Scopes Monkey Trial

Dayton, TN, 1925

In 1925, the Butler Act was passed in TN that forbade the teaching of evolution in schools. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) thus financed a test case in response to the act-->A coal miner owner in Dayton who believed this kind of trial would give Dayton the kind of publicity it needed, called in his friend John Scopes, who intentionally violated the act and was tried in court. The trial featured William Jennings Byran who argued for the traditionalists and Clarence Darrow who argued in favor of the teaching and belief of evolution. In the end, Scopes is found guilty and has to pay a fine.

-Comes down to public opinion that Darrow destroys Bryan and is a call to Protestant Fundamentalists to retreat-->goes underground until Reagan era.
-The trial is really a cultural war over respectability (modernists vs. traditionalists)

Philips County AR

Outline: VI C 3
year: 1919
Where: Philips County AR( Arkansas)
Lots of returning black vets from WW1, have seen the un-racism in Eu and dont want to work for Wht's and know how to use guns.
Philips County is 3/4 black most of whom are sharecroppers who want to from union called the Progressive Household and Farmers Union: essentially a union to organize the sharecroppers-> so they meet in Hoopspur AR in a Church, the Wht Sherif Dep and an other go to harass the sharecroppers out of forming a union but the sharecroppers have guns and kill both of them-> Wht rampage through black neighborhoods; kill every black they see, estimated 200 blacks killer-> 27 men arrested all of whom are black and because they are black they cant call witnesses
Later on the NAACP hires lawyers to appeal the case goes to supreme court and NAACP actually wins the cases

this is a good example of scapegoat rioting like the Red Scare and the Chicago race riot

Weasly Everett

Has to do with the American legion: Outline VI D 4 b
year: 1919
where: Centralia WA
In Centralia WA (Washington the state) meeting of Wobblies, everyone in town knows where they meet, and many wobblies are respected leaders in the town, wobblies decide to have a parade celebrating the one year anniversary of end of WW1 at which point American legion decided to attack the wobblies at the parade, but the wobblies know and fight back in the end many wobblies including Everett get captured and in the middle of the night the American legion goes to prison to get leader and lynch him but instead get Everett, before they hang him the cut off his genital and mutilate his body and then while hanging him they shoot him. Afterwards the authorities come and find that Everett hung himself and shot himself showing the corruption of the government. whats more important though is that incidents like this are not isolated.

Unit 9: Progressivism, World War I, and the Roaring Twenties, 1900-1929


American Exceptionalsim

1890s-1900s
Now used to rationalize American Expansionism
Manifest Destiny who/whatever in charge of universe still has something planned for U.S.
God, Nature, Progress, etc. privileges Americans
Now supported by Social Darwinism
Americans must improve “lesser races”
Goal is Order and Organizationthis of course will naturally privilege certain people
American Exceptionalism has been historically referred to as the perception that the United States differs qualitatively from other developed nations, because of its unique origins, national credo, historical evolution, or distinctive political and religious institutions

Influence of Sea Power on History

Written by Alfred Thayer Mahan, an Admiral in the Navy and an intellectual
Theory: in all World History, the countries that are the most powerful control the oceans
Powerful NavyPowerful countryEmpireCan shape history
The book avoids declaring outright any intentions of American Imperialisminstead, it says, “Look, let’s be the most powerful country that will help to ‘improve the lesser races,’” as opposed to, “Look, let’s become the world’s largest imperial power.”
Naval power is the key to national greatness
Countries rise to world dominance by expanding their foreign commerce and protecting that commerce with a strong navywithout a powerful navy, no nation can be a world power

Queen Liliuokalani

1890s
Hawaii
Queen of Hawaii
When she acceded the throne, she adopted a strong anti-American policyshe wanted to purge American influences in Hawaii and disenfranchise all white men except those married to native women
Captured during the Protestant Missionaries kids’ sugar plantations fake Hawaiian independence movement
The offspring of the Protestant Missionaries were attempting to annex Hawaii to the US so that they would receive subsidies (welfare for rich people)
“The Hawaiian pear is now fully ripe, and this is the golden hour for the United States to pluck it”but Cleveland, an anti-imperialist, is inaugurated before the Senate could ratify the treaty which called for the satisfaction of the desires of Hawaiian radicals: the annexation of Hawaii to the US
Grover Cleveland would not stand for Hawaii being annexed to the US
Example of general American dislike of imperialism around the 1890s
On July 4, 1894, the Republic of Hawaii was proclaimed and Sanford B. Dole, one of the first people who originally called on the institution of the monarchy to be abolished, became President
The Republic of Hawaii was recognized immediately by the United States government
Along with Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines, Hawaii was annexed to the United States as a result of the Spanish-American War through a joint resolution of the U.S. Congress in 1898

Butcher Weyler

1890s
Cuba
Sent by Spanish Empire to squash Jose Marti’s Cuban independence movement
Sticks 1.5 million Cubans in concentration camps200,000 die from disease, starvation, etc.
Draws America’s sympathetic eyethis is then exploited by imperialists and militarists who either (a) just want Cuba’s resources or (b) just want a war

Yellow Press

1890s-1900s
Coverage of situation in Cuba
Huge competition between papers for readers, so the news was very sensationalized
Sympathetic to Cubans
Americans fed all this stuff about how bad it is in Cuba
Imperialists twist sympathy so that they can intervene and take advantage of Cuba’s resources
Militarists just want a war (Idea that a country becomes soft in extended periods of peaceAmerica needs a war to toughen it back up)
Humanitarians want to help the Cubans





USS Maine

1898
Cuba
US warship that blows up in the middle of the night in Havana
In January 1898, the Maine was sent from Key West, Florida, to Havana, Cuba, to protect U.S. interests during a time of local insurrection and civil disturbances
Some sources claim a Spanish mine caused the explosionit was probably just an accident
US papers paint it is an attackperfect excuse to go to war, even though the reason itself was unofficial
US so geared for war that basically anything would have been portrayed in this light
The explosion was a precipitating cause of the Spanish-American War that began in April 1898 and which used the rallying cry, "Remember the Maine!"
The episode focused national attention on the crisis in Cuba but was not cited by the William McKinley administration as a casus belli, though it was cited by some who were already inclined to go to war with Spain over their atrocities and loss of control in Cuba

Platt Amendment

1901
Cuba
Cuba is an independent nationUS only controls Guantanamo Bay
Cuba must only do treaties and business with the US
US can occupy Cuba any time they wish to do so if their interests are not being protected
Cuba could exercise self-government but it could sign no treaties that might limit its independence
Should Cuban independence ever be threatened, the Platt Amendment authorized the US to intervene in the island’s internal and external affairs
Written into the 1901 Cuban constitution
Cuban independence has the look and feel of an American protectorate
US can simultaneously maintain power without enraging humanitarian citizens and satisfy militarists and imperialists

Teller Amendment

1898
When the US beats Spanish occupying forces in Cuba, Cuba will be its own independent nation and not be annexed to any part of the US
A cause of the Spanish-American War
To many Americans the Teller Amendment seems to be a great and noble decision
San Juan Hill

1898
Cavalry unit had no horses, so men ran up the hill
10th Cavalry “Buffalo Soldiers” along with its lieutenant John “Black Jack” Peshing took the brunt of the bullets but get no credit
Americans lose 3 times as many soldiers as the Spanish
Many of the officers grew impatient waiting for ordersTheodore Roosevelt was one such officerhe orders his troops to advancethe regulars reached a depression in the hill and stopped to fireRoosevelt ordered troops to chargewhen the regulars refused because no orders to do so came from the brigade commanders, Roosevelt led his volunteers past and charged up the hillthe attackers cut their way through barbed wire fences and drove the Spaniards out of their trenches on Kettle Hill
The battle of San Juan Hill launched Theodore Roosevelt into national fame along with his regiment of "Rough Riders"Roosevelt returned to the United States a national hero and became Vice President three years later

Emilio Aguinaldo

1897
Philippines
Leader of the resistance movement in the Philippines
When it became clear that the US did not have Filipino interests at heart, Aguinaldo and his followers resumed their fight for independence
1899-1902American troops and Filipino revolutionaries fought an ugly and destructive colonial war
Aguinaldo’s men were efficient guerrilla warriorsonly fought when victory was certain, usually ambushing small patrols
Treatment of prisoners was abominable on both sides: cutting off ears, torturing, “water cure” used on Filipinos to obtain information
Aguinaldo hoped that anti-imperialist Bryan would defeat McKinley for the presidency in 1900McKinley wins election and Aguinaldo is captured five months later
The Philippines seen as a worthwhile acquisition because of their strategic importance both as a military base and a stepping-stone to the Asian markets
After his capture, Aguinaldo banished to Hong Kong American Dewey later picks Aguinaldo up with his army and drops him and his supporters off in the Philippines to take over
Set up and independent republic with Aguinaldo as president
With the US-Philippines conflict, E.A. becomes enemy again




Open Door Policy

1899
US policymakers understood that the American public would be hostile to any US military venture into China just to support tradeto prevent other countries from carving up China, Secretary of State John Hay issues the “Open Door” Note, an attempt to prevent further European partitioning of the Manchu empire and to protect the principle of open trade in China
China had other plans: Boxer Rebellion in which the Legation quarter in Peking is besieged and the revolutionaries call for the death of all westerners in China
Europeans didn’t really pay any attention to Hay’s “Open Door” Note because it benefited the US the most
This policy spawned the idea, held mostly in America, that the US was China’s protector
Another example of the increasingly active role the US had taken in world affairs

The Jungle

1906
Written by Upton Sinclair, a socialist
Depicts the living conditions of the working class in Chicago: poverty, no social security, hopelessness
Contrasts this depiction with the riches and corruption of the upper class
Supports Communist Ideas
Trying to show American Working Class that the mainstream political parties couldn’t actually help them Sinclair hoped that when everyone had finished reading the book, they would realize that socialism was the answernot quite, but still strong progressive results

Hull House

1889
Illinois
Jane Adams founds the house
Mission: to provide social and educational opportunity for working class people
Classes, lectures, free concerts, etc.
Progressivist idea of returning to ideals of opportunity

Acme Sucker Rod Company

1890s
Toledo, OH
Owned by Samuel “Golden Rule” Jones
Determined to change how he does businessbases his new policies on the Golden Rule
Gets ride of foremen, hires more workers to ease workload, 8-hour days, at least $2/day, one week paid vacation, provides lunches, etc.
Only loses a little of his own $ Still very wealthy
When he is sucked into the mayoral elections of Toledo because a candidate hopes that Jones will suck votes from his competitor, Jones wins the electionapplies the Golden Rule to the town
Jones’ behavior shows that humanitarian ideas (as opposed to ideas driven solely by corporate capitalism) can work

Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire

1911
New York City
The top three floors of a nine-story building constitute a factory employed primarily with immigrant workers (many Jewish women work here)
Doors are locked to prevent the women from sneaking out during work shifts
Fire breaks outtons of fabric catches fireonly one elevator which overloads and crashes killing everyone inside
Many leap out of windows, some of the women on fire, etc. the entire fiasco is very dramatic and perfectly visible from the streets of NYCtotal public outcryProgressivists get work safety laws passed
Progressive legislation is geared to reflect order AND jutice

Trust-Busting

1900s
Theodore Roosevelt’s progressive presidency
TrustMonopoly
Roosevelt busted the trusts he thought were being unfair and ineffective, not all of them
Rude people get busted
Very selective trust-buster
First time federal government used against Monopolies
Example of Theodore Roosevelt’s Progressivism (Roosevelt’s 2 Progressive Sentiments: (1) The government should be efficiently run by able, competent people (2) Industrialization had created the need for expanded governmental action
The Sherman Antitrust Act was the first United States federal government action to limit monopolies, and is the oldest of all U.S. antitrust laws




Ida M. Tarbell

1857-1944
Ida Minerva Tarbell was a teacher, an author and journalist
She was known as one of the leading "muckrakers" of her day, work known in modern times as "investigative journalism"
She is best-known for her 1904 book The History of the Standard Oil Company
She called Standard Oil “one of the most gigantic and dangerous conspiracies ever attempted”
Popular journalism, along with organized religion on progressivism, ignited public interest in reform

Niagara Movement- 1900s
WEB Dubois and other active blacks created a movement against the idea that blacks are inferior
promoting black pride
after Springfield race riot incident (white woman cries rape), Niagara movement combines with rich white financial backers to become NAACP

Anthracite Coal Strike- PA, 1902
coal workers were united into United Mine Workers
bad conditions, pay, hours, etc.
owners (esp. George Baer), saw themselves as having a divine right to power and wealth
strike starts, coal prices rise 10x in ~6 months country needs coal chaos
Roosevelt wants to intervene and arbitrate, but Baer won’t do it
Desperate Americans go radical and urge T.R. to nationalize the mine nonviolent miners gaining sympathy
T.R. says if owners don’t arbitrate, he will nationalize
Reluctantly come to an agreement
10% wage increase, 8-9 hour work day, co. doesn’t have to recognize union  sacrifice power for $
BEGINNING OF PROGRESSIVE PRESIDENCY

Roosevelt Corollary- 1900s
- Corollary to Monroe Doctrine (America leaves Europe and European interests alone)
- Says U. S. can intervene in any Western hemisphere country if American business interests require it or if the U.S. thinks that country is at risk
- U.S. essentially policemen of Western Hemisphere

Panama Canal—1900s, Panama
U.S. and Europe want to cut across Central America so hey don’t have to sail all the way around Tierra del Fuego
Choose Panama (as opposed to Nicoragua) because no active volcanoes and a shorter distance, despite more difficult terrain
Problem: Columbia controls Panama, and wants high price for i
U.S. pulls a U.S. and stirs up and arms a fake liberation movement
Panama becomes an independent nation and U.S. negotiates a canal

19th Amendment- 1919 (there’s your pneumonic device waiting to happen)
Women are allowed to vote
(sig? there’s not much else to this…)

(ask Mr. Sutton about Samuel Kendrick and the Danbury Hatters case)


Committee on Public Information (CPI): 1917, Established by President Woodrow Wilson, and led by George W. Creel, this committee was intended to influence U.S. public opinion towards supporting American Intervention in WWI. To promote the war effort Creel led a vigorous propaganda campaign, he:
Drafted a voluntary censorship agreement with newspapers to keep sensitive military information out of print.
Hired hundreds of musicians, writers, artists, to stage a patriotic campaign where speakers delivered war pep talks.
Used Hollywood to create propaganda films which reduced WWI to a conflict between good and evil
Popular culture reflected this influence and eventually dissent was considered treasonous. Those who did not buy war bonds, or were labor protesters, or were in anyway critical of the war faced accusations of being unpatriotic. German Americans loyalty to the U.S was constantly questioned through mob violence.
* At its best the CPI sold war bonds, discouraged war stoppages, and convinced the public to support the war, and at its worst the CPI promoted witch hunts.
* Laid the groundwork for the public relations (PR) industry.

Sedition Act: 1918,
Amendment to the Espionage Act of 1917 which was passed under President Woodrow Wilson, who was concerned any widespread dissent during a time of war constituted a real threat to American victory.
It forbade Americans from using "disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive language" about the United States government, flag, or armed forces during war.
The act also allowed the Postmaster General to deny mail delivery to dissenters of government policy during wartime.
Political dissenters bore the brunt of the repression because the Sedition Act was an attempt by the United States government to limit freedom of speech during a time of war.
Eugene Debs and many Wobblies were sent to prison as a result of this Act.
* WWI did not cause repression; it merely intensified old fears, and offered intolerant citizens to lash out against those who had changed America-immigrants, radical labor organizers, socialists, etc.
* The Act was meant to curb dissent and in the process violated the 1st Amendment of the Bill of Rights.

Fourteen Points: 1918
Points listed in a speech delivered by President Woodrow Wilson.
He intended to set out a blueprint for lasting peace in Europe after WWI.
The speech was widely disseminated as an instrument of propaganda, to encourage the Allies to victory. The idealism displayed in the speech gave Wilson a position of moral leadership among the Allies, and encouraged the Axis Powers (allies of Nazi Germany) to surrender.
The speech was delivered over 10 months before the Armistice with Germany ended WWI, but the Fourteen Points became the basis for the terms of the German surrender. However, only four of the points were adopted completely in the post-war reconstruction of Europe.
*Wilson's speech took many of the principles of progressivism that had produced domestic reform in the U.S. and translated them into foreign policy (free trade, open agreements, democracy and self-determination).
* Opposition to the Fourteen Points became clear after hostilities ceased: the British were against freedom of the seas; the French demanded war reparations. Wilson was forced to compromise on many of his ideals to ensure that his most important point, the establishment of the League of Nations, was accepted.
* The Fourteen Points idealized Wilson’s Dream of an international organization that would keep the peace by giving all nations equality and protection.

19th Amendment: 1919,
Extended suffrage to women and it was passed as a result of the emergency state of the war.
As more women’s organizations supported the war effort by volunteering to help the sick and wounded or working in defense industries, suffragists demanded the vote in return for their support of the war.
Wilson opposed women’s suffrage but political reality ultimately forced him to reconsider and Congress passed the 19th Amendment.
* This was part of a larger change in status for women. Employment opportunities opened up temporarily for them in the industrial field. They were eventually forced to return the jobs to the men after the war ended but the war helped improve their standing in society.

B.E.F.: 1932, Washington D.C.
An assemblage of 20,000 WWI veterans, their families and other affiliated groups who demonstrated in D.C. seeking immediate payment of a “bonus” granted to them in 1924 by federal law.
When the bill was blocked in the Senate the police attempted to remove the remaining protesters by shooting at them.
The protesters assaulted the police and President Herbert Hoover ordered federal troops to remove the marchers from the area.
* The visual image of U.S. armed soldiers confronting poor WWI veterans set the stage for Veteran relief with the G.I. Bill of Rights which helped WWII veterans receive needed assistance from the federal government.


Robert Prager: 1918, Illinois Prager was lynched by a mob in Collinsville, a coalmining town in southern Illinois, because he was a German-American.
He came to the United States at the age of nineteen and was denied membership in the United Mine Workers union and chased out of the town of Marysville to Collinsville. Some of the miners followed him there and even though he agreed to leave town they dragged him into the street and stripped him of his clothes.
He was rescued by the police and put into jail, the mob swarmed the jailhouse and while the police stood aside marched Prager out beyond city limits. With 200 people watching Prager was hung.
* This is one of the most severe examples of the ethnic and political polarization during WWI which caused hostility and violence.
* Prager unquestionably died at the hands of drunken, hysterical men because he was German. But when they killed Prager, they were also killing their own fears of being accused of disloyalty, fears rooted in a bitter and divisive immigrant labor struggle.

Schenck vs. U.S.: 1919,
United States Supreme Court decision concerning the question of whether the defendant possessed a First Amendment right to free speech against the draft during WWI.
The defendant, Charles Schenck, a socialist, circulated a flyer to recently drafted men urging them to assert their opposition to the draft through peaceful means.
Schenck was charged with conspiracy to violate the Espionage Act by attempting to cause insubordination in the military and to obstruct recruitment.
The Court unanimously upheld his criminal conviction by saying that the First Amendment did not protect speech encouraging insubordination during a time of war because the circumstances of wartime permitted greater restrictions on free speech than would be allowed during peacetime.
* This is an example of the American government attempting to curb dissent to WWI by restricting constitutional rights.


Versailles Treaty: 1919, France
Peace treaty which officially ended WWI.
It forced Germany to accept full responsibility for causing the war and make certain monetary reparations to the Allied Countries.
The U.S., France, England, and Italy were the four major powers at the signing of the treaty and it’s said that an “unhappy compromise” was reached because each country wanted something different.
The final treaty took away Germany’s overseas colonies and restricted the size of its military and the treaty also provided for the creation of the League of Nations, a major goal of Woodrow Wilson.
* Germany’s dissatisfaction with the treaty could explain the rise of National Socialism and the beginning of WWII.

Seattle General Strike: 1919, Washington
First city wide strike anywhere in the U.S to be proclaimed a “general strike.”
It led off a tumultuous post WWI era of labor conflict that saw massive strikes shut down the nation’s steel, coal, and meat packing industries, and threaten civil unrest in several cities.
The Seattle strike began in the shipyards, which had expanded with war production contracts and had workers who expected a post war wage hike to make up for two years of strict wage controls imposed by the federal government.
When federal regulators refused, the Metal Trades Council, an alliance of shipyard unions, declared a strike and closed the yards, appealing to most of the local unions who voted to join a sympathy walkout.
* Most of the local and national press denounced the strike, while conservatives called for stern measures to suppress what looked to them to be a revolutionary plot.

Ford Sociology Department: 1913
The Ford Motor Company established this “to promote the welfare of employees”
It provided immigrant laborers with home visits and supported English and acculturation classes to maintain employee standards
It questioned workers about their personal lives so that Ford knew which types of workers were good and which were bad improved his efficiency
Frowned on heavy drinking and gambling and gave wage raises to only those who were considered “worthy” and would not waste the extra money they were given
*Meant to enforce respectability in the workplace
* Increased his efficiency


Boston Police Strike
Boston, Mass
1919
Boston police are unhappy with their substandard wages and working conditionswant to form a union, but Police Commissioner Edwin Upton Curtis won’t allow itstrike on Sept. 7, 1919
City soon falls into chaos (riots, etc.) as there is no one to enforce lawsGovernor Calvin Coolidge intervenes, saying that the police did not have the right to strike against the public safetybrings in the state national guard to restore order to Boston and shortly thereafter officially ends the strike by bringing in replacement officers and denying any strikers their old jobs
To add insult to injury, the replacement workers got what the strikers were demanding: higher wages, more vacation days, and city-provided uniforms
Stimulates other movements across the country to crack down on police unionization
Signals a dramatic shift in traditional labor relations and views on the part of the police


Harlem Renaissance
1919-1930s
The Harlem Renaissance was a flowering of African American art, literature, music and culture in the United States led primarily by the African American community based in Harlem, New York City, after World War I.
Sometimes referred to as the African-American “spiritual coming of age” or The Negro Movement because African Americans could now express their heritage and stand up for what they believed
Most of the participants in this African American literary movement were descendants from a generation whose parents or grandparents had witnessed the injustices of slavery and the gains and losses that would come with Reconstruction after the American Civil War as the nation moved forward into the gradual entrenchment of Jim Crow in the Southern states and in its non-codified forms in many other parts of the country. Many of these people were part of the Great Migration out of the South and other racially stratified communities who sought relief from the worst of prejudices against them for a better standard of living in the North and Midwest regions of the United States. Others were Africans and people of African descent from the Caribbean who had come to the United States hoping for a better life.
All these groups of people were united by their heritage and their convergence in Harlem, New York.
Characterized by racial pride, represented in the New Negro figure who through intellect, the production of literature, art, and music could challenge the pervading racism and stereotypes from the larger white community of that era to promote progressive or socialist politics and racial integration and social integration
Supported by a number of white Americans who through genuine altruistic generosity, paternalism, and perhaps a degree of liberal guilt provided various forms of assistance to these black artists and opened doors for them which otherwise would have remained closed to the publicizing of their work to a larger audience outside of the black American community by being a patron or a publisher of blacks’ works
Some whites interested in “primitive” cultures, as many whites viewed black American culture at that time and wanted to see this “primitivism” in the work coming out of the Harlem Renaissancesomewhat Progressive
Other interpersonal dealings between whites and blacks can be categorized as exploitive because of the desire to capitalize on the “fad,” and “fascination” of the African American being in “vogue”almost Orientalism
Makes Harlem the most famous center of African-American life in the United States at that time and one that would have far reaching influence on people of Africa and people of African descent across the world as well as American culture in general

Chicago Race Riot
Chicago (duh)
1919
Major racial conflict in Chicagobegan at night on July 27th
Ended only after nearly 6,000 National Guard troops were deployed to put an end to the violence on the night of July 30th
Most of the rioting, murder, and arson was concentrated in the city's Black Belt, but violent conflict occurred in areas throughout the city, including the Chicago Loop. The riot left 38 people dead, 537 injured and approximately 1000 homeless





Philips County, AR
















American Legion
Indianapolis, Indiana
1919
An organization of veterans who served in the US armed forces during wartime
American Expeditionary Forces headquarters asked a group of twenty officers in France in World War I to suggest ideas on how to improve troop moraleTheodore Roosevelt, Jr., who was a Lieutenant Colonel in the US Army at the time, proposed an organization of veterans
In February 1919, this group formed a temporary committee and selected several hundred officers who had the confidence and respect of the whole armyfirst organization meeting took place in Paris in March 1919, about 1,000 officers and enlisted men attended. The meeting, known as the Paris Caucus, adopted a temporary constitution and the name The American Legion and named a subcommittee to organize veterans at home in the U.S.
The Legion held a second organizing caucus in St. Louis, Missouri, in May 1919. It completed the constitution and made plans for a permanent organization. It set up temporary headquarters in New York City, and began its relief, employment, and Americanism programs. Congress granted the Legion a national charter in September 1919
US soldiers finally getting recognized in some way

Palmer Raids
1918 to 1921
The Palmer Raids were a series of controversial raids by the U.S. named for Alexander Mitchell Palmer, United States Attorney General under Woodrow Wilson
US government wants to crack down on radical left-wing activity beginning in WWIbegin to track their activity
On June 15, 1917, Congress passed the Espionage Act, which set punishments from fines to prison terms up to 20 years for acts of interference in foreign policy and espionageanyone who obstructs the military draft or encourages "disloyalty" against the U.S. government is in violation of this act
In 1919, the House of Representatives refused to seat representative from Wisconsin, Victor L. Berger, because of his socialism, German ancestry, and anti-war views
Go on to pass series of immigration, anti-anarchist, and sedition acts (including the Sedition Act of 1918) that sought to criminalize or punish advocacy of violent revolution
In response, on June 2, 1919 a number of bombs were detonated by anarchists in eight American cities, including one in Washington that damaged the home of newly appointed Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmerthis is now the second assassination attempt on Palmernow has personal as well as public motivation to crush radicalsgroups all left-wing radicals, especially the socialists, together as enemies of the US to get the public opinion behind him, and for 1919 and early 1920 it works
All of the bombs were delivered with a flyer that clearly indicated the bombers' intent: “War, Class war, and you were the first to wage it under the cover of the powerful institutions you call order, in the darkness of your laws. There will have to be bloodshed; we will not dodge; there will have to be murder: we will kill, because it is necessary; there will have to be destruction; we will destroy to rid the world of your tyrannical institutions”
Starting on November 7, 1919, Bureau of Investigation agents, together with local police, orchestrated a series of well-publicized raids against apparent radicals and leftists, using the Espionage Act of 1917 and the Sedition Act of 1918 as justification
Palmer and his agents were accused of using various controversial methods of obtaining intelligence and collecting evidence on radicals, including harsh interrogation methods, informers, and wiretapsPatriot Act anyone????
Raids especially target IWW, socialists and essentially all people of Russian origin who, of course, are accused of being socialists
Specific raids and actions:
Victor L. Berger was sentenced to 20 years in prison on a charge of sedition. (The Supreme Court of the United States later threw out that conviction.)
The radical anarchist Luigi Galleani and eight of his adherents were deported in June of 1919, three weeks after the June 2 wave of bombings. Although authorities did not have enough evidence to arrest Galleani for the bombings themselves, they could deport him because he was a resident alien who had overtly encouraged the violent overthrow of the government
In December 1919, Palmer's agents gathered 249 radicals of Russian origin, and placed them on a ship bound for the Soviet Union
In January 1920, another 6,000 were arrested, mostly members of the Industrial Workers of the World union
By January 1920, becomes the largest series of mass arrests in U.S. history, rounding up at least 10,000 individuals
Public support of the raids contributed to their successwithout it, they would not have been allowed because they were so arbitrary and unjustified

Wesley Everett


















Lost Generation
Refers to a group of American literary contributors who lived in Paris and other parts of Europe from the time period which saw the end of World War I to the beginning of the Great Depression
More generally, the term is used for the generation of young people coming of age in the United States during and shortly after World War I. For this reason, the generation is sometimes known as the World War I Generation
Children of the Progressive Generation
Said to be disillusioned by the large number of casualties of the First World War, cynical, and disdainful of traditional American values (e.g. respectability)
Often complain that American artistic culture lacked the breadth of that of Europemany spend lots of time in Europe
Also maintain that all topics worth treating in a literary work had already been covered, although this period still had its share of literary and artistic contributions
Also involved with the first flowering of jazz music

Black Sox Scandal
1919
Chicago
Chick Gandil organized a deal with gambler Joseph Sullivan to fix the Chicago White Sox’s 1919 seasonmotivated to do so by greed and dislike of Charles Comiskey, the team’s owner at the time
Gandil enlisted seven of his teammates as part of the scam: pitchers Eddie Cicotte and Claude "Lefty" Williams, outfielders "Shoeless" Joe Jackson, Fred McMullin and Oscar "Happy" Felsch, and infielder Charles "Swede" Risberg were all involved. Buck Weaver was also asked to participate, but refused; he was later banned with the others for knowing of the fix but not reporting it. Utility infielder Fred McMullin was not initially approached, but got word of the fix and threatened to report the others unless he was in on the payoffplayers were promised a total of $100,000
When the players were found out, they were all banned from the teameight in all


The Man Nobody Knows 1925

Book written by Bruce Barton, the son of a Congregationalist and business executive (born in Tennessee)
Turned off by the Jesus described in the Bible who he sees as weak and feminine
Instead creates a vision of a strong “founder of modern business” which portrays Jesus as a salesman
Uses this version of Jesus and Christianity to make religion accessible and appealing to business executives and corporate owners
Reflects the commercial world’s influence on American culture






Welfare Capitalism 1920’s

Attempts by high wage industries and successful companies to treat their workers better
Based on providing welfare-like services to employees
Offers workers higher pay and non-monetary benefits such as health care, pensions, housing, in-house training, sports teams, and social clubs
Coincides with American legislation regarding maximum hours and minimum wage
Originates in the US under George Pullman and Henry Ford
More loyal and content workforce results in higher productivityGives companies even more room to provide welfare benefits
Combines compassion and capitalism, creating a model of corporate management that is more appealing to the general public

Sacco and Vanzetti 1920 Massachusetts

Two Italian immigrants, Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, charged and convicted for armed robbery
The crime consisted of two unidentified gunmen who robbed a payroll messenger bringing money to a shoe factory, killing the paymaster and a guard
State couldn’t actually prove the case, but the two men were anarchists, so the prosecutors used their radical political views to turn the jury against the immigrants and thus ensure a conviction
Trial brings protest from Italian-Americans, liberals, and civil rights advocates
Despite lengthy appeals, conviction upheld and the two men are sentenced to death in the electric chair
Part of a larger American upsurge of nativism and xenophobia in the 1920’s; as workers win higher wages, they don’t want competition from cheap, immigrant labor
Results in America restricting immigration to quotas of 2 percent of each national group; Asians not allowed at all
Also, only recognize national groups from the 1890 census; S. and E. Europeans hadn’t been immigrating in large numbers and ethnicities not from N. and W. Europe are thus at a disadvantage
Also portrays American bias and dislike of radial politics







Prohibition 1920-1933

The outlaw of alcohol sales throughout the US
Early success muted critics as breweries and saloons shut down, arrests for drunkenness declined, and alcohol related deaths basically disappeared
However, smugglers, bootleggers, and moon shiners quickly learned the ropes and were able to supply the public with illegal alcohol
Problems with poisonous concoctions similar to laced marijuana caused many deaths
This problem was aggravated by the fact that neither federal nor state authorities had enough funds to enforce prohibition
Meanwhile, huge profits from bootlegging provided ample room for bribes and organizationBy late 1920’s, liquor sales generated revenues of 2 billion
As people begin to openly defy the law, prohibition is seen more and more as a failure
Individual states repeal the law and by 1933, Congress repealed prohibition making liquor control a state and local matter
Exposes deep fissures in American society as organized crime grows and is glorified and huge debates and controversies rock the nation
Also exhibits some of the more racial, ethnic, and class tensions as the white upper class feels threatened by the teeming cities, crowded ghettos, unfamiliar immigrants, black migration, civil rights protests, and new sexual mores; upper middle class Protestants vent their fears and frustrations by attacking alcohol, smoking, evolution, immigrants and radicals in their attempt to bring traditionalist values back to the corrupt cities

Leo Frank 1914 Georgia

The son of a wealthy Jewish merchant from New York, Leo Frank managed an Atlanta pencil factory
A white female worker, Mary Phagan, was found murdered on the company premises
Frank was tried and convicted on very little sound evidencesentenced to death
Governor of Georgia reviewed the case and decided that the evidence wasn’t strong enoughChanged death sentence to life imprisonment
Decision outrages native, white Georgians
Group of citizens storm the jail where Frank is, kidnap him, and lynch him
New evidence in the 1980’s proved Frank’s innocence and Georgia granted him posthumous pardon (hell of a lot of good that did him)
Again, an example of growing nativism
Also, this case represents the increasing religious conflict as Catholic and Jewish immigrants threaten Protestant orthodoxy, leading to expressions of anti-Catholic and anti-Semitic feelings
This doesn’t really apply but I though it was funny. From the book: “Eventually many social clubs, country clubs, hotels, and universities exclude Jews, arguing that money along could not purchase respectability.” (As if you have to be respectable to go to college)



Morehouse Parish Klan 1922 Louisiana

Ku Klux Klan activities in Morehouse Parish, Louisiana
Encompassing but not limited to the murder of an F. Watt Daniel and a Thomas H. Richards, Aug. 24, 1922
Had a hard time knowing exactly what he was looking for

Herrin Massacre 1922 Illinois

Herrin, Illinois was big coal country in southern Illinois
The workers were mistreated, with poor conditions and no safety regulations
However, unions successfully organize in this area, and by the turn of the century, significant protest had won the unions higher wages and better working conditionsHigher standard of living and coal towns like Herrin prospered
Important to realize the passionate history of striking and protesting that surround this unionization as overzealous emotions are one of the reasons for later conflict
In 1921, William J. Lester starts his own coal company and hires 50 union men to work for him
Though the workers didn’t have a problem with Lester, they were member of the UMWA, the United Mine Workers of America and to protest the treatment of miners around the country the UMWA staged a nation wide strike that Lester’s workers thus participated in
Lester, in debt due o his newest business venture, couldn’t afford to have his workers on strike
Negotiated with the union to have his workers still mine coal as long as he didn’t ship it out and turn a profit
Accumulates a large amount of coal that he plans to sell after the strike but eventually his predicted profit gets so large that he feels he needs to sell
Fires his union workers and hires scabs and strikebreakers to ship out his coal; Lester was new to the area and must not have known about the history surrounding unionization that made this move so problematic
This, of course, created tension and conflict as union members worked to get the strikebreakers out of the mine and Lester worked to keep them in
As Lester refuses to listen to advice from the union and surrounding workers and mines (even National Guard warns Lester and informs him that they cannot protect his mine), coal miners in the region begin to rally to end the Lester operation (worried that if Lester succeeds other company owners will turn to non-union workers)
June 21st, hundreds of miners meet and rally in Herrin; loot the local hardware store for firearms and ammo
March out to the Lester mine, surround it, and begin firing on the workers and the overseers; superintendent calls for help
Ineffectual Sherriff Thaxton, trying to garner votes from the miners for the upcoming treasurer election, refuses to intervene on the company’s behalf
Meanwhile, miners have besieged the mine and the scabs
Behind the scenes, Lester and the UMWA reach a truce, but miscommunication and blunders mean that this message never reaches the people on site at the mine
Eventually, tension boiled over and the attacking miners blew up and destroyed the mine and its machinery
The besieged miners ended up surrendering and the union members granted them safe passage out of the mine and into Herrin
However, along the march into Herrin, agitators called for the murder of all strike breakers tensions and agitation grew until the union miners were beating the scabs as they marched
Eventually, the miners marched the scabs over to a barbed wire fence on the edge of a forest, lined them up, and told them to run
The scabs scattered as the miners fired from behind, plowing down as many scabs as they could; some were also recaptured and had their throats slit and still others were slaughtered in front of crowds that had gathered at Herrin cemetery
At the end of the day, at least 20 of the 50 strikebreakers had been massacred
Local law enforcement does nothing to stop the violence and it is not until word reaches UMWA leaders outside of Herrin that people get sent into the town to restore order
A few of the miners were brought to trial but all were acquitted when the jury concluded that the strikebreakers had been killed by unknown persons, none of which could have been identified
Event shocks and outrages the publicDiscredits the union
Indicative of the worker-corporate relations and conflicts that we have seen in Matewan and in the Ludlow massacre

Mississippi River Flood of 1927

Torrential rains during the summer of 1926 resulted in the Mississippi River overflowing its banks and levees, flooding 27,000 square miles, effecting 7 states (Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee), killing 246 people, causing 40 million dollars of damage, and displacing 700,000 people
By August 1927, flood had subsided
Significant because, as the floods approached New Orleans, Louisiana, officials destroyed a levee at Caernarvon, Louisiana to redirect waters away from the city
However, natural levee breaks throughout the area have now shown that this destruction was not necessary and waters were never going to reach New Orleans
Appears that the destruction of this levee was to save richer parts of town and sacrifice poorer, black communities
Displaced blacks in refugee camps face unsanitary conditions, tainted food, and other problems
Restarts black migration north as displaced blacks look for new homes
Effects the swing of black votes for the next few years, including the support of Herbert Hoover (the Secretary of Commerce, thus in charge of flood relief) who promised to fix problems in refugee camps and then the swing to Franklin Delano Roosevelt after Hoover didn’t follow through

Percy Family Mississippi

A famous, Southern, aristocratic, influential family
LeRoy, William Alexander, and Walker Percy are the three most famous Percys
LeRoy significant for this attempts to create a Delta workforce and make Mississippi look like an attractive place to live and work; only attempted to attract Africans Americans en masse
As his labor becomes increasingly dependent on blacks, he becomes worried about the encroaching KKK, thus publicly denouncing them; his influence keeps them out of Greenville, Mississippi where he lives
Also runs for Senate but loses to the populist, racist platform of governor James K. Vardaman
Will heads the relief effort for the Mississippi flood but turns a blind eye to the awful conditions in the refugee camps
Walter becomes a well-known author
Whole family cultures this sense of noblesse oblige, an obligation to care for the less privileged African Americans


Scopes Monkey Trial 1925 Tennessee

Many people don’t want evolution taught in schools and in 1925, Tennessee legislation passed a bill that forbade it
John Scopes, a biology teacher, immediately defied the bill, declaring he taught his course from an evolutionary standpoint
Scopes was brought to trial
William Jennings Bryan, the great American defender of faith heads the prosecution and well known lawyer Clarence Darrow defends Scopes
Huge crowds pour into Dayton to watch the case; religious zealots hold revivals and Bible meetings
Darrow calls Bryan to the stand as an expert on the Bible; stark contrast between Darrow’s mocking, sarcastic tone and Bryan’s direct, simple, and faithful answers
Scopes loses the case and admits that he broke the law and was fined 100 dollars
Bryan thought that he had carried the day but his opponents thought that he had been humiliated and viewed the Scopes trial as a victory for academic freedom
The significant part is the conflict between Darrow and Bryans which represents the relatively non-existent tolerance that secular and fundamentalist groups had and still have for each other

Clayton Anti-Trust Act

-1914
-The act was designed to break up trusts, which were basically what companies used in place of monopolies.
-The act also had safe harbors to ensure union safety
*Progressive under the Wilson administration [better significant points are welcome :)]

Scopes Monkey Trial

-1926, Tennessee
-A war between Modernism and Traditionalism in the form of religion vs. science. Lawyer Clarence Darrow argued for Scopes, a teacher who dared teach evolution in his classroom, while Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan argued against him on the side of religious creationism.
-Darrow made Bryan look bad and Bryan dies four days later though he personally thinks he did well.
*Modernists take this as a victory. Traditionalists go under-ground until the 1980’s

Sin-Free Zones

When: 1917-1918 (WWI)
Where: American army bases in Europe
Who: Woodrow Wilson, American army
What: Wilson is a progressive so America fights progressively -> establish sin-free zones around army bases: no brothels, casinos, etc. to distract soldiers from moralistic mission (story where French govt. offers the US "healthy, government certified prostitutes")
Significance: quintessentially Progressive (here for pure purpose, we will stay pure)

Zimmerman Note

When: 1917
Where: US, Mexico
Who: US, Germany, Mexico, Britain
What: British cryptographers come across German message to Mexico that says “If you ally with us, if we fight against US, we will help you recover all the land you lost to the US (Texas, New Mexico, California, Arizona)” -> Britain sends the message to Wilson (hope to get US involved in the war)
Significance: convinces America that Germany is evil and that US has to go to war

Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire

When: 1911
Where: Downtown New York
Who: Immigrant worker women
What: workers constantly sneak out of factory for a break -> owner gets mad -> locks them into building -> fire one day -> women can’t get out and elevator breaks (tons of women die there -> women have to jump out of building, fire department ladders don’t go high enough -> it’s in downtown NYC, so everyone sees it
Significance: Progressive legislation for worker safety (and owner of factory gets off free for the murder of the workers)

"It" Girl

Roaring 20's, distractions, movies. 1910-1920's.

-Refers to female celebrities who have sex appeal (such that it appeals to both genders)
-First "it girl" was Clara Bow, an actress in the 1920s from Brooklyn, NY.
-She came from a very poor, mentally and emotionally unstable household and got her big break in a contest by Motion Picture's Magazine called "Fame and Fortune"
-Significance was that she symbolized the age of the "roaring 20s". Americans were going to see her movies more than ever because they wanted distraction from their hardships and the hardships suffered in the year 1919.

USS Maine (ACR-1)

Spanish-American War, war ship, Cuba. 1898.

Before the Spanish-American War (April 25 – August 12, 1898), an American warship (which happened to be laying around in Cuba) exploded for unknown causes. Was this "Spanish terrorism, Cuban sabotage, or tragic accident?" It caused huge amounts of speculation and prodded the beginning of the war. Think: "Remember the Maine, to hell with Spain!"

Butcher Weyler

Spanish-American War, Jose Marti, humanitarian efforts, T. Roosevelt. Late 1890's.

Commits atrocities against Cuba, and is a Spanish soldier. He is an example of what helps sway public opinion in America towards Cubans. It prods the sense that something needs to be done in Cuba, and gives T. Roosevelt another reason to start a war (remember that Roosevelt is part of a small group of people who believe war keeps people in line). Humanitarians want to go into Cuba to "free the people", and they are encouraged by the yellow press.

Yellow Press

Press manipulation, Cuban Independence, Spain, Spanish-American War, Imperialism. Late 1890's.

During the Spanish-American War (where Cuba is supposedly fighting for their independence against Spain), a revolutionary force is attracting the attention of American press. Newspapers would hype the stories and exaggerate things that were going on in Cuba, so they could sell more newspapers. American manipulation of these events to gain.

Influence of Sea Power Upon History

Alfred Thayer Mahan, Imperialism, naval power, Roosevelt. 1890's.

Written 1890.
The book describes all the ways in which naval power has boosted nations into dominance, with some prime examples being Britain and Spain. Mahan is an admiral who studies history and believes that the only way to dominate is to have a strong navy. It has a big impact on the way America handles it's military budget and power, and since Roosevelt had lunch with Mahan, it heavily influenced Roosevelt's decisions during his presidency (1901 – 1909)

Queen Liliuokalani

Hawaii, American planters, annexation, Imperialism, expansionist. 1890's.

Expansionist provocations and domestic discord.
In early 1980's many American planters are looking to annex Hawaii for it's environment. Queen Liliuokalani is the symbol to many native Hawaiians of hope against America. She originally supported American acts because she thought that they would restore Hawaii to the "rightful owners"; instead in 1893, she was overthrown by American officials.

American Exceptionalism

Imperialism, manifest destiny, Puritan roots, social Darwinism, city on a hill, colonization. 1880-90's.

Manifest Destiny: the continent is full; where next?
Social Darwinism: the superiority of the WASP and "the White Man's Burder"
Protestant evangelism: cultural genocide and the religion of respectability

In order to justify Imperialistic actions, Americans were persuaded by the "Manifest Destiny" that is characterized by: spreading civilizations, social Darwinism (we have an obligation to help the less civilized), and conforming other cultures to our own. Americans felt negatively toward Imperialism because of their own fight against Britain dominance. This ultimately allowed America to rationalize atrocities they commit to spread civilization.