperial German
Government, vessels flying the flag of Great Britain, or of any of her allies,
are liable to destruction in those waters and that travellers sailing in the
war zone on ships of Great Britain or her allies do so at their own risk. The
German notice appeared on May 1, the same date that the Lusitania, a
British passenger liner, set sail from New York to Liverpool. On May 7, a
German U-boat off the southern coast of Ireland fired a torpedo without
warning on the Lusitania, which touched off an internal explosion and
sent the ship beneath the waves in less than 20 minutes. Nearly 1,200 people
lost their lives, including 128 Americans.
National Defense Act- Provisions
were made for 175,000 men for an army and 450,000 men for a National Guard. $500
million was to be used to give the U.S. the most powerful navy in the world.
National Revenue Act-Legislation that created money for the federal
government through an income tax on the citizens. The act has been revised
several times since it was first instituted in 1916.
This act levied heavy taxes on the rich to finance the National Defense
Act of 1916. This was the first time that the wealthy were heavily taxed.
Federal Farm Loan Act- The Federal Farm Loan Act of 1916
established 12 regional Farm Loan Banks to serve members of Farm Loan
Associations. Farmers could borrow up to 50% of the value of their land and 20%
of the value of their improvements. The biggest benefit of the act was to allow
small farmers to be more competitive with the larger businesses. Banks were to
provide loans at a competitive rate to small businessmen. The act was signed
into law by president Woodrow Wilson.
Sussex Pledge- On March 24, 1916,
a German U-boat sunk the Sussex, an unarmed French liner. President
Wilson was angered. The Germans issued the Sussex Pledge in response; the
Germans promised to spare lives during future U-boat attacks on merchant ships.
However, the Germans wanted the U.S. to end the Triple Entente's blockade of
Germany.
Urban League- The National Urban League, which has played so pivotal
a role in the 20th-Century Freedom Movement, grew out of that spontaneous
grassroots movement for freedom and opportunity that came to be called the Black
Migrations. When the U.S. Supreme Court declared its approval of segregation in
the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson decision, the brutal system of economic, social and
political oppression the White South quickly adopted rapidly transformed what
had been a trickle of African Americans northward into a flood. Those newcomers
to the North soon discovered they had not escaped racial discrimination.
Excluded from all but menial jobs in the larger society, victimized by poor
housing and education, and inexperienced in the ways of urban living, many lived
in terrible social and economic conditions. Still, in the degree of difference
between South and North lay opportunity, and that African Americans clearly
understood. But to capitalize on that opportunity, to successfully adapt to
urban life and to reduce the pervasive discrimination they faced, they would
need help. That was the reason the Committee on Urban Conditions Among Negroes
was established on September 29, 1910 in New York City. Central to the
organization's founding were two remarkable people: Mrs. Ruth Standish Baldwin
and Dr. George Edmund Haynes, who would become the Committee's first executive
secretary.
"Peace without Victory"- U.S. President Woodrow Wilson
addressed the Senate on 22 January 1917 - a little more than two months before
the U.S. entered the war against Germany - and appealed for a settlement of the
conflict in Europe on the basis of 'peace without victory'. His hopes
disappointed he addressed the U.S. Congress on 2 April 1917 to request
permission to declare war upon Germany; war was duly declared four days later.
Submarine Warfare- On January 31,
1917, the Germans declared that their U-boats would attack merchant ships
heading towards Allied ports. Only one American ship would be allowed to go to
Portsmouth each week as long as it did not carry contraband.
Zimmermann Telegram- The British intercepted a German letter to
Mexico in February of 1917. German foreign secretary Zimmerman wrote that when
the U.S. joined the Allies, Mexico could attack the U.S. and recover the land
that had been given up in the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo and Texas. This lead
to the U.S. declaration of war.
Committee on Public Information/Creel Committee- The Committee
on Public Information (CPI), also known as the Creel Committee,
organized publicity on behalf of U.S. objectives during World War I. In 1917,
U.S. President Woodrow Wilson tapped muckraking journalist George Creel to head
the CPI.
Selective Service Act of 1917- Men
between the ages of 18 and 45 were required to register for the 1st draft since
the Civil War. 2.8 million of the 24 million that registered for the draft were
chosen
Espionage Act of 1917- People who helped the enemy, interfered with
the draft, or encouraged mutiny in the military would face 20 years in prison
and a $10,000 fine. The postmaster general could also refuse to carry mail that
might help the enemy.
Sedition Act of 1918- Discouraging
the sale of war bonds and criticism of the U.S. government or military became
illegal and could be punished by imprisonment or fine. More than 1,500 people
were arrested under the act for criticizing the government.
Lever Act- Established in
1914, Cooperative Extension was designed as a partnership of the U.S. Department
of Agriculture and the land-grant universities, which were authorized by the
Federal Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890. Legislation in the various States has
enabled local governments or organized groups in the Nation's counties to become
a third legal partner in this educational endeavor. The congressional charge to
Cooperative Extension through the Smith-Lever Act of 1914 is far ranging. Today,
this educational system includes professionals in each of America's 1862
land-grant universities (in the 50 States, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands,
Guam, Northern Marianas, American Samoa, Micronesia, and the District of
Columbia) and in the Tuskegee Institute and sixteen 1890 land-grant
universities.
Trading with the Enemy Act- A United States law forbidding
trade with enemies in times of war. The official description of the Act, as part
of Public Law, is: "An Act To define, regulate, and punish trading with
the enemy, and for other purposes." The law was passed by Congress in
1917, in order to prevent American citizens from doing business with the German
Empire, a nation with which the U.S. was at war.
Bolsheviks- Meaning "majority" in Russian, the Bolshevik
party was formed after the Second Congress of the The Russian Social Democratic
Labour Party in 1903. The Congress as a whole had agreed on the tactics for the
coming revolution: the need for a revolution in Russia was clear, and members
agreed on the ultimate end: to establish Socialism. The party adopted a stagist
theory of societal evolution; that with the yoke of feudalism thrown off, a
capitalistic system should be built; i.e. society needed to naturally
evolve along a set pattern of progression: from feudalism to capitalism to
socialism to communism; one stage needed to be completed before the next was
possible. Party leader Vladimir Lenin was able to obtain control of Russia
during the revolution of 1918-1920.
Fourteen Points- Wilson's points stated support for open peace
covenants, no secret agreements, freedom of the seas, free trade, disarmament,
adjustment, of colonial claims, a League of Nations, and the rights of
minorities
National War Labor Board- President Wilson charged the War
Labor Conference Board to create a new set of labor policies which would
achieve labor-management cooperation and establish a strong wartime labor
workforce. The War Labor Conference Board obtained eight-hour work days,
higher wages, union recognition, equal pay for women who did equal work, and
employee grievance procedures for millions of workers.
Overman Act- Wilson fought for and signed the Overman Act in 1918
when conservative Republicans tired to take control of the war effort from him.
The act gave him much personal power and established him as the de facto head of
the U.S. World War I war machine.
Schenck v. US- In this 1919 case, the Supreme Court ruled that
the Sedition Acts were constitutional because the right of free speech was not
always absolute. Schenck, who had been arrested for anti-draft leaflets, had
challenged the law with the 1st Amendment. It was ruled that criticism that
threatened the war effort should be suppressed.
Abrams v. US- In this 1919 case, the conviction of a man for
pamphlets that had attacked the government's sending of troops to Russia and
called for a strike was overturned. Justices Holmes and Brandeis disagreed with
the conviction because they saw no immediate threat to the war effort.
Treaty of Versailles- France was given the Alsace-Lorraine territory
and the right to occupy the Saar territory for 15 years. The German Rhineland
area would be demilitarized. England and the U.S. would protect
France. Importantly, Germany was give full responsibility for the war and was
forced to pay $37 billion for the war.
Wright Brothers- On December 17, 1903,
at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, the Wright Flyer became the first powered,
heavier-than-air machine to achieve controlled, sustained flight with a pilot
aboard.
Industrial Workers of the World (IWW)/ "Big" Bill Haywood-
The Industrial Workers of the World was established in Chicago in 1905 by
disgruntled members of the American Federation of Labor who criticized the giant
union for its refusal to admit unskilled workers. The driving force behind the
I.W.W. was William D. Haywood. He was the leader of the Western Federation of
Miners, which had established a reputation for work stoppages in Colorado mines.
Assisting Haywood were Eugene V. Debs of the Socialist Party and Daniel De Leon
of the Socialist Labor Party. The ranks of I.W.W. were filled primarily by
unskilled workers, mostly of the low wage, migratory type. Farm workers, miners
and loggers were most heavily represented and they hoped that collective action
would bring pay increases and safer working conditions. Unlike other unions of
the day, the I.W.W. accepted Jews and the Irish. The I.W.W. came to believe that
the solution to their ills lay in the destruction of capitalism, an event that
could be hastened by class warfare. They willingly employed strikes and boycotts
to achieve their ends, but were opposed to the use of collective bargaining and
political actions. In their early years, the I.W.W. opposed the use of sabotage,
but some elements would later change their stance on that matter. In 1908, a
split occurred within the organization. Debs and his followers advocated
political action through an affiliation with the Socialist Party. This view was
opposed by Haywood and the majority of the organization, who favored slowdowns,
boycotts, strikes and even sabotage. Debs was forced out of the I.W.W. The
movement peaked around 1912 when membership approached 100,000 and inroads were
made into eastern factories. Nervous state legislators enacted laws designed to
thwart the I.W.W.'s effectiveness. The World War I era witnessed widespread
public disapproval of the Wobblies. Many in the organization evaded the draft
and others were charged with taking money from German agents for staging strikes
in sensitive industries. A number of the leaders were arrested under the
provisions of the Espionage Act, including Haywood, who managed to escape to
Russia; others were convicted and sentenced to long prison terms. The hard line
against the I.W.W. continued after the war; the organization lapsed into
insignificance by the mid-1920s.
Joe Hill-Born in Sweden, he migrated to the US and in 1910 joined the
Industrial Workers of the World - the "Wobblies". Over the next five
years he campaigned for many working class causes. He became a popular
song-writer with a gift for capturing the meaning of these causes in song. In
1914, during bitter struggles over free speech in Utah, Joe Hill was framed on a
murder charge. Despite appeals from President Wilson and the Swedish government,
Joe Hill was executed on November 19th 1915. His body was taken to Chicago where
over 30,000 people attended his funeral procession and eulogies were read in
nine languages.
Henry Ford/assembly line/interchangeable parts-the Ford Motor Company
was incorporated in 1903 with Henry Ford as vice-president and chief engineer.
The infant company produced only a few cars a day at the Ford factory on Mack
Avenue in Detroit. Groups of two or three men worked on each car from components
made to order by other companies. Henry Ford
realized his dream of producing an automobile that was reasonably priced,
reliable, and efficient with the introduction of the Model T in 1908. This
vehicle initiated a new era in personal transportation. It was easy to operate,
maintain, and handle on rough roads, immediately becoming a huge success.
By 1918, half of all cars in America were Model Ts. To meet the growing
demand for the Model T, the company opened a large factory at Highland Park,
Michigan, in 1910. Here, Henry Ford combined precision manufacturing,
standardized and interchangeable parts, a division of labor, and, in 1913, a
continuous moving assembly line. Workers remained in place, adding one component
to each automobile as it moved past them on the line. Delivery of parts by
conveyor belt to the workers was carefully timed to keep the assembly line
moving smoothly and efficiently. The introduction of the moving assembly line
revolutionized automobile production by significantly reducing assembly time per
vehicle, thus lowering costs. Ford's production of Model Ts made his company the
largest automobile manufacturer in the world.
Marcus Garvey/Universal Negro Improvement Association-In 1914 Garvey
organized the Universal Negro Improvement Association and its coordinating body,
the African Communities League. In 1920 the organization held its first
convention in New York. The convention opened with a parade down Harlem's Lenox
Avenue. That evening, before a crowd of 25,000, Garvey outlined his plan to
build an African nation-state. In New York City his ideas attracted popular
support, and thousands enrolled in the UNIA. He began publishing the newspaper
The Negro World and toured the United States preaching black nationalism to
popular audiences. His efforts were successful, and soon, the association
boasted over 1,100 branches in more than 40 countries. Most of these branches
were located in the United States, which had become the UNIA's base of
operations. There were, however, offices in several Caribbean countries, Cuba
having the most. Branches also existed in places such as Panama, Costa Rica,
Ecuador, Venezuela, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Namibia and South Africa. He
also launched some ambitious business ventures, notably the Black Star Shipping
Line. In the years following the organization's first convention, the UNIA began
to decline in popularity. With the Black Star Line in serious financial
difficulties, Garvey promoted two new business organizations — the African
Communities League and the Negro Factories Corporation. He also tried to salvage
his colonization scheme by sending a delegation to appeal to the League of
Nations for transfer to the UNIA of the African colonies taken from Germany
during World War I. Financial betrayal by trusted aides and a host of legal
entanglements (based on charges that he had used the U.S. mail to defraud
prospective investors) eventually led to Garvey's imprisonment in Atlanta
Federal Penitentiary for a five-year term. In 1927 his half-served sentence was
commuted, and he was deported to Jamaica by order of President Calvin Coolidge.
Tin Pan Alley-The popular music publishing center of the world from
around 1885 to the 1920's. Before that though, all of the important publishers
of American music were scattered over much of the country. Some were in New York
but others were in Chicago, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Detroit, Boston
and Baltimore. All of these early publishers played important roles in the
printing and distribution of sheet music and none had any monopolies on success.
Most music publishers also published church music, music instruction books,
study pieces and classical items for home and school use.
18th Amendment-Prohibition
Section 1.
After one year from the ratification of this article the manufacture, sale,
or transportation of intoxicating liquors within, the importation thereof into,
or the exportation thereof from the United States and all territory subject to
the jurisdiction thereof for beverage purposes is hereby prohibited.
Section 2.
The Congress and the several States shall have concurrent power to enforce
this article by appropriate legislation.
Section 3.
This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an
amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of the several States, as
provided in the Constitution, within seven years from the date of the submission
hereof to the States by the Congress. Passed December 18, 1917. Ratified January
16, 1919.
Prohibition-Called for total abstinence. Its supporters believed that
alcohol dependence was addictive behavior. Even well-meaning individuals often
lacked the discipline to drink responsibly. A total end to the production and
consumption of alcohol, backed by law and the threat of punishment, was the only
solution in the minds of these reform advocates.
Volstead Act-Andrew J. Volstead, Republican representative from
Minnesota, was the driving force behind the National Prohibition Act (popularly
the Volstead Act). This measure, passed over President Woodrow Wilson's veto,
served as enabling legislation for the recently ratified 18th Amendment. The
measure provided for the following:
· The manufacture, transport, export, sale or possession of
alcoholic beverages was prohibited within the United States
· Alcoholic beverages were those that contained more than
one-half percent of alcohol
· Federal agents were empowered to investigate and prosecute
violators.
Volstead failed to get reelected in 1922, but some authorities have suggested
that low farm prices, rather than prohibition legislation, accounted for his
defeat. The public adhered to this law fairly faithfully in its early years, but
support declined sharply as crime rates increased. In early 1933, in
anticipation of the 18th Amendment's repeal, the Volstead Act was revised, which
allowed the manufacture and sale of 3.2 percent beer. The act was voided later
that year with the adoption of the 21st Amendment.
Esch-Cummins Transportation Act of 1920- Returned the railroads to
private hands, advocated a sharp reversal on past policies. The federal
government, which had once been ardently anti-monopoly, now encouraged mergers,
provided the mergers paired strong lines with weak ones. The ICC, in fact,
dictated the merger combinations. In addition, Esch-Cummins empowered the ICC to
fix minimum rates and dictate extensions and abandonments of routes. The
railroad industry, which had long sought to eliminate unprofitable routes, was
now saddled with them
F. Scott Fitzgerald- American short-story writer and novelist, known
for his depictions of the Jazz Age (the 1920s). With the glamorous Zelda Sayre
(1900-48), Fitzgerald lived a colorful life of parties and money-spending. At
the beginning of one of his stories Fitzgerald wrote the rich "are
different from you and me". This privileged world he depicted in such
novels as THE BEAUTIFUL AND DAMNED (1922) and THE GREAT GATSBY (1925),
which is widely considered Fitzgerald's finest novel.
Sinclair Lewis- American novelist, playwright, and social critic who
gained popularity with satirical novels. Sinclair Lewis won the Nobel Prize for
Literature in 1930, the first given to American. His total output includes 22
novels and three plays. Though Lewis criticized at times the American way of
living, his basic view of the "American human comedy" was optimistic.
Ernest Hemingway- One of the most famous American novelist,
short-story writer and essayist, whose deceptively simple prose style have
influenced wide range of writers. Hemingway was awarded the 1954 Nobel Prize for
Literature.
William Faulkner- American short story writer, novelist, best known
for his Yoknapatawpha cycle, a comédie humaine of the American South,
which started in 1929 with SARTORIS / FLAGS IN THE DUST and completed with THE
MANSION in 1959. Faulkner was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1949.
Faulkner's style is not very easy - in this he has connections to European
literary modernism. His sentences are long and hypnotic, sometimes he withholds
important details or refers to people or events that the reader will not learn
about until much later.
Eugene O’Neill- One of the greatest American playwrights, restless
and bold experimenter, winner of the Nobel Prize for literature in 1936. Among
O'Neill's best-known plays are ANNA CHRISTINE (pub. 1922), DESIRE
UNDER THE ELMS (pub.1924), MOURNING BECOMES ELECTRA (pub. 1931), LONG
DAY'S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT (pub. 1956), and THE ICEMAN COMETH (prod.
1946). O'Neill's plays range in style from satire to tragedy. They often depict
people who have no hope of controlling their destinies.
Harlem Renaissance- Spanning the 1920s
to the mid-1930s, the Harlem Renaissance was a literary, artistic, and
intellectual movement that kindled a new black cultural identity. Its essence
was summed up by critic and teacher Alain Locke in 1926 when he declared that
through art, "Negro life is seizing its first chances for group expression
and self determination." Harlem became the center of a "spiritual
coming of age" in which Locke's "New Negro" transformed
"social disillusionment to race pride."
Chiefly literary, the Renaissance included the visual arts but excluded jazz,
despite its parallel emergence as a black art form.The nucleus of the movement
included Jean Toomer, Langston Hughes, Rudolf Fisher, Wallace Thurman, Jessie
Redmon Fauset, Nella Larsen, Arna Bontemps, Countee Cullen, and Zora Neale
Hurston. An older generation of writers and intellectuals—James Weldon
Johnson, Claude McKay, Alain Locke, and Charles S. Johnson—served as mentors.
The publishing industry, fueled by whites' fascination with the exotic world of
Harlem, sought out and published black writers. With much of the literature
focusing on a realistic portrayal of black life, conservative black critics
feared that the depiction of ghetto realism would impede the cause of racial
equality. The intent of the movement, however, was not political but aesthetic.
Any benefit a burgeoning black contribution to literature might have in
defraying racial prejudice was secondary to, as Langston Hughes put it, the
"expression of our individual dark-skinned selves." The Harlem
Renaissance influenced future generations of black writers, but it was largely
ignored by the literary establishment after it waned in the 1930s. With the
advent of the civil rights movement, it again acquired wider recognition.
KDKA/radio- In 1920, Westinghouse, one of the leading radio
manufacturers, had an idea for selling more radios: It would offer programming.
Radio began as a one-to-one method of communication, so this was a novel idea.
Dr. Frank Conrad was a Pittsburgh area ham operator with lots of connections. He
frequently played records over the airwaves for the benefit of his friends. This
was just the sort of thing Westinghouse had in mind, and it asked Conrad to help
set up a regularly transmitting station in Pittsburgh. On November 2, 1920,
station KDKA made the nation's first commercial broadcast (a term coined by
Conrad himself). They chose that date because it was election day, and the power
of radio was proven when people could hear the results of the Harding-Cox
presidential race before they read about it in the newspaper. KDKA was a huge
hit, inspiring other companies to take up broadcasting. In four years there were
600 commercial stations around the country. To keep up with the cost of
improving equipment and paying for performers, stations turned to advertisers.
In August 1922, the first radio ad, for a real estate developer, was aired in
New York City. Networks of local stations developed to share programming and
became big business. In 1926, RCA (Radio Corporation of America) formed the
first national network, called NBC (National Broadcasting Company). Their first
nationwide broadcast was the 1927 Rose Bowl football game from Pasadena. The
burgeoning industry made the airwaves so jammed and chaotic that the Federal
Radio Commission was established in 1927 to assign frequencies to broadcasters.
Warren G. Harding-29th President of the US from 1921-1923.
He was a member of the Republican party and he was the first president to ride
to his inauguration in an automobile.
Federal Highway Act- In 1916 Congress passed the first formal highway
policy with a regular appropriation of funding to the states. By this
time, the number of automobile registrations
in the country had reached 2.3 million, and the auto industry and motorists were
heavily lobbying for programs and funds to improve roads. The Federal-Aid
Highway Act, signed by Woodrow Wilson on June 11, 1916, marked the first time
the federal government was directly involved in road-building efforts.
Approximately $5 million was appropriated the first year, with the funding
escalating in annual steps to total $75 million by 1922. Funding, managed
by the Secretary of Agriculture, was allocated by a formula based on a state's
population, land area, and road mileage. Under this act, the federal
government would finance up to 50 percent of the cost of construction, not to
exceed $10,000 per mile. The passage of the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1916
discouraged the haphazard construction of roads by counties without state
supervision by requiring states to establish a highway department that met the
approval of the Office of Public Roads. The state highway commission had
the responsibility for the preparation of plans and specifications and all
construction and maintenance, while the federal government held the right to
inspect all projects. This meant that states had to devote financial
resources to highway development and utilize skilled engineering for road
designs
Sacco and Vanzetti- Nicola Sacco (April 22, 1891 - August 23, 1927)
and Bartolomeo Vanzetti June 11, (1888 - August 23, 1927) were two
Italian anarchists, who were arrested, tried, and executed in Massachusetts in
the 1920s on charges of murder of a shoe factory paymaster named Frederick
Parmenter and a security guard named Alesandro Berardelli and of robbery of
$15,766.51 from the factory's payroll, although there was much doubt regarding
their guilt at the time of their trial. The murders and robbery occurred in
April of 1920, with three robbers. Only Sacco and Vanzetti were accused of the
crime. Judge Webster Thayer, who heard the case, allegedly described the two as
"anarchist bastards". They were electrocuted in Massachusetts in 1927.
Sacco was a shoe-maker, Vanzetti a fish seller. In October 1961, ballistic tests
showed that the bullet found in Parmenter was fired from Sacco's gun, leading
many authorities to conclude that while Vanzetti probably was innocent, Sacco
probably was guilty. It was the first period of intense fear of communism in
American history, the Red Scare of 1919 to 1920. Neither Sacco nor Vanzetti had
any previous criminal record, nor were they communists, but they were known to
the authorities as radical militants who had been widely involved in the
anarchist movement, labor strikes, political agitation, and anti-war propaganda.
Sacco and Vanzetti believed themselves to be victims of social and political
prejudice
Emergancy Quota Act- In the United States, the Emergency Quota Act
of May 19, 1921 limited the annual number of immigrants who could be admitted
from any country to 3% of the number of persons from that country living in the
United States in 1910, according to Census figures. That was 357,802 people. Of
that number just over half was allocated for northern and western Europeans, and
the remainder for eastern and southern Europeans, a 75% reduction from prior
years. The act was passed in a time of swelling isolationism following World War
I.
Fordney-McCumber Act- One
of the first legislative trends of the Sixty-Seventh Congress (1921-23) was the
Republican leadership's marshaling of their overwhelming majorities in both the
House and Senate to return the nation’s tariff policy to protectionism. The
Emergency Tariff Act of 1921 was designed to be only a temporary measure until a
more comprehensive measure could be drafted.
Major new tariff legislation was guided through Congress by
Representative Joseph W. Fordney of Michigan and Senator Porter J. McCumber of
North Dakota, and provided for the following:
· raising tariff rates to their highest level to that time,
exceeding those provided by an earlier Republican Congress in the
Payne-Aldrich Tariff (1909);
· granting to the president broad powers to raise or lower rates
by as much as 50 percent on items recommended by the Tariff Commission, a
review body created during the Wilson administration;
· introducing the use of the "American selling price"*
as a means to increase the protective nature of the tariff without raising
rates further.
As a matter of actual practice, the Republican presidents of the 1920s
predictably ignored recommendations to lower tariff rates, but regularly offered
protection to American producers by raising rates when given the opportunity.
The impact of the Fordney-McCumber Act was considerable. Rising tariff barriers
in the U.S. made it more difficult for European nations to conduct trade and,
resultantly, to pay off their war debts. Further, the protective shield against
foreign competition enabled the growth of monopolies in many American
industries. Predictably, other nations resented the American policy, protested
without result and eventually resorted to raising their own tariff rates against
American-made goods, thus creating a significant decline in international trade
National Origins Act- A law that severely restricted immigration by
establishing a system of national quotas that blatantly discriminated against
immigrants from southern and eastern Europe and virtually excluded Asians. The
policy stayed in effect until the 1960s.
Calvin Coolidge-30th President of the US from 1923-1929.
He was a Republican and while he was in office the Ku Klux Klan exceeded 4
million members. He became president when Harding died in office.
Scopes "Monkey" Trial- Journalists were looking for a
showdown, and they found one in a Dayton, Tennessee courtroom in the summer of
1925. There a jury was to decide the fate of John Scopes, a high school biology
teacher charged with illegally teaching the theory of evolution. The guilt or
innocence of John Scopes, and even the constitutionality of Tennessee's
anti-evolution statute, mattered little. The meaning of the trial emerged
through its interpretation as a conflict of social and intellectual values.
The Jazz Singer-
Warner Bros.' and director Alan Crosland's The Jazz Singer (1927)
is an historic milestone film and cinematic landmark. [Most people associate
this film with the advent of sound pictures, although Don Juan (1926), a
John Barrymore silent film, also had a synchronized musical score performed by
the New York Philharmonic and sound effects using Vitaphone's system.] It
should be made clear that this film was not the first sound film, nor the
first 'talkie' film or the first movie musical. The wildly successful
"photo-dramatic production" was based upon Samson Raphaelson's 1921
short story "The Day of Atonement" (also the basis for Raphaelson's
popular 1926 Broadway play of the same name), and adapted for the screen by
Alfred A. Cohn.
Charles Lindbergh/Spirit of St. Louis- On May 21, 1927, Charles A.
Lindbergh completed the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight in history,
flying his Ryan NYP "Spirit of St. Louis" 5,810 kilometers
(3,610 miles) between Roosevelt Field on Long Island, New York, and Paris,
France, in 33 hours, 30 minutes. With this flight, Lindbergh won the $25,000
prize offered by New York hotel owner Raymond Orteig to the first aviator to fly
an aircraft directly across the Atlantic between New York and Paris. When he
landed at Le Bourget Field in Paris, Lindbergh became a world hero who would
remain in the public eye for decades. The aftermath of the flight was the
"Lindbergh boom" in aviation: aircraft industry stocks rose in value
and interest in flying skyrocketed. Lindbergh's subsequent U.S. tour in the
"Spirit of St. Louis" demonstrated the potential of the airplane as a
safe, reliable mode of transportation. Following the U.S. tour, Lindbergh took
the aircraft on a goodwill flight to Central and South America, where flags of
the countries he visited were painted on the cowling.
Herbert Hoover-30th President of the US from 1929-1933.
During his term as President, Adolph Hitler came into power. He was president
during the 1929 Stock Market Crash. He was the first president born west of the
Mississippi. While he was in the White House, the Star Spangled Banner was
adopted as our national anthem.
Stock Market Crash-In the 1920's many people invested money in the
Stock Market. The Stock Market is the how companies raise money to grow larger.
It sells shares of stock. A person who buys the share of stock is buying a part
of that company. The person holding shares can make profits if the company makes
money or loss money if the company does not do well. Many people borrowed money
from loan companies to buy stocks.
In the early 20's the prices of most stocks went up and up. In the late 20's
problems began to show. American companies were making more goods than American
buyers wanted. Employees were laid off. As people lost their jobs they were not
able to pay their debts. They could not pay back the loan companies. Many were
forced to sell their homes and farms. The people who had stock tried to sell it.
A panic set it. Soon everyone wanted to sell their stock at the same time. On
October 29, 1929 the Stock Market hits its lowest time. Another reason for The
Crash of the Stock Market was that banks were investing their money in the Stock
Market. When people came to the banks to take out their money the banks
had no money to give them. Farmers were also having trouble selling their crops.
Before World War I they had been selling their crops overseas. Europeans began
to plant crops once the war was over. Many farmers lost money on their farms
because of this. Once people lost their jobs
and money they had less to spend. Businesses could no longer sell their goods.
Creating an even bigger problem.
Hawley-Smoot tariff-1930 Passed by the U.S. Congress; it brought the
U.S. tariff to the highest protective level yet in the history of the United
States. President Hoover desired a limited upward revision of tariff rates with
general increases on farm products and adjustment of a few industrial rates. A
congressional joint committee, however, in compromising the differences between
a high Senate tariff bill and a higher House tariff bill, arrived at new high
rates by generally adopting the increased rates of the Senate on farm products
and those of the House on manufactures. Despite wide protest, the tariff act,
called the Hawley-Smoot Tariff Act because of its joint sponsorship by
Representative Willis C. Hawley and Senator Reed Smoot, both Republicans, was
signed (June, 1930) by President Hoover. The act brought retaliatory tariff acts
from foreign countries, U.S. foreign trade suffered a sharp decline, and the
depression intensified.
Reconstruction Finance Corporation-A federal agency created by
Congress on February 2, 1932, during the Great Depression to make loans to help
stimulate commerce, industry, and agriculture. Backed by President Herbert
Hoover, the RFC made loans to banks, insurance companies, industrial
corporations, and railroads. During World War II the RFC played an important
role in financing war industries. The agency was abolished by Congress in 1956
after lending over $13 billion.
Bonus March-In 1932, in the depths of the Depression, thousands of
hungry and disgruntled veterans of WW I marched on Washington, D.C. demanding
that Congress pay them the bonus for their military service that had been
promised years before. Banding together, unemployed Oregon cannery workers
marched with Pennsylvania coal miners and Alabama cotton pickers, as more than
20 thousand "bonus marchers" participated in the biggest rally to date
in the nation's capital. And they stayed for weeks, setting up tent cities,
living in cardboard shanties, and shaking the nerves of President Hoover.
Home Loan Act-Increasingly
dire economic circumstances caused by the Depression in 1932 spurred President
Herbert Hoover to press Congress for action. In particular, he wanted to
encourage home construction, reduce foreclosures and support the idea of
widespread home ownership. The congressional response came in the form of the
Federal Home Loan Bank Act that created a five-member Federal Home Loan Bank
Board, whose role was to supervise a series of discount banks spread across the country.
Initial capitalization of $125 million was provided. The intent of this
system was to increase the supply of money available to local institutions that
made home loans and to serve them as a reserve credit resource. Existing
financial institutions — savings banks, insurance companies, building and loan
associations, etc. — could apply for membership in the system. The law
appeared to have a beneficial impact. The rate of foreclosures dropped
noticeably after the banks began functioning, but the change came too late for
thousands of families. This measure also is credited with providing new jobs in
the home construction industry. The Federal Home Loan Bank system, like the
Reconstruction Finance Corporation, foreshadowed the more activist role of
government that would later describe a host of New Deal programs.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt-32nd President of the US from
1933-1945. He was president during the Great Depression and his programs called
the New Deal were helpful in ending the Depression. He was also president during
World War II.
New Deal-When President Roosevelt took office in 1933, he feverishly
created program after program to give relief, create jobs, and stimulate
economic recovery for the U.S. These programs were called "alphabet
soup" as well as the "New Deal." The three R’s of relief,
recovery, and reform were the aims of the New Deal.
"Hundred Days"- http://www.bergen.org/AAST/Projects/depression/
The Hundred Days is the title often given to the first congressional
session of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's administration, March 9 to June
16, 1933. To address the crisis of the worsening depression, the president
convened Congress in special session and launched the New Deal with an
avalanche of bills designed to stabilize the economy, create jobs, and bolster
flagging local relief efforts.
Emergency Banking Act- By the beginning
of 1933 the American people were starting to lose faith in their banking
system and a significant proportion were withdrawing their money and keeping
it at home. When Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected as president, he made it
clear that his first concern would be to solve this banking crisis. The day
after his inauguration he called Congress into a special session and declared
a 4-day bank holiday. On 9th March, 1933, Congress passed the Emergency
Banking Relief Act which provided for the reopening of the banks as soon as
examiners had found them to be financially secure. Within three days, 5,000
banks had been given permission to be re-opened. Later that year Congress
passed the 1933 Banking Act. The Federal Reserve Board was given tighter
control of the investment practices of banks and the Federal Deposit Insurance
Corporation was set up to insure all deposits in banks up to $5,000.
Civilian Conservation Corps- In his first 100 days in office,
President Roosevelt approved several measures as part of his "New
Deal," including the Emergency Conservation Work Act (ECW), better known
as the Civilian Conservation Corps
(CCC). With that action, he brought together the nation's young men and the
land in an effort to save them both. Roosevelt proposed to recruit thousands
of unemployed young men, enlist them in a peacetime army, and send them to
battle the erosion and destruction of the nation's natural resources. More
than any other New Deal agency, the CCC is considered to be an extension of
Roosevelt's personal philosophy. The
speed with which the plan moved through proposal, authorization,
implementation, and operation was certainly a miracle of cooperation among all
the agencies and branches of the federal government. From FDR's inauguration
on March 4, 1933, to the induction of the first CCC enrollee, only 37 days had
elapsed.
Agricultural Adjustment Act- When Franklin D. Roosevelt was
inaugurated president in 1933, he called Congress into special session to
introduce a record number of legislative proposals under what he dubbed the
New Deal. One of the first to be introduced and enacted was the Agricultural
Adjustment Act. The intent of the AAA was to restore the purchasing power of
American farmers to pre-World War I levels. The money to pay the farmers for
cutting back production by about 30 percent was raised by a tax on companies
that bought farm products and processed them into food and clothing. The AAA
evened the balance of supply and demand for farm commodities so that prices
would support a decent purchasing power for farmers. This concept was known as
"parity." AAA controlled the supply of seven "basic crops"
— corn, wheat, cotton, rice, peanuts, tobacco, and milk — by offering
payments to farmers in return for farmers not planting those crops. The AAA
also became involved in assisting farmers ruined by the advent of the Dust
Bowl in 1934. In 1936 the Supreme Court declared the AAA unconstitutional. The
majority of the judges ruled that it was illegal to levy a tax on one group,
the processors, in order to pay it to another, the farmers. Further
legislation by Congress restored some of the act's provisions, encouraging
conservation, maintaining balanced prices, and establishing food reserves for
periods of shortages.
Federal Emergency Relief Act-(May 12, 1933), an act that created
the Federal Emergency Relief Administration. Part of the New Deal, the FERA
provided relief for the needy and unemployed by giving direct aid to the
states. It received an initial fund of $500 million from the Reconstruction
Finance Corporation for crisis relief. When Congress passed the Social
Security Act of 1935, the work of the agency was completed.
Tennessee Valley Act-This act of May 18, 1933, created the
Tennessee Valley Authority to oversee the construction of dams to control
flooding, improve navigation, and create cheap electric power in the Tennessee
Valley basin. President Roosevelt signed the Tennessee Valley Authority Act on
May 18, 1933, creating the TVA as a Federal corporation. The new agency was
asked to tackle important problems facing the valley, such as flooding,
providing electricity to homes and businesses, and replanting forests. Other
TVA responsibilities written in the act included improving travel on the
Tennessee River and helping develop the regios business and farming. The
establishment of the TVA marked the first time that an agency was directed to
address the total resource development needs of a major region. TVA was
challenged to take oin one unified development efforthe problems presented by
devastating floods, badly eroded lands, a deficient economy, and a steady
out-migration. The most dramatic change in Valley life came from the
electricity generated by TVA dams. Electric lights and modern appliances made
life easier and farms more productive. Electricity also drew industries to the
region, providing desperately needed jobs.
Home Owners Refinancing Act-(June 13), Created to refinance
non-farm home mortgages.
Farm Credit Act-(1933), a government agency that supervises and
coordinates the cooperative Farm Credit System. Formed under the Farm Credit
Act of 1933 as part of the New Deal, the FCA gave aid to struggling farmers by
coordinating loans during the Great Depression. The FCA continues to provide
credit to farmers, ranchers, and agricultural organizations.
Glass-Stegall Banking Act-(June 16, 1933), law that established the
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to insure bank deposits up to $5,000
(the amount was changed several times and is now $100,000). Also known as the
Banking Act of 1933, the act prohibited the affiliation of banks with
companies selling securities. (An earlier Glass-Steagall Act, February 27,
1932, addressed credit expansion in the United States.)
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation-An agency of the government
that insures deposit accounts in commercial banks. The FDIC was created by the
Banking Act of 1933 in response to the Great Depression, when many banks
failed. All national banks are required to belong to the FDIC and most state
banks are volunteer members. The FDIC functioned well until the late 1980s
when a burgeoning series of bank failures led to a crisis requiring that
billions of tax dollars be pumped into the FDIC.
National Industrial Act-(June 16, 1933), New Deal legislation
creating the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) and the National
Recovery Administration (NRA). FERA, later renamed the Public Works
Administration (PWA), helped create jobs in public works. The NRA required
business and labor to accept fair competition codes that regulated wages,
hours, working conditions, and collective bargaining. In Schechter Poultry
Corp. v. U.S. (1935), the U.S. Supreme Court declared the act
unconstitutional because its assignment of lawmaking power to the NRA violated
the Constitution's allotment of such powers to Congress.
21st Amendment-
Section 1.
The eighteenth article of amendment to the Constitution of the United
States is hereby repealed.
Section 2.
The transportation or importation into any State, Territory, or possession
of the United States for delivery or use therein of intoxicating liquors, in
violation of the laws thereof, is hereby prohibited.
Section 3.
This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an
amendment to the Constitution by conventions in the several States, as
provided in the Constitution, within seven years from the date of the
submission hereof to the States by the Congress.
Passed February 20, 1933. Ratified December 5, 1933.
Frazier-Lemke Act-This act restricted the ability of banks to
dispossess farmers in times of distress. Originally effective until 1938, the
act was renewed four times until 1947, when it expired
Federal Housing Authority-The FHA was established in 1934 to
improve housing standards and conditions and to provide an adequate home
financing system through insurance of mortgages. Families that would otherwise
be excluded from the housing market were finally able to buy the homes of
their dreams.
Gold Reserve Act-All persons are hereby required to deliver on or
before May 1, 1933, to a Federal Reserve bank or a branch or agency thereof or
to any member bank of the Federal Reserve System all gold coin, gold bullion,
and gold certificates now owned by them or coming into their ownership on or
before April 28, 1933
Securities and Exchange Commission-Congress
passed the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
These laws were designed to restore investor confidence in our capital markets
by providing more structure and government oversight. The main purposes of
these laws can be reduced to two common-sense notions:
Companies
publicly offering securities for investment dollars must tell the public the
truth about their businesses, the securities they are selling, and the risks
involved in investing.
· People who sell and trade securities –
brokers, dealers, and exchanges – must treat investors fairly and honestly,
putting investors' interests first.
Monitoring the securities industry requires a highly coordinated effort.
Congress established the Securities and Exchange Commission in 1934 to enforce
the newly-passed securities laws, to promote stability in the markets and,
most importantly, to protect investors.
Silver Purchase Act-(June 19, 1934), act that established the
nationalization of domestic silver holdings until the price reached a
predetermined level. The Department of the Treasury was to issue silver
certificates against all silver purchases. The purpose was to increase the
price of silver following the depression by inflating the currency, but the
act failed to do so.
Works Progress Administration-On May 6, 1935, the Works Progress
Administration was established under the direction of long-time FDR aide Harry
Hopkins. The WPA philosophy was to put the unemployed back to work in jobs
which would serve the public good and conserve the skills and the self-esteem
of workers throughout the U.S.
Schecter v. US-
|
Argued: |
May 2, 1935 |
|
Decided: |
May 27, 1935 |
|

|
|
Facts of the Case
Section 3 of the National Industrial Recovery Act empowered the
President to implement industrial codes to regulate weekly employment
hours, wages, and minimum ages of employees. The codes had standing as
penal statutes. |
|

|
|
Question Presented
Did Congress unconstitutionally delegate legislative power to the
President? |
|

|
|
Conclusion
The Court held that Section 3 was "without precedent" and
violated the Constitution. The law did not establish rules or standards to
evaluate industrial activity. In other words, it did not make codes, but
simply empowered the President to do so. A unanimous Court found this to
be an unconstitutional delegation of legislative authority. |
Wagner Act/National Labor Relations Act-The National Labor
Relations Act of the Wagner Act of 1935 was created by Congress to protect
workers’ right to unionization. The National Labor Relations Board
was created to enforce the National Labor Relations Act. The NLRB
conducts secret-ballot elections to determine whether employees want union
representation and also investigates unfair labor practices by employers and
unions (Smith, 1998). The act guarantees un-supervised employees the
right to self-organize, choose their own representatives, and bargain
collectively or they may choose not to do any of these things.
Social Security Act-(August 14, 1935), law providing for a system
of old-age insurance for workers at age sixty-five and survivor benefits for
children or spouses of insured workers who die before age sixty-five. The
act was a central element in the New Deal program of President Franklin D.
Roosevelt. The Social Security Administration, part of the Department of
Health and Human Services, administers the system. Money for the pensions is
collected from a Social Security tax taken out of workers' and employers'
earnings. The act also provided that money be returned to the states so they
could set up systems of unemployment insurance.
National Housing Act-Wagner-Steagle Housing Act of 1937 which
established the United States Housing Administration (Authority). The act
required that the construction of new public housing units be matched by the
removal of an equal number of substandard dwellings from the local housing
supply. This meant that, in deference to the real estate and home building
interests, the federal housing program would increase the quality of housing
without increasing the quantity. Maximum incomes for people residing in
public housing were set at very low levels to address the concerns of real
estate interests who feared the new housing would compete with the private
sector. Finally, and most importantly, the federal government, in keeping
with the rulings of the courts, would provide the money for housing, but the
initiative for the housing and the ownership and operation of the housing
would be the responsibility of a local entity known as a public housing
authority, appointed by local elected officials.
Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO)-The Congress of
Industrial Organizations (cio) was founded in response to the failure of the
American Federation of Labor (afl) to organize unskilled workers in mass
production industries. At the 1934 afl convention, a move to organize these
workers lost when only 30 percent of the members voted for the measure.
After failing again in 1935, John L. Lewis, head of the United Mine Workers,
Sidney Hillman, leader of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers, David Dubinsky
of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union, and representatives of
the Textile Workers and the Typographers unions formed the Committee for
Industrial Organization. It was expelled from the afl in 1936 and became the
cio in 1938. The National Industrial Recovery Act of 1933, section 7A, which
gave workers the right to organize and bargain collectively, provided an
impetus to unionization in the 1930s. The cio's major organizing tactic was
the sit-down strike, which was quite successful: cio membership reached
2,654,000 by 1940. John L. Lewis was the first president of the cio.
Responding to the passage of the Taft-Hartley Act in 1947 and the election
of a Republican president in 1952, the afl and the cio merged in 1955.
Fair Labor Standards Act-The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, as
amended (referred to as "the Act" or "FLSA"), is
published in law in sections 201-219 of title 29, United States Code. The
Act provides for minimum standards for both wages and overtime entitlement,
and spells out administrative procedures by which covered worktime must be
compensated. Included in the Act are provisions related to child labor,
equal pay, and portal-to-portal activities. In addition, the Act exempts
specified employees or groups of employees from the application of certain
of its provisions
Washington Naval Conference-More formally known as the
International Conference on Naval Limitation, this disarmament effort was
occasioned by the hugely expensive naval construction rivalry that existed
among Britain, Japan and the United States. Senator William E. Borah,
Republican of Idaho, took the lead on this matter and urged that the major
Allied nations from the recent war gather in an effort to slow the arms
race. The proposal was not met with initial enthusiasm by the Harding
administration, but it became a political imperative when it was portrayed
as a Republican alternative to League of Nations’ peace efforts. In the
summer of 1921, Harding extended invitations and expanded the agenda beyond
arms control to include discussion of issues in the Pacific and Far East.
The formal opening of the conference occurred on Armistice Day 1921. The
major naval powers of Britain, France, Italy, Japan and the United States
were in attendance as well as other nations with concerns about territories
in the Pacific — Belgium, the Netherlands, Portugal and China — who were
not parties to the disarmament discussions. Soviet Russia was not invited,
nor were the defeated Central Powers. The American delegation was led by
Charles Evans Hughes, the secretary of state, and included Elihu Root, Henry
Cabot Lodge and Oscar Underwood, the Democratic minority leader in the
Senate. In the initial session, Hughes shocked the delegates by going beyond
platitudes and offering a detailed plan for arms reduction. Labeled by some
as one of the most dramatic moments in American diplomatic history, Hughes
called for the scrapping of nearly two million tons of warships and a
lengthy "holiday" on the construction of new ships. He was widely
hailed in the press as a savior, but leaders of the other Allied governments
were quietly skeptical. Over the following weeks, a series of agreements was
concluded:
· Four-Power Pact (December 13, 1921). The major Allied
powers — Britain, France, Japan and the United States — agreed to
submit disputes among themselves over Pacific issues to a conference for
resolution.
· Four-Power Pact (December 13, 1921). The same Allied
powers pledged mutual respect for the possessions and mandates of other
signatories in the Pacific.
· Shantung Treaty (February 4, 1922). The territory of
Kiaochow in Shantung (Shandong) province was returned by Japan to China.
The area had been leased by Germany in 1898, but was seized by Japan at
the outbreak of war in 1914.
· Nine-Power Treaty (February 6, 1922). The signatories
— the Big Four, plus Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Portugal and China
— endorsed the Open Door Policy and pledged mutual respect for Chinese
territorial integrity and independence.
· Nine-Power Treaty (February 6, 1922). The same Allied
powers agreed to extend Chinese control over trade matters within Chinese
borders.
· Five-Power Naval Limitation Treaty (February 6, 1922).
This agreement implemented the sweeping proposals of Hughes in somewhat
modified terms. The leading naval powers — Britain, France, Italy, Japan
and the United States — pledged adherence to limitations on the tonnage
of capital ships and accepted a moratorium on new naval construction.
· Five-Power supplemental treaty. The major Allied naval
powers agreed on a series of rules for the use of submarines in future
warfare and also outlawed the use of poisonous gases as a military weapon.
· Six-Power Pact. The Big Five Nations plus China agreed
to the allocation among themselves of former German cable routes in the
Pacific.
· Yap Island agreement. The United States and Japan
agreed on provisions for U.S. use of the Pacific island as a distribution
point for the transpacific cable.
In the following months, the U.S. Senate ratified all of the treaties
from the Washington Conference. However, a reservation was attached to the
Four-Power Pact stating that no agreement had been approved that required
the "commitment of armed force" by the United States.
Adolph Hitler-Adolf Hitler, a charismatic, Austrian-born
demagogue, rose to power in Germany during the 1920s and early 1930s at a
time of social, political, and economic upheaval. Failing to take power by
force in 1923, he eventually won power by democratic means. Once in power,
he eliminated all opposition and launched an ambitious program of world
domination and elimination of the Jews, paralleling ideas he advanced in his
book, Mein Kampf. His "1,000 Year Reich" barely lasted 12 years
and he died a broken and defeated man.
Benito Mussolini-Benito Mussolini took advantage of political,
social, and economic crisis in Italy in order to put himself in the position
of unchallenged authority. It is apparent that, being a fascist,
Mussolini needed complete control of everything and wanted to be the
ultimate dictator. This need and his aggressive nationalism made him
hungry to get what he wanted: more strength and power. Mussolini seized
control in 1922.
Tanaka Memorial-The Tanaka Memorial is said to be a purloined
copy of a report made by Japan's Prime Minister Giichi Tanaka to Emperor
Hirohito on July 25, 1927. Some accounts say that Chinese clerks and
servants employed by Japanese officials in China stole or made a copy of the
whole report, or that scraps of papers and bits and pieces of the report
were assembled by Chinese spies. The Tanaka Memorial was published by the
Chinese as Japan's master plan for world conquest, a plan that stated that
war with the United States of America was inevitable.
Kellogg-Briand Pact-agreement, signed Aug. 27, 1928, condemning
"recourse to war for the solution of international controversies."
It is more properly known as the Pact of Paris. In June, 1927, Aristide
Briand, foreign minister of France, proposed to the U.S. government a treaty
outlawing war between the two countries. Frank B. Kellogg, the U.S.
Secretary of State, returned a proposal for a general pact against war, and
after prolonged negotiations the Pact of Paris was signed by 15 nations—Australia,
Belgium, Canada, Czechoslovakia, France, Germany, Great Britain, India, the
Irish Free State, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Poland, South Africa, and the
United States. The contracting parties agreed that settlement of all
conflicts, no matter of what origin or nature, that might arise among them
should be sought only by pacific means and that war was to be renounced as
an instrument of national policy. Although 62 nations ultimately ratified
the pact, its effectiveness was vitiated by its failure to provide measures
of enforcement. The Kellogg-Briand Pact was given an unenthusiastic
reception by many countries. The U.S. Senate, ratifying the treaty with only
one dissenting vote, still insisted that there must be no curtailment of
America's right of self-defense and that the United States was not compelled
to take action against countries that broke the treaty.
Good Neighbor Policy-The Good Neighbor policy refers to the
Hoover-Roosevelt policy of refraining from armed intervention in Latin
America. Franklin D. Roosevelt is usually credited with setting the policy,
but President Herbert Hoover coined the phrase and put the policy into
practice.When Hoover was elected in 1928, U.S. relations with Latin America
were at a low point. At the Sixth Pan-American Conference in Havana that
year, Latin Americans angrily criticized the Coolidge administration's armed
interventions in Haiti and Nicaragua. To mend relations, Hoover after the
elections immediately set out on a goodwill trip to Latin American capitals.
In Honduras he announced, "We have a desire to maintain not only the
cordial relations of governments with each other but also the relations of
good neighbors." Relations further improved with other Hoover
administration policies. In the Clark Memorandum of 1930, the State
Department repudiated Theodore Roosevelt's Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine.
The Corollary had declared that only the United States could enforce
collections of debts owed to foreigners by countries in the Western
Hemisphere. (The Clark Memorandum, however, did not repudiate the right to
intervention itself.) The Hoover administration's withdrawal of troops from
Nicaragua and a planned withdrawal from Haiti also helped ease tensions
between Latin America and the United States. When Roosevelt succeeded to the
presidency, he adopted the Good Neighbor rhetoric, but his intentions were
unclear at first. In 1933 his administration pointedly refrained from
sending troops to shore up the conservative Machado regime in Cuba. But when
the leftist government of Ramón Grau San Martín took power, Washington
helped topple it by stationing warships offshore and withholding
recognition. The Good Neighbor policy came into its own, however, in a
series of measures taken during the thirties. Secretary of State Cordell
Hull, in a surprise move, voted for a nonintervention resolution at the
Seventh Pan-American Conference held at Montevideo in December 1933. Hull's
low-tariff policy also eased relations with countries whose exports had been
hurt by the protective Smoot-Hawley Tariff of 1930. In 1934 the Platt
Amendment, which gave the United States the right to intervene in Cuba, was
repealed, and in 1936 the Panama Canal Treaty was renegotiated. The United
States' restraint when Mexico nationalized its oil industry in 1938 also
helped improve relations. As World War II approached, the United States
found itself competing for influence with Germany in Latin America. Just
before and during the war the administration went to great lengths to ensure
Latin American cooperation in the war effort, both to keep strategic raw
materials flowing and to deny the Axis any base of operation against the
Panama Canal or the United States itself. With the notable exception of
Argentina, the United States was successful—the Good Neighbor policy had
borne fruit.
Trade Agreements Act of 1934-International commercial treaty in
which two or more nations grant equally advantageous trade concessions to
each other. It usually refers to treaties dealing with tariffs. For example,
one nation may grant another a special schedule of tariff concessions in
return for equivalent advantages. Originally reciprocity agreements involved
bilateral tariff reductions that were not to be extended to third countries.
Neutrality Act-The four Neutrality Acts of the late 1930s
represented an effort to keep the United States out of "foreign"
wars, an effort resulting in part from widespread questioning of the reasons
for and results of America's participation in World War I. These laws,
unlike U.S. policy in 1916-1917, limited the exercise of neutral rights as a
way of protecting that neutrality. A characteristic of the acts was that
they made no distinction between aggressor and victim; both sides were
simply characterized as "belligerents." The first Neutrality Act
(August 1935), passed after Italy's attack on Ethiopia in May 1935,
empowered the president, on finding a state of war, to declare an embargo on
arms shipments to the belligerents and to announce that U.S. citizens
traveling on belligerents' ships did so at their own risk. This act set no
limits, however, on trade in materials useful for war, such as copper,
steel, and oil. The 1935 act was replaced by the Neutrality Act of 1936
(February 29), which added a prohibition on extending loans or credits to
belligerents. The Spanish civil war, which broke out in July 1936, was not
covered by existing neutrality legislation, which applied only to wars
between nations; accordingly, Congress by joint resolution on January 6,
1937, forbade supplying arms to either side. When the 1936 law expired, the
Neutrality Act of 1937 (May 1) included civil wars, empowered the president
to add strategic materials to the embargo list, and made travel by U.S.
citizens on belligerents' ships unlawful. The practical difficulties of
maintaining neutrality became clear, however, when Japan's incursions into
China led to the outbreak of fighting there on July 7, 1937. Since invoking
the Neutrality Act would penalize China, which was more dependent than Japan
on American assistance, President Franklin D. Roosevelt chose not to
identify the fighting as a state of war. The Neutrality Act of 1939
(November 4) contained a "cash and carry" formula devised by
Bernard M. Baruch. Belligerents were again permitted to buy American arms
and strategic materials, but they had to pay cash and to transport the goods
in their own ships. This provision, it was believed, would prevent the
United States from being drawn into war either by holding debt in some
belligerent countries or by violating blockades while transporting supplies.
In addition, the president was empowered to designate a "combat
zone" in time of war, through which American citizens and ships were
forbidden to travel. On November 17, 1941, after repeated confrontations
with German submarines in the North Atlantic and the torpedoing of the
destroyer Reuben James, Congress amended the act to permit merchant
vessels to arm themselves and to carry cargoes to belligerent ports. But
three weeks later, Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and the United States was at
war.
Axis Alliance-The Tripartite Pact of September 27, 1940, allied
Germany, Italy, and Japan and became known as the Berlin-Rome-Tokyo Axis, or
Axis alliance.
Munich Agreement-In September 1938 British Prime Minister,
Neville Chamberlain, met German Chancellor Adolf Hitler in Munich to settle
the future of the Sudetenland. Hitler's demand that this Czechoslovak land
be ceded to Germany was agreed because it was settled by Germans and would
therefore be in line with the principle of national self-determination.
Since coming to power in January 1933, Hitler had systematically sought to
revise the terms of the Treaty of Versailles which had deprived Germany of
territory, and imposed disarmament and swingeing reparations. Agreeing to
Hitler's demands became known as Appeasement. At the time Chamberlain was
accused of weakness in not standing up to Hitler. When the government
archives were opened it became apparent that Britain's run down defence
capability left few alternatives. Later historians have concluded that,
while Britain had few alternatives, Chamberlain had misread Hitler's
intentions.
Nazi-Soviet Pact-The Government of the German Reich and The
Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, directed by the wish
to strengthen the cause of peace between Germany and the USSR . . . have
reached the following agreement:
Article 1: The two contracting parties undertake to refrain from any
act of violence, and aggressive action, or any attack against one another,
whether individually or jointly with other powers.
Article 2: In case of the contracting parties should become the
object of warlike acts on the part of a third party, the other contracting
party will no longer support that third power in any form.
Article 4: Neither of the two contracting parties will participate in
any grouping of powers which is indirectly or directly aimed against the
other party.
Article 5: Should disputes or conflicts arise between the contracting
parties regarding questions of any kind whatsoever, the two parties would
clear away these disputes or conflicts solely by means of friendly exchanges
of views or if necessary by arbitrary commissions.
Secret Additional Protocol: On the occasion of the signature of the
Non-Aggression Treaty between the German Reich and the Union of Soviet
Socialist Republics, the undersigned . . . parties discussed in strictly
confidential conversations
the question of the delimitation of their respective spheres of interest in
Eastern Europe. These conversations led to the following result:
1. In the event of a territorial and political transformation in the
territories belonging to the Baltic States (Finland, Estonia, Latvia,
Lithuania), the northern frontier of Lithuania shall represent the
frontier of the spheres of interest both of Germany and the USSR. . . .
2. In the event of a territorial and political transformation of the
territories belonging to the Polish State, the spheres of interest of both
Germany and the USSR shall be bounded approximately by the line of the
rivers Narev, Vistula, and San.
3 . This Protocol
will be treated by both parties as strictly secret.
Selective Training and Service Act-First adopted peacetime
conscription in the United States. The act provided that not more than
900,000 men were to be in training at any one time, and it limited service
to 12 months—later (1941) extended to 18 months. After the United States
entered World War II, a new selective service act made men between 18 and 45
liable for military service and required all men between 18 and 65 to
register. The terminal point of service was extended to six months after the
war. From 1940 until 1947 — when the wartime selective service act expired
after extensions by Congress— over 10,000,000 men were inducted. A new
selective service act was passed in 1948 that required all men between 18
and 26 register and that made men from 19 to 26 liable for induction for 21
months' service, which would be followed by 5 years of reserve duty.
Tripartite Pact-This pact was signed by the Axis powers in the
1940s; it stated that should one of the signatories, consisting of Japan,
Germany, and Italy, be aggressed upon by the United States, the other two
were obliged to send help. This was most beneficial for Japan, as they had
the more to gain by drawing the United States into a European war than
Germany and Italy did a Pacific one.
Lend-Lease Act-The Lend-Lease Act of March 11, 1941, was the
principal means for providing U.S. military aid to foreign nations during
World War II. The act authorized the president to transfer arms or any other
defense materials for which Congress appropriated money to "the
government of any country whose defense the President deems vital to the
defense of the United States." Britain, the Soviet Union, China,
Brazil, and many other countries received weapons under this law. By
allowing the president to transfer war matériel to a beleaguered Britain—and
without payment as required by the Neutrality Act of 1939—the act enabled
the British to keep fighting until events led America into the conflict. It
also skirted the thorny problems of war debts that had followed World War
I.Lend-Lease brought the United States one step closer to entry into the
war. Isolationists, such as Republican senator Robert Taft, opposed it. Taft
correctly noted that the bill would "give the President power to carry
on a kind of undeclared war all over the world, in which America would do
everything except actually put soldiers in the front-line trenches where the
fighting is."
Atlantic Charter-President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Prime
Minister Winston Churchill of Great Britain issued the Atlantic Charter
after a conference aboard uss Augusta at Placentia Bay,
Newfoundland, on August 9, 1941. Originally designed to rally support for
the war effort, it later became a blueprint for the postwar world. The
charter announced that the signatories sought no additional national
territory and recognized the right of all peoples to choose their own form
of government and to approve any territorial changes that might affect them.
It also guaranteed all nations the right to trade and navigate anywhere in
the world and called for international cooperation to promote improved labor
standards, economic advancement, and social security. The object was to make
sure that "all the men in all the lands may live out their lives in
freedom from fear and want." Finally, Churchill and Roosevelt called
for the disarmament of the Axis powers, pending the establishment of a
"permanent system of general security," a system later codified by
the United Nations Charter.
U-Boats-Unterseeboot or German submarine

The U-boat campaign can be broken into two distinct phases. The first was
aimed at allied surface warships; The second, and ultimately more
successful, was targeted towards allied shipping - using the U-boat as a
tool to enforce an embargo. Early in the war efforts were almost exclusively
concentrated towards surface warships with the results looking promising.
Hideki Tojo/Japan-Hideki Tojo was Prime Minister of Japan when
the attack on Pearl Harbour took place plunging the Far East into a war
which was to end with the destruction of Hiroshima in August 1945. For his
part in leading Japan into World War Two, Tojo was executed as a war
criminal.
Pearl Harbor-The 7 December 1941 Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor
was one of the great defining moments in history. A single carefully-planned
and well-executed stroke removed the United States Navy's battleship force
as a possible threat to the Japanese Empire's southward expansion. America,
unprepared and now considerably weakened, was abruptly brought into the
Second World War as a full combatant.
War Powers Act-(November 7, 1973), law prescribing the balance of
power between the president and Congress in declaring war. The act requires
the president to inform Congress within forty-eight hours of military action
in a hostile area. Forces must be removed within sixty to ninety days unless
Congress approves of the action or declares war. The resolution, prompted by
the aggressive actions of Presidents Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard M. Nixon
without congressional approval or a declaration of war during the Vietnam
War, was passed over Nixon's veto.
Japanese-American Internment-During World War II, approximately
110,000 Japanese Americans were evacuated from their homes and businesses to
internment camps scattered throughout the interior of the United States.
Executive Order 9066, signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in February
of 1942, ordered that all Japanese Americans be evacuated from the West
Coast. This order was carried out quickly, as Japanese Americans from all of
California, Arizona, Oregon and Washington, sold what they could not carry
and boarded trains to 16 assembly centers. There they would live in
temporary housing for much of the spring and summer of 1942 until permanent
camps were built. These permanent internment camps were constructed in rural
areas where life was made more difficult by the harsh temperatures and
desert and swamp-like environments. The barracks where the Japanese
Americans would have to live were hastily built without consideration for
the brutal climate or the need for privacy. In these conditions, surrounded
by barbed wire and armed guards, the Japanese Americans would live until the
end of the war approximately 3 years later.
National War Labor Board-The National War Labor Board was
established late in 1941 (formally, by executive order in January of 1942)
to administer wage control in national industries such as automobiles,
shipping, railways, airlines, telegraph lines, and mines. It ceased
operating in 1946, and thereafter labor disputes were handled by the
National Labor Relations Board, originally set up in 1934.
D-Day-The Battle of Normandy was fought during World War II in
the summer of 1944, between the Allied nations and German forces occupying
Western Europe. More than 60 years later, the Normandy Invasion, or D-Day,
remains the largest seaborne invasion in history, involving nearly three
million troops crossing the English Channel from England to Normandy in
occupied France. Twelve Allied nations provided fighting units that
participated in the invasion, including Australia, Canada, Belgium, France,
Czechoslovakia, Greece, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, the
United Kingdom, and the United States. Operation Overlord was the codename
for the Allied invasion of northwest Europe. The assault phase, or the
establishment of a secure foothold, was known as Operation Neptune.
Operation Neptune began on D-Day (June 1, 1944) and ended on June 30, when
the Allies had established a firm foothold in Normandy. Operation Overlord
also began on D-Day, and continued until Allied forces crossed the River
Seine on August 19. The battle began months before the invasion, when Allied
bombers began to pound the Normandy coast and farther south, to destroy
transportation links, and disrupt the German army's build-up of their
military strength. More than 300 planes dropped 13,000 bombs over Normandy
in advance of the invasion. Six parachute regiments, with more than 13,000
men, also went ahead to cut railroad lines, blow up bridges, and seize
landing fields. Gliders also brough in men, light artillery, jeeps, and
small tanks. There has been some confusion regarding the meaning of the
"D" in D-Day. The most likely explanation is offered by the U.S.
Army in their published manuals. The Army began to use the codes
"H-hour" and "D-Day" during World War I, to indicate the
time or date of an operation’s beginning. So the "D" may simply
refer
to the "day" of invasion
Conferences: Casablanca, Teheran, Yalta, Potsdam-
Yalta-The conference at Yalta held in the Crimea on February
4-11, 1945 brought together the Big Three Allied leaders. During this
conference, Stalin, Churchill, and Roosevelt discussed Europe’s postwar
reorganization. The main purpose of Yalta was the re-establishment of the
nations conquered and destroyed by Germany. Organizing the occupation
of Germany was one of the top priorities. The Yalta Conference agreed to
divide Germany into zones controlled by each of the three nations present.
With the immense size of Stalin's army, Russia would take Berlin and control
the eastern half of Germany upon its surrender. Great Britain suggested
France as one of the occupiers. Initially, Stalin resisted but eventually
accepted this idea. Poland was given back its independence and given its own
national election in order to create a new, independent government.
Yugoslavia was given its own government as well which consisted of mostly
old members under a new system. In both cases, Nazi and Fascist leaders were
specifically prohibited
Casablanca-From January 14 to January 24, 1943, the first war
conference between the Allied Powers, was held in Casablanca, Morocco. The
purpose of the conference was relatively vague. It took steps toward
planning the allied strategy and the end of the war. Initially, it was to be
a Big Three meeting between Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin. It became a
Big Two meeting when Stalin declined the invitation. With his country
besieged by both Hitler and the harsh winter, Stalin didn't feel that he
could leave. Even without Stalin, or perhaps due to his absence, the
Casablanca Conference was successful. It set basis and direction for the
rest of the war. And most importantly, it established terms of unconditional
surrender.
Teheran-In November, 1943, Joseph Stalin, Winston Churchill and
Franklin D. Roosevelt met together in Teheran, Iran, to discuss military
strategy and post-war Europe. Ever since the Soviet Union had entered the
war, Stalin had been demanding that the Allies open-up a second front in
Europe. Churchill and Roosevelt argued that any attempt to land troops in
Western Europe would result in heavy casualties. Until the Soviet's victory
at Stalingrad in January, 1943, Stalin had feared that without a second
front, Germany would defeat them.
Potsdam-On 16 July 1945, the "Big Three" leaders met at
Potsdam, Germany, near Berlin. In this, the last of the World War II heads
of state conferences, President Truman, Soviet Premier Stalin and British
Prime Ministers Churchill and Atlee discussed post-war arrangements in
Europe, frequently without agreement. Future moves in the war against Japan
were also covered. The meeting concluded early in the morning of 2 August.
Atomic Bomb-On August 2, 1939, just before the beginning of World
War II, Albert Einstein wrote to then President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Einstein and several other scientists told Roosevelt of efforts in Nazi
Germany to purify uranium-235, which could be used to build an atomic bomb.
It was shortly thereafter that the United States Government began the
serious undertaking known then only as "The Manhattan Project."
Simply put, the Manhattan Project was committed to expediting research that
would produce a viable atomic bomb.
Manhattan Project-
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The Manhattan Project
Picture of CP-1

Original Source: Argonne National Labs
The Manhattan Project is the code name for the US government's secret
project that was established before World War II and culminated in the
development of the nuclear bomb. The idea of forming a research team to
create a nuclear weapon was endorsed in a letter than Einstein sent to
Franklin Roosevelt, the president of America at the time. |
Los Alamos, New Mexico-Place where the Manhattan Project took place.
Harry S. Truman-33rd President of the US from
1945-1953. He presided over the Korean War. He approved the creation of
NATO. He made the decision to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and
Nagasaki, which led to the end of World War II.
Hiroshima-
The atomic bomb named "Little Boy" was dropped on Hiroshima by the
Enola Gay, a Boeing B-29 bomber, at 8:15 in the morning of August 6, 1945. It
exploded about two thousand feet above the city with a blast equivalent to 13
thousand tons of TNT, killing an estimated 80,000 civilians outright.
i-
Nagasaki- On the morning of August 9, 1945, the crew of the
American B-29 Superfortress "Bockscar," flown by Major Charles W.
Sweeney and carrying the nuclear bomb nicknamed "Fat Man," found
their primary target, Kokura, to be obscured by cloud. After three runs over
the city and having fuel running low due to a fuel-transfer problem, they
headed for their secondary target, Nagasaki. Some 75,000 of Nagasaki's 240,000
residents were killed, followed by the death of at least as many from
resulting sickness and injury. However another report issues a different
residential number, speaking of Nagasaki's population which dropped in one
split-second from 422,000 to 383,000, thus 39,000 were killed, over 25,000
were injured. If taken into account those who died from radioactive materials
causing cancer, the total number of residents killed is believed to be at
least 100,000.
Korematsu v. US-
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Argued: |
October 11, 1944 |
|
Decided: |
December 18, 1944 |
|

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Facts of the Case
During World War II, Presidential Executive Order 9066 and
congressional statutes gave the military authority to exclude citizens of
Japanese ancestry from areas deemed critical to national defense and
potentially vulnerable to espionage. Korematsu remained in San Leandro,
California and violated Civilian Exclusion Order No. 34 of the U.S. Army. |
|

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Question Presented
Did the President and Congress go beyond their war powers by
implementing exclusion and restricting the rights of Americans of Japanese
descent? |
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Conclusion
The Court sided with the government and held that the need to protect
against espionage outweighed Korematsu's rights. Justice Black argued that
compulsory exclusion, though constitutionally suspect, is justified during
circumstances of "emergency and peril." |
Servicemen’s Readjustment Act- The bill unanimously passed both
chambers of Congress in the spring of 1944. President Franklin D. Roosevelt
signed it into law on June 22, 1944, just days after the D-day invasion of
Normandy. American Legion publicist Jack Cejnar called it "the GI Bill
of Rights," as it offered Federal aid to help veterans adjust to
civilian life in the areas of hospitalization, purchase of homes and
businesses, and especially, education. This act provided tuition,
subsistence, books and supplies, equipment, and counseling services for
veterans to continue their education in school or college. Within the
following 7 years, approximately 8 million veterans received educational
benefits. Under the act, approximately 2,300,000 attended colleges and
universities, 3,500,000 received school training, and 3,400,000 received
on-the-job training. The number of degrees awarded by U.S. colleges and
universities more than doubled between 1940 and 1950, and the percentage of
Americans with bachelor degrees, or advanced degrees, rose from 4.6 percent
in 1945 to 25 percent a half-century later.
Bretton Woods/World Bank-The International Bank for
Reconstruction and Development (IBRD, in Romance languages:
BIRD), better known as the World Bank, came into existence
on December 27, 1945 following international ratification of the agreements
reached at the Bretton Woods Conference of July 1 - July 22, 1944. The World
Bank is an international organization that provides long term loans, grants,
and technical assistance, to help developing countries implement their
poverty reduction strategies. As such, World Bank financing can be used in
many different areas, from reform of health and education sector, to
environmental and infrastructure projects, including dams, roads, and
national parks. Commencing operations on June 25, 1946, it approved its
first loan on May 9, 1947 ($250m to France for postwar reconstruction, in
real terms the largest loan issued by the Bank to date). The Bretton
Woods system was a international monetary framework of fixed exchange
rates after World War II. Drawn up by the U.S. and Britain in 1944. Keynes
was one of the architects. The Bretton Woods system ended on August 15,
1971, when President Richard Nixon ended trading of gold at the fixed price
of $35/ounce.
Dumbarton Oaks/United Nations-The Dumbarton Oaks Conference was
held between August and October 1944. The principal objective of Dumbarton
Oaks was to discuss the possibilities of creating an international
organisation that would maintain world peace after the end of World War Two.
In fact, there was not one meeting at Dumbarton Oaks, but a series of
meetings. These meetings were attended by representatives of the Soviet
Union, Great Britain, the United States and China. The structure and form of
a United Nations had to be discussed though the primary issue was the
make-up of the Security Council and what its relationship would be to the
League of Nations that was still in existence. The main issue at stake was
the use of the power of veto in the Security Council. This was to come to
light at the Yalta meeting again and continued at the San Francisco
conference of April to June 1945.
Full Employment Act-(1946), stated the government's
responsibility for maintaining high employment levels and established the
Council of Economic Advisers to advise the president and help assure a
healthy national economy. The act has its roots in the Great Depression of
the 1930s and in the economic policy associated with English economist John
Maynard Keynes, which largely became federal policy. Central to the policy
was the government's role in managing long-term economic demand (through
price competition and regulation of interstate trade), which would ensure
full employment. Although ultimately the economic policy was dismantled, the
Employment Act was important for establishing the role of professional
economists in the government and tasking the government with the creation of
a systematic economic plan.
Loyalty Boards-Committees that were set up to determine the
loyalty of workers in government jobs in the 1940’s and 1950’s. If you
were designated as a threat to the US, then you could be blacklisted or if
you were a recent immigrant, deported.
Taft-Hartley Act-1947, passed by the U.S. Congress, officially
known as the Labor-Management Relations Act. Sponsored by Senator Robert
Alphonso Taft and Representative Fred Allan Hartley, the act qualified or
amended much of the National Labor Relations (Wagner) Act of 1935, the
federal law regulating labor relations of enterprises engaged in interstate
commerce, and it nullified parts of the Federal Anti-Injunction
(Norris-LaGuardia) Act of 1932. The act established control of labor
disputes on a new basis by enlarging the National Labor Relations Board and
providing that the union or the employer must, before terminating a
collective-bargaining agreement, serve notice on the other party and on a
government mediation service. The government was empowered to obtain an
80-day injunction against any strike that it deemed a peril to national
health or safety. The act also prohibited jurisdictional strikes (dispute
between two unions over which should act as the bargaining agent for the
employees) and secondary boycotts (boycott against an already organized
company doing business with another company that a union is trying to
organize), declared that it did not extend protection to workers on wildcat
strikes, outlawed the closed shop, and permitted the union shop only on a
vote of a majority of the employees.
Truman Doctrine-Truman found himself beset by new and serious
problems when the war ended in 1945. In Europe our former ally, the Soviet
Union, had become hostile to United States interests. Additionally, the
Soviets heightened international anxiety when they seized control of
several small Eastern European countries and threatened the independence of
Turkey and Greece. Soviet-supported communist guerilla actions in Greece,
and Soviet diplomatic pressures in Turkey, were causes for great concern to
President Truman. He believed the unrest in Greece and the overt Soviet
political actions in Turkey were blatant attempts to establish a strong
communist presence in the region. Truman also felt that the spread of Soviet
hegemony was inimical to the national interests of the United States,
especially in the non-Communist parts of the Balkans, Asia Minor, and the
Persian Gulf region. In support of his views, Truman initiated an emergency
request in March 1947 for $400 million dollars to aid Greece and Turkey, a
request which came to be known as the Truman Doctrine. In
George Kennan/Containment-The term containment describes the
foreign policy strategy pursued by the United States after the Second World
War. The term was introduced into the public debate by George F. Kennan, a
diplomat and U.S. State Department adviser on Soviet affairs. In his famous
anonymous X-article Kennan suggested a "long-term, patient but firm and
vigilant containment of Russian expansive tendencies." The Strategy of
Containment found its first application in the Truman Doctrine of 1947,
which guaranteed immediate economic and military aid to Greece and Turkey.
John Lewis Gaddis has argued that all post-1945 U.S. foreign policy
doctrines and concepts were in some way "Strategies of
Containment."
Marshall Plan-The Marshall Plan, also known as the European
Recovery Program, channeled over $13 billion to finance the economic
recovery of Europe between 1948 and 1951. The Marshall Plan successfully
sparked economic recovery, meeting its objective of "restoring the
confidence of the European people in the economic future of their own
countries and of Europe as a whole." The plan is named for Secretary of
State George C. Marshall, who announced it in a commencement speech at
Harvard University on June 5, 1947. At the time, Americans perceived the
plan as a generous subvention to Europe.
The Soviet Union, however, viewed the Marshall Plan as an attempt to
interfere in the internal affairs of other states and refused to
participate. Ultimately, the Soviets prevented Poland and Czechoslovakia
from taking part, despite their eagerness to do so. Revisionist historians
have challenged the assertion that the plan represented American altruism.
They have argued that the export of dollars to Europe kept the United States
from backsliding into depression by providing a market for U.S. capital
goods. The Marshall Plan, according to revisionists, allowed the United
States to remake the European economy in the image of the American economy.
The plan promoted European economic integration and federalism, and created
a mixture of public organization of the private economy similar to that in
the domestic economy of the United States. This reorganization of the
European economy provided a more congenial environment for American
investment.
Brussels Pact-The initial stages of European integration began
with the Brussels Pact of 1948, which created the first post-war European
intergovernmental organisation when the UK, France, Belgium, Netherlands,
and Luxembourg agreed to establish a common defence system and to consult on
economic and cultural matters. Since governments - especially the British -
remained reluctant to cede authority to a supranational body, the
organisation was based on co-operation rather than on formal integration. It
was, therefore, more of a talking shop than anything else. The military
aspects of the pact were soon overshadowed by the creation in 1949 of the
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), an expanded military alliance
including the United States and Canada. In the political sphere, the Council
of Europe - organized in The Hague the same year by the five members of the
Brussels Pact along with Ireland, Denmark, Norway, Italy, and Sweden - had
as its goal greater European co-operation and the protection of human
rights.
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)- The North Atlantic
Treaty Organisation (NATO), sometimes called North Atlantic
Alliance, Atlantic Alliance or the Western Alliance, is an
international organisation for defence collaboration established in 1949, in
support of the North Atlantic Treaty signed in Washington, DC, on April 4,
1949.
Warsaw Pact-The Warsaw Pact or Warsaw Treaty,
officially named the Treaty of friendship, co-operation and mutual
assistance, was a military alliance of the Eastern European Eastern Bloc
countries, who intended to organize against the perceived threat from the
NATO alliance (which had been established in 1949). The creation of the
Warsaw Pact was prompted by the integration of a "re-militarized"
West Germany into NATO via ratification of the Paris Agreements. The Warsaw
treaty was drafted by Nikita Khrushchev in 1955 and signed in Warsaw on May
14, 1955. The pact came to an end on March 31, 1991, and was officially
dissolved at a meeting in Prague on July 1, 1991.
House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC)-The McCarran Act
created a similar investigative committee structure in the Senate. HUAC was
also instrumental in making sure the Hollywood blacklist worked the way
anticommunists wanted. According to critics like Victor Navasky, HUAC helped
create a climate in which there were fewer than ever films with "social
themes." The logic of HUAC investigations implied an anticommunist
theory of language. HUAC led the way, in the late 1930s, in conservative
attacks on federally supported art. In one of its reports, HUAC offered
lines from the poetry of Sir Walter Scott in defense of its activities.
Whitaker Chambers/Alger Hiss-U.S. journalist and spy. He joined
the U.S. Communist party in 1925 and wrote for its newspaper before engaging
(1935-38) in espionage for the USSR. He left the party in 1939 and began
working for Time magazine. In 1948 he testified before the House
Committee on Un-American Activities, accusing Alger Hiss , president of the
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and a former State Dept.
official, of being a Communist party member. Hiss sued for libel, and
Chambers then accused him of having been part of an espionage ring.
Chambers, now being promoted by Congressman Richard Nixon , led
investigators to his Maryland farm, where he produced from a hollowed-out
pumpkin State Dept. documents he alleged Hiss had given him. Hiss was
indicted for perjury, and after two trials was found guilty (1950) and
imprisoned. The case was extremely controversial, and both men were
vehemently attacked and defended.
Ethel and Julius Rosenberg-Were American Communists who captured
and maintained world attention after being tried, convicted, and executed
for spying for the Soviet Union. The accuracy of these charges remains
controversial, though decades later, Soviet communications decrypted by the
VENONA project became publicly available and appeared to indicate that at
least Julius Rosenberg was actively involved in espionage (although they
provided no new evidence that he performed the specific acts of espionage
for which he was convicted). The couple were the only two American civilians
to be executed for conspiracy to commit espionage during the Cold War. In
imposing the death penalty, Judge Irving Kaufman noted that he held them
responsible not only for espionage but also for the deaths of the Korean War
McCarran Internal Security Act-Pat McCarran was the chairman of
the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee that investigated the
administrations headed by Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman. In
September 1950, McCarran and John Wood, chairman of the Un-American
Activities Committee, sponsored the passing of the Internal Security Act.
The Internal Security Act, also known as the McCarran-Wood Act, required
registration with the Attorney General of the American Communist Party and
affiliated organizations. Other sections of the act declared it unlawful to
conspire to establish a totalitarian dictatorship, to conceal membership of
the American Communist Party when seeking government employment or to use a
United States passport. Communists and members of other organizations
considered to be dangerous to public safety could also be excluded or
deported from the United States.
Joseph McCarthy-U.S. senator from Wisconsin (1947–57), b. near
Appleton, Wis. He practiced law in Wisconsin and became (1940) a circuit
judge. He served with the U.S. marines in the Pacific in World War II,
achieving the rank of captain. In 1946, McCarthy defeated Senator Robert M.
La Follette, Jr., for the Republican senatorial nomination and then
overwhelmed his Democratic opponent in the election. His career in the
Senate was undistinguished and obscure until Feb., 1950, when he won
national attention with a speech at Wheeling, W.Va., in which he charged
that the State Dept. had been infiltrated by Communists. Although a Senate
investigating committee under Millard Tydings exonerated the State Dept. and
branded the charges a fraud and a hoax, McCarthy repeated his claims in a
series of radio and television appearances. Challenged to produce his
evidence, he refused and instead made new accusations. When the Republicans
assumed control of Congress in 1953, McCarthy, who had been reelected in
1952, became chairman of the Senate permanent investigations subcommittee
(Government Operations Committee), a post in which he wielded great power;
he used his position to exploit the public's fear of Communism. Through
widely publicized hearings, the use of unidentified informers, and reckless
accusation, McCarthy doggedly pursued those whom he classified as Communists
and subversives. Careers were ruined on the flimsiest evidence, and his
methods came under increasing attack by the press and his colleagues.
Army-McCarthy Hearings- In Apr., 1954, McCarthy accused Secretary
of the Army Robert T. Stevens and his aides of attempting to conceal
evidence of espionage activities that McCarthy and his staff had allegedly
uncovered at Fort Monmouth, N.J. The army, in turn, accused McCarthy, his
chief counsel, and a staff member of seeking by improper means to obtain
preferential treatment for a former consultant to the subcommittee, then a
private in the army. After widely publicized hearings McCarthy and his aides
were cleared (Aug., 1954) of the army's charges. However, in December the
Senate, acting on a motion of censure against him, voted to
"condemn" McCarthy for contempt of a Senate elections subcommittee
that had investigated his conduct and financial affairs in 1952, for abuse
of certain senators, and for insults to the Senate itself during the censure
proceedings.
Edward R. Murrow-Edward R. Murrow set the standard for television
journalism that continues to challenge and inspire today's television
newspersons. His calm and courageous reporting captured our nation's and the
world's attention during the German Blitz of Great Britain in 1940 and 1941
and remained firm while confronting the paranoia of McCarthyism at home in
1954.
Korean War-From June 25, 1950 to July 27, 1953, was a conflict
between North Korea and South Korea. It was also a Cold War proxy war
between the United States and its United Nations allies and the communist
powers of the People's Republic of China and the Soviet Union (also a UN
member nation). The principal combatants were North and South Korea.
Principal allies of South Korea included the United States, Canada,
Australia, the United Kingdom, although many other nations sent troops under
the aegis of the United Nations. Allies of North Korea included the People's
Republic of China, which supplied military forces, and the Soviet Union,
which supplied combat advisors and aircraft pilots, as well as arms, for the
Chinese and North Korean troops. In the United States, the conflict was
termed a police action (as the Korean Conflict) under the aegis of
the United Nations rather than a war, largely in order to remove the
necessity of a Congressional declaration of war.
General Douglas MacArthur- June of 1950, the sudden outbreak of
the Korean War -- "Mars' last gift to an old warrior" -- thrust
MacArthur back into the limelight. Placed in command of an American-led
coalition of United Nations forces, MacArthur reversed the dire military
situation in the early months of the war with a brilliant amphibious assault
behind North Korean lines at the Port of Inchon. But within weeks of this
great triumph he and Washington miscalculated badly. MacArthur's approach to
the Chinese border triggered the entry of Mao's Communist Chinese, and as
1951 dawned, they faced what he called "an entirely new war."
Although the able leadership of General Matthew B. Ridgway stabilized the
military situation near the prewar boundary at the 38th parallel,
MacArthur's months of public and private bickering with the Truman
administration soon came to a head. On April 11, 1951, the President
relieved General MacArthur, triggering a firestorm of protest over our
strategy not only in Korea, but in the Cold War as a whole. As the last
great general of World War II to come home, MacArthur received a hero's
welcome. Despite his dramatic televised address to a joint session of
Congress, however, the issue died quickly, and with it any hopes MacArthur
had of reaching the White House in 1952.
McCarran-Walter Immigration and Nationality Act- (June 30, 1952),
law, also known as the Immigration and Nationality Act, tightening controls
over aliens and immigrants. The act replaced the National Origins Act of
1924 and modified the 1929 quota formula by allowing a limited number of
Asians to enter the United States. The law removed racial barriers and made
citizenship available to people of all origins for the first time, but
required screening of aliens to eliminate security risks.
Dwight D. Eisenhower- 34th President of the US from
1953-1961. He was the allied commander of
the D-Day invasion. He was responsible for the creation of NASA
Organization of American States- The pursuit of regional
solidarity and cooperation again came to the forefront in 1889–90, at the
First International Conference of American States. Gathered together in
Washington, D.C., 18 nations resolved to found the International Union of
American Republics, served by a permanent secretariat called the Commercial
Bureau of the American Republics (renamed the "International Commercial
Bureau" at the Second International Conference in 1901–02). These two
bodies, in existence as of 14 April 1890, represent the point of inception
to which today's OAS and its General Secretariat trace their origins.At the
Fourth International Conference of American States (Buenos Aires, 1910), the
name of the organization was changed to the "Union of American
Republics" and the Bureau became the "Pan American Union".The
Ninth International Conference of American States was held in Bogotá
between March and May 1948. This was the event that saw the birth of the OAS
as it stands today, with the signature by 21 American countries of the
Charter of the Organization of American States on 30 April 1948 (in effect
since December 1951). The meeting also adopted the American Declaration of
the Rights and Duties of Man, the world's first general human rights
instrument.
Earl Warren- During his fourteen years as district attorney,
Warren developed a reputation as a crime fighter. As a prosecutor Warren was
sometimes accused of high-handedness in his methods, but in thirteen years
and in thousands of cases ranging from murder to window-breaking, he never
had a conviction reversed by a higher court. Warren was a member of the
Board of Regents of the University of California. Although a Republican,
Warren had broad bipartisan support because of his centrist to liberal
views. He is the only person to have been elected to the governorship of
California for three successive terms (in 1942, 1946, and 1950). In 1946 he
was the only governor in our history to win an election unopposed, for he
won both the Democratic and the Republican primaries. In 1948 Warren was the
Republican Party's nominee for vice-president of the United States on a
ticket headed by the popular Thomas A. Dewey. (That famous election was the
only one Warren ever lost.) Interestingly, one of Warren's unsuccessful
campaigns as governor was for universal health care. In 1953 President
Dwight D. Eisenhower appointed Earl Warren the fourteenth Chief Justice of
the United States Supreme Court. Among the Warren Court's most important
decisions was the ruling that made racial segregation in public schools
unconstitutional. Another was the "one-man one-vote" ruling that
caused a major shift in legislative power from rural areas to cities.
Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO)-Alliance organized
(1954) under the Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty by representatives
of Australia, France, Great Britain, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines,
Thailand, and the United States. Established under Western auspices after
the French withdrawal from Indochina, SEATO was created to oppose further
Communist gains in Southeast Asia. The treaty was supplemented by a Pacific
Charter, affirming the rights of Asian and Pacific peoples to equality and
self-determination and setting forth goals of economic, social, and cultural
cooperation between the member countries. The civil and military
organizations established under the treaty had their headquarters in
Bangkok, Thailand. SEATO relied on the military forces of member nations and
joint maneuvers were held annually. SEATO’s principal role was to sanction
the U.S. presence in Vietnam, although France and Pakistan withheld support.
Unable to intervene in Laos or Vietnam due to its rule of unanimity, the
future of the organization was in doubt by 1973, and SEATO was ultimately
disbanded in 1977.
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, KS-
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Argued: |
December 8, 1952 |
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Reargued: |
December 7, 1953 |
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Decided: |
May 17, 1954 |
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Subjects: |
Civil Rights: Desegregation, Schools |
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Facts of the Case
Black children were denied admission to public schools attended by
white children under laws requiring or permitting segregation according to
the races. The white and black schools approached equality in terms of
buildings, curricula, qualifications, and teacher salaries. This case was
decided together with Briggs v. Elliott and Davis v. County School Board
of Prince Edward County. |
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Question Presented
Does the segregation of children in public schools solely on the basis
of race deprive the minority children of the equal protection of the laws
guaranteed by the 14th Amendment? |
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Conclusion
Yes. Despite the equalization of the schools by "objective"
factors, intangible issues foster and maintain inequality. Racial
segregation in public education has a detrimental effect on minority
children because it is interpreted as a sign of inferiority. The long-held
doctrine that separate facilities were permissible provided they were
equal was rejected. Separate but equal is inherently unequal in the
context of public education. The unanimous opinion sounded the death-knell
for all forms of state-maintained racial separation. |
AFL-CIO-In February 1955, representatives of
the American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial
Organizations met in Miami Beach and reached accord on a merger that would
end more than 20 years of union rivalry. The leaders of both factions agreed
that a reunited labor movement would give working Americans more muscle and
tenor. Under the plan, each union in each organization was to remain
autonomous, and each was to maintain its jurisdiction--important
considerations for the Seafarers International Union of North America and
its affiliate, the Brotherhood of Marine Engineers. Mergers between or among
unions were to be voluntary.
Baghdad Pact- The Central Treaty Organization (also
referred to as CENTO, the successor to the Middle East Treaty
Organization or METO, also known as the Baghdad Pact) was
adopted in 1955 by Iraq, Turkey, Iran, as well as United States chose not to
initially participate as to avoid alienating Arab states with whom it was
still attempting to cultivate friendly relations. In 1958 the United States
finally joined the alliance. It is generally viewed as one of the least
successful of the Cold War alliances. Modeled after the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization it committed the nations to mutual cooperation and
protection, as well as non-intervention in each other's affairs. Its goal
was to contain the Soviet Union by having a line of strong states along its
southwestern frontier. In 1959, Iraq, under its new Republican regime,
backed out of the Baghdad Pact. Thus, CENTO was created to replace the
now-defunct pact.
Geneva Conference- The Geneva Conference (April 26 - July
21, 1954) was a conference between many countries that agreed to restore
peace in Indochina and Korea.
Montgomery Bus Boycott- On the morning of Dec.
5, the African-American residents of the city refused to use the buses. Most
walked, those few with cars arranged rides for friends and strangers, some
even rode mules. Only a very small number of African-Americans rode the bus
that day. Dr. King and the other African-American community
leaders held another meeting to organize future action. They named their
organization the Montgomery Improvement Association and elected Dr. King as
its president. As the boycott continued the white community
fought back with terrorism and harassment. The car-pool drivers were
arrested for picking up hitchhikers. African-Americans waiting on street
corners for a ride were arrested for loitering. On January
30, 1956 Dr. King's home was bombed. His wife and their baby daughter
escaped without injury. When Dr. King arrived home he found an angry mob
waiting. Dr. King told the crowd to go home.
"We must learn to meet hate with love" he said.
T he boycott continued for over a year. It eventually took the
United States Supreme Court to end the boycott. On November 13, 1956 the
Court declared that Alabama's state and local laws requiring segregation on
buses were illegal. On December 20th federal injunctions were served on the
city and bus company officials forcing them to follow the Supreme Court's
ruling.
Eisenhower Doctrine- The
message was given to Congress on Janua |