End of the 19Th Century to Early 20Th Century Study Guide (With Answers!)

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End of the 19 th Century to Early 20 th Century Study Guide (With Answers!) 1. Vocabulary: a. Anti-Longs—a person who did not support Huey Long b. Communism—a system of government in which government leaders, not citizens, control industry and wealth c. Kickback—part of a monetary payment that is secretly returned to the government, typically as a result of pressure, coercion, or a secret agreement d. Longs—people who supported Huey Long e. New Deal—a government program created by President Roosevelt to help end the Great Depression f. Severance Tax—a tax on natural resources g. Share Our Wealth—a plan developed by Huey Long in response to the New Deal h. Specialization—concentrating on one specific thing that best suits a person or a region i. 18th Amendment—prohibited the production and sale of alcoholic beverages (prohibition) j. 19th Amendment—women gained the right to vote 2. The Louisiana State Lottery Company was corrupt because they often won their own game and they bribed politicians to keep their company in Louisiana. 3. Governor Murphy J. Foster got the legislature to pass a law that forbade the sale of lottery tickets in Louisiana, successfully ending the Louisiana State Lottery Company. 4. In the late 19th century Louisiana specialized in: agriculture, timber, oil and gas, sulphur, and salt. 5. Louisiana’s economy still depended largely on agriculture. 6. Droughts nearly bankrupted everyone. Farmers had to find new ways to nourish the soil. They paid more attention to conservation and modern agricultural practices. 7. Louisiana gained attention from the timber industry because the state is covered with pine and cypress forests. 8. A salt dome was discovered in Avery Island, 30 years later Louisiana was the second largest salt producer in the U.S. 9. The flood of 1927 was Louisiana’s 2nd worst natural disaster. It left 1 million people homeless. The entire lower Mississippi River Valley was under water, and it remained that way for several months. 10. In 1928, Congress passed the Mississippi Valley Flood Control Act, which provided more than $300 million for flood control. This lead to the creation of our modern levee system. 11. Camp Beauregard in Pineville, LA was a military training base during World War I. 12. The 18th Amendment prohibited the sale of alcohol. This made the North Louisiana Protestants very happy and the South Louisiana Catholics unhappy. 13. The Constitution of 1921 made several changes to Louisiana including: a state income tax, more highway improvements, a severance tax (a tax on natural resources), and improved public education. 14. In 1928 Long became the first true Populist governor. He was a champion of the poor and pushed the state into the modern era. He believed society’s problems were so great only the government could correct them, and he was prepared to spend millions on reforms. 15. Long improved thousands of miles of roads and constructed more than 100 bridges. 16. Long improved education by: providing free textbooks to all students, increased spending on public education, started free night schools and technical schools for adults, created the LSU Medical School in New Orleans, and greatly increased the budget for LSU. 17. Long expanded the charity hospital system. 18. Long constructed a new governor’s mansion and a new capitol building. 19. Long shifted power in state politics away from wealthy white men. His supporters were poor white farmers, laborers, small businessmen, and the few African Americans who could vote. 20. Long repealed the poll tax. 21. Long imposed 35 new taxes. Most were small enough to not anger voters. 22. Long raised most of the money he needed by raising severance taxes and selling state bonds. State sold bonds to investors. Investors held the bonds for a number of years and then cashed them in for more than the original cost. Long raised the money he needed, but he passed the debt on to future generations. 23. Long had one of the most corrupt administrations in Louisiana’s history. Examples of corruption: a. Bribery b. Kickbacks c. Had the power to hire and fire every state employee d. Forced employees to sign undated letters of resignation before they were hired to ensure loyalty e. Forced employees to “donate” 10% of their paycheck to his administration 24. A year after becoming governor, the Anti-Longs in the House of Representatives impeached him. Through bribery, calling in favors, and promising jobs to senators’ relatives, Long was able to convince enough Senators to take his side and dismiss the proceedings. 25. Only two years into his term as governor, Long ran for the U.S. Senate. Long’s popularity with the common people won him 57% of the votes. 26. Long was able to pick his own successor as the new governor, his long time friend Oscar K. Allen. Long still ruled Louisiana because Allen did whatever Long told him to do. 27. The Great Depression began in 1929 when the stock market collapsed. There was also a severe drought that destroyed much of the nation’s farmland. Unemployment in the U.S. was at 25%. 28. President Franklin D. Roosevelt created his New Deal program to help end the depression by creating jobs for people out of work. 29. Long proposed his own plan called Share Our Wealth. He wanted the federal government to use the income tax to take away America’s largest personal fortunes and give that money to the poor. He said individuals should be limited to earning $1 million a year and the rest of their money should go to the poor. He said every family would be guaranteed an income of $2,500 annually, a house, a car, a radio, a college education, and an old age or veteran’s pension. 30. Problems with Share Our Wealth: a. Reminded some people of communism—the government leaders, not citizen’s, control a country’s wealth b. The wealthy will not be motivated to create more businesses or jobs if their money is being taken away c. The Senate would not approve the plan because they were wealthy d. The taxes would only provide $100 per American—not enough money to do what Long promised e. Long undoubtedly knew this but he knew the plan would sound good to the average American and gain him more supporters 31. Long was assassinated in 1935 (a few months after introducing Share Our Wealth). He was shot in the state capitol by Dr. Carl Austin Weiss.