Question 9  3 pts  How did the United States change its relationship with the world in the late 19th century? Discuss reasons why American expansionism was important to most Americans

Question 9

            19^th century was a period of great transformation in the United States. During this period, the US changed in terms of its domestic expansion and its relationship to other countries of the world. An economic transformation was observed during this period whereby the economic sector matured and businesses expanded. The agricultural sector developed and many labor unions were established.  The expansion was beneficial to many Americans as it gave them an opportunity to work in their farm and gain income. Also, their rights were taken into consideration through the labour unions which were meant to deal with any form of worker discrimination. An assertive nationalism was the notion spread by nationalist in the period 1905-1919 whose idea was to attain total independence. Assertive nationalism spread through the advocacy on loyalty and patriotism. Senators Teller and Platt differ in their ideas in that while Teller proposed full control of Cuba’s operations by the U.S. Platt argued that the U.S. can only control the operations but not claim any ownership. The secretary of state John Hay put forward an open door policy which was meant to facilitate growth of the U.S. economy. However, he failed to consider the place of small industries and what the open door policy would have on worker’s discrimination.

Question 10

            Textile industry workers in Lawrence Massachusetts were grappling with the challenge of low wages, being forced to work overtime and layoffs. The industrial Workers of the world (IWW) invited the workers to an organizer and helped push forward their complaints. The workers demanded a 15% pay increase, elimination of bonus pay and double pay for overtime hours. The strike was resolved by the mill owners agreeing to meet the demands of the workers. The strike attracted the attention of the public and the attendance of President Taft’s wife t the Congress hearings gave them more attention and prompted public support.

Question 11

Wilson’s administration addressed the issue of child Labour by enacting the first child Labour laws, creating labor rights against big companies, the Federal Trade Commission, and an 8 hour day rule. Wilson was also in favor of the Clayton Anti-trust Act that was meant to regulate business practices to avert unfavorable competition and protect unions. Under his administration, Wilson appointed Louis Brandeis, who was the first Jewish member of the U.S Supreme Court despite strong opposition from powerful people and the business community. Wilson embraced a 19^th-century issue that was important to the Farmer's Alliance by ensuring a reform on tariffs. This lowered the tariffs and recovered the lost revenue by uplifting the small farmers based on the Sixteenth Constitutional Amendment adopted before Wilson assumed office. Wilson's progressive agenda protected workers' efforts to organize and ensure their protection from the courts bypassing the Eighteenth amendment which outlawed the manufacturing, sale, or transport of alcohol, and enfranchisement of women with the right to vote.

Question 12

President Wilson's purpose for creating the Committee on Public Information was to align the public opinion behind World War 1. The president created the committee to mobilize all channels of communication and education to promote its efforts towards the war.  The CPI was created to influence American public opinion on war and towards supporting U.S. intervention in World War I through propaganda campaigns including advertisements in motion pictures, posters, and magazines/newspapers. Wilson felt that it was important for the government to have control of the messaging so that all Americans could receive the right information and the truth during wartime. It was a way of ensuring patriotism and reinforce the message that the nation was strong and peaceful. The CPI passed its information in form of propaganda and used different types of posters, pamphlets, magazines, movies, billboards, photographs, and public speakers referred to as Four Minute Men and daily pressers to model the public opinions to create support for the country.