WILSON, AFRICAN AMERICANS, & WOMEN Unit 7.3

Woodrow Wilson  Background:  2nd Democratic President elected since the Civil War  First southerner to occupy the White House since Zachary Taylor  Pledged again his commitment to a New Freedom In his 1913 inaugural address, Wilson attacked the “triple wall of privilege”: tariffs, banking, and trusts

?  Who were the other two Democratic presidents elected since the Civil War?  What were the basic tenants of Wilson’s New Freedom?

Woodrow Wilson  Tariff Reduction:  Addressed Congress in person about the need for lower tariff rates to bring consumer prices down  The Underwood Tariff of 1913 substantially lowered tariffs for the first time in 50 years  To compensate for the reduced tariff revenues, the Underwood bill increased the income tax rate

?  How did presidents before Wilson generally address Congress?  How did Congress plan to compensate for the reduced tariff revenue?

Woodrow Wilson  Business Regulation:  Two major pieces of legislation in 1914 completed Wilson’s New Freedom program: Clayton Antitrust Act: strengthened the Sherman Antitrust Act and protected unions from being prosecuted as trusts Federal Trade Commission: took action against any “unfair trade practices” (except in banking and transportation)

Woodrow Wilson  Business Regulation:  Other reforms extended to include Progressive measures: Federal Farm Loan Act (1916): established 12 federal farm loan banks to provide farm loans at low interest rates Child Labor Act (1916): prohibited in interstate commerce the shipment of goods manufactured by children under 14 years old Supreme Court later declared this act unconstitutional in 1918 case of Hammer v. Dagenhart

?  What were the four most important regulatory acts passed under Wilson?

African Americans  African Americans were largely ignored by the Progressive movement  Progressives shared in the general prejudice of the time  Considered other reforms (such as lower tariffs) more important than anti-lynching laws because their causes benefitted all Americans, not just one group  Suffered from economic deprivation and exploitation as well as the denial of their civil rights

?  What were the two main reasons that civil rights for African Americans were largely ignored by the Progressives?

African Americans  Economic deprivation and exploitation was one problem  Denial of civil rights was another  The priority of which issue to solve first became the focus of a debate between Booker T. Washington & W.E.B. Du Bois

African Americans  Washington’s stress on economics:  As head of the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, Washington was the most influential African American at the turn of the century  Argued that the need for education and economic progress were most important  Only after establishing a secure economic base could African Americans gain social equality

African Americans  Du Bois’ stress on civil rights:  Unlike Washington, Du Bois was a northerner with a college education  Argued that political and social equality were prerequisites for any such economic success  Du Bois demanded equal rights

?  Compare and contrast how Washington and Du Bois argued for equal rights for African Americans.

African Americans  Urban Migration:  Around 1900, about nine out of ten African Americans lived in the South This ratio began steadily shifting to the North  Motivating the decision to leave the South were: Deteriorating race relations Destruction of cotton crops by the boll weevil Job opportunities in northern factories that opened up when white workers were being drafted in WWI

?  What were the three main reasons that millions of African Americans migrated north between ?

Civil Rights Organizations  Niagara Movement: In 1905, W.E.B. Du Bois met with young, black intellectuals in Niagara Falls, Canada to discuss a program of protest and action aimed at securing equal rights for blacks  NAACP: On Lincoln’s birthday in 1908, Du Bois, members of the Niagara Movement, and white progressives founded the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People  Mission was to abolish all forms of segregation and to increase educational opportunities for African- Americans

Civil Rights Organizations  National Urban League: Formed in 1911, this organization helped those migrating from the South to northern cities  Emphasized self- reliance and economic advancement for all African Americans

?  What were the three major civil rights organizations of this era?  What were their main goals?

Women’s Suffrage  Background:  Progressive era was a time of increased activism and optimism for a new generation of feminists  The older generation of feminists, like Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, passed the torch to younger members of the suffrage movement  Carrie Chapman Catt became president of the National American Women Suffrage Association (NAWSA) and argued for a suffrage amendment to the Constitution

Women’s Suffrage  Militants:  Some women split from NAWSA in 1916 to form the National Women’s Party  These women took to the streets with mass pickets, parades, and hunger strikes  Their leader, Alice Paul of New Jersey, focused from the start on persuading Congress and the president for a suffrage amendment to the Constitution

?  What was Carrie Chapman Catt’s contribution to the women’s suffrage movement?  What was Alice Paul’s contribution to the women’s suffrage movement?

Women’s Suffrage  19 th Amendment:  The dedicated efforts of women on the home front in WWI finally persuaded Congress and President Wilson to adopt a women’s suffrage amendment  The 19 th Amendment (1920) guaranteed voting rights in all local, state, and federal elections  Afterwards, Carrie Chapman Catt organized the League of Women Voters, dedicated to keeping voters informed about candidates and issues