C121 Task 3

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Kimberly Paige Johnson C121 Task 3 12/20/19 A. Discuss Three Major Changes in Race Relations The first major change in race relations seen as a result of Reconstruction is the passing of the Thirteenth Amendment. The Thirteenth Amendment passed on January 31st, 1865, “abolished involuntary servitude and declared that Congress shall have the power to enforce this outcome by ‘appropriate legislation’” (Norton, 2015) This movement was a new beginning for the nation. This new-found freedom presented an opportunity for exploration and movement for former slaves. Many African-Americans made moves away from their former slave homes- some in search of family, others simply to get away. Despite their legal rights to freedom, African-Americans continued to face hostility throughout the nation. This hatred made it hard for African-Americans to move on and find new forms of employment. Thus, the Freedmen’s Bureau was born. The Freedmens’ Bureau supplied food, medicine, and employment contracts/ opportunities for freedmen. For the majority of freedmen, this meant returning to their former farms and plantations in search of agricultural work (History.com Editors, 2010). To try and exercise their freedom, though, many of them relocated their homes away from work (farms, plantations, etc) and tried to control the conditions of their labor (Norton, 2015). While the ability to work for compensation was great, it wasn’t much compensation and it didn’t provide what so many freedpeople desired, land. Owning land would represent a self-sufficient form of compensation that freedpeople would be able to pass down to future generations. Landowners and merchants were not likely to sell land to African-Americans though. With this conflict of interest came the compromise of the sharecropping system. Sharecropping is “a system in which the landlord of a merchant ‘furnished’ food and supplies. . . and received as payment a portion of the crop” (Norton, 2015). This system, while appealing in the beginning, seemed to trap freedpeople in contracts as they fell further into debt because of loss of product demand (like the decline in the demand for cotton coming from the South). B. Two Consequences of Industrialization on American Politics and Society Industrialization made huge changes to the lives of Americans. Citizens moved their lives from farms and rural areas to urban areas with their eyes on jobs in factories in the city. This move to urbanized areas divided the people into three categories: the wealthy, the middle class, and those living in extreme poverty. The wealthy class enjoyed large wealth and luxurious life in the city but was a very small percentage of city people. This group of wealthy people was made up of business leaders and investors. The middle class (which was larger than the wealthy) lived comfortably. The middle class was mostly made up of small business owners, office managers, and higher-level factory workers. The majority of city people, however, fell into the group that

lived in extreme poverty. These people mostly worked in factories, mines, and mills and making little money while working long hours (A.U.C., n.d.). This huge economic divide caused the people to call for reform. Citizens started to speak up about their desires to change living conditions, lower poverty, and restrict big business (A.U.C., A, n.d.). As more people became reformers, they started to have a large effect on politics. Their strength led to their control in cities, state government, and eventually presidential elections. The first three presidents elected after 1900 were all in support of reform ideas. (A.U.C., n.d.). These elections would cause major changes like the creation of unions in the labor force, expanded public education, and regulations to create safer work environments. C1. The Role of Religion and Social Morality in Promoting Progressive Reforms Religious influence on Progressive reform was divided into two groups: secular beliefs and religious ones. A religious movement known as Social Gospel countered capitalism by pushing Christians ideals into political matters such as housing for the poor. This movement was largely based n the idea that caring for others helped one gain individual salvation. (Norton,2015) Meanwhile, the secular side tried to benefit others by expanding educational, economic, and cultural opportunities to immigrants. This push of assimilation on others weakened their efforts, however, as it made immigrants feel like they were not accepted and they often rejected Americanized ideas. (Norton, 2015) C2. and C3. Two Reform Movements that Helped to Define the Progressive Era and their Impact on American Politics Two major reforms we see at this time are Prohibition and Women’s Suffrage. In the late 18th century, the consumption of alcohol was largely associated with poverty, immigrants, and insanity. The temperance movement was the kickstart of the prohibition movement focusing largely on German and Irish immigrants. It wasn’t until the late 19th century that the movement focused more of its attention on the consumption of alcohol. This movement was successful on the local and state level, especially in the southern states, at the time. By the 20th century, the movement had become a national one. Falling in line with most progressive reforms at the time, the movement also focused its attention on taking power away from saloons and distilleries and limiting their connections with political powers. (Norton, 2015) By 1918 the 18th Amendment of the Constitution was passed. This Amendment prohibited all manufacturing, distribution, or transportation of alcohol. The reform was thought to be a reform that focused on the social morality of the nation. Herbert Hoover coined it a “noble experiment” in changing the nation's morals. The movement backfired, however, as groups of rebels that went against the movement (such as gangs, hoodlums, and “bootleggers”) became commonplace and tiresome to the general population. The amendment was repealed in the 1930s. (LOC, n.d.) Women’s Suffrage was also a major reform seen during the Progressive Era. As social reform and the focus on social morals became a national concern, women stepped forward to

make their voices and importance heard. As the Progressive Era continued, women started to take larger roles in other movements, including the wildly popular Woman’s Christian Temperance Movement, a movement of women for prohibition. (Lange, 2015) The focus of the Women’s Suffrage movement was a strong representation of what the Progressive Era and the national desire for equality and social reform. It wasn’t until August of 1920 that the Women’s Suffrage movement had finally won the ultimate battle as the 19th Amendment was added to the Constitution stating that no one should be denied to vote based on their sex. (History.com Editors, 2010) D. The Role of American Imperialism in United States involvement in: • Hawaiian Annexation Interest in Hawaii by America began as early as the 1820s. America tried actively to keep foreign powers out of Hawaii to take advantage of the good that could be gained from it. Americans gained a true front in Hawaii when it developed a strong sugar trade between the two. U.S. government took good care of sugar growers allowing lots of profit on Hawaii’s end. This sugar trade would ultimately be what led to conflict. In 1890, the McKinley Tariff (a tariff which raised the import rates on foreign sugar) was approved by Congress (ushistory.org Editors, n.d.). This tariff posed an internal problem for Hawaii: sugar growers knew they would be immune to the tariff if they were annexed by the United States, but Queen Liliuokalani (head of the Hawaiian throne) believed firmly that the source of Hawaii’s financial problems stemmed from foreign interference. Without Presidential approval, marines stormed the island, overtaking it. The idea was that once the act was done, it would be a mess left for politicians to clean up. This, however, began to backfire as Cleveland- a staunch anti-imperialism- took office as President. He was immediately apologetic about the treatment of Hawaii and tried to withdraw the annexation treaty. The public strongly opposed this move from Cleveland. This problem continued until after Cleveland had left office and President William McKinley annexed the islands due to their significance as a naval base (ushistory.org Editors, n.d.). • World War I When World War I started, President Woodrow Wilson stood firm in the fact that the United States would remain neutral. This idea was supported by the American public. Germany, however, had started a sort of submarine warfare. In this warfare, a German submarine sank a British ocean liner (Lusitania). This resulted in nearly 1,200 deaths which included 128 Americans (History.com Editors, 2017). This act stirred the emotion of defense in the American people. Wilson still maintained neutrality but was aware of the need to be prepared for war. It wasn’t until the Zimmerman Telegram that the United States felt the need to join the war.

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