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Civil War Amendments
The 13th, 14th, & 15th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution was necessary to end slavery in the U.S., grant citizenship to the newly freedmen/women, and allow these free citizens the opportunity to vote in elections, respectively. The government had to guarantee all of these at the federal level.[1]
[1] National Archives. The Constitution. https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27.
Photo: The First Vote. Waud, Arthur. Harper's Weekly, 1867. Corbett. U.S. History. OpenStax. Ch.16.3. -
Wealth
In his article, Wealth, Pittsburgh steel baron Andrew Carnegie suggested that the wealthy redistribute their vast surplus of money to the poor and layperson. Carnegie's tolerance of unions further allowed the worker to have a louder collective voice against the wealthy who controlled labor, economy, and politics. [1]
[1] Carnegie, Andrew. Wealth. North American Review, 1889. History Matters. http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5767/.
Photo https://www.carnegie.org/about/our-history/gospelofwealth/ -
The People's Party
The People's Party aka the Populist Party was founded. This party was founded on the grassroots level by farmers who needed a politician to watch out for their best interests. Protection was needed from the unstable economy, high tariffs, and unbalanced supply and demand. The Omaha Platform was written in Nebraska outlining their concerns.[1]
[1] Corbett, P. Scott, U.S. History. OpenStax, 2017. Ch. 20.3. https://cnx.org/contents/p7ovuIkl@3.37:HGdOW3zS@3/Farmers-Revolt-in-the-Populist. -
Trustbuster, Theodore Roosevelt
President Roosevelt enacted several protections on the layperson. Roosevelt addressed congress in 1901 & outlined his plan to regulate large corporations, naming a Secretary of Commerce & Industries, enacting the Interstate Commerce Act.[1] He further protected them with the Meat Inspection Act, Pure Food and Drug Act, Elkins Act, and Hepburn Act.[2]
[1]Theodore Roosevelt, Speech to Congress (1901). http://www.emersonkent.com/speeches/controlling_the_trusts.htm
[2]Corbett, U.S. History Ch.21.4 -
Women Finally Vote
Women finally were given the right to vote in 1919 with the passing of the 19th Amendment.[1] The National American Women Suffrage Movement capitalized on the wartime effort to lobby for this right. Women often did men's jobs during wartime from factories to farms.[2]
[1] National Archives. The Constitution. https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27.
[2] Corbett, U.S. History, Chapter 23.3. -
Nativism
Americans wanted to preserve America for themselves. The Emergency Immigration Act of 1921 introduced limits based on percentages on European immigration for the first time in U.S. history.[1] Upon enacting this, President Coolidge stated, "America must be kept American".[2]
[1] Corbett, U.S. History, Chapter 24.2.
[2] Calvin Coolidge, First Annual Message, 1923. http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=29564.
