wilson’s “new freedom” woodrow wilson tries to fill in the big shoes left by teddy roosevelt...
TRANSCRIPT
Wilson’s “New Freedom”
Woodrow Wilson tries to fill in the big shoes left by Teddy Roosevelt and William Howard Taft
Eyewitness to History
“ We have been proud of our industrial achievements, but we have not stopped to count the fearful physical and spiritual cost to the men and women and children upon whom the weight and burden of it all has fallen. This is not a day of triumph, it is a day of dedication. Here must gather not the forces of party, the forces of humanity!”
Woodrow Wilson, 1913
Wilson Makes Quick Changes
1913 Underwood Tariff Act– Lowered tariffs in US to lowest levels in 50 years
Congress would make up revenue with graduated income tax.
– $5,000 or less = 1% tax– $20,000 = 3% tax– $50,000 = 6% tax
Banking Reform
1913 Federal Reserve Act– Created a three tiered
banking system in US. Fed Reserve Board
– Makes deals for economy through banks
Fed Reserve Banks– Offers interest loans to
banks Private banks
– Offers money to People businesses
Federal Reserve Board
12 Federal Reserve Banks
Private Banks
Wilson Tackles Big Business in 1914
Clayton Antitrust Act– Clarified what
businesses could and could not do
Could no sell goods below cost to drive out competitors
Could not buy stock of other companies to drive them out of business
Federal Trade Commission
– Authorized to investigate any corporations!
Targeted issues like– Mislabeled items– monopolies
Wilson Helps the Worker
Farmers– Got low interest loans to
start new farms
Railroad– Adamson Act is passed
Shortened the workday of railroad workers from 10 to 8!
Wilson Tries to Help Child Laborers and Women
Keating-Owen Child Labor Act
– Outlawed interstate sale of products produced by child labor.
Eventually overturned by Supreme Court
– Why?
Women’s Suffrage
National American Woman Suffrage Movement (NAWSA)
– Leading force in the suffrage movement.
Led by President Susan B. Anthony
Took very local approach to getting right to vote
– Suffrage Movement – women’s fight for the right to vote!
Women fight for the right to vote!
Alice Paul– Broke away for NAWSA to form National
Woman’s Party Focused more on national right to vote
– Wanted a Constitutional change to allow women to vote!
But how?
Picket Around the White House!
Carrie Chapman Catt takes over National Woman’s Party
1916 Catt’s fight for women’s right to vote gets help– WWI breaks out in 1914
Women offer lots of help to war cause
– Pres. Wilson says he agrees with women having the right to vote.
That always helps!
1919 19th amendment passed– Allows women the right to vote!