Reconstruction (1865-1877)

1. Post Civil War Situation A. South Defeated, Confederated had fallen President Davis went to prison 260,000 killed (20% of white male population), hundreds wounded, widows, orphans Most of war took place in south Economy was destroyed Agricultural crops were ruined (cotton, tobacco and sugar cane) Cities completely gone The few industries the south had were destroyed 1/3 of livestock was killed Each state had its own currency, after war Confederate currency was worthless 4 million slaves were freed, worth $4 billion in investments B. North Victorious, but bitter about the war 340,000 Union troops killed; 38,000 African Americans Industries and economy boomed during civil war They could make more guns and bombs with their industries during war Controlled federal government, the South was opposed to the federal government They did things to benefit the North Raised the tariffs on imports to make them more expensive then domestically manufactured goods Created a national bank and currency based in the north 2. Post Civil War Issues A. Political: What's going to happen to the 11 states that left the Union? How much power is the federal government going to have? Will it stay strong or go back to being not as powerful such as before the civil war? C. What's going to happen to the South's political leaders? Should they be hanged for treason? The constitution doesn't say anything about this

Economic: 1. How and can the South recover? 2. What will replace slavery? Racial: 1. What will happen to the 4 million ex-slaves? What are the slaves status, are they citizens? White southerners wondered how and who would control the slaves, they were worried

3. Presidential Reconstruction (1862-1867)

Requirements on South

Lincoln's Plan- (Republican) 1. Began reconstruction before the war ended in states that already fell to the union army 2. He made the ability of the states to rejoin the union extremely easy because he wanted the states back in the Union as soon as possible: a. 10% of the state's white population had to make an oath to rejoin the union b. Congress had to pass the 13th amendment, which outlaws Slavery 3. Freemen's Bureau- Government agency that assists freed slaves by establishing schools, negotiating labor contracts and land leases since they couldn't read and set up medical clinics (1,000 people were looking after 4 million freed slaves) 4. Abraham Lincoln was assassinated; this made the North angrier and they blamed the south for his death. The VP, Andrew Johnson became president. In 1864 Lincoln put Johnson on his ticket to help him with the Democratic party during the war. Johnson was from the Appalachian mountains in Tennessee. He was a unionist but he was not opposed to slavery, he was opposed to secession. He wanted to preserve the U.S. He was not a good politician, he always thought he was right and he never compromised. In 1868 he thinks he can be reelected. Since he is Democrat he plans on getting votes from the south. Andrew Johnson's Plan War officially ended when he became president He talked tough about his plan but in reality it was very easy. White southerners needed to make an oath to the United States. If they did this they received their citizenship, property and voting rights back. If you were a wealthy southerner or a high ranking government official you had to go to D.C and ask Andrew Johnson in person for a pardon. He appointed governors for all 11 southern states. Each state had to: Write a new state constitution Ratify the 13th amendment. Denounce succession (Pass a bill saying leaving the Union was wrong) He also canceled confederate debts, they did not have to pay back money they borrowed during the war. By 1865, Johnson said reconstruction was over because all states did what he had asked. He never mentioned ex-slaves Federal government was not really involved

White South's Response The south was not happy with Johnson's plan People in the south were opposed to any federal intervention, especially Freemen's Bureau, they want to destroy it because they think the government is meddling in state affairs Soon officials that ruled before and during civil war were re-elected White supremacy (no place for African Americans in the south) They refused to pass a bill denouncing succession Black codes- each state's set of laws solely designed to control former slaves, they varied state by state Ex. They couldn't vote, testify in court, carry a gun, own land, etc. Vagrancy laws- if you didn't have proof of employment (labor contract) you went to jail and had to work for any person who paid your bail until you paid them back (mainly African American males)

C. Republicans in Congress Respond Furious, after all who died in four years of war Northerners elected even more republicans to congress

Renewed Freemen's Bureau They passed the Civil Rights Act Countered Black Codes If you were born in the U.S. you are a citizen Citizens have protection and due process from law The federal government is the enforcer of civil rights Put the Civil Rights Act in the constitution with the 14th amendment 14th amendment also voided confederate debts and banned high ranking confederate officials from holding office in the U.S.

D. Johnson and the South's Reaction Johnson vetoed the renewal of the Freemen's Bureau and Civil Rights Act and told the southern states not to ratify the 14th amendment, congress overrides vetoes He went on speaking tours denouncing congress Congress then took over, there were two groups: Radicals- wanted to take land away from the south and give it to ex-slaves, they also wanted to give ex-slaves voting rights Moderates- wanted the south to pay for what they did 4. Congressional Reconstruction (1867-1877) A. Why Shift in Power B. New Plan for the South Presidential reconstruction is null and void, forget Johnson's plan Denied Southern congressmen their seat in congress Divided south into military districts and put generals in charge who enforced martial law South had to write new constitution to ratify 14th amendment Republicans saw their plan as a political solution C. Attack on Johnson Johnson began pulling the military out of the south Tenure evolvist act- the president is not allowed to remove high ranking military or public officials without permission from congress. Johnson fired the Secretary of War. Congressed impeached Johnson but he was not taking out of office by 1 vote. D. Politics after Impeachment President did not hold power Democrats don't vote Johnson in, Ulysses S. Grant was elected president Republicans took control of every state in the south, held on to power for 2-9 years in deep south 5. Congressional Reconstruction in the South A. Bi-racial Politics and Republican Governments 3 groups: Carpet baggers- business men and educators that were white, republican, northerners who moved south because they saw the south as a good opportunity to start over(they all typically carried cheap suit cases made from carpet) Scalawags- term for a sick cow; white, native southerners who became republican

African Americans were the majority of the republican party, elected to 15% state houses and congressmen

B. Economic Reconstruction White leaders wanted to create economic opportunity Voters wanted hospitals, schools, police, etc. Republicans took control of every state The south's agriculture was ruined. The whites owned land, the land owners wanted a system as close to slavery as possible (laborers get paid a small wage) The blacks did the labor and they wanted a system the exact opposite as the land owners. The blacks wanted to own land. They compromised by using Share-cropping- replaced slavery Buy on credit with interest when they had no money and they would pay back after the harvest This created a cycle of debt and poverty, if their crop failed they were put in jail for failure of paying debts Land owners would force share croppers to vote how they wanted Cotton prices plummeted 6. End of Reconstruction One by one the republican government fell apart and the democrats took over the South by 1877. A. Four Political Developments 1. Republican party in the south collapsed because it had internal tension 2. The democratic party got stronger: a. Complained about new taxes that funded new schools and hospitals and orphanages b. Charged representatives with corruption c. Home rule claimed that southern states were being run by carpet baggers claimed that their party was the party for white people 3. Violence dissuaded people from voting republican a. Ku Klux Klan- dressed to resemble ghost of dead confederate army, sole purpose is to terrorize republican officials and voters (military wing of Democratic party) 4. Northerners lost interest in the lack of quality in the south and black rights because they were exhausted from dealing with the Civil War and because an economic depression hit which made them focus on their own well-being. B. White Democrats take control of South By 1876, LA, FL and SC were all black majority states Disputed Presidential Election of 1876 Republican candidate- R. Hayes (Governor of Ohio) Democrat candidate- S. Tilden (Governor of NY) The vote of the three black majority states was disputed. Both sides claimed their candidate won. Congress set up a commission to decide who won the election. Commission consisted of 8 republican and 7 democrats. The republican candidate won, Rutherford Hayes. Democrats wanted to block the inauguration, instead they made a deal. Hayes had to pull troops out of three states with Republican offices. These republican offices soon collapsed and reconstruction was over.

Outcomes of Reconstruction

Political 1. Nation is reunited 2. Federal governments power is increased 3. South's power is reduced 4. Democratic party stays in power until the civil rights movement in the 1960s Economic 1. Cotton prices continued to go down 2. Share cropping replaced slavery but caused sharecroppers to be in debt Racial 1. Freedom for 4 million slaves who are now American citizens with the right to vote. Slaves began to look for long lost children and/or spouses. White supremacy, segregation for the next 100 years Hopeful legacy of the 14th and 15th amendment

WAS RECONSTRUCTION SUCCESSFUL?

Five Changes in American Society (1870s-1900)

These changes really change America into the society that we know today

1. Rise of National Business & Industrial System (Emergence of the modern factory system) Before, goods were homemade or produced and purchased locally

Factors Behind Rise 1. Transportation Improvements and New Technologies a. Railroad network took off 35,000 miles of track before war, in 1900s there are over 200,000 miles of track The Railroad is America's first big business, it operated nationally. They had to have land, materials and workers so everywhere it went it generated new businesses and economic advancement. It replaced horse drawn wagons. This allowed for rapid and cheaper transportation of goods. b. Telegraph- railroads made deals with the telegraph servers. They could put up lines around tracks but railroads got to use it for free. c. Telephone made by Alexander Gram Bell in 1870s, by 1890 most people had one. d. Refrigerator railcars were perfected. They could be used to transport meat and preserve food. e. Method of turning Iron into Steel was created. They used this to build bridges, railroads, etc. f. Oil refining was perfected in the U.S., lubricating machines, fire lanterns
Rise of Entrepreneurs and Managers Men with vision, most rose from nothing

JD Rockefeller- he started an oil refinery and began to take over his competitors until he ran over 90% in U.S. (Standard Oil which became Exxon)

Andrew Carnegie- In Great Britain he developed a way to turn iron into steel and brought it back to the US. He started a little steel mill and expanded the small company by taking risks. By 1800 it was the largest steel company in the world. They were all ruthless business men that took advantage of the chaotic environment were there was little to no government regulation. They were called "Robber Barons". New jobs were created by these corporations (Accountants, Clerks, Secretaries, Sales agents, Managers and Record keeping because they needed to keep track of everything, they did this on paper.)
Government Aid Crucial ingredient

to the process. Government does this by: Federal, State and Local governments gave direct aid to big businesses such as the railroad. Small towns convinced the railroad to come through their town by giving aid. Without this aid they probably wouldn't exist. (Gave cash subscriptions to stocks, gave free land for a depot, bought land that tracks needed to be put on, gave railroad tax brakes) Pacific railroad bill- contracted two railroad companies to build tracks across the U.S., from California to the mid-west. The government gave 45 million acres, low interest loans, sent US army to protect workers from Indians Kept tariffs on imported goods high Helps big businesses when strikes occurred by sending in troops Entrepreneurial liberty- the market will regulate itself, the government will stay out of it (wild west); the government didn't regulate big businesses

Changes Big Business Brought 1. Business on a National Scale a. Business was expanded to the degree that they can sell products nation-wide b. They could control all facets of production but they had to overcome problems on their own Ex. A brewery in Milwaukee ships beer. It sells so fast they can't produce enough so they buy a bottling company: Vertical integration- control everything Horizontal integration- spread product out by taking over similar companies This creates giant monopolies or trusts
Rise

of Factory 1. Goods were produced locally before factories 2. Workers were paid by their tasks, not by the hour

Implications/Problems 1. Limiting Possibilities a. Many thought the rise of factories threatened their independence. Their dream of going from the bottom to the top is lost. They thought they would be in the working class for the rest of their life.
Difficult

and Dangerous Work Conditions 1. Typical factory worker worked 6 days a week, 12 hours a day, no vacations, no overtime pay, little pay 2. No government oversight or safety regulations. Estimate 1880-1900 about 35,000 workers were killed every year on the job. 100,000's were badly injured (lost arms, eyes..)

You received no compensation or sympathy. No child labor laws, 2 million children worked and were not being educated

Creates Sense of Disorder People think that the American society might collapse 10 year cycle of economic depressions, 1873, 1883, 1893- 100,000s of unemployed people. 1893 was the second worst depression. Tramp class- new class of citizens, went from town to town looking for jobs Workers wanted better conditions and Union membership took off. A wave of extremely violent strikes took place. 1877 great railroad strike Tried to cut the workers wages by 20% Regional strike spread nation-wide. $10million of railroad property destroyed. Troops were sent in and 100 strikers were killed. The strike was crushed and they didn't get their 20% cut back. f. Hay Market Square in Chicago 1,000 protesters A bomb exploded and killed 7 police officers and at least 12 others g. 1890s, Pullman Strike 1893 depression caused the strike Pullman built luxury sleeping cars for railroads in "company town" Cut workers pay and laid people off but did not go down on their rent He refused to talk to them They got railroad workers across the country to stop using trains with Pullman cars. Got the president to put US Mail cars on Pullman trains. 12 Pullman workers were killed and strike was squashed. h. These riot made people extremely nervous
Most

Welcome New System a. People welcomed this new industrial system because they could buy new things for cheaper and there were new possibilities

2. Immigration

Changing patterns Before the Civil War people came from Western Europe. After the Civil War, 22 million immigrants arrived from Eastern and Southern Europe. They came because of the Industrial Revolution and the opportunities it brought, there were lots of jobs. Factories would advertise in Europe. Immigrants' experiences Many Came to make money then go back. Only 2/3 stayed in the U.S., they typically stayed where they landed in the Northeast.

3. Implications/Problems This creates some anxiety and fears, people think of it in a negative sense and they are concerned about the immigrants. Lower class workers thought it would threaten their jobs because they would work for less. Middle and Upper classes have fear as well because the hierarchy of races. They thought they were a threat to racial purity and religion, they thought they would spread their beliefs. 3. Urban Growth

1. Contributing factors By 1910 half of all Americans lived in a city. America is transformed from a rural nation to an urban nation because immigrants stayed where they landed. People also flocked to jobs in factories. 2. Characteristics In 30 years, from 1870-1900, the population of New York and Philadelphia tripled. Economic stratification- before population explosion, everyone lived in the city. Wealthy white people moved into suburbs because the city was dirty and dangerous. They used streetcars to go to work in the city. City was left with factories and lower class immigrants, factory workers, and African Americans. C. Implications/Problems 1. Overcrowding was a severe problem 334,000 people per square mile 2. Sanitation Most cities had no garbage disposal system No adequate sewage system They dumped waste into nearby rivers and streams. Horses used street cars and they pooped! 3. No police Urban bosses rose- neighborhood leaders who would perform favors such as finding people jobs, places to live and made sure they had food. They wanted the neighbors vote in return. This created political machines- a guaranteed win. Not very democratic, it was a threat to democracy. 4. Growth of the "Urban Underworld"- prostitution, Saloons- They were very different from bars today. Only working class males. Factory workers gathered here after work to drink and eat free food. Prostitution- Rose greatly. Technically prostitution was illegal but cities did not enforce the laws. Women were sold into prostitution. "Red light district"- every city had one, Storyville is in New Orleans 5. People who lived in cities were out of control, had immoral behavior and were threats to family. 4. Close of Western Frontier (Filling in of the Great Plains) A. Native Americans Removed Indians were forced out of the east into the mid-west. After the Civil War people became interested in living there. They looked to the mid-west because space was running out else where. Homestead act- if you build a farm and stay on the farm for 5 years you can have 160 acres for free. This drew in tens of thousands of people. They tell each tribe that they will have to live on a specific piece of land, a reservation. This system doesn't work very well. Their entire existence is based on chasing buffalo and on warfare, they are nomadic. They would make bogus deals with the Indians and force them to sign treaties that they couldn't read. Sent US Armies to move Indians, typically Indians lost the Battles. By the 1890s almost all tribes were back on reservations. Their entire basis of existence disappears and buffalos nearly become extinct by 1890. Buffalos became extinct because of railroads (encouraged passengers to kill buffalo), farmers

and the craze for buffalo hide. In 1865 there were 5 million by 1890 there were less than 1000 buffalo. People recognize that the reservation system is flawed and they come up with a solution. They want to make them US citizens by turning them into farmers. Congress passes the Dawes Actbreaks up the reservation system and gives each family 160 acres and they are not allowed to sell the land for 25 years

"Cattle Kingdom" & "Cowboy" As cities in east grow, cattle ranches grew in Texas and transported them to East Cowboy myth- white, carried guns, tough, gamblers, heavy drinkers 1/3 of cowboys were actually black or Hispanic, they didnt carry guns and they worked for meat packing companies who provided them food Few gun fights, 450 total Town and State Development Many towns came into existence during cattle runs Mid-west was filled in with farmers but there were few trees to make fences out of wood so they invented barb wire to keep livestock from trampling crops Used sod to build houses, later trains brought wood There was little water so they developed irrigation and wind mills to get water out of the ground Lived within a days travel of a town Many farmers were white, there were also Chinese farmers, Hispanics, African Americans, Native Americans People wanted more government oversight and petitioned for statehood States developed (1870-1890), ex. Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Utah

Implications/Problems Turner's "Frontier Thesis"- It was the frontier that made America a unique nation. There was no frontier left in the continental United States. Americans had always been moving west. These experiences made Americans tough and democratic. Now that the Frontier is gone, what does that mean for the future of America? This caused anxiety. People wondered about the future of their nation. They worried about America becoming soft and losing its toughness. If America were attacked from an outside nation would it survive? Rise of the Cowboy myth, 1890s. Cowboy iconology and mythology, ex. Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show Challenges to Faith and Confidence- Result of previous four changes in American society

Challenges to ProtestantismImmigrants were primarily of catholic or Jewish faith Protestants felt that their faith was under attack There was a debate about what bible to use in public schools Charles Darwin's theory of evolution became popular and became a direct threat to many faiths

Challenges to "Common Sense" Kerosene lamp was easy to understand, the light bulb was hard to understand Economy- Why so many depressions? The average American thought the economy was confusing, they didn't understand. People turned to experts who could explain the world they lived in.

Adjustments to New Society

Thursday, February 07, 2008 3:09 PM

1. Labor A. American Federation of Labor After 1896, America goes through a period of adjustment to the system that is here to stay. It is clear that all the new reform movements from Knights of Labor to Free Silver are out the window never to return However, the most important labor union the American Federation of Labor emerges. Only open to skilled workers Doesnt exclude blacks or women but not very many of them in the organization Basically all white males It simply wants better working conditions More pay for less time. The eight hour day law, pay increases. They see striking as best weapon b/c you have to be skilled to be a member and very hard for employers to find skilled workers. In 1905, membership is up to 2 million Not looking for new system just to adjust what is here. An alternate agency comes up the IWW ( industrial workers of the world) very same as knights of labor yet they use strikes and violence to get to the point not a lot of members B. Continued Dissent Another political party emerges: the Socialists party. They became very significant for a third party. A lot of mayors and a few congressman elected Wants state to control everything. 2. Culture A. Commercial Amusements Americans turn to commercial amusements to get their minds off of things in the real world. Work lives are terrible and want to stop thinking about it. So sports become popular Especially baseball. People like it for a lot of reasons. Baseball players become heroes. Movies begin to become popular. Projection films become popular b/c invention by Edison. The rise of cinema: workers can forget about world around them and escape for a little while, yell at an authority, and not looking at a clock. The greatest invention is the amusement park. It spread like Herpes around the country. Originated during the 1893 worlds fair which was the 400th anniversary of Columbus discovering America. The US wants to show off its greatness and as a suggestion, on of the founders said there should be rides and thrillers in the middle of the park. When there, no one cared about the museums and architecture, everyone flocked to the midway as it was called where all the rides were. Coney Island invented to make money off of this park idea. It was also the opposite of a city. B. Cult of the Strenuous Life Middle and upper classes get obsessed with exercises.

Since the lower class worked all day they didnt have time and didnt need it. Yet the wealthy begin an obsession with getting fit b/c they are scared of their world of comfort and think they are getting soft. So they turn to a lot of ways to stay fit: Huge craze for bicycles Clubs just for riding created Only rich could afford a bicycle College Football emerges as popular sport Only rich people go to college Was a way to make young rich man tough 3. College basketball For after football season ends 4. Going Camping Getting into the wilderness makes you tough Families take long vacations into the woods 5. Military training Another way to become tough College campuses have military drills 6. Craze about Medieval ages Established jousting clubs 7. The mindset of Imperialism To become tough and go to another smaller country and take it over.

C. Emergence of the Expert Another adjustment is to go talk to someone to help you adjust to either easing stress or how to get tough and these were the experts They led a reform movement called the Progressive reform The rise of social science is a big reform in schools To explain how to fix problems humans do Urban planter-someone to study people and remodel the city which they live Also giving people a professional status and certification: PHD, MD, BS makes them more trust worthy So, the new society was all about using experts to making America better. Typically an Urban professional a teacher, doctor, etc.

"Progressive Reform" Origins of Progressive Reform Progressive reform doesnt have a single cause. There is no leader, no headquarters. It was consisted of 100s of goals. Some want to eradicate child labor, disease, help immigrants, clean cities; etc Investigative journalists: Sinclair writes The Jungle Put reform in a box of four goals 1. Help people who wee victims of new society, end child labor, better working conditions 2. Impose morality: pass laws to conform to morality ending: alcohol, prostitution, gambling 3. Make America more democratic 4. Bring experts to form American society B. 4 Basic Goals Aid victims of the new society

Help improve working conditions, child labor and safety regulations Impose morality Ending prostitution and gambling 3. Increase Democracy 4. Use experts to bring order and efficiency to American society and business C. Reforms by Government 1. City level: Took over municipal utilities to make sure that they were reliable and people are clean Built parks Created a new position called a City manager- an expert that ran a city but not politically Figured out a way to increase democracy on a local level- they got rid of wards and made elections city-wide, this killed urban bosses and political machines 2. State level: Increased democracy in their minds by: Initiative- law that says people can get a certain number of citizens to sign a petition for a specific law to pass, this puts the legislators in the peoples hands Recall- law that says with a petition, citizens could take a politian that is elected out of office Primary- general public decides who the representative is going to be for the political parties Referendum- when legislators are scared to vote on something this allows them to escape making a decision by putting it on a ballot and letting the public vote on it Improved working conditions by creating the Workers compensation laws- designed to help workers who are injured on the job, gives them a momentary reward (a single lump payment) Cracked down on gambling and prohibition, 1/3 of states imposed prohibition 3. National level: Theodore Roosevelt Grew up in elite family and went to Harvard but dropped out to enter politics His wife died during child birth and his mom died on the same day Became a deputy sheriff out west and stayed there by himself for many years Ran for mayor of NYC but lost Appointed police commissioner of NYC Appointed Secretary of the Navy Fights Cuban American war and became a hero Was the governor of New York and was put on the presidential ticket in 1900 President was assassinated and TR was the vice president Assumed presidency at age 42, youngest president ever The first progressive president Won a Nobel peace prize, first president to own a car, leave the country, fly in an airplane, ride in a submarine, wrote 35 books Believes he can do anything he wants as president as long as it is not against the rules in the constitution. Thinks he can use presidential power in ways never used before. Felt he needed to mediate between big business and radicals Trust buster- breaks up monopolies, instigates 44 law suits in 8 years, most of which are not effective

Created the Nation Park system and declared 230 million acres of wilderness part of the nation park system Congress is very active while TR is president: Gave ICC the ability to set railroad rates Passed Pure Food and Drug Act- all meat and medicines in America are looked at by an inspector; patent medicines- concoctions that cured nothing and were highly addictive Won his second term and in 1908 but did not seek a third term He went on a safari in Africa and killed 5,000 animals

2. William Howard Taft Was a federal judge from Cincinnati, Secretary of war for TR Was easily elected president More of a traditional republican Doesn't talk much about trust busting but he instigated 90 law suits in 4 years Promised to lower the tariffs but instead he helped increase tariffs on imports. This upsets TR and citizens. TR decided to run for re-election New Nationalism wants to lower tariffs on imports continue trust busting introduce income tax to pay for the expansion of government creating more national parks campaign finance reports Republican party did not want TR because they saw him as too radical and they supported Taft Created the Progressive Party (Bull moose Party) to run for president Shot and refused to go to the hospital until he finished his speech 3. Woodrow Wilson Governor of NJ, President of Princeton University Democrat 1912 election candidate- Taft, Roosevelt, Wilson, Eugene Debbs(socialist) New Freedom platform lower tariffs regulate monopolies create a federal banking system Elected because Taft and Roosevelt split the republican party ticket Roosevelt came in second (closest ever) Sees himself as a progressive reformer Wants to carry out platform: Underwood bill- lowers tariff on imports and creates the first national income tax (only taxed wealthy people who made at least $3,000, 80% of Americans were exempt) Federal Reserve System- designed to solve cash flow problem, 12 private banks across the country were given the privilege of issuing currency, sets interest rates Federal Trade Commission- a government agency that was suppose to investigate unfair business practices New nature of government Government responsibility has been dramatically expanded

Democracy has been expanded in the minds of these people The role of the government on all three levels has been increased Presidential powers were also expanded

Problems, Tensions, & Responses to Changes

1. Characteristics of Emerging Society A. Ethnically diverse (immigrants) B. Religiously diverse C. America is Urban D. Giant corporations dominate the economy and have created monopolies E. Workers feel like they have less freedom than ever F. More choices- more goods and services are available 2. Problems and Tensions Generated 3 general fears: Fear that Americans have lost their independence- Railroad rates are controlled by strangers, cotton prices were controlled by banks in Europe, control was out of their hands Fear that Americans are losing confidence in themselves; chance to own their own business is disappearing, economic uncertainty is on the rise, economic opportunity seems to vanish with the arrival of immigrants, thought immigrants had radical ideas Fear of disorder- monopolies were bad for business, workers were unhappy and went on strikes, dangerous factories caused poverty and used child labor, inner cities were dangerous, immoral, filthy and had "political bosses" First Responses A. Writers and Journalists They addressed these problems. Books best-selling list shows what our nation is thinking about: Progress and Poverty by Henry George- how to solve the problem about workers not making enough money. Economic theory- "single tax" goes on land sells, this will make land speculation unprofitable and land values will decrease. Workers can afford to buy land and will become farmers. Workers pay will increase. Looking Backward by Edward Bellamy (Utopian Novel)- Workers will revolt and America will collapse, offers a solution to that fate. It is the story of man in Boston who falls asleep in a park. When he fell asleep the city was dirty. He wakes up 113 years later in the year 2000 and Boston is a park-like city with no politicians, poverty or upper class. It is controlled by the state (promoting socialism). B. Religious Christians were concerned about immoral behavior in big cities (saloons and prostitution) Urban revivals were evangelists who went to big cities. They swept the country in the late 1800s. The goal was to instill morality. They said sermons against saloons, gambling, prostitution and made the public take an oath to stay pure. They preached in a way to convince them to act differently. They converted thousands of people. Ex. Dwight Moody and Billy Sunday. Others wanted to impose morality: Women's Christian temperance Union- over half a million members who wanted to regulate access to alcohol. They wanted prohibition and no saloons. They argued that alcohol and the saloon destroyed the family because it wasted wages and sons followed their fathers in their alcoholic ways. Prohibition was passed locally. They passed

prohibition by pressuring men to vote their way. By 1900 about 25 % of American communities had enacted prohibition laws. Comstock laws (1873)- Anthony Comstock was a religious performer who operated in New York. He wanted laws to suppress pornography; they ban materials that are lude or insights lust from the US mail. He was in charge of enforcing the law and he destroyed many books and drawings. Anti-gambling law- directed solely at the Louisiana Lottery which was sold nationally. It was run by a private company not by the state. People said that the lottery was rigged. They banned the mailing of lottery tickets in the US. The Louisiana lottery soon went out of business. Many states also strengthened anti-abortion laws Knights of Labor This was a labor union that wanted to create a better life for workers and farmers Began in the early 1870s. Started out as very secretive and then expanded nation-wide. They didn't care about race, gender, ethnicity, age or if you were skilled or unskilled as long as you labored in some way. They thought non-workers and non-producers were the problem, they were very antimonopoly and wanted to end wage labor. They advocated worker run factories, wanted the government to take over railroads and banks. Wanted women to vote. How they would do this is a mystery, they elect people to make workers lives better. This goal does nowhere. They were against strike, they would boycott instead. Because of this their Union collapsed.

Farmers' AllianceBegan in mid 1880s and by 1890 it had several million members. It was very popular in the South, Mid-west and West. Credit rates were extremely high, farmers were always in debt. This caused economic turmoil. Eventually they come up with solutions: Co-ops- farmers in a specific community pull their money together and buy supplies in bulk. At the end of the harvest season they would pull their crops and sell them in bulk. This didn't work. Sub-treasury plan- an elaborate economic theory that is suppose to boost crop prices. Every community where farmers exist get a government warehouse and put a federal treasury office next to the warehouse. At the end of harvest season, they go to get a low interest loan based on the value of the crop and they have a year to pay it back. They can wait to sell their crop at the highest possibly price then pay creditors back. This plan is never enacted. Members become upset they are not getting their treasury so they create their own political party- the populists.

First Federal Responses Stance of Two Major PartiesDemocratic- South, and working classes (immigrants) Republican- Party of big business, oppose to regulating business Early Legislation Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC)- Formed because farmers demanded that they do something about railroads. It regulated railroad rates; Said all rates must be reasonable and

just. They must post their rates and it must be the same rate for everyone. This was a weak agency who usually lost in court to railroad companies. Sherman anti-trust act- Say a trust is just another way to organize a monopoly. They made it illegal for business combinations that restrained trade to operate. Unions on strike were stopping trade.

Third party challenge- The populists (Farmers Alliance) Origins and Base of Support In 1892 they held a national convention. Its core support was where agriculture business ruled (South, Mid-West and West). It believes that the political process is being controlled by big businesses and rich people. It wants more democracy. It wants direct election of US senators. Free Silver- (its other economic solution) All money was backed by gold "gold standard". Since no money was printed in excess it was hard to get cash. Because of this, banks charged high interest rates. The price of gold is fairly steady. Populists said that currency should be backed with gold and silver since silver was easy to get.

Main Values Major Political Goals Sense of Crisis Deepens- 1890s (worst depression before 1930s)

Worsening Conditions- 1893 Depression Lasted 4 years 1/5 Americans lost their jobs 600 banks went out of business. The federal government does nothing Coxey's Army- Jacob Coxey is a wealthy populist who comes up with an idea to help with the depression. He says that the federal government should hire unemployed people to build roads. He marches to Washington to get his idea passed. About 1,000 supporters, began protesting. Police raided camp and arrested Jacob Coxey. It didn't work but got tons of press.

President Cleveland's ResponseHe does nothing

1896 Presidential Election- occurs in the midst of depression

Choices Bryan nominated because at 1896 Convention he made the cross of gold speech He was an obscure Congressman from Nebraska. He endorses the Free Silver concept. He helps farmers get out to debt. Argues that the only benefactors of Gold standard are the high class people. He wants to represent the common man The populists also have a choice but the Free Silver platform already taken. They decide to endorse William Jennings Bryan. They also want sub-treasury and government takeover of RR Outcomes

When Populists endorse him, there most radical decisions are gone and the popularity of the Populist is gone as well. Bryan is democratic, criss-crossed nation for the champagne McKinley had the Front Porch campaign where he would just go out his front door and give a speech to a crowd that gathered Significance: Americans will stay the course, and not give in to something new. McKinley wins the 1896 election.

Emergence of a New Racial Order- Changes in race relations

Thursday, February 07, 2008 3:12 PM

1. Asians in the West Early 1850s, Chinese immigrants fled homeland because of political turmoil and war in China. They went to California and Washington to get rich in the Gold Rush. Most didn't strike rich and they ended up working for the railroad Intended to make money and take it with them back to China They were almost all males, in the peasant class and were illiterate. They arrived by tens of thousands This caused a lot of anxiety and tension between Chinese and Whites Chinese looked bizarre and believed in Buddhism, Americans thought they were devil worshippers. Whites could not understand their beliefs, food, culture. It was important for Chinese to maintain family graves, they were buried together in a plot in their homeland. Since bodies couldn't be shipped back to China they would bury fellow Chinese then dig them up a couple of years later and ship their bones back to China. Americans were appalled and California made this illegal. White believed Chinese would work for less and take their jobs. Whites saw Chinese as very low in the hierarchy of races. Violence and racism began riots against Chinese on the west coast Eventually California banned the ability of Chinese to testify in court Chinese exclusion act was passed which banned Chinese immigrants and did not allow citizenship to Chinese immigrants that already lived here 2. African Americans in the South

Developments since Reconstruction 90% lived in south from 1880-1890 Most stayed on the farm, some moved to cities 25% of blacks owned land by 1890 Literacy and life expectancy are way higher now They have the right to vote New repressive system Racially repressive system (Jim Crow system) happens in the 1890s Pushed out of society

3 ways white southerners repressed blacks:

Disfranchise- took away the ability to vote. Could not do this legally because the constitution said you can't prevent someone from voting because of race. Poll tax- have to pay a fee to vote o Typically a dollar

Had to pay it a year ahead of time Had to have the receipt with you at the poll to be able to vote Drafted new state constitutions that said you had to be a property owner and you have to pass a literacy test to vote. These banned some whites from being able to vote also. To fix this they passed the Grandfather clause. Grandfather clause- says if your grandfather fought in the Civil War you are exempt from the property and literacy requirements Whites controlled the polls Democratic party was the only party in the South. They were exempt from the 15th amendment so it had white primaries with no opponents. They used the new Primary System.

o o

Segregation Right after the Civil War there were no segregation laws but people segregated schools and neighborhoods informally In 1890s they passed segregation laws. You were thrown in jail if you violated these laws. Every public facility was segregated legally. Facilities were "Separate but Equal". Plessy vs. Fergusono 1896, in New Orleans o Louisiana imposed segregation laws a few years earlier. o Plessy challenged this law on purpose. o He bought a ticket to a white compartment of a train and was arrested o Case was brought to the Supreme court and ended with an infamous ruling. They said "Separate but Equal" is completely constitutional and it does not violate the 14th amendment. This "Separate but Equal" was a total myth. Facilities for whites were always inferior. School systems were legally separated but black facilities were terrible compared to white schools. Blacks got old, used textbooks and teachers got paid 1/10 of white teachers pay. It was separate and NOT equal. Some were even separate and nonexistent. There were only one park and one library which were for whites only. These laws stay until the Civil Rights movement

3. Violence In 1890s, most horrific decade against blacks in south Lynching epidemic, about 100 blacks were lynched every year Typically a young black male was accused of some sort of assault on a white female Often charges were made up The convicted person was tortured, forced to confess and then hung. They shot the body, hung signs on them and finally burned them. Race riots swept almost every city in South Atlanta Race Riot- 1906, in Atlanta a newspaper falsely reported that white women were raped by black men in a certain neighborhood. White men got together and started a riot, about 25 black men were killed. Any challenge to the repressive racial order will be met with violence and possibly death.

C. Why system emerges in 1890s? 3 reasons:

1. This was the decade when scientific racism reached its peak. Scientific racism- said African Americans are prone to crime and are unfit to be citizens. Lots of books were published in support of this. 2. Federal government signals that it will not interfere with the south. Ex. Plessy vs. Ferguson C. Average whites southerners believed all new generation of blacks which were not raised in slavery, were not disciplined, were unruly and would be prone to crime. D. African American responses Protest Protested outside of the South W.E.B Dubois was a famous protester. He was the first black with a PhD from Harvard. He wrote books, had a national newspaper column and founded the NAACP in 1909. Self-help Booker T. Washington was raised a slave in Virginia He founded a university. He focused on self-betterment and told blacks to forget about protesting and to focus on getting an education and bettering themselves, their schools and neighborhoods. 3. Leave the South Great migration to the west and north by railroad Chance of education was better

Foreign Policy / Changing role for US

Tuesday, February 12, 2008 3:11 PM

1. Old Role Basically revolved around these 4 elements: 1. Maintaining economic opportunity abroad Keeping global markets open 2. Staying out of European affairs Staying isolated 3. Expanding territory in North America Manifest Destiny- America has a God-given mission to spread across North America Ex. Louisiana Purchase 4. Exporting political ideas Get other countries to adopt democracy and capitalism 2. New Activism

Spanish-American War (1898)- Signals a new direction for American foreign policy Fought in Cuba (Spanish colony) Revolution began by Cubans because they wanted to be independent from Spain Cuba looked to US for help because they wanted to be more democratic and the US was formed from a revolution President McKinley does not want to get involved because he fought in Civil War and because of European affair policy US gets involved because media plays up how the Spanish are torturing Cubans by execution, concentration camps and starvation President sent a battleship named Maine to Havana Harbor as a warning for Spain to back off Ship exploded and sunk, killing 266 sailors No one knew why, Americans believed that Spain blew it up

Some thought the rebels did it to get America involved People today think that it was an accident from keeping coal by explosives President decides to get more involved and declares war on Spain, Spain declares war on US "Remember the Maine, to hell with Spain" Sent 300,000 troops, fought 5 month war against Spanish Seized Philippines and Puerto Rico Only 460 were killed in battle, 5000 died of disease. 10,000 of troops were black Gave Cuba their independence but kept Philippines and Puerto Rico Made Cuba sign a treaty that said Cuba would not make a treaty with any other country Kept Guantanamo Bay naval base Why should we keep Philippines? We want to be a player in Asia were we can gain the Chinese market. Ships ran on coal and this is the perfect coaling station to make it to China. President said we needed to teach Philippines democracy. Why shouldn't we keep Philippines? Some say we had no business keeping it because the US should never become a colonial power and because the people are brown. Natives didn't want us there, they saw us as the next colonial power. This caused a war that lasted 7 years. 100,000 troops sent in, 2,000 died. Very brutal guerilla war. Result of war We became a colonial power Imposed democracy in Cuba

"Open Door" policy America had a fascination with China Religious- thought they could convert them to Christians Economic American businessmen saw China as the biggest unexploited market in the world and they wanted ways to tap into the Chinese market. European countries were are already there. They had negotiated port treaties. Ex. Hong Kong was a British port US thinks these nations will colonize China. This would diminish potential for US goods to be sold there. US and China were not happy about situation Boxer rebellion- Chinese citizens who wanted to through out foreigners, we sent 3000 troops to put down the rebellion. We issued the Open Doors Notes to powers already in charge of China. Said US will not stay in China's territory and we dont think any other country should stay there either. Also says China has to allow access to its markets. All European powers eventually agreed. Latin America Panama canalEurope had been trying to build a canal there We asked Columbia and they said no TR signed a deal with Panama He told Panamanians that if they rebelled against Columbia we would send battleships to help. They did it. We then recognized Panama as a new nation. Panama granted us a 10 mile radius for the canal It took 10 yrs to build, 48 miles long, 6,000 workers died building it Built a canal through central America to cut off 8000 miles This made it easier and faster to California & to Asian markets Military advancement

Added Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine- said if Central American nations dont run their government properly or pay back foreign debts the US will send troops in and take over their affairs Europe Stayed out of European affairs Europe is problematic No alliances

TEST 2 MATERIAL BEGINS HERE World War I (The Great War)

Thursday, February 14, 2008 3:09 PM

1. Background We became a world power because of the result of WWI Alliances were made to prevent war Archduke Francis Ferdinand is on a trip in Sarajevo and is assassinated in Serbia (The Black Hand) Germany believes Russia will invade them so they attack France first then turn to Russia They surprised the French in Paris, dug trenches "The Western Front". 100,000 troops died on each side 2. Initial American Response Americans are horrified We have no alliances with any countries in war and we hadn't been attacked We see it as a European problem Thought we should stay out of it and remain neutral Some thought it was a threat to their civilized world President Wilson wanted to stay neutral but thought they should help negotiate a peace settlement We take England & Frances side because Germany started it Some Irish Americans, German Americans and Jews are on Germanys side Bank of US granted Great Britain $2mill or bill We wanted to be able to supply both sides with whatever they needed Great Britain prevented US ships from docking and unloading cargo to stop our trade with Germany, there was very little we could do about it Germans used U-boats to warn US that ships in that area may be accidentally sunk Germany sunk a Great Britain ocean liner called the Lusitania. Killed over 1000 passengers, including 127 Americans. Its cargo was full of ammunition and blew up ship. President Wilson demanded that US passengers must have safe passage on ocean liners, he demanded that they would never sink a US ship in a blockade zone and he demanded them to apologize. 3. Why American involvement (3) Wilson was re-elected to a second term because he said he "Kept Us Out of War" and gave us "Peace without Victory". In 1917 he changed his mind and decided we had to get involved because: 1. Germany is losing and he tells the US they will sink any boat they can. We broke off diplomatic relationships. Zimmerman Note a German foreign minister sent a message to the Ambassador in Mexico saying "try to negotiate a treaty with Mexico saying if America goes to war, Germany would help Mexico get their land back that they lost in the Mexican war". Great Britain gets intercepts this message and sends it to President Wilson. This is a clear sign that Germany is preparing to go to war the US and will attempt to start a rebellion on our borders Russian Revolution-

Revolution against monarchy government, early months of war look democratic All democracies against 2 monarchies Wilson thinks war could be a break through for global democracy Germany sinks 5 of our merchant vessels Say Germany must be defeated Gets declaration of war Been going on since 1914, we get involved 3 years later in 1917 He believes it will make the world safer for democracy and he thinks it will be the war to end all wars.

American Troops in war Our army was unprepared- tiny army with bad equipment Made draft and sent 2 million troops to fight. They encountered an awful war, fought out of a trenches with rotting dead bodies New weapons were invented, Tank- carved path for soldiers to pass through barbed wire Machine guns were perfected Artillery recoil system caused "Shell shock" Airplanes were used for the first time Poison gas- used first by Germans, US built largest poison gas facilities. Used chlorine or mustard gas which caused people to go blind. Their troops were worn out and our troops were fresh There was a deadly Flu epidemic 120, 000 died, most of disease Spent $35 billion- no one could conceive this amount of money before war November 1918 Germany gave up. Wilson wanted to play a major role in the negotiating of peace treaties. This puts the US as a major player Other foreign policy changes Communist took over in Russia Sending troops into Russia After the war ends the US is very interested in sending aid into Europe because we want to see their market come back and to prevent them from falling to communists. This worked!

Leading the peace Wilson's vision He wants to fulfill his goals, make sure a major war never occurs again, and that democracy takes over Came up with 14 points he wanted included in the peace treaty Europeans weren't that interested in his ideas 3 goals of 14 points: Countries should be able to determine their own government (democracy) Puts fourth the idea of free trade He wants to create what is called the League of Nations- a government body where every nation on earth has a representative. Its goal was to prevent wars from happening. All members would sign an agreement saying if any member is attacked, all members are attacked. Like the UN today. Wilson at Paris Peace Conference First president to visit Paris, stayed for a couple of months

Same as the Versailles peace Treaty Decide what goes in the peace treaty and what stays out of it Wilson runs into opposition from Great Britain and France, they have entirely different goals There sacrifice in the war was substantially greater, they lost over a million troops each and we lost a couple hundred thousand They want to make sure that Germany is never able to wage war again, they want Germany to pay GB and France what it cost for them to fight war. Wilson knows that this would ruin Germany's economy forever. Want Germany to give up territory and sign guilt laws saying they started the war. Wilson disagrees with all of these. He thinks Germanys economy needs to stay strong or he thought a radical group would emerge. He doesn't think there needs to be a buffer zone, the league of nations would stop them from starting a war. Work on it for months Wilson had to give in and GB and France got buffer zone, Germany had to sign guilt laws and Wilson got the League of Nations. Wilson won Nobel Peace Prize

C. No American ratification 2/3 of senators are needed to ratify treaty He presents treaty to senate There is opposition to signing treaty Democrats agree but they do make up 2/3 of senate 2 groups opposed to signing: 1. Reservationista. Have concerns about the treaty b. He only took democrats to make treaty with him, republicans are hesitant c. They dont want to put soldiers under control of the League of Nations 2. Reconcilablesa. Opposed to treaty 100% Wilson refuses to change it or negotiate because they worked on it for so long. It puts pressure on senators by traveling and giving speeches Had a massive stroke, became paralyzed on his left side. This was kept out of the news He blamed senators for his stroke because they made him stressed Congress voted and all democrats wanted it but did not get 2/3 vote 2nd vote without League of Nations- all voted no The US never signed the Paris Peace Treaty or joined the League of Nations This matches the feeling of the American public, they weren't willing to go as far as Wilson wanted them to

World War I & Progressive Reform

Wednesday, February 20, 2008 11:42 AM

People say Progressive ended when the war started but some say it continued into the war years. What happened to these four goals during the war? 1. Aid to Victims of New Society? Forgotten during the war 2. Promoting Democracy?

Continued mainly because of the 19th amendment, which gave women the right to vote, this was ratified during the war. Takes 3/4 of states needed to vote in favor, southern voted no except for TN because they see it as federal interference in what should be a state issue. It is ratified They put forth 2 arguments: 1. Equal to men 2. Women are different from men, they are more moral and therefore they should get the right to vote because they will look out for the family and children US took over Railroads Created agencies to distribute food and fuel Created The War Industries Board- worked with and supervised businesses that made war products

3. Bringing Order & Efficiency?

4. Imposing Morality? Increases dramatically- told people how to behave and think during WWI. Government went on a campaign to impose morality. in 3 ways: 1. Anti-prostitution because US feared that troops would get a disease before going to war and this would hurt their effort to fight. Closed down "red-light" districts and arrested thousands of prostitutes. "Men must live straight to shoot straight" 2. Also a quest to end access to alcohol. Half of all states had already passed prohibition laws. Campaign goes on where alcohol is till accessible. Made it illegal to sell alcohol to men in uniform. Got congress to put fourth the 18th amendment which said the manufacturing, selling or transportation of alcohol is illegal. Very quickly ratified and put into effect. Thought no one should drink during war because they needed to concentrate on winning the war 3. Campaigning to influence the way Americans think specifically to the way Americans think about the war. Want them to support the war effort and be patriotic. Universities gave courses to tell people why we are in war. Started the Committee on Public Informationdisseminating arts, words, pictures to motivate people to support the war. Created films, gave lectures, got Hollywood involved, put ads in magazines Passed laws to quash any potential to criticize the war. Very undemocratic laws: 1. Espionage act- passed in 1917, you could face up to 20 years in prison and $10,000 fine if you make statements that interfere with the war effort 2. Sedition act- made it illegal to criticize the US, the flag or military in speech or writing; you could be put in jail and fined. Over 3,000 charged and about half were convicted. Supreme court backed up these laws and were withdrawn after the war During the war there was a war against hyphenated Americans (German-American). Sourcrout was renamed liberty cabbage. Strange groups popped up enforcing 100% Americanism. American protector League- private organization with 250,000 members, asked members to spy on neighbors and co-workers to look for unpatriotic activities "Boy spies" instead of Boyscouts

Postwar Reactions
Thursday, February 21, 2008 3:12 PM

1. Problems and Unrest A. Economic Depression

Minor economic depression because war products market disappears, 2 million came home looking for jobs

B. Racial Unrest African-Americans enlisted and participated in WWI. Expected to gain full right of citizenship Old South sent messages by lynching saying that they still weren't accepted Hundreds of thousands African-Americans moved to North to fill jobs at factories that were open because workers went to war. When soldiers came home they wanted their jobs back. Race riots broke out. C. Labor Unrest During the war workers would not go on strike to help America win WWI. They believed they should be rewarded after the war ended. They wanted less hours and more pay. Factory owners also thought they sacrificed for not making as big of a profit as they could have. Strikes take place and are put down by troops. 2. Hysteria A. First "Red Scare" People referred to communist as "red" "Red scare" means "communist scare" Reds were anyone who held a radical belief and were different from main stream America Hysteria emerged after WWI because of 4 sources: 1. Russian Revolution Communists succeeded and announced a world revolution against capitalism 2. Threat of communist taking over American government Americans believed this threat was real since some were successful in Europe. The residue of WWI propaganda, the Sedition Act and the Espionage Act also caused them to believe that it was possible. 3. Wave of strikes Factory owners claimed strikes were happening because labor unions were under the control of communists 4. There was a tiny amount of real communism taking place in US Anarchist blew bombs up in cities Bombs were mailed to wealthy capitalists The elite thought it was "cool" to play communists. All of this caused hysteria, such as: Coal mine in West Virginia had its own militia and ordered troops with guns to force strikers to line up and kiss the American flag because they were seen as radicals. Trial of Sacco & Vanzetti. A shoe store was robbed and a guard and payroll clerk were killed. The police came to investigate and thought radicals were involved. They began looking for radicals that lived nearby. Found Sacco & Vanzetti who were anarchist. They were arrested and charged with murder. They had alibis, witnesses and no criminal record. The judge instructed the jury to be true American citizens and they were sentenced to death and executed. There was no acceptance of radicals. Government got involvedo Attorney general Mitchell Palmer set up a branch of justice exclusively to hunt "reds". He believed there were communist inside the US. Raids- 3,000 communists were rounded up and put in jail. They were questioned, denied bail and access to a lawyer. 4,000 more were arrested. Immigrants who were not US citizens were sent to Russia, even if they weren't Russian.

Palmer says there will be a major uprising on May 1, 1920. May 1st comes and there was no uprising. o J.E. Hoover was in-charge of special unit. He came up with 150 names to be investigated. The "Red Scare" eventually burned itself out. Major political legacy of hysteria was that Immigration was restricted. People thought immigrants were importing these radical ideas. Congress put limits on European immigration. They allowed no more than 150,000 of European immigrants a year.

Republican Administrations of the 1920s

Tuesday, February 26, 2008 3:04 PM

1. Presidents All presidents in the 1920s were republican- Warren G. Harding, Calvin Coolidge, Hoover 1. Warren G. Harding From a little town in Ohio where he owned a newspaper and was a member of fraternal organizations. He was very popular and he decided to get into politics. Elected to US Senate Voted against Versailles treaty and Woodrow Wilson Spoke out against the League of Nations Republicans had no one to run for president and they thought Harding could win the White House back "A return to normalcy" was his campaign slogan. He believes America has been headed off course and he wants to get us back. Democrats choose someone to follow Woodrow Wilson's reforms and "Stay the course" Wins in a landslide with Calvin Coolidge as vice president. o As president: Voted in favor of prohibition Kept White House stocked with bootlegged liquor, had a lot of parties, played poker, had affairs with best friends wife, played golf a lot Elects friends to offices and they got him in trouble. Ex. President of Veterans Committee- was convicted and sent to jail for selling drugs and alcohol. Ex. Tea pot dome scandal- Secretary of Interior leased government owned oil fields to private companies because he took a $100,000 bribe. Thrown in jail. Died of a heart attack at age 57, remembered as worst president in US for a long time.

Calvin Coolidge became president From small town in Vermont Became governor of Massachusetts Very quiet, reserved, lethargic, inactive president, low profile Typical work day was 3 hours, slept 12 hours Occasionally had dinner parties in White House, a couple of women had a bet to get them to say 3 words, he said "You lose." Easily re-elected in 1924

Philosophies & Policies Basic Philosophy Thought it was the governments role to help business grow Thought government regulations hurt business Against progressive reforms He said "The business of America is business"

Specific Goals & Policies Cut taxes: thought taxes on business were wrong, most business paid 1/3 less taxes Raised tariffs on imports Appoint men to run progressive institutions that oppose them Shrink government Exceptions Women: Shepherd Towner Act- created a new government agency charged with providing medical health to pregnant women, mothers and children. 1st federally financed welfare industry, passed during Harding administration. Women got the right to vote, women's groups advocated this Created a couple of new regulating agencies: Federal Radio Commission- regulated spectrum & what could be said Federal Aviation Commission- regulated airlines as industry began
HISOR

American Society & Culture in the 1920s

Tuesday, February 26, 2008 3:06 PM

1. 3 Areas of Cultural Conflict (Traditional Small town vs. New Urban) 1. Culture Small town- hardworking, saved money, fixed notions on sexuality, fixed gender roles (women at home in kitchen), no premarital sex Urban- leisure was more important than work, forgot about saving money, they consumed, flexible notions of sexuality, flexible gender roles, more lenient with dating 2. Moral standards Traditional morals were in rural America, it was not changeable. They could easily identify right from wrong and moral from immoral. They looked to religion for guidance. New urban morals were flexible and changeable. Thought right/wrong and moral/immoral were situational. They looked to science for guidance. 3. Work & Consumer ethics Small town work ethic- reputation is based on hard work, saving money, family man Urban consumers- leisure time was more important than working, use credit (buy now, pay later), don't save, reputation comes from what we own 2. Sources of Change 1. Urban Growth By 1920s more Americans lived in cities. America became an urban nation. Living in a city changes the way you behave, small town supervision is gone Exposed to big city values 2. Revolt of Intellectuals Traditionally people supported Victorian world and traditional values Ex. They wrote instruction books Role changed "New Individualism"- new emphasis on the rights of individuals Ex. Red scare and espionage act- thought rights were being threatened by the government. American Civil Liberties Union was created to provide legal representation to people whose rights were denied/violated by the US government.

Intellectual revolutions: Psychology gravitates to Sigmund Freud's ideas Freud's theory of Unconsciousness- you are only aware of a small portion of what you really think, there is a whole other set of hidden fears, emotions and ideas that surface when you have an idea. People began to believe that it was hard to know human motivation, why people act the way they do and if they are moral or immoral. Theory of repression- Freud argues that modern society forces people to suppress their true urges. He says this will result in an explosion of psychological drama. This shows them that modern civilization is not necessarily a good thing, Anthropology Cultural relativism- put forth by Margret Mead, she said no one culture is better or worse than another, it is just different. "Coming of age in Samoa"- she studied Samoan culture and said American society made adolescent girls life stressful, in Samoa it was the opposite. It was less stressful and the transition was very smooth. They married later but had casual sex before. They were happier and better off. Said a primitive society works better. Intellectual don't know what's right/wrong, moral/immoral and they believe it is up to the individual to decide. Maybe primitive society is better, this challenges racial hierarchy. Discovered Jazz, it seemed more real and authentic.

C. New Popular Entertainment Movies became mainstream: In 1920, 50 million people went see a movie every week. By 1929, 100 million Movies were taken out of dingy theaters and put into movie houses Message changes: Early movies were silent, black & white, made fun of authority figures & elites. A new topic was introduced- showed a new openness of sexuality, movie stars hugged and kissed. Impacts the way people behave because they tend to emulate what they see in the movies. D. Automobile Had been around since turn of the century but they were seen as toys for the wealthy. There were only about 8,000 cars in America In 1920s the car emerged in mainstream America because Henry T. Ford invented a car for the masses, the "Model T". It was built on the assembly line in 1.5 hours, cost $250 and you could buy on credit. 27 million cars by the end of the decade Influenced the way people behaved because you could "escape" small town culture. This changed dating practices (moved out of the parents home) called it a "portable bedroom".

E. Changes in Industry Continued Growth Through mergers, acquisition, and change over's 200 industries controlled 60% of industrial out put Double Productivity New industries: Automobile, chemical New efficient power source: Electricity replaces coal and water

New management theories: Scientific management- an expert goes into a factory and studies the workers, measures and graphs every action and finds out the most efficient way a worker can produce Assembly line- workers perform the same single task all day, everyday

C. Labor Relations Welfare capitalism- purpose is to make workers happy about their jobs Sponsored after-work activities such as bowling leagues and picnics Created human resources which matched workers with the best job for them Had social workers to make sure home life was good Created company unions which were organized and run by the company to get rid of labor unions/grievances Increased pay Began to get weekends off and had 40 hour work weeks (done 1st by Henry Ford) Began to get workers vacations Result- workers began to identify more with what they did outside of work and began to be more interested in their leisure time 4. New emphasis on advertising Companies doubled production but population did not double. They needed a way to get consumers interested in their products so they advertised. At the start of 1920s companies spent 8% on advertising, by the end of the 1920s they spent 40%. The message on the ads changed. It use to be full of text with detailed description. New ways to advertise Emphasized the diversity of products Ex. Colors of shirts Encouraged people to buy multiples of the same product Ex. More than one phone Car manufacturers came out with a new model every year Talked about benefits of products instead of just what's in it Ex. How they will feel when they wear it Played on social fears and anxieties Ex. Buy it so you aren't embarrassed (hygiene-deodorant, toothpaste, mouthwash) Celebrity endorsements Baby Ruth was the 1st big one Urban intellectuals wrote these ads 5. Overall implications People came out of the 1920s feeling like corporations were on their side Workers identified more with what they did outside of work People believed reputation is gained from what they own and not what they do Consumption increased Small town values, culture and work ethic is challenged City people adapted new values The way women behave in public changes dramatically Ex. Un-chaperoned dates, cigarettes, short dresses 3. Impact of Changes 1. New values

Small town values, cultures and work ethics are challenged

2. Spread of new values Advocates of new values Mainly people who lived in cities Public behavior Women were flappers, went on un-chaperoned dates, smoked cigarettes, wore short dresses 3. Defenders of traditional values 2 groups want to go back to Victorian: i. Christian fundamentalists Urban revivalists Been around since early 19th century By 1920s they represent about 10% of religious population They want Americans to focus on the bible, not the "changes" such as cars. They went after Darwin's theory of evolution- got 20 states to make it illegal to teach this in public schools. ii. Ku Klux Klan Disappeared in 1870s, came back as a completely new organization More popular in Midwest, 4 million members Nativists- opposed to immigration, blacks, Jews, Catholics (believed they were controlled by priests) Main focus is that they are opposed to the moral shift taking place (nightclubs, dance halls, movie industry, premarital sex, divorce) Support traditional small town moral values. Terror organization- use terror to get people to act how they think they should, see themselves as morality police. Ex. beat husbands who cheat on wives 3. Confrontation Fight against prohibition for alcohol- even though selling alcohol was illegal people still drank, especially in cities. They would flaunt breaking the law and mock the 18th amendment. Scopes-Monkey trial: Scopes taught theory of evolution to his bio class in Tennessee to purposely challenge the anti-evolution law. He was arrested and put in jail. ACLU sent in a high powered lawyer named Clarence Darrow. The town got William Jennings Bryan to defend them, says small town should be able to control what is taught in their schools. Bryan was put on the stand and admitted that the world probably wasn't created in 7 days and that other things in the bible probably weren't correct.. Scopes was guilty and fined $100. Response of most Americans Typically didn't pick one side or the other. They wanted it both ways and tried to embrace both sides. Ex. They tried to hold on to morality while buying a new car
Explain the changes that took place in American society in the 1920s, summarize the new values or attitudes that those changes brought, and discuss the various reactions against those new values or attitudes.

The Great Depression

Thursday, February 28, 2008

3:19 PM

1. Background The economy was booming in the 1920s, production doubled Most people lived in urban areas The government was being ruled by republicans, less government oversight, federal governments role decreased Calvin Coolidge decide not to run again Herbert Hoover got the Republican vote: Orphan at age 10, went to Stanford, millionaire at age 40 In charge of WWI food aid for Europe Secretary of Congress for Harding and Coolidge Symbol for corporate America He campaigns that economy will last "A chicken in every pot and a car in every garage." Promised to sustain prohibition Al Smith was the democratic candidate: Son of immigrants, Catholic, repeal prohibition Got beat by a landslide Hoover easily won presidential election 6 months later the great depression happened- economic catastrophe that began in 1929 and would last until the 1940s 2. Causes Stock market crash was not the main cause of the great depression Production did double and stock value went up 400% People thought the growth would never end and if they invested in stock they would get rich Credit was easy to get and people would take out loans or refinance their house to get money they needed to buy stock The value of stock was real until the mid 1920s, then stocks had artificial values A typical correction cycle took place to reassign correct values to stocks, this correction cycle was more dramatic then others and caused a "crash" Most stocks fell in values by 1/3 to 1/2, market lost $10 billion American economy was not healthy before the crash The stock market was unregulated, no government oversight Stocks were over valued because there was a lot of insider trading and brokers were corrupt Automobile sales plummeted because everyone already bought cars Banking system had structural problems (depended on crop and land values, both of which were down; used customer deposits to buy stock) General lack of demand for goods; output surpassed demand After the crash, the federal government raised interest rates to prevent inflation but the problem was deflation Congress raised tariffs on imports to protect American businesses but foreign countries did the same 3. Impact Economic GNP (Gross National Product) decreased over 50% 1/3 of Banks closed (no refunds, all money was gone) 85,000 American businesses closed 25% of population was unemployed

American Public No government aid, private aid agencies can't keep up with demand

People began to starve to death, they planted crops in their own yards and went to restaurants for table scraps Some men wandered the nation looking for work, police would escort them out of town South, Midwest, and Great Plains were hit with an extreme drought. This caused the dust bowl because soil was over planted and the top layer of soil turned to dust. 3.5 million people fled to California. American middle-classes suffered the most. They believed if you were poor it was your fault, they blamed themselves. Poor people felt it less, they lived basically the same lifestyle. Wealthy class felt it the least. They had enough money to slide right through it.

4. Responses Hoover Said the depression would pass and the market would fix itself Thought it occurred because European countries went off the gold standard Thought government oversight was unnecessary Government aid is against what he believes, thinks people will begin to expect handouts Wanted the federal government to balance budget even if it meant raising taxes When he notices it isn't going away he asked companies to voluntarily set minimum prices for products and wages. Many commit initially, but stop. Congress creates the Reconstruction Finance Corporation to loan government money to banks, big businesses and states to try to prevent them from going under. They loaned about $2 billion. This does nothing to slow down the depression. He refused to do anything else. In 1930 he declared the depression was over, he was wrong

American Public Wealthy Americans stand behind him completely and called him a hero for refusing government aid. The middle-class blamed themselves, they didn't look to the president for help. Farmers in the south/mid-west that were going through the drought and the people in the dust bowl demanded Hoover to do more. They began to protest: The bonus army/march- in 1932, after the WWI, federal government passed a bill giving WWI veterans a bonus payment of $1000 in 1945. Unemployed veterans decided they needed that money now. 20,000-25,000 veterans marched to Washington D.C. and set up camp. The house passed the bill in 1932 but the senate blocked it because Hoover opposed it. Hoover thought the march was being led by communists and he called in the Army to break up camps, they used tear gas and burned down camps. Americans thought Hoover was a monster for doing this. They thought Veterans were just people looking for help. Slang terms arose Ex. Hoovervilles were homeless towns, Hoover blanket was a newspaper, Hoover flag was empty pockets,

5. Election of 1932 Hoover still gets republican nomination for president Franklin D. Roosevelt was democratic nomination. His campaign was to get American out of depression but he doesn't say how. He won in a landslide.

The New Deal

Tuesday, March 04, 2008 3:08 PM

1. Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) A. Personality Wealthy, went to Harvard Law Married TR's niece Assistant Secretary of Navy in WWI Got polio and was permanently paralyzed from the waist down, media helped keep his disability hidden He was optimistic, cheerful, charismatic and a great speaker He mastered the art of radio and gave a series of talks to the public called "fireside chats". He seemed concerned and optimistic. This convinced Americans that he cared about them and would make things better Eleanor was an active first lady, she was FDR's political partner. She traveled endlessly trying to help poor Americans. She had her own newspaper column. A lot of wealthy Americans hated him because he was wealthy and betrayed them. They thought he was a socialist. B. Philosophy behind New Deal End the depression & provide aid Interpretations a. Not that radical- it is nothing new b. Conservative- radical departure from past, government oversight gone way too far, dangerous expansion of federal government, path to socialism c. Liberal- thought it was way too conservative, thought it changed system just enough to allow capitalism to survive Roosevelt He said he had no philosophy and he made it up as he went He was willing to try anything that might work to turn the economy around Thought the cause of the great depression was Americans over production and over consumption. He also thought it was the collapse of core financial institutions (banks, stock market) and he new it needed to get restored He wanted to help Americans with these problems and he was elected president for 4 consecutive terms He called everything he did while he was president part of the new deal Development of New Deal "First New Deal" (1933)Roosevelt didn't go into office until March, Hoover did nothing during this time to help the great depression. Roosevelt laid out the "New Deal" within the first 100 days of presidency. Restoring faith in financial institution "Bank Holiday"- all banks in US are closed for 4 days to show government inspectors their financial records. Only banks who passed inspections were allowed to reopen. SEC- Security (stock) Exchange Commission- federal agency set up by congress to oversee stock market.

c. FDIC- Federal Deposit Insurance Company- money in an FDIC affiliated bank is insured up to a certain amount of money. These banks had to pass a government inspection.

These 3 moves are extremely conservative. No changes were made to the stock market or bank systems. to end economic downturn

Attempts

a. NRA- National Recovery Administration- designed to stop economic decline, first attempt to get economy going again. Its a voluntary agency with representatives from industries and labor organization. They get together to figure out minimum wages for laborers in a particular industry. Also set prices for products and set limits on production. It is completely voluntary but encourages Americans to only buy products from NRA businesses. It didn't work well because businesses would break agreements, ex. produce more, go over price, pay workers less. b. AAA- Agricultural Adjustment Act- designed to get farmers to produce less at a time when Americans are starving. They do this so crop prices will increase. It paid farmers not to plant their crops. Only land owners got paid, share-croppers lost their jobs. This is a radical move. c. TVA- Tennessee Valley Authority- a government owned industry, competing with privately owned industries. Went in and built dams to stop flooding and produce electricity to sell for cheap. This works very well. This is also a radical move. 3. Direct relief to individuals a. Federal grants- the federal government gave states cash grants to set up agencies to feed people and/or aid people who are hardest hit b. CCC- Civilian Conservation Core- government agency that hired young men to work in the federal park system to building trails, roads, bridges, cabins and plant trees. Paid $30 a month, sent $25 back home to parents. c. FHA- Federal Housing Administration- Banks didn't want to loan money to people to buy houses, so the government helped pay banks back for homeowners who defaulted loans

Every American should have a basic standard of living- everyone should have food, a job, and a place to live.

Growing opposition to New Deal Congress and Roosevelt were democrats 1. From Supreme Court- republicans, disagreed with Roosevelt and declared NRA and AAA unconstitutional. Said he went too far and put America on the track to Socialism 2. From the right- many conservative, wealthy American are appalled by what he has done in his first 100 days. They disagree with everything he has done. They got together and created the Liberty League to advertise against this plan and instigated law suits.

a. Charles Coughlin- catholic priest who operated in a suburb of Detroit. He had a radio show that grew to be the most popular radio show at the time, 40 million people tuned in weekly. He was the voice of conservative America. Early on he was a big supporter of Roosevelt. "Roosevelt or ruin", the New Deal was called "Christ's Deal". Turned against it when he got in his head that the great depression was caused by an international Jewish banking conspiracy. Created a third party to run a candidate against him, nominee didn't even receive 1million votes. He was thrown off the air. 3. From the left- people thought he hadn't done enough and thought he needed to go much further. a. Huey Long: Didnt finish high school because he petitioned against 12th grade. Received scholarship from LSU but couldnt afford textbooks. Went to Oklahoma Baptist University for one year. Went to Tulane and passed the BAR exam after 1 year. He became a lawyer & was good at representing poor folks against big businesses. Ran for LA public Service Commission Ran for governor, came out 3rd. Next time he campaigned to better Louisiana, he had a good record of reform. He won. He increased taxes on businesses to build roads, bridges, the state capital, LSU and to provide free textbooks for all students. He ran the state like a dictator, very undemocratic. Ran for the US senate and was elected. He supported "New Deal" early on but then became very critical. He started trying to block legislation by using filibusters. He does this because he wants to be president: "Share our Wealth" is his campaign for president. He thought wealth was distributed unfairly and that a tiny fraction of the population controlled most of the money. He would limit the amount of money individuals could have and any extra would be given to the government to be redistributed to poor Americans. He had 8 million supporters. It looked like he would run as a third party candidate in the 1936 election. He thought he would lose but he would split the democratic vote. Roosevelt called him the most dangerous man in America. His plan was extremely radical. Long was assassinated in 1935. 3. "Second New Deal" (1935)- after criticism, a bit more radical than "First New Deal", he wanted to kill the threat from the left. a. REA- Rural Electrification Administration- power companies would not string lines out to rural areas. Provided grants and low interest loans to companies to be able to string lines out to rural areas. Allowed people to do it themselves if power companies wouldn't do it. Extremely successful. 2. WPA- Works Progress Administration- massive government jobs program, hired 8.5 million unemployed Americans. Federal government paid them a wage to do just about anything. Ex. built roads, paved streets, built public buildings, libraries, museums, schools, parts of LSU, Tiger Stadium, painted murals 3. Social Security- Designed to help 3 groups of people a. Retired- government takes money out of your check and when you retire the government gives it back to you monthly b. Unemployed- unemployment insurance- if you get laid off the government pays you for 6 months

c. Single mothers- it provides payments to mothers with children without a father in the households 4. NLRB- National Labor Relations Board- legalizes labor unions, gives them the right to bargain for wages and hours, said that a business can't fire someone for belonging to a union. Union membership increased dramatically, from 3.5 million to 10.5 million. D. 1936 Election Most of America agrees with and is happy with Roosevelt's "New Deal" FDR had the votes of South, blacks in North and labor workers They reelect him America expects him to have a 3rd New Deal E. Roosevelt's second term- he does very little despite his incredible victory 1. "Court Packing Plan"- FDR wanted to change the idea that the "New Deal" was unconstitutional. He put forth the idea to add a new judge for every justice on the supreme court that was over the age of 70 (this would be 6 new judges). He said he was doing this out of the kindness of his heart. Since he was the person who would appoint the new judges people thought he was doing it to shift the supreme court to share his beliefs. Congress refused to pass this because it violated checks and balances, his own party didn't even support him American public thought he went too far by trying to manipulate the Supreme court. 2. Southern dissent- he lost the support of southern democrats. They feared the New Deal gave too much federal power. They also felt the new deal was threatening the repressive racial order. They were also against labor unions. They would not pass his legislation even though the people who elected them into congress supported FDR. 3. Keynes' Economic Theory- says if a nation is in a depression the government has to do 2 things: i. Guarantee jobs for everyone ii. Engage in massive deficit spending to give money to citizens in order to get the economy going again, then pay debts back after the depression is over. FDR spent $5million in deficit spending but the theory calls for ten times that much 4. Fair Labor Standards Act- created a minimum wage and maximum hours. Southern democrats did not like this because blacks got paid the same as whites. 3. 3 Basic Characteristics of New Deal 1. New Role for Organized Labor i. NLRB 2. Government Ensuring Basic Standards of Living i. Temporary Relief- Employment ii. Housing iii. Social Security iv. Minimum Wage & Maximum Hours v. Ensures Access to Electricity 3. Government Intervention in the Economy i. Fosters Confidence in Capitalist System ii. Sets Some Price Controls iii. Supports Alternative Forms of Ownership

iv.

Adopts Keynes' Theory of Deficit Spending- WWII caused them to have a $60billion deficit and created jobs for everyone

4. Overall significance of New Deal It didn't alter capitalism, it was constitutional The New Deal didn't end the great depression, WWII did The New Deal made the depression tolerable. Put a security system on capitalism. Gave the idea that the government would provide basic standards of living for society.

Describe the impact of the New Deal on American government and society. In doing so, be sure to disuss the primary goal and basic overall characteristic of several specific New Deal programs.

American Entry Into World War II

Tuesday, March 11, 2008 3:24 PM

1. Post World War I order falls apart A. Background Safety system fell apart UN insisted that war would never happen again. It made countries sign the Versailles treaty which said to decrease the size of navy and army voluntarily and to pledge to never be involved in war again The US never signed the Versailles treaty B. Aggression in Europe & Asia Germany was upset because they had to pay for WWI, the great depression was world-wide and they had to give up territory Soviet Union was upset because they had to give up land to pay for WWI Japan was upset because they fought in WWI, sent representatives to the Paris Peace Conference and asked for the territory that Germany possessed on the China mainland, they didn't give this to Japan. Characteristics of Fascism a. Totalitarian- ruled by Dictator b. Hyper-Nationalistic- think they are the best country, usually very militaristic too c. Government manages economy- government owns major industries Military general was elected Prime minister of Japan Hitler became the Fascist leader in Germany. He made a direct violation of the Versailles treaty by moving troops into the Rhineland. Japan began expanding into Asia because they had very few natural resources. They left the league of nations. The league of nations did nothing C. Initial US Response

Try to stay out of what is going on and stay neutral. Many people believe our participation in WWI was a mistake. Part of the reason we were involved was because American banks loaned money to allies and our industry made money selling arms to allies. Neutrality acts- laws passed that said if war breaks out American banks can't loan money to a nation that is involved in a war. Made it illegal to sell military supplies to countries in war. Made it illegal for Americans to go on an ocean liner owned by a country that is in war. D. Roosevelt's attitude His attitude changed because aggression continued 1936-1937 Germany/Italy/Japan signed "Anti-Comintern Pact" Japanese Army in Manchuria invades northern China 1938 Germany invaded and took control of Austria peacefully Hitler demands portion of Czechoslovakia ("Sudetenland") 1939 Hitler demands portion of Poland returned Germany signed non-aggression pact with soviet union September (after treaty with USSR)=Germany invaded Poland War in Europe Outbreak By June 1940 France in taken over Great Britain is not taken over because of the channel Hitler invaded the Soviet Union US response Many oppose the US getting involved Early on many admire Hitler Roosevelt pushes for intervention Roosevelt knows Germany is too much of a threat and knows the US will get involved but the public is not ready Needs to get passed the neutrality acts Destroyers for bases- exchanges old ships to Great Britain for military outposts. This does not violate the acts because they were not sold Ran for a 3rd term because he says the US needs consistency in leadership because we are in a bad time He runs saying he will keep us out of war even though he fully knew we would be involved He wants intervention as soon as he is re-elected Early 1941, 80% of Americans opposed US being in war Lend Lease Act- lend and lease equipment to Great Britain and France and they would give equipment back after the war War comes in the pacific
Discuss the impact of WWII on American society.

Changes in US Foreign Policy & Origins of Cold War

Tuesday, March 25, 2008 3:07 PM

1. Why America's role in world changes Foreign policy ideas after WWII:

1. Idea of spreading democracy worked 2. Americans worried about maintaining access to markets abroad so there wouldn't be another depression 3. Strategic interest- interested in having military bases outside of the US 4. Munich Analogy- can't appease totalitarian dictators (can't make deals with dictatorships); you have to stop aggression before it begins 2. Planning for a post-war world 3. What is Cold War? Conflict between Soviet Union & US Many people expected a nuclear war to happen Geological conflict: Gets involved in wars where the Soviet Union supports the other side, global confrontation between the only 2 super powers Ideological conflict: Capitalism- based on private property vs. Communism- rejects private power; Both sides want to spread their political views Religious conflict: Communism- atheist vs. Capitalism- Christian Ex. Mission to the moon, Higher education, interstate highway system, 4. Origins of Cold War in Eastern Europe

Tensions Soviet Union had a long history of mistrust US didn't tell SU about nuclear bomb WWII ended with no major peace conference; there were a lot of unsettled issues Series of meetings took place at very end of war with Germany; have to work out what to do with Germany after it is defeated. SU lost 27 million people in WWII, Stalin wants something to prevent this from happening again, he wants a buffer zone around SV and wants Germany to be weak and to never be a major power again. Roosevelt is sympathetic to Germany and agrees that SV should have a buffer zone because he knows we might need Stalin for war against Japan. 90 days after Germany is defeated SU fights against Japan. They reached 4 conclusions: Divide Germany into 4 pieces, each ally will get a piece. Divide Berlin 4 ways, each ally will get a piece. All powers will pull out and Germany will be one nation again at an unset date. At the end of war, SU took Poland back. Original Polish government went to GB, but wants to return and run its country. The US and GB want to see Poland's original government return. Stalin agrees in principal "At some future date Poland will hold democratic elections." GB and US said that was fine. Democratic elections will be a policy of post-war Europe. Agree to create the United Nations. Next meeting (Potsdam) Roosevelt died and Truman was president. Churchill also was beat in a political election. Truman finds out about the success of the atomic bomb while at meeting. He is more suspicious of Stalin. There are fewer agreements reached. Main goal of Stalin was reparations of Germany, Truman and GB didn't let him have it. US and SU have different plans for Europe. SU never ran democratic elections in Poland, they ran rigged elections. SU installed communists government to countries in buffer zone. "Iron Curtain"cut countries off from the free world Containment Doctrine 1. Developed:

US diplomat to the SU wrote a paper and sent it to the Sec of State. Paper about how the threat of communists aggression. Says Stalin can't be dealt with because he wants to take over the world, no diplomatic agreement is possible, US has to contain the spread of communism (domino theory), says if this happens it will die on its own. Truman fully supported it. In speech he said the world is divided into free people and those that exist under totalitarian dictatorship, we must aid free people against totalitarians everywhere. Acted Upon 1. Greek Civil War- congress gave $4mill to help, we won, it worked 2. Marshall Plan- aid to Europe, gave $13bill to nations impacted by war to prevent them from falling to communism, worked incredibly well 3. Berlin Airlift- SU challenged US in Germany; US, GB & France merged their 3 pieces of Germany, SU kept theirs and controlled East Germany & East Berlin. SU closed all roads to E. Berlin. So they flew everything that that city needed in. Staged a massive airlift to support everything W. Berlin needed.

5. Alliances and Rearmament

NATO- created North Atlantic Treaty Organization, military alliance of US, GB, France and others. Attack on one member is an attack on all of them. European nations wanted this so US would protect them. This told SU not to invade these countries. Beginnings of Rearmament- prepared for the war with SU we thought was going to happen. Created the National Defense Act- department of defence, CIA, the airforce. Created the National Security Council- team of experts to advise the president about the Cold War. We believed we were winning the Cold War.

C. 2 Major Events in 1949 that shattered ideas of US winning 1. Chinese revolution- war between communist and nationalist started before WWII, then was but on hold. Sent money for aid but communists won. Largest nation on earth is communist. Created the Peoples Republic of China. We weren't sure how they would deal with SU. PRC signed alliance with SU. Nationalist fled to Taiwan and created the Republic of China, we called Taiwan China and refused to recognize PRC. People blamed Truman and congress for letting this happen. 2. Soviet Union successfully tested the atomic bomb more quickly than we thought they would. Did this because they had spies in the Manhattan project. This horrified the US. Changed how US thought, we thought we were losing. Drafted a paper NSC68, said that the world is divided into 2 possible camps. The SU is hell bent on taking over the world. The US is the only nation that can stop this from happening. Advised the president to build a massive military and a gigantic nuclear weapon, quadruple military spending, create the hydrogen bomb. Soviet Union did the same. 6. The Cold War at Home: "Second Red Scare" A. Background Gouzanko- brought a list of known Russian agents Federal employee royalty program- designed to identify, screened all federal government employees, fired potential spies, homosexuals- were immoral, people in debt. 5 million were screened only a couple of hundred were fired. This created fear. 2 Spy cases Pumpkin papers Rosenberg's case- spying on the Manhattan project, information on the atomic bomb, came from his brother in law. Rosenberg didn't give atomic secrets but he recruited those who did. His with Ethel Rosenberg was convicted of helping. He gathered, she

typed. At trial the pledged the 5th amendment. This gave a sense of guilt. They were executed because it was a war time crime. Klaus Fuchs. This combined with the 2 events in 1949 led to the second red scare

B. In Government HUAC-House Un-American Committee- fascists and communists; several actors who may have been involved in this sort of orientation. Thought their writings were procommunist propaganda. B. Joseph McCarthy- McCarthyism; he was looking for a key issue to get him re- elected. Waived a sheet of paper and claimed it had a list of 250 known communist. Used this for his own gain. He claimed communist were working within federal agencies and he said this is why we are losing the cold war. Cause shock to public. Accused US Army of being communist. When hearing got on TV he started looking like a lunatic. People thought he had gone too far. This neutered his power. C. In public Small town America- emphasis on what kids are learning in schools. Built shelters. "Duck and cover" D. Overall results Foreign policy- the US public will not tolerate losing the cold war, 7. Korean War o Korea was a colony of Japanese empire, Korea was split up North was supported by SU, South was supported by US o North Korea came across the border and this was the start of the war (surprise attack) o Korea is not that important to US but we want to contain communism o US assistance to Korean- provided military assistance, went to UN and asked for help, all of US was on S. Koreas side o Stopped at truce line because they didnt want to fight against china, When casualties got high the American public did not support the war, we contained it (not get more land to be democracy)
o o o

Status of Containment after Korean War No treaty to declare the end of war, still troops guarding that line This was a victory Solitified the cold war

Cold War Heats Up

Tuesday, April 15, 2008 3:09 PM

1. Eisenhower's Approach to Cold War A. Containment gets "New Look" Deemphasized US troop involvement & cut military spending Built up nuclear stockpile instead of army Doctrine of Massive Retaliation: Said no matter what the attack on the US, we will respond by using all our nuclear missiles and cause nuclear annihilation Brinkmanship Diplomacy- in any crisis, when we are negotiating with a country, go directly to threatening them with a nuclear war Covert Operations: Used the CIA to stage insurgencies in countries we had a problem with

This happened successfully many times Ex. Iran bordered the SU. Iran elected a new prime minister who was too friendly with the SU. He was a socialist and seemed hostile to the US. We sent the CIA to instigate an insurgency that toppled the democratically elected government and put the Shah of Iran back in power. This caused hostility between Iranians and Americans.

B. Momentary Reduction of Tensions Joseph Stalin died in 1953 Nikita Khrushchev became head of SU. He critiqued Stalin, reformed SU's economy, hinted about reducing nuclear weapons and troops in Eastern Europe. He went on tour in the US with Nixon We were willing to try and negotiate with the SU. Eisenhower and Khrushchev even scheduled a meeting to reduce tensions of the Cold War but it never happened because C. Tensions Rise Again Cuban Revolution: Cuba is 90 miles off the coast of Florida The revolution had been going on since the early 1950s Fidel Castro became leader and it was unclear if he was a communist He seized all American businesses operating in Cuba & made them Cuban We put an embargo in place (no US goods, money or people were allowed to go to Cuba) Castro made an alliance with the SU B. U-2 Incident: Spy planes that had cameras were designed before satellites to fly so high they couldn't be shot down and could take pictures. we took pics of SU's nuclear weapons, In 1960 a U-2 spy plane got shot down over the SU. Eisenhower said it was a NASA weather plane that got off course, he denied it was a spy plane. The pilot was a CIA agent named Gary Powers who forgot to kill himself. Some of the film from the plane was salvaged and developed. Eisenhower was embarrassed and had to admit it was a spy plane. 2. Kennedy's Approach- "Flexible Response" Background Kennedy campaigned as a warrior and supported the Cold War He told people that the US had less missiles then the SU He built up nuclear arsenals He thought it Brinkmanship Diplomacy was insane and not the way to respond to disputes He came up with the " Flexible Response"- which said we wouldn't go to war over a minor conflict and that we would respond to any crisis proportionally He dealt with a lot of events during his presidency A. Bay of Pigs: This was a plan to overthrow Castro It was developed under Eisenhower but wasnt implemented until after Kennedy became president The goal was to return Cuba to an American ally

The US to trained 1500 Cuban exiles in military tactics then planned to put them on shore in Cuba at the Bay of Pigs. These exiles were suppose to start a counter revolution. The whole plan rested on the idea that the Cuban people would rise up and join in the fight against Castro. Because of this the CIA interviewed Cubans and came up with the conclusion that they wanted to take down Castro and would join in the revolution. Within 2 days of putting them onshore 1100 were captured and 400 others were killed. The Cuban population helped capture the exiles instead of helping them fight. Castro began to believe that the US was trying to overthrow him. Kennedy took full responsibility Tried to assassinate Castro through the CIA.

B. Berlin Wall: After WWII the US controlled West Germany and West Berlin, the Soviet Union controlled East Germany and East Berlin. The West's economy was booming. The East was very bleak and its economy was in turmoil. Thousands of East Berliners tried to escape into West Berlin to be free and have money. Hundreds were shot by East Berlin guards for trying to escape. Since this violence was bad publicity for the SU they built a walled off West Berlin. East Germany claimed they were protecting East Berlin from the west. They really built it so their people couldn't seek freedom. When it came down it was the symbol for the end of the Cold War. C. Cuban Missile Crisis: In 1962 a US spy plane photographed missile asylums 90 miles off the coast of the US in Cuba. We thought they were a couple of weeks from being able to operate SU designed this because they feared the US would try to invade Cuba again and they wanted to help protect it. We didn't know at the time that the SU gave permission to launch the missiles if needed and that the SU already had 40,000 troops in Cuba. All our options would have probably led to WWIII. The US came up with a quarantine and sent the US navy to put a blockade around Cuba. We told the SU we would stop their ships approaching Cuba to search them. Some SU ships were already on their way to Cuba when we announced this. We also demanded the SU remove the nuclear missiles that were already in Cuba. During this crisis Kennedy got 2 messages from Khrushchev: 1st said- If you promise not to invade, we will pull weapons out of Cuba 2nd said- The SU will not back down no matter what & demanded the US pull its nuclear weapons out of Turkey. They ignored the second note and replied only to the first one. We told them the US would not invade Cuba and secretly promised to take our weapons out of Turkey. Khrushchev lost his job after missile crisis because he was seen as weak

This all lead to Vietnam War

Emergence of Postwar Liberalism

Thursday, April 03, 2008 3:12 PM Happened during the same time as Cold War & Economic boom The emergence of postwar liberalism was a continuation of liberal

views of progressive reform

1. Context A. 4 Basic Characteristics 1. Believed America was an incredibly unique country: Thought America had natural resources and an amazing intellectual ability for unparalleled economic growth. Thought America didn't have any "classes", thought that everyone could join the middle-class and that there was no need for radical changes. 2. Thought the government had to manage the economy: Thought the new government programs and agencies were working and helped the economy boom. 3. Thought the government had to ensure basic standards of living for all Americans: Wanted to provide other standards such as healthcare 4. Thought the government would have to do something about civil rights 2. Truman Years Background When Roosevelt died in 1945 Truman became president Truman was a strong advocate of the new deal during the great depression What happened to the new deal programs? During WWII some went on hold while others withered away (such as the WPA) Truman was a liberal democrat and wanted to expand the new deal programs such as the national health insurance & government ensured employment He wanted an anti-lynching act & voting right act passed But after Truman became president Republicans took over congress Republican Attack on New Deal Opposed to any new programs Wanted to cut back on programs that already existed Truman and congress were unable to get much done because of this want to lower government oversight, this doesn't happen, 22nd amendment was passed- this limited the president to only be able to serve 2 terms The Taft Hartley Act was passed Countered the National Labor Relations Board Diminished government support of organized labor Allowed states to pass Right to Work laws which said can join a job but not have to join the union Allowed a president to order striking workers back on the job for 90 days Limits on Truman's "Fair Deal" Background Truman didn't get very much accomplished during his 1st term He ran for a 2nd term. Election polls showed he wasn't doing good because he wanted the civil rights act. This caused many Southern democrats to leave the Democratic party. They created their own party called the Dixiecrats. South Carolina's governor, Strong Thurman, was nominated for the Dixiecrat presidential candidate. His slogan was "Segregation now, segregation forever". New York's popular governor, Dewey, was the Republican party presidential candidate. No one thought Truman would win. He gave 400 speeches in 8 weeks. "Dewey defeats Truman" was even printed on newspapers. Truman won. "Fair Deal" This is what Truman wants to accomplish during his 2nd term.

He wanted national health insurance, civil rights & education spending but congress didn't pass any. He wanted to expanded existing programs such as social security, raise the minimum wage and increase spending on public housing projects. Congress supported these because they knew America was happy with these programs.

Eisenhower Years Background He was the Supreme Commander of Troops during WWII, in charge of the D-Day invasion and became a WWII hero. He was a republican, promised to go to Korea and figure a way out of war and campaigned on cutting new deal programs. As president he was unable to cut new deal programs so he expanded programs instead. Increased minimum wage and social security Created the Federal Housing Agency & disability Created new areas of government oversight & new spending even though he promised not to do this Spent on education, especially math and science programs because of the "Space Race". The SU sent up a satellite called Sputnik which scared Americans. Created the interstate system which is 41,000 miles of roads that are two lanes wide. They are just wide enough to fit tanks and could be used for easy evacuation of big cities incase of nuclear war. This was the biggest project in history and was justified as a cold war necessity. Post war liberals want to go even further but at the time there was no public mandate for these things and no support for civil rights.

Civil Rights Movement

Tuesday, April 08, 2008 3:29 PM

1. Racial Situation After WWII A. Situation in the South Still had an oppressive racial order and segregation was still strong, much like it was in the early 1900s There was a constant threat of violence against blacks that was maintained by legal systems Had a completely segregated society. Restaurants, Doctor offices, trains, train stations, buses, circuses, schools and neighborhoods were all separated but unequal. Some were even separate and nonexistent such as libraries, parks and swimming pools. Blacks could leave this society. This caused a "Great Migration". When new technologies where invented such as the mechanical cotton picker, many blacks lost jobs and moved north. They followed railroad lines but racism was in the North too. There weren't enough jobs but the chance of violence was less and chance of education was greater. 2. Early Challenges to Repressive Racial Order A. "Brown vs. Board of Education" NCAAP challenged school segregation and finally got a supreme court case. In 1945 the Supreme Court overturned its previous ruling and said separate but equal is inheriting unequal. Ordered the South to desegregate the public school system Segregation was in jeopardy everywhere

This shocked Southerners It gave legitimacy to the NAACP

B. Montgomery Bus Boycott On buses, white people sat in the front and blacks had to sit in the back. Rosa Parks, the secretary of the Montgomery branch of the NAACP, purposely took a seat in the front of a bus to get arrested. She was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct. African American leaders started a bus boycott that lasted 381 days. They arranged car pools to get people to and from work. The federal court ruled that bus segregation was illegal. It was in the national news constantly, this showed Americans elsewhere that African Americans were unhappy in the South 2 years before the Montgomery Bus Boycott, there was the Baton Rouge bus boycott. It lasted for 1 week until the bus companies gave in. They only saved the first 2 rows for whites.

White South's Response They were shocked, most insisted that segregation would never fall. Southern politicians said they would never back down. 10 years after the Brown vs. Board ruling only 19% of schools were segregated. The Ku Klux Klan resurged, they used intimidation by harassing and threatening blacks.

3. Confrontation in the South Early Civil Rights Movement Greensboro Sit-ins: 4 black college students went to a segregated lunch counter, sat down and waited to be served. They sat there the whole day and returned the next but were never served. They were harassed while waiting. These became known as "sit-ins" and occurred across the South Southern University students had a sit-in in downtown Baton Rouge on 3rd street. 15 were arrested and put in jail. Some were even expelled from Southern University. 3500 Southern University students marched downtown. About 60,00 participated in sit-ins, about 5,000 of these were arrested.
Freedom Rides: African Americans

rode Greyhound buses from the North into the South to challenge white only waiting rooms They are violently attacked by police and the KKK. One of the buses was firebombed. there were white riders These 2 events led to challenges all over the south.

Leadership Martin Luther King Jr. : Lead the Montgomery bus boycott Was a Baptist preacher in Montgomery Had an incredible ability to bridge gaps between people His religious message was to "hate the sin but not the sinner". He wanted equality and respect for all. Protested in favor of American prosperity and equality. Had a vision of saving the south from itself and its sinful ways. Was in charge of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)

C. Participants

Tens of thousands of people put their life on the line to challenged laws and fulfill the civil rights movement. Some white college students and white liberals from the north Mainly younger, educated African Americans in south Clergy and black women Used churches as their base

D. Goals Integration Basic human rights- they wanted to be able to enjoy the rights that most Americans could enjoy such as voting and full citizenship without having to worry about lynching E. Strategies Nonviolent Direct Action- never reply with violence, never result to violence and never strike back. Just challenge racist laws wherever they exist with peaceful protests. They would break the laws and get arrested. Over 70 were murdered. Since the backbone of the South's repressive racial order was violence, nonviolent direct action brought violence to the surface and showed the rest of America what was really going on. This worked. F. 1963 Confrontations In Birmingham, AL MLK, Jr. was there to organize marches because of downtown's segregation Thousands of students were there to peacefully protest They were violently attacked by police with fire hoses and dogs Children were arrested, MLK was arrested This outraged Americans outside of the south B. March on Washington MLK gave his "I have a dream" speech There were 250,000 protestors who rallied at Lincoln Memorial Showed the rest of America that the Civil Rights Movement was reasonable & just G. Accomplishments Put civil rights on the agenda of postwar liberal politicians so they could actually get something done Passed the Civil Rights Act- outlawed segregation in the South, which outlawed segregation in public schools and outlawed discrimination in hiring because of race, gender, or religion Passed the Voting Rights Act- says you can't use anything to deny someone the right to vote such as poll taxes, literacy tests or property requirements

Postwar Liberalism Fulfilled: The Kennedy & Johnson Years

Thursday, April 10, 2008 3:29 PM

1. 6 Basic Characteristics A. 4 Original Characteristics Large natural resources Large intellectual population Believed government has to manage economy Government needs to grant basic standards of living and uphold Civil Rights

B. 2 New Characteristics End poverty. We were the richest, best & most well defended country in the world. There should be no poverty. This can't be fixed by just giving out money. Government needs to be involved in safe guarding the environment. 2. Kennedy & Johnson Presidencies Kennedy's Presidency The Kennedy/Nixon election was the closest election of that time. Kennedy won. He was seen as a family man, good guy, happy and a good figure head. The American public saw him as the perfect person for the American president. Kennedy campaigned on "Finding new frontiers" even though he did very little of this as president. Kennedy did a lot more in foreign policy than any other president but he made moves with domestic affairs very timidly because he wanted to be re-elected and he thought the last election was too close. He was scared to touch civil rights because he was afraid of the southern democrats. The southern democrats did not see him as a good politician. Kennedy was only in office for two years before he was assassinated.

Johnson's Presidency Lyndon Johnson became president after Kennedy was assassinated. Under Johnson, postwar liberalism erupted completely. Johnson was not a good speaker or good looking. He was very self conscience and it had to be his way or no way. He had been a politician for a very long time, he knew everyone and was the ultimate Washington insider. He loved to 'close' talk and he wouldn't quit until he got what he wanted. He called his legislative agenda the "Great Society". It consisted of an economy that is booming, racial unrest is quitted and the end of poverty. Johnson's work compared to goals: US always had great natural resources so he did nothing there. The economy was already at an all time high so he didn't have to do anything there. To help with the standards of living he got the Food Stamp Program passed. This was a program where the government would provide free food. He also passed Medicaid for poor people and Medicare for elderly. The government sends the medical businesses money to pay their bills. He did have a public mandate for Civil rights. He signed the 1964 Civil Rights Act- which outlawed segregation in public schools and outlawed discrimination on hiring for race, gender, or religion & He signed the 1965 Voting Rights Act- which says you can't use anything to deny someone the right to vote. After these Acts were passed public schools become vacant and were demolished while private schools were at an all time high. It was also his mission as president to end poverty. To do this, he wanted to increase education. He wanted to give aid to the poor so they could go onto higher learning. He imposed the Federal College Aid Act. All of this was part of a huge package of legislation. He started the Head Start Program, the College Work Study Program & an Upward Bound Program which was for potential college students, who for some reason didn't plan on going to college so it gave them a taste during summer to influence them to go.

Highpoint of Postwar Liberalism- "Great Society" Legislation Finally, he wanted to do something to better the environment.

While the economy was booming, he thought the government should regulate pollution. He issued the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act. Four ways he helped US Culture: NEH- National Endowment of Humanities- it dispersed money to museums and academics NEA- National Endowment of Arts- same thing as NEH but it went to musicians and artists PBS- Public Broadcasting System- government subsidized TV, educational broadcasting NPR- National Public Radio- educational radio broadcasting The Supreme Court changed directions from conservative to liberal. Chief Justice Warren who was appointed by Eisenhower was a Republican but once on the court he changed directions. There was a dramatic expansion of individual rights. Under Warren: Revisited Brown v. Board and ordered the south to bus students to school The rights of defendants were expanded If arrested you will be provided with a lawyer When you are arrested you must be told the charges against you, why you are being arrested and informed of your Miranda rights Gave the rights to information like birth control. This led to the most controversial debate on Court, Abortion. They mandated school prayer is unconstitutional. At the time, these legislations were good but the legacy for Lyndon B Johnson has always been bad. He is only remembered for Vietnam because people blame him for it. He is not remembered for " the Great Society".

Vietnam War
Thursday, April 17, 2008 3:12 PM Many Americans are confused about why we were involved and why we lost Many think of it as Lyndon Johnson's War but there were 5 presidents during the

Vietnam War: Truman,

Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson & Nixon. Background Vietnam was a French colony called Indochina. It had been controlled by France since the 1850s. In the 1930s a revolution was started by the Vietnamese to throw off French rule. Ho Chi Minh led this revolution. He was trained by communists in the SU & China but some saw him as a nationalists. His followers were called Vietminh.

1. Early US Involvement Truman Years Our involvement began during WWII. Japan invaded Vietnam during WWII. The Vietminh fought them because they saw Japan as another colonial power. We aided Ho Chi Minh in battle against Japan during WWII. The Vietminh helped us recover pilots that were shot down in the area. After WWII the Vietminh still wanted independence from France. They asked the US for help in battle against the French when they returned. We needed France as an ally in Europe during the Cold War and since we wanted to stop the spread of communism we didn't aid the Vietminh in the Vietnam War. We aided France and paid almost for their entire war from 1950-1954, costing $3billion. The SU aided the Vietminh.

Eisenhower Years

France's army got pinned down in Dien Bien Phu and asked the US for troops, we refused. France signed an agreement with Ho Chi Minh that divided Vietnam in half at the 17th parallel. North Vietnam was Communists & South Vietnam was for the US and its allies. The US ran a rigged election to get Ngo Dinh Diem, a Catholic Vietnam, to be president. We supplied him with money and advisors. We wanted an anti-communist government so opposition parties were outlawed. 2 years later, in 1956, there was a national election. The South refused to participate in the election. This decision was backed by the US because Ho Chi Minh would have been elected and beat Dien Bien Phu. After the South refused to participate in the elections a Guerilla war broke out against the Dien government. The South Vietnamese were fighting against the South Vietnamese government. Their fight was aided by North Vietnam. They called themselves the Vietcong. Our goal was to preserve a stable, non-communist South Vietnam. We continued to send in aid to the South Vietnamese government. Kennedy Years We were not as focused on Vietnam We sent in more advisors. There were 700 advisors when Kennedy was elected. There were 16,000 when he was assassinated 2 year later. Kennedy approved a military insurgency to topple Diem's government because he was an ineffective leader. Diem was Catholic and the majority of Vietnamese were Buddhists. Buddhists monks would protest Diems government by doing "self-mutilation". They would light themselves on fire and burning themselves to death. The wife of Diem's brother infamously said that "she'd like to go bbq and if next time they would let her know she would bring the gas and matches." The Vietcong overthrew Diem and executed him. The government was in chaos so the US got further involved. JFK was assassinated.

Johnson & "Americanization" of the War Johnson inherited everything the other presidents did It turned into a war where the US was fighting both South and North Vietnam.

Critical Decisions and Why? 1. Gulf of Tonkin Resolution: One of our boats were supposingly attacked by a North Vietnamese boat, it supposingly happened again a few days later. Whether or not these attacks actually happened is debatable. Johnson authorized US bombing raids on NV. He went to congress and reported that we were attacked on neutral waters and asked them to do whatever he needed. Congress then approved the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. This gave Johnson a blank check to keep SV from falling to communism.
Americanization of War In 1963 the US increased our military commitment and it turned into an American war. Advisors told Johnson that he needed to increase our war efforts and start bombing NV. The Vietcong then started attacking air force bases. We sent marines to hunt the Vietcong to prevent future attacks.

Johnson knew that the war would last long, cost a lot of lives and maybe even end in failure. He felt like he had to prevent SV from falling to communism because of the containment doctrine. He needed republican support Strategy 1. "Phased Escalation": Our plan was to convince the Vietcong and NV to give up the fight by hurting them and killing them so much that they would surrender. Our soldiers had to count all dead Vietnamese to see how far our efforts were going. We couldn't randomly bomb because we didn't want to drag the SU or China into war. This limited us on the amount of pain we could inflict. Advisors said we needed to send more troops in or SV would collapse. We sent troops in a little at a time until they reached the level they could beat NV. The amount of soldiers increased from 16,000-538,000 during Johnson's term. This was called "phased escalation" 2. "Rolling Thunder": This was a massive around the clock bombing campaign. We went from 25,000-110,000 bombing runs. We bombed until all targets had been bombed more than once. We counted 225,000 dead Vietnamese. In 1967, Johnson used this count to prove to America we were winning the war.

Increasing Criticism at Home 4,000 US troops had died. Protesting began on college campuses. "Teach-ins"- students and faculty would gather and discuss why the US was there, the SV government and Ho Chi Minh The majority of college students and Americans did support the Vietnam War, they even thought we weren't doing enough to win the war. Tet Offensive and Aftermath

Tet Offensive Tet was the Lunar New Year holiday. Both the North and South agreed to cease fire to have peace for the holiday. The Vietcong with NV support attacked every major city during this "peace time". The US Embassy was attacked in Saigon. After Tet we crushed the Vietcong. 45,000 Vietcong were killed and 1,000 US troops were killed Johnson asked for an additional 200,000 troops Aftermath Walter Cronkite was a famous journalist who went to Vietnam to figure out what was going on. He talked to troops, studied situation and said that in his opinion the US was in a stalemate. The public saw footage of the enemy being executed and people wondered if we were the good guys. This damaged the publics opinion severely. Johnson started looking for a way out. He stopped bombing campaigns and declared himself for re-election as a democratic nominee. Eugene McCarthy was an anti-war democratic nominee.

Robert Kennedy also decided to join the race as an anti-war democratic nominee. Johnson then decided not to run for re-election because he needed to focus on the war and not on campaigning. He said he stopped bombing and was looking for a peace process. Hubert Humphrey was Johnsons VP and decided to run for democratic nominee. Robert Kennedy was assassinated. Humphrey then got the democratic nomination, he supported the war. At the Democratic Convention in Chicago there was a major anti-war protest. The Chicago PD fought with protestors. Republicans nominated Nixon. He claimed he had a secret plan to win the war, he really didn't. He asked the great silent majority of America to vote for him, these were the people who were upset with protestors. There was also a 3rd party, the American Independent Party. Their nominee was George Wallace. He was ultra pro-war. Nixon won.

Nixon's War- took office in 1969 Strategy 1. "Vietnamization"- He wanted to turn the fighting of the war to South Vietnam and decrease US troop involvement, decrease American death toll & end the draft.
Increased

Violence- He wanted to use violence to make them sign a peace agreement. He approved a blockade around NV & approved an invasion of Cambodia which was a safe haven for NV troops and Vietcong. This screwed up their supply route. This led to massive protests in the US. 100,000 protestors marched on Washington. At Kent State, the ROTC building was burned down. The state of Ohio sent the National Guard in. They tear gassed protestors and open fired on protestors. They killed 4 students; 2 were protestors, 2 were walking to class. "Christmas bombings"- a bombing campaign that happened for 2 weeks during December of 1972. The US dropped more bombs on NV then they did in all of WWII. NV finally agreed to attend a peace conference with the US

Paris Peace Accords In 1973, it ended the US's involvement in the Vietnam war. The government of SV was completely opposed to this treaty. They didn't want Nixon to sign it and they made Nixon promise that the US would come back if war would start again. What the treaty consisted of: The treaty said we would pull troops out. The Vietcong and NV army could stay in SV. NV would return all POWs. The International Commission would come in to broker a long term peace agreement between the 2 countries. The US would continue to aid SV. We felt that we fulfilled the containment doctrine. After Nixon resigned because of Watergate, Congress stopped giving aid to SV because the war was so unpopular. SV was left on its own. In 1975, NV invaded SV and very easily took over. South Vietnam collapsed and Saigon was renamed Ho Chi Minh City. Vietnam was collaborated into a communist country.

Why Failure in Vietnam?

Total death count: 1 million Vietcong, over 1million NV & 2 million Vietnamese civilians Some thought phased escalation was wrong and that we should have sent all our troops in at once. Some said it was the media and protestors fault because it forced the US to retreat. These arguments have holes in them. Dodson think: The strategy of hurting them until they gave up didn't work because they would NEVER give up. They had been fighting for independence from 1920-1975. They wanted to throw off outside control. We were never able to cut supply form China and SV. SV government was incredibly corrupt and didn't have the support of its own people. Implications Americans don't believe in Containment Doctrine after Vietnam War, Ex. Reagan wanted to stop communism in Nicaragua but didn't have public support Americans lost faith in their government whether they supported war or were against war

Revolts of the 1960s

Tuesday, April 22, 2008 3:11 PM

1. Black Radicalism and Revolt A. Strategic and Cultural Shift Legislation (2 Civil Rights Acts) and the Civil Rights Movement didn't end racism or their economic situation Blacks still made 50% less than whites. They questioned the American economy and said it was flawed because it left African Americans out. People became disillusioned with the civil rights movement & question if it changed anything or really even mattered. Black radicals thought economic change was more important than integration. They turned against the civil rights movement and embraced people like Malcolm X. Their views were very different from MLK. They wanted to fight and protect themselves. The Black panther party was organized in CA after police brutality. The saw themselves as Black Power and were separatists, Marxists and believed in black autonomy. They only had 2000 members. They started to celebrate African heritage, developed independent black businesses and said "Black is Beautiful" B. Urban Riots These were not connected to black radicalism From 1965-1968 there were 329 riots staged by African Americans in urban AA communities They the result of "supposed" police brutality This probably happened out of frustration because of hopelessness, helplessness and lack of equal education and economy Destroyed their own neighborhoods, homes and businesses Watts-In 1965, this was an incident of supposed police brutality that caused a 6 day riot. It resulted with 34 people killed, $100 million of property damage & 14,000 nation guardsmen sent in. After MLK's assassination many riots occurred C. Impact of both They showed America that racism was a real, national problem.

It generated a lot of fear and anxiety among white people. Even though there was no link between black radicalism and urban riots, Americans thought it was linked. People could sympathize with MLK, but they weren't sympathetic to black radicals There was a new image of the civil rights movement coming out of the 1960s

2. Student Radicalism and Revolt A. Radicalism of "New Left" New Left- mainly college students against "the establishment" which meant the existing political system, economic system, society & culture (almost everything) A. SDS: Students for Democratic Society Group emerged on elite NE college campuses in early 1960s. It began small and became a huge movement. Goals: Didn't believe in containment doctrine Saw Cold War and the obsession with winning as illogical Said capitalism is aggressive Thought the war in Vietnam was an independence movement of nationalism not communism Thought America's economic structure and government was controlled by wealthy elites and big businesses and that average Americans didn't have a voice in government Saw consumerism, suburbs, malls & credit cards as crazy Claimed they wanted a Participatory Democracy- which is a democracy where everyone participates Advocated non-violence They took this goal to crazy levels. They voted endlessly, even about lunch breaks. Focus of Campus Protestors The SDS tried to recruit fellow college members but had a hard time because average college students weren't interested and didn't agree. The SDS only had 10,000 members in 1965. Campus Issues (What they protested) Free speech: Most colleges up until the free speech movement had rules against political speech on campus. The free speech movement began in UCLA at Berkley when protestors occupied the administration building. The university gave in to protesting and set aside a small area near the cafeteria where students could engage in political talk. These protests happened at almost every college. Campus rules: There was insane number of restrictive rules Ex. Men wore ties, ladies wore dresses, dorms had curfews, no alcohol. You could be expelled for breaking any rules. Students protested against them. Within 2-3 years these rules disappeared. B. Vietnam SDS had been critiquing the war since it began Between 1967-1968 protests increased They were opposed to the draft. 18< males that weren't in college were drafted. 35,000 were drafted every week. SDS organized teach-ins and some of first protests against the Vietnam war.

By 1968, SDS had 150,000 members. Membership increased after Vietnam war protests.

C. Frustration of Radicals The Vietnam war protests pushed other SDS goals aside. Some protests became violent and SDS was suppose to be nonviolent. This caused frustration with leaders and SDS collapsed from the inside. SDS was replaced by many little splinter groups that received a lot of publicity. Most of these groups were way more radical than SDS. Ex. They advocated an armed revolution against the US Weather Underground (from Bob Dylan song)- this was a splinter group with one significant protest. They put on helmets and smashed windows in Chicago to protest capitalism. After the protest they went underground. They planted small bombs in police offices and government buildings. They would accidently blow themselves up while making bombs. They were considered a domestic terrorist organism. They were hunted by the FBI and its last members were rounded up in 1980s. D. Impact of New Left and Anti-War Movement Majority of Americans were appalled, outraged and horrified Blamed postwar liberals 3. Emergence of 1960s Counterculture By 1967 many gave up protesting. These people became the counterculture. A. Rebellion Against Existing Trends They wanted to forget politics, rebelled consumerism and create their own culture that was counter to the existing culture. They were known as Hippies. Their slogans were "Tune in, turn on, drop out", which meant to listen to rock, do drugs and quit school or work. "Sex, drugs & Rock and Roll" Middle class morality was rejected. They believed in "free love"- which meant having multiple partners. In San Francisco during the summer of 1967 they had the "Summer of Love". 10,000 people moved there. They had drugs, free food & healthcare available. Instead of using experts they turned to astrology. They attacked the American role of working your way up the corporate latter. They weren't into money so they found ways to live without working or having money. Abby Hoffman wrote a book called "Steal this book" B. But Also Fulfillment of Those Trends They weren't all that radical or rebellious because they came from middle and upper class families. Eventually mainstream culture absorbed counterculture: Premarital sex increased and the birth control pill came out. Sex on TV and movies increased. People began to accept it. It was adopted by mainstream culture. Rock music was the poetic median for the counterculture. They sold their records threw huge corporations that the counterculture was suppose to be rebelling against. Eventually this was also adopted by the mainstream and music didn't contain rebellion anymore. Drugs such as marijuana, LSD and mushrooms were popular. They thought this was the ultimate form of rejection but drug trade operated inside capitalism. Bulk was sold for profit just like capitalism, price increased with demand. Drugs became another consumer product.

Since counterculture was eventually taken in by mainstream culture it ended up being not that rebellious. Long Term Impact Most Americans were appalled, disgusted and nervous at first but it eventually worked its way into the mainstream culture. Some remained disgusted, such as Christians and right-winged politically people. They used it to attack postwar liberals who were responsible for counterculture.

Nixon and Carter Years- 1970s

Thursday, April 24, 2008 3:12 PM Richard Nixon was Eisenhower's VP and ran In 1968 he ran for President again and won.

for President but lost to Kennedy.

1. Ambivalence of Nixon Administration A. Attack on Postwar Liberalism He said he was speaking out for the silent majority He campaigned against the great society of Lyndon Johnson's administration. He played on middle class America's fears by saying he wanted to restore law and order with urban riots and protestors. B. But Also Expansion of Postwar Liberalism Since congress was controlled by democrats they wouldn't let that happen. He promoted postwar liberalism even though he campaigned against it. He was a different kind of Republican. He believed the federal government could do good. He renewed the Voting Rights Act He increased spending on humanities, anti-poverty programs and increased spending on Medicaid by 50% He signed Title 9- which bands gender discrimination on colleges to get federal aid. This resulted in funding for female sports teams. He created the EPA- Environmental Protection Agency He created the OSHA- Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which was a government agency that looked at work place safety issues and put standards in work places that the government insured He expanded Affirmative Action to cover housing and employment C. Foreign Policy He ended the Vietnam War. He put the US on the path to having official diplomatic relations with China. We hadn't recognized mainland China after their communist revolution. In 1972 Nixon went to China because China and the SU were having disputes. He wanted the SU to think China was getting closer to the US. He used this relationship to pressure the SU to pass SALT- which was a Strategic Arms Limitation. This would place a limit on the number of nuclear weapons they could have. This looked like a huge foreign policy win for Nixon. It was the beginnings of ways to reduce tension between the SU and the US. D. Watergate Scandal

Background: While President, he authorized the CIA and FBI to illegally spy on his enemy's such as black power groups, student protestors & political enemies. He kept an enemies list with him and got the IRS to audit his enemies. He probably did this because he had become extremely paranoid and used abusive power. He created a secret group called the "plumbers" who would fix the "leaks". Leaks were information that he didnt want the public to know and his plumbers were prior CIA and FBI agents. They fixed these leaks by destroying the life of the people in the white house who leaked the information. Ex. Daniel Ellsberg was a state employee who leaked a top secret pentagon study about the Vietnam War to the New York Times. They published it. Nixon sent plumbers after Daniel. They broke into his psychiatrists office to get information they could leak about him. Scandal: In 1972, Nixon ran for re-election against George McGovern who was an extreme liberal. Nixon won with 96% of the electoral votes. Even though he was going to win by far, 5 months before this election he was caught spying on the democratic party. He created the "Creep" committee to re-elect the himself as president. It was CREEP that planned the Watergate Scandal. Burglars were hired by the committee to put bugs in the Watergate complex. After the bugs were in there for a few weeks, the burglars returned to the Watergate Complex to fix them. When they returned they got caught. At first cops just thought they were breaking in but the bugs were found soon after. The burglars links to the Whitehouse were quickly uncovered. Police figured they were connected to Nixon but they didnt know if Nixon authorized the break-in. Nixon was caught trying to cover up their links to the Whitehouse. He told the FBI to ignore the situation because it was a CIA operation. It was later found out that he used campaign money to pay the burglars not to testify and to plea guilty to simple burglary. The press unraveled most of the story because the FBI had a leak named Mark Felt. Press coverage kept the scandal alive which caused congress to begin an official investigation. The investigation began in the summer of 1973. Nixon's Attorney General was in the meeting that planned the break in. It was also revealed that Nixon taped all conversations that took place in the oval office. A prosecutor demanded Nixon to turn over the tapes. Nixon fired the prosecutor then turned over a few because of pressure. All the tapes that he turned in had gaps, one gap was even 18 minutes long. The tings that weren't erased were still devastating, he was cursing and using racial slurs. The issue went to the Supreme Court and they demanded him to turn in all the tapes. One tape is of a conversation he had with the FBI telling them the burglary was a CIA investigation. Files were charged against over 40 state officials. He resigned because he didn't want to be the first president to be impeached and taken out of office. VP Gerald Ford became President. He had been appointed as VP because the real VP was taken out of office for taking bribes. He was the first President that wasn't elected. Gerald Ford almost immediately pardoned Nixon. This shocked the American public. They couldn't believe Nixon was a liar, vindictive and abused power. This caused the public to distrust politicians.

2. Carter Administration Jimmy Carter tried to run for president as an outsider. He was the son of a peanut farmer. He was a commander of a nuclear submarine but returned to Georgia to run his dads peanut farm when his dad died. He later became the Governor of Georgia. He was deeply religious. He campaigned by saying he wanted to restore ethics to the presidency and that he was uncorrupt. The vote was close but he beat Ford.

He tried to change the atmosphere of presidency by wearing blue jeans, carrying his own briefcase and riding in small cars. As president, one of the first things he did was pardon all people who fled the country because of the draft during the Vietnam War. This outraged many Americans.

Domestic Scene 1. Massive Inflation and Unemployment This happened because of spending on the Vietnam war and rising oil prices

Oil Crisis OPEC- Oil Producing Countries- this was an organization that was created in the 1960s to reduce the amount of oil so the price of oil would increase Gas cost over $1 Carter called for tax on gas to reduce consumption Iranian revolution also caused the price of oil to increase because we banned all imports from Iran. Carter asked Americans only to use cars when necessary. This was extremely unpopular.

Foreign Policy 1. Panama Canal Treaty: Carter gave Panama the Panama canal This was unpopular with Americans because they felt our government owned it

SALT II: Strategic Arms Limitations He wanted to limit the number of nuclear weapons to 2400 This was unpopular because Americans wanted to be superior This never passed because the SU invaded Afghanistan

Iranian Hostage Crisis: There was an Islamic Revolution in Iran The revolutionist won and created an Islamic Republic The previous government, the Shah, went to the US for protection The Islamic Republic saw the US as their enemy Iran took 53 American embassy workers hostage They wanted the US to send the Shah of Iran back so he could be tried but he died shortly after retreating to the US The US froze $8 billion in Iranian money Carter refused and tried to negotiate for over a year. The American Public was furious Carter approved a rescue operation. The US Army had a landing zone in the Iranian Desert but there was a sandstorm. One of the helicopters blew up and the mission was aborted. We still don't recognize Iran as a government and have no diplomatic relations with them.

4. Afghanistan: In 1979 there was an internal Islamic revolution in Afghanistan Before the Islam's could take over their own country, the SU sent troops in and installed a new government. The SU's troops stayed there from 1979-1989. The US funded the revolutionists with $40 billion aid to fight against the SU.

Osama Bin Laden helped fight against the SU. He brought in money and militants. We boycotted the 1980 Olympics in Moscow. The SU finally pulled out in 89 and so did we. Afghanistan soon collapsed into chaos and Islamic militants fought each other. The Taliban won control and set up a strict, repressive, Islamic theocracy. Osama Bin Laden and the Al Qaeda headquarters are in Afghanistan.

Rise of Conservatism
Tuesday, April 29, 2008 3:13 PM

1. Collapse of Postwar Liberalism Why? 1. The economy went into a recession. Boom came to an end. Inflation was up, gas prices increased of a dollar. Unemployment was up. This killed Americans faith in idea that you can grow the economy forever and bring everyone in. The government was not working to prevent economic turmoil. 2. Frustration of government that came from a variety of sources. The legacy of Vietnam, no one was happy with the outcome. Watergate scandal and collapse of Nixon's presidency also created frustration. Hostage crisis, 445 days by college student. Americans didn't understand why we couldn't get them back. Upset about war on poverty, rich thought the government was helping too much, poor thought they weren't getting enough help. 3. Americans thought the public had become less patriotic and the military wasn't as powerful as it once was. They blamed post war liberals for the protestors. 4. Some thought the country had lost its moral values because Christian fundamentalist started getting involved in politics. They opposed the Supreme courts ruling on abortion and prayer and they were appalled by the counterculture. They mixed religious and political messages. Their political agenda was opposed to post war liberalism. They became the hardcore base of the republican party These 4 factors lead to New Conservatism Even white southern democrats abandoned post war liberalism and the democratic party after Johnson signed the acts. They turned to republicans in the 1960s-1970s. They wanted to restore States Rights- wanted states to determine how they would deal with Civil Rights issues. Turned South from democratic to Republican stronghold. 2. Rise of New Conservatism Role of Reagan 1st New Conservative president, elected in fall of 1980 when he ws 69, the oldest in history. He held 2 terms. Before he was a politician he was an actor. He was head of the Screen Actors Guild during the communist scare. He even gave out names of people he thought were communists. He campaigned by critiqued the new deal and government involvement, he thought the government was doing too much. Played on perception that we weren't the worlds superpower. He beat Johnson in 1980 by far He won again in 1984 by even more. He was popular because he was a great speaker "Great Communicator" Learned this as an actor. He was optimistic and happy, funny, nice. They saw him like Franklin Roosevelt. He was also popular because it was a time when people were disillusioned and he had a reassuring message "Its just dawn in America"

Portrayed himself as a cowboy The day after he was elected the students gave the hostages back. He was a hardcore conservative, this is still the dominant political philosophy. Foreign policy he advocated a return to the cold war. He was upset that they talked to the SU to reduce nukes, he thought it was a mistake. He doesn't want any deal with the SU and thinks we should be more powerful. SU is biggest threat to America. Supporter of containment doctrine. Increased military $1.5trillion in 5 years. He advocated building a space based anti-missile shooter. Huge deficit was created. Public is not interested in sending troops to stop communism. Reagan doesn't have the support. In Nicaragua, in central America, the government was taken over by communist. Reagan wanted to stop this by sending troops but he didnt have the support. He knew he couldn't so he funded a group of anti-communist guerillas to fight the communist in control of their country, called "Contras". He ordered the navy to mine (bomb) a harbor in Nicaragua. Congress got upset and passed an amendment to forbid Reagan from funding these people. This resulted in a scandal called the "Iran-contra Scandal". Idea to get around legislation was to set up a sell of 1000 US missiles to Iran to use in war against Iraq. NFC- took money from these sales to illegally fund the Contras. This sell violated the checks and balances of the constitution. Several white house advisors were convicted of violating constitutional laws but were overturned. Not sure if Reagan knew about this, no proof. He said he had no idea and the public believed him.

Characteristics of New Conservatism Idea of economy- Believe America is an elite nation with intellectual talent and natural resources and the economy can keep growing but they believed the solution is for the government to not manage the economy. POL- thought the government had to manage the economy Believed the markets should manage itself and reduce government regulation. Wanted to cut taxes and believed programs increased taxes. So they wanted to cut programs. Reagan cut taxes by 25% Wanted to increase military spending Idea of government providing basic standards of living- New conservatives. Disagreed and didn't think this was a government responsibility. Reagan refused to raise the minimum wage. He attacked the welfare and cut food stamps and welfare funding. Stayed away from Social security and Medicaid and welfare Government role of ending poverty- NC dont believe the fed government should be involved, this is not their responsibility. Thought it created a dependence on the government. Cut funding to anti-poverty programs Gov has responsibility of helping environment- Didnt agree until lately. Thought these regulations hurt businesses. He opened fed land to mining and drilling. Improving culture- opposed these ideas and programs Civil Rights- argued that nothing else needed to be done after those 2 acts were passed. Their 2 arguments are that America is a color blind society and that everything is equal or they argue that id there are problems then thats a problem for their community no the governments problem. Overall they want less government, reduce responsibility and oversight. Get federal government out of peoples lives. At the same time, they also dont see a problem with having the fed government in enforcing morality. Ex. Generally oppose abortion and want to change Supreme Court so Row vs Wade is overturned. Under Reagan they started the "War on Drugs" to revolt the counterculture. Less concerned about the separation of church and state. Dominant political philosophy from Reagan to today.

The 1990s
Tuesday, April 29, 2008 3:14 PM

1. George H. W. Bush He was Reagan's VP, former head of the CIA, elected after Reagan's 2 terms Major event of his presidency was the collapse of the SU. Happened in late 1980s. There economy was in a strong, steady decline because they wanted to keep up with the US with military spending. Some say it would have collapsed anyway because the com gov was flawed. By late 1980s they pulled troops out of satellite countries and quickly the com gov in those government collapsed Ex. East Germany and Berlin. Berlin wall came down. This was the iconic image of the end of the Cold War. 2 year later in 1991 the SU collapsed and was broken up into a bout 15 different republics including Russia. This is a huge victory for the new conservatives but they can no longer campaign on fighting communism. This made the election of Bill possible. 2. William J. Clinton- "New Democrat" If SU hadnt collapsed before hand he wouldn't have been elected because he was an anti-Vietnam war protestor. He smoked pot. He was elected in 1992, beat GHWB because the economy was bad. Americans felt he was out of touch on economic issues. Bill used this to beat Bush He had to run as a dif democrat because of the new NC philosophy He wanted to end welfare as we know it. It limited benefits to 5 years in a lifetime. Moved against deficit spending. He balanced the budget and had lowest unemployment. He emphasized free trade Signed NAFTA, he was one of the architects Scandal: Testified for an sexual harassment when he committed perjury when he denied having sexual affairs in the white house. He was the 2nd president to be impeached but was found not guilty. 3. 2000 Presidential Election Essentially a tie between Al Gore (Bills VP) and George W Bush. ran as a hardcore conservative. Supreme Court broke the tie. Some were appointed by his father War in Iraq Approval is 28% same as Carter

Final Book Answers

Thursday, May 01, 2008 6:03 PM

1. How did Caputo initially feel about enlisting to serve in Vietnam? Ask if the reason he enlisted in the Marines would be the same reason as enlisting in Vietnam.

Caputo initially enlisted in the Marines because he felt like he wanted a chance to live heroically since he "got swept up in the patriotic tide of the Kennedy Era." He felt that Vietnam would be a good place to accomplish this.

2. How did Caputo initially feel about U.S. involvement in the conflict?

Caputo supported the US trying to end the spread of communism and he thought it would be quick to stop this from happening in Vietnam.

3. What were Caputo's initial impressions of Vietnam?

Caputo thought Vietnam was an exotic, beautiful country that was extremely hot but he soon became bored.

4. How did the war Caputo imagined fighting mesh with the war he actually experienced in Vietnam?

Caputo imagined the war would consist of him fighting for a couple of months, help South Vietnam recover then return home to a parade of thankful citizens that wanted to hear his heroic stories. Instead he experienced a fight that was very time consuming, brutal and had an extremely high death count.

5. In at least 4 to 5 sentences, explain why Caputo's attitude about U.S. involvement in the Vietnam conflict changed during his tour of duty. Be sure to include actual examples from his experiences. Caputo's attitude about U.S. involvement began to change when his duty went from being in battle to working in an office to keep track of the death count. He saw the death counts on both sides getting higher, he took this personal because he saw when his comrades died. He also saw all the lives that were being ruined because of mental illnesses caused by war. He came to oppose the war and questioned what the U.S. was doing in Vietnam, this attitude was shared by the majority of Americans. The horrors of war weren't the adventure he had hoped for. 6. What, in your opinion, is the central theme or argument Caputo is attempting to convey in his memoir? Not a great answer... Caputo is expressing the feeling of discontentment for war, however, it is not a protest. This feeling was prevalent during Vietnam. He is conveying the central theme and ideals of America at the time of the war The central theme is one of personal identity. Its about how the war affected peoples attitudes, points of view, mentality and how he discovered who he was.

Final Essay 1- Civil Rights Movement

Thursday, May 01, 2008 6:03 PM

QUESTION & ANSWER

Be able to explain the origins, strategy, and overall impact of the Civil Rights Movement. Address the racial situation in the South after WWII Address the early challenges to the South's repressive racial order Address the major confrontations, strategies, and accomplishments of the Civil Rights Movement Outline: After WWII Segregation Violence Loss of jobs

Northern migration Goals Challenges Brown vs. Board Bus Boycott Rulings Strategy MLK Non-violence Confrontations Publicity Legislation Civil Rights Act Voting Rights Act Conclusion The racial situation in the South after WWII consisted of an oppression racial order and strong segregation. Everything in their society was segregated such as restaurants, schools and buses. Some things such as libraries and parks only existed for whites. Blacks weren't allowed there and they didn't have their own. There was also a constant threat of violence against blacks. When they started losing jobs because of new machines, they moved to the North. They soon realized that racism existed in the North too and unemployment was also high there. However, the threat of violence decreased and the chance of education increased for blacks who moved to the North. This caused the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement. The goals of this movement were for there to be integration and for blacks to have basic human rights. Some early challenges to this repressive racial order in the South did occur. One very popular challenge is the Brown vs. Board of Education supreme court case. The NAACP used this case to challenge segregation in the South's school system. The Supreme Court decided to overturn its previous ruling and came up with the conclusion that separate but equal is inheriting unequal. They then ordered the South to desegregate its public schools. Another well-known challenge was the Montgomery Bus Boycott. This NAACP used this to challenge the segregated bus systems in the South. The secretary of the Montgomery branch of the NAACP, Rosa Parks, purposely sat in the front of a bus to get arrested. This caused blacks to boycott the city buses for over a year! They arranged car pools to get to and from work. It was in the national news constantly which showed Americans across the nation that blacks in the South were unhappy. The federal court ruled that bus segregation was illegal. Incidents like this happened in many cities throughout the south. Martin Luther King Jr. was one leader during the Civil Rights Movement. His strategy was to use Nonviolent direct action. Since the South based its repressive racial order on violence, MLK knew that if blacks never responded back to the racists actions with violence it would bring the South's violence to the surface. His followers responded with non-violent protests. Sit-in's, the Freedom Rides and the marches in Birmingham were all non-violent protests that ended with the South harassing, attacking and arresting the blacks. This brought the violence to the surface and was on the national news. This outraged Americans across the country and showed them that this was a situation that need to change. The publicity of these situations put the Civil Rights Movement on the agenda for politicians. The Civil Rights Act was passed which outlawed segregation in the South's public schools and outlawed discrimination in hiring because of race, gender, or religion. The Voting Rights Act was also passed which says nothing can be used to deny someone the right to vote such as poll taxes, literacy tests or property requirements. All in all, I believe that the Civil Rights Movement was a major step forward for blacks in America. However, some think that the legislation that was passed and the Civil Rights Movement didn't end racism or the black's economic situation.

Final Essay 2- Black Relations

Friday, May 02, 2008 1:42 PM

QUESTION & ANSWER

Explain how black and white relations in America have changed and how they have remained the same from the end of the Civil War through the Civil Rights Movement. Outline: After Civil War Free slaves Freemen's bureau Black codes 15th amendment White supremacy & segregation New repressive system Improvements Cause of black hate Disfranchise Segregation Violence Blacks response WWI War effort Factory jobs Full citizenship South's response Soldier's response After WWII Oppressive racial order Civil Right Movement Goals NAACP challenges MLK strategy Legislations passed Conclusion Changed dramatically Gained full citizenship Didnt end racism or economic situation After the Civil War, the government had to deal with many issues associated with blacks. Since slavery was outlawed there were over 4 million freed blacks. Lincoln created the Freemen's Bureau which was a government agency that assisted freed slaves by establishing schools, medical clinics and helping them read contracts and leases. This outraged Southerners so they came up with the Black Codes which was a set of laws designed to control former slaves by not allowing them to vote, testify in court, carry a gun or own land and the Vagrancy Laws which said if you didn't have proof of employment you went to jail and had to work for any person who paid your bail until you paid them back. Congress responded to these laws by passing the 14th amendment to counter the Black codes and the 15th amendment to not allow a person to be

denied the right to vote because of color. However, there was still white supremacy and segregation for the next century. Over the next couple of decades blacks advanced. Most still lived on farms but some moved to cities and many even owned land. Their literacy and life expectancy improved. Soon a new repressive system emerged. This happened because whites thought blacks weren't disciplined and were prone to committing crimes. They enforced this system by disfranchising, segregating and using violence. While it was illegal to take away the right to vote because of race they made people pay a poll tax, pass a literacy test and be a property owner. Since this also prevented some whites from voting they said if your grandfather fought in the Civil War you were exempt. Laws were also passed to enforce segregation. People who broke these laws were put in jail. These laws were challenged and brought to the Supreme Court. It was ruled that it was "separate but equal" and didn't violate the constitution. People who went against this new repressive racial order were met with violence and even death. Many blacks were wrongfully accused of crimes such as rape and lynched. Blacks responded to this new system by either moving out of the south, protesting in the north and/or focused on bettering themselves. During WWI some blacks enlisted in the military and participated in the war efforts while others moved to the North to fill jobs at factories that were open because workers went to war. After WWI, blacks thought they had earned full citizenship. Instead, the South showed them they were still unaccepted by lynching. Also, when soldiers returned home they wanted their jobs back. This caused many race riots to break out. After WWII, the racial situation in the South still consisted of an oppression racial order, strong segregation and violence towards blacks. The Civil Rights Movement soon began. The goals of this movement were for there to be integration and for blacks to have basic human rights. Organizations such as the NAACP challenged segregation laws by bringing these issues to the Supreme Court. They ruled that segregation in school systems and on buses was illegal. Leaders such as Martin Luther King emerged with a strategy of protesting peacefully by using non-violent direct action. This brought the violence of the South's oppressive racial order to the surface and let American's across the country know that blacks in the South were unhappy with the situation. This called for more legislation to be passed to end racism. The Civil Rights Act was passed which outlawed segregation in the South's public schools and outlawed discrimination in hiring because of race, gender, or religion. The Voting Rights Act was also passed which says nothing can be used to deny someone the right to vote such as poll taxes, literacy tests or property requirements. The relationship between whites and blacks has changed dramatically since after the Civil War to the Civil Rights Movement. Blacks slowly gained their full citizenship. However, some think that the legislation that was passed over the years and the Civil Rights Movement didn't completely end racism or the black's economic situation.

Final Essay 3- Vietnam

Friday, May 02, 2008 1:42 PM

QUESTION & ANSWER

Be able to explain the process of American intervention in Vietnam. Discuss why America decided to get involved Discuss how its role in the war evolved Discuss why it was unable to fulfill its goals Outline: Background French colony Revolution During WWII Ho Chi Minh

Americas involvement French ally Containment Split Vietnam Diem Viet Cong US goal and aid Insurgency Government chaos Evolvement US against NV & SV Ships attacked Troops and bombings Strategy Peace treaty Fall to communist Unfulfilled goals Corrupt government They wouldn't surrender Cut off aid Vietnam had been a French colony for about 80 years when a revolution started. The Vietnamese started the revolution because they wanted to throw off their colonial power and have their own government. A man named Ho Chi Minh led this revolution. He was trained by communists but some saw him as a nationalist. The US didn't become involved in the Vietnam war until during WWII when Japan invaded Vietnam. The Vietnamese saw Japan as another colonial power so they fought them off too. We aided Ho Chi Minh in their fight against Japan and they helped us recover pilots that had been shot down in their area. After WWII, the Vietnamese restarted their fight against the French. Since France was our ally in the cold war and we wanted to stop the spread of communism we stopped sending aid to the Vietnamese and started aiding France by paying for all of their war efforts. The Soviet Union and China quickly started to aid the Vietnamese. When France's army got pinned down they asked the U.S. to send in troops but we refused. France then signed an agreement with the Vietnamese to divide the country in half. North Vietnam could be communist and South Vietnam would be for Frances allies. The U.S. held a rigged election to make sure that a non-communist, Catholic Vietnamese named Diem would be president. This upset most of the South Vietnamese because the majority of the population wanted a communist government and were Buddhist. There was suppose to be a democratic election a few years later but the South Vietnamese refused to participate. The U.S. supported this decision because they knew Minh would defeat Diem. A gorilla war then broke out between some South Vietnamese who were aided by North Vietnam against the Diem government. The fighting South Vietnamese called themselves Vietcong. The U.S.'s goal was to preserve a stable, non-communist South Vietnam so we continued to provide the South Vietnamese government with money and advice. Many advisors were sent in and President Kennedy allowed an insurgency to topple the Diem government since he didn't have the support of his people. After this, the South Vietnam government was in chaos which caused the U.S. to get further involved. The U.S.'s involvement quickly evolved from providing money and advice to being in battle against both North and South Vietnam. This began after some U.S. boats were supposingly attacked on neutral waters which caused Congress to OK bombings and the sending in of troops. Our troops were soon involved in a brutal guerilla war against the Vietcong and the North Vietnamese soldiers. Our plan was to convince the Vietnamese to give up by inflicting so much harm they would have to surrender. We continued fighting by

sending more troops and having more bombing raids. After the Tet Offensive, the U.S. began to think we might not win the war and Americans started to wonder why we were even there. When Nixon became president he wanted to decrease our involvement and increase violence to get the Vietnamese to sign a peace treaty. After a two week bombing campaign they finally agreed to attend a peace conference. At this point the death count was up to over 4 million. The treaty that was made consisted of the U.S pulling its troops out but still giving aid to the South Vietnam government. Not long after Nixon resigned, congress stopped this aid and South Vietnam was taken over by North Vietnam. Vietnam was collaborated into a communist country. We were unable to fulfill our goals in Vietnam because of a number of different reason. First, the South Vietnamese government was extremely corrupt and never had the support of its own people. Second, our strategy to hurt the enemy until they gave in wasn't practical. The Vietnamese had been fighting for independence for over half a century and would never be willing to surrender. Finally, we were never able to cut off their aid from the Soviet Union and China.