Imperialism, and America’s Entry Into WWI

QUESTION

Required Resources

Read/review the following resources for this activity:

Textbook: Chapter 17 (section 17.4), 18 (section 18.3), 19 (sections 19.1, 19.2), 21 (sections 21.2, 21.4)
Lesson
Minimum of 1 scholarly source (in addition to the textbook)

Initial Post Instructions

For the initial post, pick two (2) of the following categories representing minority groups during 1880-1914: (Address 2 pairs of the categories in 2 pages each)

Women’s rights activists
African Americans
Immigrants from southern and eastern Europe
Child workers
Great Plain Indians

Then, address the following for your selections:

Explain the socio-economic status and challenges of your minority groups at the turn of the century.
How did the Industrial Revolution affect your chosen minority groups?
Analyze how the Progressives brought reform to your selected minority groups. Do you find that the Progressives were successful in making government responsive and improve the conditions of your chosen minority group?

ANSWER

Women versus African Americans

Women held low-socio-economic positions in the early 1800s. They were not allowed to vote, own property, study, or work outside domestic settings. According to Corbett et al. (2016), married women had no economic or legal status independent of their husbands (p.162). They could not buy or sell property, and their husbands controlled all property the wife inherited from parents or previous marriage.

Feminists started campaigning for more rights and expanded roles for women. In 1812, Mercy Otis Warren wrote novels challenging gender assumptions and traditional female roles. Another feminist, Judith Sargent Murray, campaigned for women’s economic independence and universal educational opportunities. Women could work outside the home in the early 1800s but under poor conditions, such as long working hours and low wages. During the turn of the century, female activists helped women gain the right to vote, own property, divorce, control and manage their earning, and take custody for their children.

African Americans suffered the same inequality. They did not have the right to vote or own property. Political participation, education, and holding office positions were also unheard of among Blacks. The Fourteenth Amendment ruled that all people born or naturalized in the US were American citizens. This legislation opened up opportunities for African Americans, including the ability to compete and occupy leadership positions and enroll in schools.

Impact of Industrial Revolution

The industrial revolution increased labor demands and changed social classes. Many poor women, especially immigrants, belonged to the working class. The economic conditions of the working class remained precarious, forcing their children into the workforce (p.238). The inventions transformed food-preparation practices, and women who could afford the inventions had more time in their schedules. Consequently, they sought more jobs outside the home and sought to expand their knowledge and skills through reading. The number of women working outside domestic settings tripled. About one quarter worked factory jobs, i.e., in the textile industry. Others worked as clerical officers, bookkeepers, or sales clerks.

Many Black people worked primarily on farms before the industrial era. During the industrial revolution, Black people shifted their labor from farms to working in industries. Corbett et al. (2016) reports that over 80% of African Americans worked in semi-skilled or unskilled positions (p.500). Those who worked in factories provided labor in steel mills, mines, meat packing, and construction. African Americans who worked in the railroad industry mostly worked as servants or porters. In other areas, they worked as cooks, janitors, or waiters.

Louis (2013) reveals that African Americans’ socioeconomic status dropped after the industrial revolution. White workers monopolized high-paying jobs, while African Americans remained in rural peasantry due to strong Anti-black laws and unions. Healey et al. (2006) indicate that about 83% of African Americans were artisans in 1865. However, by the 1900s, this number had reduced to only 5% (p.80). The author attributes this to the Jim Crow movement, which restricted African Americans to domestic and agrarian sectors and denied them education and political opportunities’. The industrial revolution negatively affected the socioeconomic status of African Americans

The Impact of Progressives on Selected Minority Groups

The Progressives brought reforms for women but not African Americans. The National Consumers League (NCL), under the leadership of Florence Kelley, campaigned for safe working conditions for women and a mandatory 8-hour shift. In the Muller v. Oregon statute, the NCL provided the court with empirical evidence demonstrating that biological differences between men and women justified shorter working hours for women (Louis, 2013). The NCL won the case, and by 1917, other states had adopted similar laws restricting long working hours for women (Louis, 2013). Corbett et al. (2016) indicate states such as Idaho, Wyoming, Idaho, and Colorado had become responsive to women’s rights to vote by the 1900s, meaning the progressives were successful in this endeavor (p.560).

The progressives fighting for African Americans had more failures than successes. One of the progressives’ successes is the elimination of segregation policies. However, they did not significantly improve the socioeconomic conditions of African Americans. Racial violence, employment discrimination, and high unemployment rates among African Americans continued despite their efforts.

Women Rights Activists versus Child Workers

Women had lower socioeconomic status compared to men. They did not have any rights until the 1830-1840 reforms. They were not allowed to vote, own property, attend school, or run businesses (Corbett et al., 2016). Most worked in home settings and concentrated on maintaining morality and raising virtuous children. They were under the leadership and protection of the dominant male in the family.

Child workers were also of low socioeconomic status. Most child workers belonged to the working class, the lowest social class. They did not attend school to help generate their household income. According to Corbett et al. (2016), the economic conditions of the working class necessitated children to work. Most would attend school long enough to read and write before dropping out to work in factories (p.238). They worked long hours and received low wages, just like women (Schuman, 2017).

The Impact of the Industrial Revolution on Child Workers and Women

The industrial revolution was marked by inventions that created job opportunities for women. According to Corbett et al. (2016), women working outside the home tripled during the industrial era. Instead of working at home, the industrial revolution allowed these women to work clerical jobs, factory jobs (most worked for the textile industry), bookkeeping, and sales clerk positions. The Industrial Revolution also tripled child labor in the United States (Corbett et al., 2016, p. 476). Employers hired child workers to perform simple jobs. They worked night shifts and received low wages.

The Impact of Progressives on Child Labor

Progressives successfully changed the working conditions of women, especially working-class women. The National Consumers League (NCL) was instrumental in bringing these reforms. The organization provided court evidence to justify why women needed to work shorter hours than men. The organization provided a 111-page of empirical data, demonstrating that the biological differences between men and women explain their calls for an eight-hour shift for women (Louis, 2013). The organization helped Oregon win the case, and, shortly after, many states had adopted similar laws prohibiting longer hours for women (Louis, 2013)

The National Consumers League (NCL), under the leadership of Florence Kelley, campaigned for safe working conditions for women and a mandatory 8-hour shift. In the Muller v. Oregon statute, the NCL provided the court empirical evidence demonstrating that biological differences between men and women justified shorter working hours for women. The NCL won the case, and by 1917, other states had adopted similar laws restricting long working hours for women. Corbett et al. (2016) indicate that states like Idaho, Wyoming, Idaho, and Colorado had become responsive to women’s rights to vote by the 1900s, meaning the progressives were successful in this endeavor (p.560).

Progressives were also successful in changing the socio-economic conditions of children. The National Child Labor Committee (NCLC) campaigned for the ban on child labor. In 1912, the NCLC convinced President William Howard Taft to create the US Children’s Bureau, which helped the organization raise awareness of child labor issues. In 1916, the NCLC succeeded in championing the enactment of the Keating-Owen Act, which forbade interstate trade of products made by children. The US Supreme Court ruled the Keating-Owen Act was unconstitutional, but it was later restored as the Fair Labor Standards Act in 1938s. Progressives successfully made the government responsive to issues affecting children in that era.

Immigrants from southern and eastern Europe versus Great Plain Indians

Immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe belonged to a low socioeconomic status. According to Corbett et al. (2016), approximately nine million people migrated to the United States between 1900 and 1910. By 1890, over 80% of New York’s population were either foreign-born or children born to foreign parents. The poverty rate in this population was high due to the high unemployment rate and low wages. They desperately searched for work, and most were more than willing to work under harsh conditions for lower wages than native workers.

Additionally, most of the immigrants had limited English proficiency and depended on translator to communicate (Corbett et al., 2016, p.503). They sought compatriots, relatives, and townspeople with whom they shared their culture and settled around them, creating ethnic enclaves. An ethnic enclave refers to a region where people of one ethnic group are heavily concentrated. This settlement led to urban congestion and slums.

Great Plain was an arid region, and its residents were mainly farmers. They used dry-farming techniques to plant wheat, sorghum, and corn (Wessel, 1976). However, in the 1870s, gold was discovered in the region, and White settlers increased in the region. The Lakota people in the Black Hills protested the invasion, but the government ordered them to leave and forced them into a reservation area. The Indian War broke out in 1890.

However, in the early 1880s, the government tried to Americanize the Indian tribes. The reformers demanded the native children abandon their social customs, culture, clothing, and language and embrace the Euro-American lifestyle (Corbett et al., 2016, p. 454). Most kids were placed in boarding schools. Females received domestic science classes, while boys received vocational training.

The Impact of the Industrial Revolution on Minority Groups

Traditionally, Plain Indians depended on dry-farming techniques to sustain their dry-cultural practices. The industrial revolution came with inventions, including the windmill technology that allowed them to draw. These inventions were costly, but few farmers could afford them (Corbett et al., 2016, p.441).

The Industrial revolution reduced job opportunities for European immigrants because many jobs were mechanized. Due to limited job opportunities, tensions and animosity existed between African Americans and immigrants.

The Impact of Progressives on Minority Groups

Progressives did not significantly impact the socioeconomic conditions of Great Plain Indians. Like African Americans, Indians and other native tribes faced discrimination and racism despite progressives’ work. Immigrants, especially immigrant children and women, benefitted from the labor reforms brought by progressives. However, many male immigrants still experienced poor working conditions and discrimination like other minority groups.

References

Corbett, P. S., Janseen, V., Lund, J., Pfannestiel, T., Vickery, P., & Waskiewicz, S. (2016). US History. OpenStax. https://assets.openstax.org/oscms-prodcms/media/documents/USHistory-WEB.pdf

Healey, J. F., Stepnick, A., & Eileen, O. (2006). Race, ethnicity, gender, and class: Industrialization and Dominant-Minority Relations from Slavery to Segregation and the Coming of Postindustrial Society. Sage Publications. https://www.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-binaries/13174_Chapter4.pdf

Louis, S. (2013). Education and Legislation: Affluent Women’s Political Engagement in the Consumers’ Leagues of the Progressive Era. Grand Valley Journal of History, 2(2). https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/gvjh/vol2/iss2/2

Wessel, T. R. (1976). Agriculture, Indians, and American History. Agricultural History, 50(1), 9-20. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3741903