There are certain trends that marked the political arena of the final quarter of the 19th century. The citizens’ interests in politics and elections were very enthusiastic during this period. Almost 90% of all the eligible voters voted consistently in the local and national elections. While all this was happening, there were major rifts between the two main national political parties (Lakoff 89). During this period the two main political parties were almost identical and the only a small number of voters would determine the outcome of the election.
Why was it so difficult to resolve such issues as the spoils system, the tariff, and bimetallism, which consumed congressional energies in the late nineteenth century? The period was marked by difficulty in resolving issues like the spoils system, the tariff, and bimetallism. These systems had been a crucial part of politics for some time already. They were used to maintain political power by leaders and no one could attempt to oppose them at the time. The spoils system was used by the winning political party to reward voters who worked towards their victory. The big government jobs were given to those loyal to the winning side instead of being awarded on merit. The argument was to maintain loyalty for the coming election (Lakoff 98). The tariff also worked the same way. It benefited industry at the expense of the agricultural sector. Export of raw materials for agriculture was hindered by other countries that were forced to pay a tariff at the ports. In bimetallism, the wealthy controlled the price and supply of gold and silver by passing laws (Lakoff 99). This controlled the supply of currency.
Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of progressivism. The progressive movement rolled through the late 19th century to the early 20th century. It was a reform movement used by intellectuals and social reformers to address political, cultural and economic problems that came with the growth of modern capitalism and the industrial revolution. Progressivism had many achievements among them; it helped in redistribution of wealth and gave the government tools to protect the citizens. The movement gave natives, African Americans and women right to vote and gave them a new social status with rights to own property. Another of its accomplishments is that it added its voice and forced the industrialists to recognize the opinions of the public. The progressive movement also successfully challenged the traditional approaches used by institutions to resolve domestic issues (Fischer 167).
The progressivism movement also had a couple of weaknesses that slowed it down. First, the outbreak of world war one acted as a speed bump for the movement. The onset of war dampened the spirited attempt by the heads of progressivism to use the government to bring justice to the society. The movement also faced a blow when many of its initiatives failed and the courts abolished progressive legislations. The progress on American society materially also weakened the enthusiasm of progressivism reformers. Another weakness of was that the movement had very many goals which often contradicted each other. Finally, the government was under the influence of major businesses and industries and did not focus much on the movements’ recommendations (Fischer 172).
Compare the quality of life in the suburbs with the quality of life either on farms or in cities. During early years the US was predominantly rural. With growth of industrialisation there was development of cities and inhabitants started to move into these cities from rural areas (Kleniewski 214). The life in cities had better living standards because of developments brought by the industrial revolution. There were better jobs, means of transport and industries. The cities were also faced with problems of garbage, clean water, sewerage systems and other social services because the local government was overstretched by the massive migration into the cities. The cities also had many cases of crimes, robbery, murder and social vices like prostitution (Kleniewski 221). In comparison to the cities, the suburbs on the other hand were cleaner than cities, had better schooling facilities than the overcrowded cities and had a better sense of social togetherness. The security level in suburbs was improved.
Both Indians and Hispanics were hardly “monolithic” ethnic groups in American life. Explain how that led to a variety of responses to the activist currents of the 1960s and 1970s, among both Hispanics and Indians. In the 1960s there was formation of the American Indian Movement which increased the movement for clamour for Native American rights. The movement focused on racism, slum housing and unemployment and demanded that the government honours the obligations of treaties with Native American nations. The National Indian Education Association was also formed in the late 1960s to fight for equal education rights for natives. The movement led a walk known as the “Trail of Broken Treaties” in the 1970s in protest of the US government’s failure to address the responsibility of treaties with Indian nations (Shultz 77).
Works cited
Fischer, David H. Fairness and Freedom: A History of Two Open Societies : New Zealand and the United States. Oxford [etc.: Oxford University Press, 2012. Print.
Kleniewski, Nancy. Cities and Society. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub, 2005. Internet resource.
Lakoff, Sanford. Democracy: History, Theory, Practice. Boulder, Colo. [u.a.: Westview Press, 1996. Print.Bottom of Form
Shultz, Jeffery D. Encyclopedia of Minorities in Politics. Phoenix, Ariz: Oryx Press, 2000. Print.
