Wilson & Progressivism

Chapter 29

Election of 1912 - Candidates

! Republican Party " Nominates Prez. William Howard Taft

! Progressive Republican Party

" Bull Moose Party " Nominates Teddy Roosevelt

Teddy Roosevelt & New Nationalism

! TR came back with a new progressive agenda - New Nationalism " Trusts and unions needed to work together " Women’s suffrage " Minimum wage " More govt. regulation

Election of 1912 - Candidates

! Democrats nominate Woodrow Wilson " President of Princeton, an academic " “New Freedom”

! Less govt. regulation ! Strongly anti-trust ! Banking reform ! Lower tariffs

" Looking good while GOP fighting amongst itself

Election of 1912- Results

Wilson the Idealist

!  Was very intellectual "  First Ph.D. President (History)

!  Had faith in the masses !  Believed the President should be like a Prime

Minister !  Arrogant and morally self-righteous !  Would attack the “Triple Wall of Privilege”

"  Tariffs, Banks, Trusts

Wilson & the Tariff

! Summoned Congress into special session " Gave a speech in front of Congress (rare)

! Underwood Tariff " A substantial reduction in tariffs " Wilson helped it pass by telling the people

to hold their reps in Congress accountable ! Also helped pass the 16th Amendment

" First legal income tax (made up for lost $)

Wilson & Banks !  The banking system and currency was old (last

changed during the Civil War) !  A Third bank of the United States was suggested !  Wilson appeared before Congress again and asked

for banking reform !  Federal Reserve Act of 1913

"  12 regional reserves districts (each w/ a central bank)

"  Were “banker’s banks” owned by member institutions

"  Overseen by the Federal reserve Board "  Issue Federal Reserve Notes

Federal Reserve Note

“Federal reserve Note”

Federal Reserve Districts

Springfield is in the Federal Reserve

District of Chicago

Wilson & Trusts

! Went after them early ! 1914- Federal Trade Commission Act

" Pres appoints a commission to be a watchdog for business that did interstate commerce

! Clayton Anti-Trust Act (1914) " Built off of the Sherman anti-Trust Act

! Made interlocking directorates illegal " Exempted labor unions and agricultural

organizations from anti-trust prosecution

Wilson Progressivism

! Federal Farm Loan Act (1916) ! Warehouse Act (1916) ! LaFollete Seamen’s Act (1915) ! Workingmen’s Compensation Act

(1916) ! Appointed Louis Brandeis

as the first Jewish Supreme Court Justice

Wilson & Foreign Policy !  Not a “Dollar Diplomat”

" No special treatment given to investors in foreign areas

!  Jones Act (1916) " Filipinos got territorial status and were

promised independence when they had a stable government

!  Haiti (1914-1915) " Rebels killed the Prez of Haiti and Wilson sent

in U.S. troops to protect Americans there !  Also sent troops to Dominican Republic

Wilson & Mexico !  Mexico was being exploited by U.S. investors

for decades (oil, RR, mines) !  Mexicans revolted in 1913

" Revolutionary leader killed and replaced by Gen. Victoriano Huerta

" Was a massive emigration to the U.S.

!  Many called for U.S. intervention to protect investments " Wilson said no, but helped

Huerta’s enemies

Wilson & Mexico

! U.S. nearly became actively involved " Over the arrest of a group of American

sailors ! Huerta’s govt. eventually collapsed

because of pressure from Argentina, Brazil , and Chile " Was replaced by Venustaino Carranza

! One of the two Huerta rivals the U.S. helped ! Very resistant to U.S. intervention

Pancho Villa

! Emerged as the chief rival of Carranza " Attacked Americans on at least two

occasions in hopes of starting a war between Wilson & Carranza (once in New Mexico)

Villa v. Pershing

! Gen. John J. Pershing was ordered to stop him " Rode into Mexico and routed Villa’s forces

but never caught Pancho Villa himself " Was withdrawn in 1917

“Blackjack” Pershing

World War I - Causes

! Background causes: " Naval arms race, rise of militaries, media/

propaganda, entangling alliances ! Set off by the assassination of the

Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria " Alliances set in motion " Central Powers - Germany/Austria-

Hungary " Allies - France, G.B., Russia (Italy & Japan)

World War I & the U.S.

! Wilson issued a neutrality proclamation " Both sides courted the U.S. " British had the advantage

! Controlled information flow ! G.B. & F war orders were great for our

economy (didn’t violate our neutrality??) ! British Navy prevented us from trading with

Germany " Most in the U.S. were anti-German, but

wanted to avoid war

Unrestricted Submarine Warfare

! Germany began using submarines to patrol around Britain (U-Boats)

! Mistakes occurred and neutral ships were attacked (including U.S. ships)

! Wilson warned Germany to stop these attacks and be more careful

Sinking of the Lusitania

! May 7, 1915 - the passenger ship Lusitania was sunk " Known to be carrying

weapons & ammunition

" 1,199 dead ! (128 Americans)

" Led to calls for war

U-Boats & the U.S.

! After the sinking of the Lusitania, Teddy Roosevelt really began pushing to get involved

! Two more ships, including the Arabic, were sunk, American lives lost " Germany agreed to warn unarmed

passenger ships after this (tough for them) ! Another ship, the Sussex, was sunk

without warning

U-Boats & the U.S.

! Wilson then stated that unless the German govt. stopped immediately diplomatic relations would be cut off " The first step towards war

! Led to the Sussex Pledge " Germany agreed, on the condition the U.S.

get Britain to loosen its blockade " Wilson agreed - except for the last part

Election of 1916

! TR refused to run again ! Republicans nominated Charles Evans

Hughes "  a Supreme Court Justice and former Gov.

of NY ! Wilson ends up winning

" Big slogan was “He kept us out of war!”