HIST 173—Homework #4 Name:

DUE: THURS (10/1) 11:59pm on BeachBoard Dropbox

Wk. 5 – Presidents Video Reaction Piece/ Wk. 5 PS Docs

History Channel Video Response: The Presidents (McKinley & Teddy Roosevelt):
Watch from 14:45 to 37:45 of History Channel Series “The Presidents”—the segments on McKinley
and Teddy Roosevelt:

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6f7p3r

1) Describe at least one thing you learned about McKinley and Teddy Roosevelt from the video.

McKinley was a dynamic president who introduced new corporate responsiveness and effectiveness.
He is credited for pioneering a modern way of managing the press. His administration came up with
ways of engaging the press, feeding them stories, and keeping them informed. McKinley exhibited a
calm demeanor and only opted for going to war only when it was a matter of last resort. This was
majorly due to his experience of the consequences of war, having been the last president to have fought
in the Civil War. He also presided over a regime of significant change in the US, with the US having
become an imperial power after defeating Spain in Cuba. 
Roosevelt was a transformational leader who thought beyond party politics. Despite being a republican
and a conservative, Roosevelt fought changes, especially in those that he considered being right for the
American people. He a shrewd and charismatic leader, often using his personality to win over people
and influence changes. He considered the American corporates as the greatest evil for wielding too
much power over the people. He, therefore, fought the powerful industrialists in order to take away
their monopoly and remind them that it is the people, rather than the capitalist system, that have the
control of the country’s affairs. 

Wk. 5 PS Docs:

Booker T. Washington 1895 Atlanta Compromise Speech & W.E.B. Du Bois, The Souls of Black
Folk, 1903

1) Which strategy for racial improvement do you find more appealing: Washington's or Du Bois's?
Why? What are the strengths and weaknesses of each philosophy?
I find Du Bois's strategy for racial improvement more appealing than Washington's. This is because Du
Bois's strategy focuses on more than Washington's strategy of only concentrating on money and work
at the expense of other higher aims of life. Du Bois wants fairness, candidness, and justice in the race
improvement, which will only be possible if people stick to greater aspirations and ideals. Du Bois's
strategy demands that black people be treated as American citizens, and this includes being educated,
allowed to vote, and facilitated to enjoy civic rights.
The strengths of Du Bois's philosophy are that it sets forth a tone of conciliation between the whites
and blacks of the South, strives to unify the interests of both races, and promises economic and
educational progress for all. However, it is faced with various shortcomings, including the risks of
being misunderstood as surrender for political and civil equality demand, accepting the implied
inferiority of black persons, and failing to address issues such as lack of higher education, civil
inferiority, and disenfranchisement of the black people. The strengths of Washington's philosophy are
 HIS 10—Quiz #1 2

that it calls for honesty and self-criticism by the South for their treatment of the blacks, urges the South
to perform its duty to the blacks whom it has wronged and continue to wrong, insists that blandness
and diplomacy are not enough to settle the issue, rejects the blank’s submission stand, and advocates
for a guarantee of the right to vote, higher education, and civil equality. The weakness of this
philosophy is that it lacks a conciliatory tone that could lead to a compromise on both sides, and this
can result in sides hardening their stand and, as a result, prolong the strife and standoff.

Carrie Chapman Catt, "Speech Before Congress," 1917

1) According to Catt, what three distinct causes make suffrage for women inevitable?
One of the reasons for the inevitability of women's suffrage is that the US is historically founded on
rebellion against government systems that have deep-seated traditions and norms of society that
previously seemed unconquerable. Two of the fundamental principles of democratic government that
characterized the American revolutionists are the representation of taxpayers and the consent of the
governed. Therefore, it was just a matter of time before women, as part of the taxpayers and the
governed, are given a voice in their own government, the right to vote and representation. The second
reason was that some parts of the country had already adopted women's suffrage, and the entire needed
to be uniform in its approval for women's suffrage. Women's suffrage had already been covered in half
the United States, and it was impossible to continue with a situation where the country derives its
consent from half of the people in one area and all the people in another area. It was then just a
question of how and when women's suffrage would be completely covered nationally. The third reason
why women's suffrage was inevitable is that the US was a leading example of democracy in the world,
and therefore, it needed to demonstrate this leadership by enfranchising women in the country. All
classes, races, and people fighting for freedom worldwide had taken up the American democratic
principles, and the US needed to follow its own precedence, including the Declaration of
Independence, to ensure women suffrage.

2) Why does Catt suggest members of Congress should endorse and promote women's suffrage?

Catt urges Congress members to promote and endorse women's suffrage due to various reasons. One is
that all other countries with democratic tendencies had accepted women's suffrage, unlike several
American states. Another reason is that by asking women to go for a referendum, Congress was
placing the cause at the mercy of illiterate men, who would determine the freedom of refined and
educated women. Other reasons were that an increasing number of women were becoming desperate,
running out of patience, and were resenting the overdue delay of the enfranchisement.