Changes in America

 

I.                    Social Changes

A.    Women’s Movement

1.                  grows off the Seneca Falls Convention of 1848

a.       declared women were equal to men

2.                  Important Individuals

a.       Lucretia Mott

b.      Elizabeth Cady Stanton

c.       Susan B. Anthony

3.                  Right to Vote (suffrage) movement

a.       members called suffragettes

b.      some states allowed (mostly Western states)

c.       wanted a constitutional amendment for all women

d.      Nation American Woman Suffrage Association

4.                  Women hold more jobs

a.       during WWI fill jobs left by men  in factories, mills, and mines

b.      wanted equal rights to vote

5.                  Nineteenth Amendment

a.       passed in 1920

b.      no state could deny a person right to vote based on gender

c.       does not give economic equality.

 

B.     Urbanization

1.                  movement of people from country to city

2.                  three groups move into cities

a.       farmers who lost jobs due to machines

b.      immigrants from countries

c.       African Americans moving from south to north

3.                  Problems

a.       public services (hospitals, police, fire, garbage collection)

b.      families crowded into houses (tenements = single room apartments)

c.       social tension (rich vs. poor)

d.      political corruption  (politicians who exchanged goods and services for votes ex. Tweed)

 

C.    Immigration

1.                  why they came:

a.       escape horrible conditions (poverty, famine,

b.      freedom (religious )

c.       better life (living conditions better , jobs)

 

2.                  Problems

a.       New language

b.      New customs

c.       Poverty

d.      No skills

e.       Low pay

f.        Settle in one area (ghettos)

 

3.                  Where they were from

a.       Old Immigrants (Great Britain, Ireland, Germany) mostly Protestant

b.      New Immigrants (Italy, Greece, Poland, Austria-Hungary, Russia) mostly catholic or Jewish

 

4.                  Limits on Immigration

a.       nativist (don’t want new immigrants)

b.      fear new immigrants won’t adjust to America

c.       fear take the jobs

d.      by 1920;s laws limit Asia, southern and eastern European immigrants

e.       Chinese Exclusion Act (1882) Gentlemen’s Agreement (1907)  limit immigrants from Japan and China

f.        Immigration Act of 1921, 1924, 1929 ( limit eastern and southern Europe) due to prejudice

 

II.                 Political Changes

 

A.    Grange Movement and Populists

1.                  Farm problems

a.       overproduction led to poor soil , increased food and low prices

b.      debt from buying machinery and land

c.       high costs of manufactured goods (machines, clothes, furniture)

d.      natural disasters (drought, insects, floods) destroy life savings

2.                  Grange Movement (1867)

a.       Association of farmers (centered at beginning on social issues)

b.      Address farmer’s problems

c.       Elected candidates to take care of problems in mid-west

d.      Granger Laws (laws for farmers) rates for railroads lead to Interstate Commerce Act in 1887 ( regulate railroads and interstate commerce)

3.                  Populist Party (1891-1896)

a.       Represent farmers, laborers, factory workers against banks and railroads

b.      Unlimited silver coins make cheap money easier to pay debts

c.       Secret ballot to protect voters

d.      Graduated income tax

e.       Government ownership pf railroads, telegraphs and telephones

f.        One term president

g.       Direct election of senators

h.       Restricted immigration

i.         Shorter work day

j.        Democrats adopt much of the platform

 

B.     Progressive Movement (1900-1920)

1.                  want to achieve progress by correcting political and economic abuses  of industrialization

2.                  political bosses existed in cities expecting votes for solutions to public problems like housing

3.                  Muckrakers ) early newspaper reporters

a.       Jacob Riis  How the other Half lives ( urban poor)

b.      Ida Tarbell History of Standard Oil ( ruthless business)

c.       Lincoln Steffens The Shame of the Cities (gov’t corruption)

d.      Ray Stannard Baker Following the Color Line (life of African Americans)

e.       Frank Norris The Octopus (Railroads)

f.        Upton Sinclair the Jungle (Meat Packing industry)

4.                  try to change through reform

5.                  Civil Service Commission  1883 federal jobs awarded based on civil service exams

6.                  Reforms:

a.       Initiatives (voters introduce bills)

b.      Direct election of US senators

c.       Secret ballots

d.      Recall of elections with special election

e.       Direct party primaries

f.        Referendums (put bill to voters)

 

C.    Progressive Presidents

1.                  Theodore Roosevelt ( 1901-1909)

a.       Trust-Buster (broke up some companies limiting public interest)

b.      Square Deal Legislation (protect public health, regulate transportation and communication, protect environment)

c.       Pure Food and Drug Act

d.      Meat Inspection Act

 

2.                  Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921)

a.       New Freedom

b.      Graduated Income Tax (1913) 16th Amendment

c.       Regulate Economy (Federal Reserve Act 1913) 

d.      Antitrust Legislation (Clayton Antirust Act 1914, Federal Trade Commission