The Political Earthquake of 1890s - Essay Example

No: American History Part One: Terms Determine the most significant terms from the chapters and list them below: 1. Reform Visions: 1880-1892 2. Wealth Against Commonwealth (1894) 3. The Political Earthquakes of the 1890s 4. The American Commonwealth (1888) 5. Bennett English-Language School Law (Wisconsin, 1890) 6. People's (Populist) Party National Platform (1892) 7. The 1890 Mississippi Constitution 8. Reform Reshaped: 1901-1917 9. Florence Kelley 10. The New Freedom (1912). From the above list, elaborate on five terms: 1. Florence Kelley Florence Kelley was an important figure during 1916 reforms related to women rights. She worked to reduce the working time for the women to eight hours. However, special permissions were given to sick and married women. She worked immensely for the women rights. She worked to maintain laws for the higher labored works to shorten the duration of work. She worked to minimize the child labor. Kelley guided the authorities to work in order to inform the people about the product. She emphasized to implement similar laws regarding women and children in other states. Women were not allowed to work in the manufacturing or industries more influenced by dangers. She informed that women have to perform double duties, at home and at work. 2. The Political Earthquake of 1890’s The Political Earthquake of 1890’s had huge impact on the history of America. Major economic depression was there during the period. Businesses got destabilized. Government limited to buy the silver. Gold was considered as the regions financial standard. The rights of Blacks were defended. Reforms in the federal election laws were made. Laws were made for the blacks, less educated whites and poor. Dominance of the ruling party was maintained by taking steps to win the votes of people and defeat the political enemies. Booker T. Washington wanted the American black race to be involved in the legal order. 3. People's (Populist) Party National Platform (1892) People's (Populist) Party National Platform (1892) had a great impact on the American history due to the demand to change the political culture of the region. The culture was full with bribes to attain the votes. The whole system was corrupt. Political leaders struggle hard to change the system of the region. Labor unions were encouraged to attain rights. Wealth is not a commodity of a person, it should be distributed. Currency should only be made by government and the price difference between the gold and the silver should be in the ratio of 16:1. The value of the media should be increased. Adjusted income tax was demanded. Saving banks should be owned by the governments. 4. Bennett English-Language School Law (Wisconsin, 1890) Republican and Democratic State Platforms on the Bennett English-Language School Law (Wisconsin, 1890) provided with the political reforms in the American history. Reforms were made to maintain the rights of the peoples and the institutions of the United Sates. Schools funds were defended It was assured that school funds would never be spent on any other work. Education was made compulsory through legislations for the assembly membership as well as for other people. School laws were implemented in nearly all states. It was assured that the attendance at the schools would remain full. Unions made by church faced an opposition. People were encouraged to remain patriotic. People were asked to help the government to implement the school laws. 5. Wealth against Commonwealth (1894) Henry Demarest Lloyd was the reformer who emphasized on the distribution of wealth. The major point made by Henry Demarest Lloyd is that the wealth in more hands is much better than wealth in fewer hands. More people will have some share of wealth that will help in betterment of society. It was discussed that liberty is the factor that impacts the financial conditions. Ballet boxes have lower power that that of the automobile industry. Wealth attracts more people as compared to the ballot box. The manufacturing of postage stamps or dollars was not prohibited. Price should be controlled by the government. No market economy should be encouraged. Market economy is controlled by some figure of the society. Part Two: Essays After reading the chapters, write three essay/discussion questions: 1. How Henry Demarest Lloyd described the Wealth against Commonwealth (1894) reforms and what are the important factors that brought reforms? 2. What Ideas were given by Florence Kelley to protect the women rights and were the laws only based on altering the economic conditions of women? 3. How People's (Populist) Party played an important role in curving the American history? 2. Florence Kelley (1859 -1932) was a social reformer who worked immensely for the women rights. She took the feminine stance to protect the women rights. She emphasized that women have the home that they should care about too after working. Some women have to care the sick and most of them have to play an important part in bringing up the children. Children remain incomplete without the mother’s affection and love. So for our better future, there is a need to reform the law and women should be given relaxations in the reformed laws. Thus, she emphasized that the working time should not be more than eight hours. She formulated that eight hours should be reserved for the sleep, eight hours for the family and the rest eight hours for the job. She emphasized that these laws should be implemented in the other states to avoid any conflicts between the stats in the future. She also emphasized that the women should not work at chemical manufacturing or other manufacturing factories due to the involvement of high risk factor. The reduction in the working hours immensely impacted the health and attendance of the workers due to less frequent sick cases and accidents reports. Some workers managed time to further enhance their education. On the other hand, work regularization followed the short working day. Married have the most benefit of the short working day, as the women have the opportunity to maintain the home and kids as wells. Part Three: Document After looking over the documents, which three do you view as most significant? Why? 1. 20-5: The article about “People’s (Populist) Party National Platform” is of importance because it extracts and informs about all the problems and issues that people of America were facing in the nineteenth century and making of a party interested in the betterment of people and the state as a whole. Poor people and working class were unable to get what they deserved. There was corruption and rejection of rights and the current strategy was to create tramps and millionaires with no other class. The Populist Party pointed all the ills of the society such as discouragement of people, bribery, rejection of voting rights, enslaved industry, increased mortgages, exhausted businesses, corruption and much more. The party believed in the supremacy of people and wanted to get rid of foreign owners of the American land. The party stated that government should keep control on all the societal affairs and should ensure that finance, land and transportation is under its power to facilitate people with their just rights. 2. 20-7: The article about “lynching at the curve” is quite significant because it informs about the prevalent prejudiced and racist Whites that were unable to accept the equally of Blacks. Thomas Moss, Kelvin McDowell and Henry Steward were denied to have any rights of protection because of jealousy and racism of a White grocer. A children’s fight was made the reason to drag over a hundred Blacks to the jail and finally kill the three owners of the People’s Grocery Company. After receiving a warning of attack at the Grocery Company, the owners tried to gain legal help but were refused and were also told that they can take measures for their protection. They got some colored guards with armaments for their security and after being attacked were able to injure three White attackers. Next morning, a newspaper published about White law officials attacked by Black criminals. Police took action against Blacks by arresting many of them including the three owners. The injured Whites got saved but the three owners were shot sadistically. 3. 20-12: The article entitled as “Women in Industry and the Eight-hour Day” is quite noteworthy because women are given relaxation by law to work eight hours a day in many states of United States on the basis of their other duties of rearing their children and taking care of other family members. Florence Kelley worked as a prominent reformer for the rights of women and was successful in making women facilitated by law. The passed laws were quite profitable for women as they were able to avoid diseases because of tiredness, there were fewer chances of accidents, they were able to improve their educational capabilities, there was work regularity and married women were able to take care of their homes and children. Florence Kelley has a dominant part in history of America because she has contributed in such a reform that converted into a law facilitating for working women. Works Cited Henretta, James. Chapter 20: Whose Government? Politics, Populists, and Progressives, 1880-1917. New York: Bedford/ St. Martin’s, 2004. Read More