“Building Best, Building Greatly” 1896-1912
Chapter 13
1. Compare the average expenditures of the American family at the turn of the century to today:
2. Why did Socialism never really catch on if it was so great? Because prosperity was great. The Average American lived much better than his European equivalent.
3. Why were buzzwords of the day, “professionalism” and “scientific” somewhat ironic? Because the proponents, Marx, Freud, and Darwin never really proved anything! Professionalism and science were mated to attempt to convince the public that there was a solution to every problem.
4. Discuss the following people and their “contributions” to the social reform movement: Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Mary Baker Eddy, Charles Taze Russell. P.460 TR thought very much like a Progressive. He believed that Capitalism was evil, that big business was bad, and that only the elite could lead the government. WW believed the same but to a greater extent. Wilson brought us the progressive income tax, greater regulation on business, the draft, supported unions, and grew government. Mary Baker Eddy – started the Christian Scientist religion, Charles T. Russell – Jehovah’s Witnesses.
5. With the movement of popular secularism, came proponents like Walter Lippman and William James. Describe their philosophy and the danger it imposes on society. P. 460 That
“man was in control. That there was no such thing as lasting truth. No value could last forever because it would evolve with time and place.
6. Discuss the events that lead to the annexation of Hawaii. P.464-465 After King Kalakua dies, a new constitution is adopted. Queen Liliuokalani attempts to overthrow it. Eighteen Hawaiians assisted by U.S. Marines, revolt and form a new government. Sec. of State, Daniel Webster, declares that “no one should have control over these bounteous islands” but what he really meant was that he didn’t want the chance of another slave state to join the union.
7. Why did the U.S. NOT annex Cuba at this time? P. 466 Because tensions were very high. Cuba was living under a terrible dictator, General Valeriano Weyler, whom they called “the butcher.” Do to so would have put America in the “cross hairs” of foreign conflict.
8. Who said, “You furnish the pictures, I’ll furnish the war”? Why? How has this affected American Journalism? P.466 William Randolph Hearst in his thirst for a “juicy” story. There was no war in Cuba, so he sent people down to create one so that he could sell papers.
9. What incident finally made congress force McKinley into a declaration of war against Spain in 1898? An explosion off the coast of Havana that claimed the lives of 250 crewmen. It wasn’t until 1910 that it was proven that the blast was probably caused by a mine and not Spain after all.
10. According to General John Pershing, how did the Spanish-American War help to heal some wounds from the Civil War? P. 469 General Pershing wrote his recollections of the attack: “White regiments, black regiments, regulars and Rough Riders, representing the young manhood of the North and the South, fought shoulder to shoulder, unmindful of race or color, unmindful of whether commanded by ex-confederate or not, and mindful of only their common duty as Americans.”
11. How is the U.S. government still paying for the Spanish-American war? Though only 400 men were killed, thousands were involved but never saw battle. Nevertheless, the government is still paying $160 million annually in pensions.
12. What lands did the U.S. acquire as a result of the Spanish-American War? Compare McKinley’s rationalization about “civilizing” these people with that of the Northern Carpetbaggers and their attempts at “educating” newly freed blacks. P.470-471 Cuba, Guam, Philippines, Puerto Rico. McKinley felt that the people were not capable of governing themselves; that they needed the elites to do it for them.
13. What was William Jennings Bryan and the Anti-Imperialist League’s goal with the Philippines? What was their disagreement with McKinley? P.471 Bryan was an Progressive extremist who hated McKinley. He distributed leaflets encouraging the soldiers in the Philippines to not reinlist. He called McKinley a “mass murderer” for the occupation of the Philippines.
14. How was the theory of American imperialism shattered? P. 472 When on July 4, 1898, Philippines were granted their freedom and autonomy.
15. What happened to McKinley? p. 473 He was assassinated. The third president In 35 years.
16. What were the positive and negative contributions of President Teddy Roosevelt? P. 475 He was a strong proponent of big government to alleviate all social ills. He believed that “no people were ever benefited by riches if their prosperity corrupted their virtue.” He added, “more important that we should show ourselves honest, brave, truthful, and intelligent than we should own al the railways and grain elevators in the world.” Does that mean, then, that if you don’t have money and success, you are somehow automatically humble, honest and virtuous? He was successful at everything he tried except he never had to prove if capitalism and free enterprise worked. He was jealous of Carnegie and Rockefeller. His reform ideology seemed to get in the way of his propensity for “rugged individualism.” He regulated and penalized corporations and took away rebates offered to them by railroads.
17. How did Roosevelt’s antitrust actions backfire and hurt the little guy (small business); the very people he was trying to protect? P.477 By penalizing big business, it drove down profits for the entire industry.
18. What similarities, if any, do you see in Roosevelt and Barack Obama. (Don’t believe me?? Read p. 487 paragraph 4!!) also p. 477-478 In Public, they both claim to support business, but all the regulation and legislative restrictions prove otherwise. After spending so much time vilifying business and offending those who have actually had to meet a payroll and produce a viable product for the public, they now have to concede and mend fences to prepare for the next election. During his second term, of course, he turned his back once again, on business; especially the railroads.
19. How does government bureaucracy increase during TR’s second term? P. 478 Hepburn Act, federal control of private land; Interstate Commerce Act, regulate railroads; Pure Food and Drug Act, (FDA), and the Meat Inspection Act.
20. Progressivism is off and running. What new agencies spring up to “save the environment”? U.S. Forest Service, Sierra Club.
21. Discuss the process of building the Panama Canal. What is so miraculous about this endeavor? P. 481-482 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama_Canal
22. Describe Roosevelt’s mantra, “speak softly and carry a big stick.” How did it apply toforeign policy? Was is “hot air” or did TR back it up? P. 480-483"Speak softly and carry a big stick" was the way Theodore Roosevelt described his approach to foreign policy. When he assumed the presidency in 1901, several Latin American countries were behind on debt payments to European nations. Concerned that other nations might follow Germany's example of threatening action against Venezuela in 1903, Roosevelt announced what became known as the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine in 1904. Roosevelt pledged to protect Latin American nations from military action, and he insisted that the United States assumed the right to intervene to ensure Latin American states met their financial responsibilities to other nations. After the U.S. Navy made an impressive showing in the Spanish-American War (1898), Roosevelt continued to expand it. In 1907, a "Great White Fleet" of American ships went on a world cruise to demonstrate the "big-stick" side of Roosevelt diplomacy.
23. Plessy v. Ferguson, Guinn v. United States, Buchanan v. Worley all proved what about black/white relations at the turn of the century? P.483-484 Mostly dealt with “Jim Crow” laws or “Separate but Equal” legislation
24. How did blacks combat the “Jim Crow” laws at this time? P. 485 Booker T. Washington and other black leaders worked tirelessly to make life better and more peaceful for the black community by developing universities, churches, political appointments and jobs, etc.
25. What kind of a president was William Howard Taft? What unusual ending came to his presidency? Who took his place? Taft was almost a clone to Roosevelt, but he went on an even more trust-busting frenzy. He ended up being pretty weak. Though TR vowed that he would not run for a second term and therefore, hand-picked Taft to be his successor, TR came back from his safaris to Africa and ran again for president. Also in the mix was Woodrow Wilson, who beat both of them.
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