|
Political Eras
1)
1788-1824
England's Political Influence Finally
Ends and the South Has
Some Success
in Controlling Northern Business Interests.
The
causes of the American Revolution began with a disagreement over the way Great Britain treated
the colonies.
Americans wanted the rights of Englishmen.
Federalists
favored unity through a strong central
government, close ties to Britain, a centralized banking system, and close
links between government and men of wealth who should run government.
Democratic-Republican Party of
Jefferson, Madison and
Monroe strongly opposed
Alexander Hamilton's Federalist agenda of a strong central
government. Instead they wanted more state's rights for the developing
Democratic Federalist Republic. See
Characteristics of Market System Capitalism and
Political Economy.
"And Now the Rest of the Story"
1)
Executive privilege was created by President Washington to keep
Jay Treaty documents
from Congress. Other Presidents would claim the right and courts would
sometimes have to decide legality. Think NSA data
spying.
2)
Hamiltonian economics outlined a coherent program of
national mercantilism with government-assisted economic development.
Think business expansion,
infrastructure investment, Japan, and China.
3) 1791 Whiskey Rebellion
against federal taxes failed. It was the first of many disagreements
concerning taxes.
Think Tea Party.
4) Liberal political revolution against monarchs ravaged Europe and fear
of anarchy swept U.S. political Oligarchs.
5) A
Quasi-War
with France was minimized by Adams despite the desires of his Federalist cabinet.
He used the
Alien and Sedition Acts to limit a citizen's right to disagree. A few
opposition leaders were
jailed. It was the first of many attempts by U.S. President to ignore the Constitution in the name of national defense.
Think the Pentagon
Papers, War on Terror...
6)
First Barbary War was the first fought on foreign soil. It stopped payment of
tribute to Mediterranean pirates. War on Terror Begins.
7)
1800 cutthroat election
made Adams a one-term
president and ended the twelve-year Federalist reign of increased
federal government.
8)
The
1803 Louisiana Purchase and
1819/1821 treaties
with Spain more than doubled the size of the U.S. Later U.S. would force a war with Mexico to expand into the Southwest.
9) Hamilton ignored
British Impressment
of U.S. merchant ships,
and
Chesapeake
Affair war fever to avoid war with England.
Madison was not as fortunate so the
War of 1812
eventially
protected
freedom of the Sea and ended hostilities with Britain.
10) Missouri
Compromise of 1820 admitted Maine as a free state and Missouri as a slave state.
It postponed the coming pain. Does 12/15
climate agreement postpone pain from expected climate change?
11) Monroe
Doctrine of 1823 kept U.S. out of European politics and vice versa until WWI.
12) 1828 "Tariff
of Abominations resistance slowed expanding business interests. It caused the
Nullification Crisis
as states wanted to declare federal laws unenforceable Tariffs continued
as the main source of federal revenue until surpassed by post WW II income
tax revenues. See
Nullification Have Free Trade Agreements replaced
tariffs as a way to help business at worker expense? See 1994
North
American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and maybe 2015 Trans
Pacific Partnership.
2) 1828-1852
Federalism vs. State's Rights
The
Democratic-Republican Party of the Jefferson became factionalized in
the 1820's so Jackson supporters began to form the modern
Democratic Party. It hoped to pass political power from established
elites to ordinary voters by ending the
spoils system. They continued the
Bank War
against eastern business interests by opposing the renewal of the
Second Bank of the United States. Democrats also opposed
Whig sponsored modernizing programs that they felt would build up industry
with
protectionism
at the expense of
taxpayers. These
battles continue today!
Democrats fought
Adams and
Anti-Jacksonian revival factions which soon emerged as the
Whig Party. They were led by
Henry
Clay who advocated the primacy of
Congress over the
Executive Branch as well as Northeast industry protectionism.
The battle of presidential versus congressional power continues today
"And Now the Rest of the Story"
1)
Indian Removal Act of 1830 forced Indians
westward.
2)
1933 Compromise Tariff
solved the North-South fight over protectionism.
3)
1838 Mormon War ended with roughly 20,000 Mormons relocated.
4) A failed
1842 Impeachment attempt of J. Taylor occurred because he used a presidential veto to override Northeast bank and tariff issues. Previous Presidential vetoes had been on
constitutional
grounds. It would
be the first of a few politically motivated impeachment attempts.
Think Obama
impeachment poll.
5) Manifest
destiny caused the Mexican
War, southern Slave Power
was maintained and the Oregon Treaty acquired
much of the Northwest Territory. England got
British Columbia.
6) The Compromise of 1850
postponed war as did the 1854
Kansas Nebraska
Act which substantially increased North-South tensions. Think
postponing budget problems.
|
3)
1856-1892
Civil War, Northeast Takes Control, Gilded Age Wealth Built on the Backs of
the Poor, Women and Children
The civil War was followed by massive transportation industrialization which
involved railroads, canals and steamships. Massive wealth was created. Farm
mechanism lowered the cost of food and this coupled with science made for a
somewhat more prosperous middle class. Immigrants suffered
"And Now the Rest of the
Story"
1)
Panic of 1857 was caused by over-consumption of goods
from Europe which lowered the
hard currency
supply. Also overbuilding by competing railroads and rampant Western
land speculation caused problems. Think bubbles!
2)
Lincoln's
Transcontinental Rail Road construction began just before the Civil
War. It transformed the nation and began federal
government grant of lands directly to corporations; before that act, the
land grants were made to the states, for the benefit of corporations.
3)
Enforcement Acts of 1870-71 was designed to protect blacks
from the
Ku Klux Klan
and to protect Indians. It failed.
4)
Panic of 1873 was caused by the hard currency
Coinage Act of 1873. It lowered the money supply. Workers blamed
cheap foreign labor. Called the
Long Depression until the 1930's when it was superseded by the
Great Depression, it caused severe hardship. It would not be the last
time a lack of money and immigrants were blamed for economic problems.
See
Mexico, United States barrier. Think
Great Recession.
5)
Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act of 1883 added merit to
federal hiring practices and began replacement of the
spoils system though who you know continued.
6)
Chinese
Exclusion Act of 1882 lasted until 1942. Scott
Act
of 1888 expanded the restrictions on Chinese immigration.
See
Japanese American 4 Year Interment.
7)
Interstate Commerce Act of 1887 began an attempt to
regulate business trusts and harness their use of monopoly power
8)
McKinley
Tariff of 1890 set a record for high rates. Profits increased as did
the price of consumer goods.
9)
Panic of 1893
resulted in a severe depression. Reluctantly,
J.P. Morgan bailed out the gold standard with $60,000,000.
10) The
1894 Wilson–Gorman Tariff lowered tariffs slightly and
created a 2% tax on income over $4,000 ($88,100 in 2010dollars). It was
declared unconstitutional by the 1895 Supreme Court.
Think taxes on the top one-percent.
11) Harrison appoints four conservative S.C. judges to fight coming
progressive movement.
4)
1896-1928
Progressive Populism Ends the Gilded Age
But Business Power Returned
After WW I
Panic of 1893
dissatisfaction
meant a 1996
realigning election
with victory for a republican forged conservative coalition
consisting of businessmen, professionals, skilled factory workers, and
prosperous farmers. Liberal opposition meant two unsettled decades called the Progressive
Era which began when
Teddy- Roosevelt in the 1902 Coal Strike.
It was a period of social activism and political reform which
flourished from the 1890s to the early 1920s. Exposing
political machines to eliminate government corruption was an
important progressive goal. They hoped to create a more
democratic federalist republic by putting election reform high on their agenda. Progressives also
sought regulation of monopolistic
trust corporations through
antitrust laws which were seen as a means to promote consumer benefit
through fair competition. Post WW I Communists and unions created fears of anarchy
so conservative government returned. A
second
Red Scare
followed WW2.
Then the War on Drugs.
Then War on Terrorism. Then climate fear. Are
politicians
and
media warmongers making us paranoid?
"And Now the Rest of the Story"
1) The 1897
Dingley Tariff
promoted industry at the expense of consumers
as it added to
consumer goods prices.
2)
The 1898
Spanish–American War
resulted from U.S. desires for a colonial empire and
a desire to help business.
3) The
Gold Standard continued to
be a
Cross of Gold.
It protected wealth
but its inflexible money supply often caused economic hard
times.
4)
The
Panama Canal land
acquisition in 1903
eventually (1914) resulted in improved transportation.
Think infrastructure.
5) Progressive Republican T.
Roosevelt
began the regulation of Trusts in 1906 with the
Meat Inspection Act,
the
Pure Food & Drug Act and
the
Hepburn Act which increased
ICC regulation of Rail Road Trusts though they still managed to rate control.
6)
American Antiquities Act of 1906 created
National Monuments and was one of
many conservation activities.
7) Panic
of 1907 was managed by J.P. Morgan and other wealthy Oligarchs.
But economic growth
had made even their wealth insufficient so the U.S. Treasury helped create more
liquidity. In 1913 the new
Federal Reserve System became
the
Lender of Last Resort. Designed
by Wall Street bankers, the FED would continue under Wall Street's thumb until
... 2015?
Think
Great Recession.
Riots Guns Bribes TR's Contested 2012 Convention
8) Democrat Woodrow Wilson would continue
the progressive agenda
with the Revenue Act
of 1913.
It lowered consumer prices by substituted income taxes for tariffs. Declared
unconstitutional by a conservative Supreme Court, the
16th Amendment made the tax legal. The
Federal Trade Commission Act of
was a major effort to control
business trusts. The
Clayton Antitrust Act of outlawed specific conduct putting
teeth into
the 1890
Sherman Antitrust Act. The
Federal Farm Loan Act increased credit to rural family farmers and the
Keating–Owen Act
temporally lowered child labor abuses.
7)
Segregated government
continued. Wilson like fellow progressive Teddy Roosevelt and even Thomas Jefferson rationalized that America's people
were not ready for integration.
8)
Revenue Acts of 1921,
1924,
1926,
and
1928
reduced taxes so only richest 2% paid
income taxes.
Think Bush 2 tax cuts lowers taxes for almost
everyone.
9) The
Fordney McCumber Tariff Act
was one of many protectionist measures during the 1920's.
Smoot–Hawley Tariff Act of 1930
designed
to protect US industries failed to
help as
Canada, France and others
retaliated. A Mexican Repatriation program
help unemployed Mexican citizens
return home. It represented forced migration.
Think current immigration problems.
10)
Great Mississippi Flood of 1927
resulted in the
Flood Control Act of 1928. It
created the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
to watch over public infrastructure. |
|
|
5) 1932-1996
Party Control Flip-Flops
But Some Progress Made Republicans felt voter outrage
caused by
Bonus Army veteran deaths during the summer of 1932. It combined with the
catastrophic economic effects of Hoover's domestic economic policies
to mean
change was needed!
Democrats promoted
American Liberalism anchored in a coalition of specific liberal
groups, especially ethno-religious constituencies (Catholics,
Jews, and African Americans), white Southerners,
well-organized labor unions, urban political machines, progressive
intellectuals, and populist farm groups. Experts debate whether this era ended and a
Sixth Party System emerged in the mid-1960s
with the end of the New Deal coalition.
The era may have continued into the
1980s when the
Moral Majority and the
Reagan coalition were formed and then in the new century
with the
Republican Revolution. Interrupted by Presidents Clinton and Obama, it
may have continued in 1/15 when the Republicans took control of
Congress but
Citizens
United_v._FEC ended it. |
|
|
"And Now the Rest of the Story"
1) For the first time U.S. leaders used massive debt to solve a major
non-military problem (SS and
rural
electrification ...).
Like military debt, this new type of debt would be lowered economic growth
and inflation. It would be refinanced with little paid back (retired).
Think Can contingent liabilities from SS and Medicare be outgrown?
2)
Marshall Plan & NATO
prevented repeat of post WW I type international problems and
officially ended Monroe Doctrine isolationism
3) President Eisenhower pulled
out of South Korean and
warned of a Military Industrial Complex.
4)
Cuban
Missile Crisis of 1962, the worst Cold War nuclear crises was
properly managed.
5)
Social Security Amendments of 1965 created Medicare and
Medicaid.
6)
Voting Rights Act of 1965
8)
Camp David Accords of 1978 was the
high point of recent Middle East peace efforts.
9)
Tax Act of 1980 began a trend of cutting
everyone's income taxes.
10)
Too Big to Fail policy rescued Continental Illinois Bank
and signaled the beginning of financial industry problems.
11)
Coalition of the First
Gulf War in1990 repelled invasion of Kuwai
12)
Gramm–Leach–Bliley Act a1999 repealed the
Great Depression
Glass–Steagall Act. Did this cause
Great Recession?
13) Terrorism
strikes on 9/11causes fear that subsides and then returns before the
2016 presidential election.
14)
Great
Recession
ended but slow nominal growth means real national debt will drop
slowly as compared to after WW2.
assured minority registration and voting ending a 100 year
government stalemate.
7) Vietnam War and
Watergate
scandal
|
