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P-Economic and social change 1890-1812 (African Americans (Voting rights,…
P-Economic and social change 1890-1812
Economic developments
Industrial growth
the industry continued to expand particualrly oil and steel
Iron rose from 920,000 tones in 1860- 10.3 million in 1900
Pittsburg was the center of the iorn industry
38 steel plants along 42km of river
modern oil production stated Janurary 1901
Lucas Well in texas
Lucas well produced 70,000-110,000 barrels per dya for 9 days before it was capped
More gushes found in the southwest
1907 Ocklahoma leading oil producers and 1913 producing 25% of the nations oil,
Trusts and monopolies continued
1904 the largest 4% of US companies produced 57% of the total industry
1898 and 1902 319 major consoliodations
Dunport controlled 85% of the nations electricalpower
carnegie steel was bout by JP Morgans in 1901 and renamed US steel as the worlds first billion dollar company
The Depression 1893
1893 was a stock market crash after Reading Railroads declared bankrupcy
Industrial Black Friday = 24 businesses failed a day in May sparking a 4 yr depression
Michigan 43% unemployment
Cleveland was the last lezze faire goverment
believd in gold based system and repealed the Silver purchase Act in 1893
After the repeal it helped boost business and stemm unemployement
alienated people from the economy the political process and lead to the rise of Progressivism
effects lasted until 1897
poorer people felt ignored and had been left to the mercy of the trusts = progressivism
Agricultural discontent
farmers in South and west did not share in the prosperity of industry
Objected against the power if bankers and corperations blamed railroads and bankers for problems
Farmers were origionally self sufficient but many relied on loans and struggeld to pay them back
Falling agricultural prices
high grain storage price
high transport fee
Farmers Allience
.co-operation and mutual self-respect
lead to populist party
support for Democrats in presidental election 1896
Trade Unions
Pittsburgh strike
1892
Carnegies Homestead Steelworks- Henry Frick cut wages in 1982 and refused to negotiate
Amalgamted Assossiation of Iorn and Steel workers tried to intervene but private detectives smuggled in strike breakers
Strikebreakers were attacked and the comapny called in millitia with guns
after 5 month without wages the strikers were starving and the action collapsed
Pullman Strike
First National Strike of USA
paralysed the railway
Pullman company had cut wages but refused to lower rent
American railway union ran by Eugene Debs refused to handel any triains carrying Pullman cars, includig mail trians
Cleveland sent troops firing and killed 4 people - the strike failed and rent remained
Federal gov showed it was hostile towards unions and would shoot its citizens
Omnibus Indictment Act permitted the legal banning of strikes and remained i force until 1930's
Believed th federal governement didtn careabout the less well off turning industrial classes towards the progressives
Labour Unions that represented the different crafts were set up after the Civil War
1885 the American Federation of Labour wanted mutual support between unions
wanted better working conditions and better wages
used strikes 1,400 strikes involving 500,000 members
employees hostile to trade unions would sack thos who joined and use blackleg labour (strikebreakers)
Immegration
effects
18660-1900 14 million immegrants
an all time high reached in 1901-1910
By 1914 the Jewish population in New York was 1.4 million out of the population of 4.7 million
Cheap labour was needed for industrial groth and others headed west to farm new territories
By 1890 1/10 of the population was Chinese
major reason the USA was able to progress so quickly industrially
workers and consumers
employed within a few hours of arrival
assimilated well and were the unskilled workforce
grateful for a job
Negative
1900 oer 2/3 of those who had arrived in the USA in the last 20 yrs were below subsistence level
from peasant outdoor life to disciplined machiene controlled life
low wages meant wives and children had to work
reactions
immegrants were welcomed by employers as cheap and willing labour
immegrants often used as strik breakers
contributed to overcrowding and increased racial and ethnical conflicts
many cultural and religious interests were seen as unamerican
did not like immegrants from Southern or eastern asia as they didnt assimmilate easily
dangerous political ideas ie socialism and anarchism
1887 the American Protective assosiation set up to put pressure on gov to limit immegration
Anglo-Saxon protestant Traditions were being undermined
limited success
1882 Chinese Exclusion act
1908 immegration from Japan ceased
African Americans
Economic and Social position
Majority still lied in poverty
Segregation in the South
1887 ta railroad company in Florisa was the first to introduce segregation in railway carrigaes
next 4 years 7 more Southern States brough in segregation on trians
Segregation was gradually extended to public places
Plessy Vs ferguson case
Homer Plessy was light skinned but legally classed as an African American as he was 1/8 black ancestery
challenged the Louisiana state law requiring railroad companies to provide serperate facilitys for both black and white americans
Arrested and put on trial as he refused to leave the white carriage
Plessy insisted his rights under the 24th amendment were being violated
fergerson the local judge ruled against plessy and then -it was sent to Supream court
7/8 supream court judges ruled against plessy= seperate but equal
disaster for black civil rights and lead to the 1899 Cumming vs Board of Education
segregation extended to schools and lead to poor funded and poor quality schools for AA
Voting rights
15th amendment gave AA the right to vote but southern states found loopholes
Georgie charged a poll of $2 too uch for AA
1898 Louisianna introduced the grandfather clause
Some states said you had to own a home
1890- Missisippi included a literacy test that was made harder for AA that were usually illiterate
1910 very few AA had the vote in the South and it seemed too difficult a situation to change
Little to no support at national level esp at the hight of lynching 1880-1910= 100 per year
Booker T washington
born to a sla mother in irginia and a white father he didnt know
After emancipation he went to college and became a teacher in 1881 setting up the Tiskegee institue in Albama for Vocation training
He though it imoirtant for blacks to aquire skills through education
Helped to set up the National urban league
Sure that hard work abd financial success would weaken discrimination
Speech in Atalanta Georgia 1895
he stated that if Americans could see AA economic parteners instead of a threat to political control race could be resolved
Focus on education and economic progress rarther than discrimination adn cahieveing voting rights - slow progess
called the Atlanta compromise and attacked by being label accomidation
Achievements
His critics
accepted white supremacy
no attempt to challenge the 2nd class status of the African Americans
did very little for civil rights
focused on working with the system instead of changing it
underestimated the importance of the vote
achievements
role model progressing from slave to college
stric standard of behaiour and self discipline
valuabe contacts such as advisor for Roosevelt
W.E.B Du Bois
different background to Washington = degrees from fisk, Berlin and Harvard became a lecturer in philosophy
initially agreed with Washingtons Ideas of slow and gradual change but in 1900 he wanted more active resistance urging the use of the legal process
Niagra Movement
1905 helped found it from a meeting in Canada
Rejected Washingtons cautious approach and wanted to rpotest
wanted to abolish discrimination
never developed as the memebrs were too academic and movement lacked money and organisation
it did provide impetus
NAACP
1909 keen to attract white support
Natioal assosiation for Advancement for coloured people
inestigate racism publicise it and suggest solutions
moved to Ghana died in 1963
take a constitutional law approach as they tended to be violations of constitutions
Poition of African Americans 1912
more than ever 2nd class citizens esp in the south
no AA in congress or state legislature
right to vote had been systematically removed from teh SOuth
lost rights to serve on jurys
segregation laws formalised= inferior education facilitys
positive
chance of recieving formal education increased
free to leave south and migrate north
civil rights protests movements began to develop ie NAACP