DD 1910S.Indd Vii 10/12/2016 2:11:55 PM Editor’S Introduction
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Publisher’s Note Defi ning Documents in American History series, pro- ment studies as an important activity in learning duced by Salem Press, consists of a collection of essays about history. on important historical documents by a diverse range of writers on a broad range of subjects in American Essay Format history. This established series offers twenty-one titles The 1910s contains 38 primary source documents— ranging from Colonial America to the 1970s. many in their entirety. Each document is supported This volume, Defi ning Documents in American Histo- by a critical essay, written by historians and teachers, ry: The 1910s (1910-1919), offers in-depth analysis of a that includes a Summary Overview, Defi ning Moment, broad range of historical documents and historic events Author Biography, Document Analysis, and Essential that defi ned this decade in American history from Themes. Readers will appreciate the diversity of the such important fi gures as Woodrow Wilson, Margaret collected texts, including treaties, letters, speeches, Sanger, Henry Cabot Lodge, Jane Addams, and Billy political and religious sermons, laws, pamphlets, dip- Sunday. Pivotal Supreme Court decisions are also ana- lomatic communications, government reports, and trial lyzed: Schenk v. United States, Guinn v. United States notes, among other genres. An important feature of and Hammer v. Dagenhart. This is the decade that saw each essay is a close reading of the primary source that the United States enter World War I, Prohibition, and a develops evidence of broader themes, such as the au- growing push for women’s rights. This text closely stud- thor’s rhetorical purpose, social or class position, point ies thirty-eight primary source documents and delivers of view, and other relevant issues. In addition, essays a thorough examination of domestic and international are organized by section themes, listed above, high- events that took place in the US from 1910 to 1919. lighting major issues of the period, many of which ex- The material is organized under six broad categories: tend across eras and continue to shape life as we know it around the world. Each section begins with a brief introduction that defi nes questions and problems un- • Domestic Developments, including the Six- derlying the subjects in the historical documents. Each teenth and Eighteenth Amendments to the Con- essay also includes a Bibliography and Additional Read- stitution and the passage of Volstead Act ing section for further research. • The War Front in Robert La Follette’s and Eu- gene V. Debs’s opposition to the war along with Appendixes Wilson’s address to Congress, declaring war • Chronological List arranges all documents by against Germany year. • International Affairs, focusing on US/Mexico • Web Resources is an annotated list of websites relations and the effort to form the League of Na- that offer valuable supplemental resources. tions • Bibliography lists helpful articles and books for • Labor and Immigration, which includes further study. the Dillingham Commission report and Louis Brandeis’s speech on “the Jewish problem.” Contributors • Women’s Rights looks at issues including wom- Salem Press would like to extend its appreciation to en’s right to vote and contraception all involved in the development and production of • African American Affairs examines discrimina- this work. The essays have been written and signed by tion and lynching scholars of history, humanities, and other disciplines re- lated to the essays’ topics. Without these expert contri- butions, a project of this nature would not be possible. Historical documents provide a compelling view of A full list of contributor’s names and affi liations appears this and other important aspects of American history. in the front matter of this volume. Designed for high school and college students, the aim of the series is to advance historical docu- vii DD 1910s.indd vii 10/12/2016 2:11:55 PM Editor’s Introduction The 1910s represent a decade when progressive social ternational affairs under the administration of Wood- and economic reforms begun in the previous decade row Wilson. Wilson advanced the idea of achieving a were expanded at both the state and federal levels. At “ New Freedom” under his leadership—a vague refer- the same time, the emergence of a great war in Eu- ence to opportunity and prosperity for all. He began rope (and beyond) led to the collapse of the progres- by asking Congress, now run by Democrats, to draft sive agenda by the end of the decade. By then, the na- new tariff laws that would eliminate special advantages tion was headed in a new direction both at home and for industries. The Underwood-Simmons Act of 1913 abroad. reduced, and, in some cases, eliminated the rates, but protectionist policies were the norm by then and so The Reform Era: From Roosevelt to Wilson those policies largely remained in place. More event- Since 1908 the presidency had been in the hands of ful was the addition of a Sixteenth Amendment to the Theodore Roosevelt’s one-time friend and chosen suc- US Constitution (1913). This amendment established cessor, William Howard Taft of Ohio. By the elections a graduated federal income tax as a means of offsetting of 1912, however, Roosevelt and Taft had had a fall- the loss of tariff revenues and addressing the needs of a ing out along policy lines. (The two men were also of growing government generally. Of equally momentous greatly different temperaments, as was evident in their consequence was the creation of the Federal Reserve approach to the presidency.) The Progressives who sup- System in the same year, which established twelve Fed- ported Roosevelt expected Taft to continue Roosevelt’s eral Reserve banks to hold deposits of member banks reform programs, and in areas such as “ trust-busting,” and serve as a fi nancial balance in case of “panics,” or or the tight regulation of large corporations, there were uneven demands for cash, among member banks. A indeed some similarities between the two administra- Federal Reserve Board oversaw the system and came tions. But differences soon became apparent. Taft was to be a power (some would say an undue power) in cautious and legalistic (as was befi tting of an eventual the maintenance of the American economy. In 1914 Chief Justice of the United States), whereas Roosevelt Congress established the Federal Trade Commission was and continued to be bold and brash. The Progres- to replace Roosevelt’s Bureau of Corporations and sives/Rooseveltians wanted a lowering of tariffs to cut authorized the commission to issue “cease and desist into the trusts. Conservative Republicans in Congress, orders” to any businesses engaging in unfair practices. however, worked to sustain protectionist measures that The Clayton Anti-trust Act, enacted in the same year, benefi ted business; Taft spoke in favor of the their ef- specifi ed which anti-competitive corporate practices fots. Further driving the Republicans apart was the were proscribed. Ballinger-Pinchot controversy over the appointee for In the area of labor legislation, the federal govern- the Secretary of the Interior. The Roosevelt faction ment began intervening more readily to protect the stood behind Gifford Pinchot, a noted conservationist interests of the US public, and in this way, it often (and friend of Roosevelt’s) against Taft’s pick for Sec- stood to benefi t workers as well. The Clayton Act, for retary of the Interior, Richard Ballinger, who favored example, exempted labor unions and farmers coopera- commercial use of public lands. By 1912, therefore, tives from its antitrust provisions. Workers and farm- with Taft again on the ballot for the Republicans, and ers could organize and carry out production stoppages Woodrow Wilson for the Democrats, Roosevelt felt it without fear of being enjoined by the government to incumbent upon himself to form a third party, the Pro- return to work. Other boons for labor included new gressive, or “Bull Moose,” Party. He and his support- protections for seamen and an eight-hour day for rail- ers managed to beat out Taft in both the electoral and road workers. However, many of the largest, most domi- popular votes, but they lost in a landslide to Wilson, nant industries such as automobile, steel, and electrical who himself was a leader in the Progressive Movement manufacturing remained staunchly anti-union, thereby (except, as it turned out, in the area of African Ameri- limiting the reach of the Wilsonian reforms. In agricul- can civil rights). ture, changes were introduced in the form of twelve The Progressive Era was extended and applied to in- regional farm-loan banks capable of delivering capital ix DD 1910s.indd ix 10/12/2016 2:11:55 PM loans to agricultural cooperatives. Additional advances Wilson, War, and World Peace were made in agricultural and vocational education and In world affairs Wilson took a progressive stance. He in the construction of new highways to connect rural felt that it was the great purpose of the United States areas with population centers. to promote peace, prosperity, and progress in the world. Great progress was also made on women’s suffrage. “Progress” meant material advancement as well as spiri- Voting rights came to represent the prospect of social tual and moral enlightenment. However, the exercise of and political equality for women generally, which is an “enlightened” foreign policy often foundered on the one reason why the battle for suffrage was fought so rocky shores of reality. This was the case in 1914, when fi ercely. The suffragists campaigned for an amendment US forces occupied Veracruz, Mexico (over an incident to the Constitution rather than fi ght state-by-state for involving American sailors), and again in 1916, when access to the ballot box. Up to this point in time, the the Mexican rebel/raider Pancho Villa’s incursions into activists had relied on a form of quiet persuasion to New Mexico prompted a US military reaction.