USH STAAR Blitz Day 3
Impacts of Citizens in American Democracy
Changing Role of Government

Response to Need; Political Cartoons

  1. As needs develop in society the citizens react by demanding reforms and government action through protests and demonstrations. Look at the cartoons to see the problems as shown by cartoonists and then use a mind map to discuss what the problem was and how the system changed to reform government power and actions.
  2. Primary Principle of lesson – government responds to demands from the public to take action.
  3. Corruption/Political Machines
  4. Problem: Immigration and Urbanization caused a consolidation of power in the hands of a few political figures (like Boss Tweed in New York) who controlled resources like contracts, jobs, and infrastructure. ; The patronage system and corruption in government eventually even led to the assassination of Garfield.
  5. Protests: Harper’s Weekly – Thomas Nast – political cartoons to spur public outrage over the corruption. Demands for reform within the public and by elected officials reached a peak after Garfield’s assassination.
  6. Reforms:
  7. Pendleton Civil Service Act
  8. Eliminated the Patronage System
  9. Created Civil Service
  10. Hiring, Promotions, and Pay
    determined by performance and
    experience
  11. Party Primaries
  12. Allowed voters to choose candidates for the political parties rather than allow the parties to reward people with positions based on loyalty
  13. Recall, Referendum, Initiative Petition
  14. Recall – Voters could remove elected officials from office through holding an early election on whether or not they should keep their office
  15. Initiative Petition – Voters can propose a law through getting signatures of voters on a petition. With enough signatures there will be an election on the petition.
  16. Referendum – The election that is held to determine if an initiative will become law
  17. The initiative and referendum process allowed voters to make laws without having to go through the legislature
  18. DIRECT DEMOCRACY – voters make decisions that govern themselves and society
  19. Direct Election of Senators (17th Amendment)
  20. Removed appointment of senators from state legislatures
  21. Voters were now able to choose their own senators thereby making the government more accountable to voters
  22. Great Depression / New Deal
  23. Problem: Unreliable banking and finance system,
    significant personal economic need, very high
    unemployment, little/no government response
  24. Protests: Bonus Army March, Hoovervilles/
    Hoover Flags/ Hoover Blankets, political
    cartoons
  25. Reform: Election of FDR and implementation of
    New Deal Policies
  26. Largest growth of government in history
  27. Increased government responsibility for
    personal economic issues
  28. TVA, FHA, Soc. Sec., WPA, CCC, etc
  29. Greater government regulation of
    industry
  30. FDIC, SEC, etc.
  31. Challenges to separation of powers and checks
    and balances
  32. Court Reform Bill/Court Packing Plan
  33. Progressivism
  34. Trust Busting, Social Reform, Public Health
  35. Problems:
  36. Monopolies/Trusts
  37. Laissez-Faire Policies
  38. Survival of the Fittest
  39. Low Wages
  40. Unsafe/Unfair Working
    Conditions
  41. Child Labor
  42. Dangerous Public Health Issues
  43. Meat Industry
  44. Medications
  45. Sanitation
  46. Protests
  47. Muckrakers
  48. Creation of Labor Unions
  49. Strikes / Slow Downs
  50. Reforms
  51. Labor Unions
  52. Push for better wages, safer working
    conditions, better pay, shorter hours
  53. Strength in Numbers
  54. Pure Food and Drug Act
  55. Food and Drug Administration – Standards and Inspections
  56. Truth in labeling
  57. Meat Inspection Act
  58. The Jungle
  59. Interstate Commerce Act
  60. Targeted Railroads and Banks who had abused farmers and small businesses by manipulating transportation costs
  61. Anti-trust Acts
  62. Sherman and Clayton
  63. Child Labor
  64. Child Labor Act ended the use of children
  65. Supported by labor unions to create more jobs for working adults
  66. Civil Rights
  67. Problem: Segregation of Public Places, Limited
    Access to Public Goods and Services, Jim Crow
    Laws
  68. Protest:
  69. Anti-discrimination:
    Freedom Rides, Selma to Montgomery
    March, Sit-Ins, Montgomery Bus Boycott,
    Boycotts, etc.
  70. Anti-integration
  71. George Wallace, Orval Faubus,
  72. Reform:
  73. 1948 – Desegregation of Armed Forces
  74. 1954 – Brown v Board of Education
  75. Massive Resistance in South
  76. Little Rock Central High School
  77. Integration of University of Alabama
  78. Civil Rights Act 1964
  79. Ended Discrimination in the
    workplace based on race,
    gender, ethnicity, or religion
  80. Voting Rights Act of 1965
  81. Ended discriminatory restrictions
    on voting like white primaries,
    literacy tests, and the
    grandfather clause
  82. Allowed federal government to send in Justice
    Department officials to register voters and
    investigate claims of voter
    discrimination.
  83. 24th Amendment – 1964
  84. Abolished the Poll Tax