The New Freedom Explained

The New Freedom was Woodrow Wilson's campaign platform in the 1912 presidential election, and also refers to the progressive programs enacted by Wilson during his time as president. First expressed in his campaign speeches and promises, Wilson later wrote a 1913 book of the same name. After the 1918 midterm elections, Republicans took control of Congress and were mostly hostile to the New Freedom. As president, Wilson focused on various types of reform, such as the following:

  1. Tariff reform: This came through the passage of the Underwood Tariff Act of 1913, which lowered tariffs for the first time since 1857 and went against the protectionist lobby.[1]
  2. Labor reform: This was achieved through measures such as the Eight Hour Law for Women of the District of Columbia, the Seaman’s Act, Workmen’s Compensation for Federal employees, the Federal Child Labor Bill,[2] and the Adamson Act. During the 1912 campaign Wilson spoke in support of workers organizing into unions while endorsing "the betterment of men in this occupation and the other, the protection of women, the shielding of children, the bringing about of social justice.”[3]
  3. Business reform: This was established through the passage of the Federal Trade Commission Act of 1914, which established the Federal Trade Commission to investigate and halt unfair and illegal business practices by issuing "cease and desist" orders, and the Clayton Antitrust Act.[4]
  4. Agricultural reform: This was achieved through measures such as the Cotton Futures and Smith-Lever Acts of 1914, the Grain Standards and Warehouse Acts of 1916, and the Smith-Hughes Act of 1917.[5]
  5. Banking reform: This came in 1913 through the creation of the Federal Reserve System and in 1916 through the passage of the Federal Farm Loan Act, which set up Farm Loan Banks to support farmers.[6]

Campaign slogan in 1912

Wilson's position in 1912 stood in opposition to Progressive party candidate Theodore Roosevelt's ideas of New Nationalism, particularly on the issue of antitrust modification. According to Wilson, "If America is not to have free enterprise, he can have freedom of no sort whatever." In presenting his policy, Wilson warned that New Nationalism represented collectivism, while New Freedom stood for political and economic liberty from such things as trusts (powerful monopolies). Wilson was strongly influenced by his chief economic advisor Louis D. Brandeis, an enemy of big business and monopoly.[7]

Although Wilson and Roosevelt agreed that economic power was being abused by trusts, Wilson and Roosevelt were split on how the government should handle the restraint of private power as in dismantling corporations that had too much economic power in a large society. Wilson wrote extensively on the meaning of "government" shortly after his election.

Wilson in office

Once elected, Wilson rolled out a program of social and economic reform. Wilson appointed Brandeis to the US Supreme Court in 1916. He worked with Congress to give federal employees worker's compensation, outlawed child labor with the Keating–Owen Act (the act was ruled unconstitutional in 1918) and passed the Adamson Act, which secured a maximum eight-hour workday for railroad employees. Most important was the Clayton Act of 1914, which largely put the trust issue to rest by spelling out the specific unfair practices that business were not allowed to engage in.[8] The legislative environment was favourable to Wilson, with progressive Democratic majorities in Congress during his first term in office.[9] [10]

By the end of the Wilson Administration, a significant amount of progressive legislation had been passed, affecting not only economic and constitutional affairs, but farmers, labor, veterans, the environment, and conservation as well. The reform agenda actually put into legislation by Wilson, however, did not extend as far as what Roosevelt had called for but had never actually passed, such as a standard 40-hour work week, minimum wage laws, and a federal system of social insurance.

This was arguably a reflection of Wilson's own ideological convictions, who according to Elizabeth Warren[11] and Herbert Hoover, was an adherent of Jeffersonian Democracy[12] (although Wilson did champion reforms such as agricultural credits later in his presidency, and championed the right of Americans to earn a living wage and to live and work "in sanitary surroundings" in his 1919 State of the Union Address).[13]

Nevertheless, Wilson identified himself with progressive politics throughout much of his life. During his time as governor of New Jersey, a number of reform laws were passed by the New Jersey legislature and signed by Wilson. This included laws providing “for at least one-half hour meal time after six continuous hours of labor” and the appointment of commissioners on old age pensions and old age Insurance, together with laws concerning working hours and health and safety.[14] Wilson also spoke out in support of legislation benefiting labor, stating in one of his annual messages:

In his acceptance speech for the Democratic nomination, Wilson argued in favor of labor legislation, stating that

In his work The State, Wilson had advocated a welfarist role for the state, arguing amongst its functions to be the provision of German-style insurance for workmen and care "for the poor and incapable."[15] Wilson was also a supporter of teacher's pensions[16] and mothers’ pensions (cash allowances for poor mothers), with he and his daughter inviting Henry Nell (“father of mothers’ pensions”) to discuss “means for spreading the mothers’ pension gospel.”[17] Wilson’s views on welfare were expressed on another occasion in his Notes for Five Lectures on Municipal Government (given at the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences in November and December 1898),[18] in which he described various functions that he said municipal government must undertake, which included welfarist functions like Sanitation (“including parks, housing of poor and labouring classes etc.”) and “Guardianship and relief of destitute and helpless classes ruined by the city pressure”).[19] In the same notes Wilson argued that “Charities, e.g., should be taken from the sphere of private, voluntary organization and endeavour and made the imperative legal duty of the Whole. Relief of the poor, and a bettering of the conditions in which they live is as much a governmental function as Education (coming under the head, not only of human duty, but also of social sanitation). Private charities need not be prohibited.”[20] While serving as governor of New Jersey, Wilson's views on welfare were arguably reflected in the platform adopted by the New Jersey Democratic Party in 1912, the authorship of which has been attributed to Wilson,[21] which included a plank calling for more intervention in the field of health and welfare:

Wilson expressed similar views in 1913, arguing that workers had the right to a living wage and noting:

In various campaign speeches in 1912, Wilson spoke of the need for greater social justice in America. In one speech he argued how

In another speech, Wilson put forward a similar case for greater government intervention in society, arguing that

Wilson also spoke of the need to lift people out of poverty, stating in a speech he made in December 1912[22]

Although the role of government under Wilson did expand in a progressive direction, the New Freedom did not go as far as his rhetoric suggested it would. For instance, while seemingly supportive of benefits for workers such as pensions, injury compensation, and profit-sharing plans (noting in his book "The New Freedom" how various companies had introduced such benefits "in good faith" to their employees),[23] Wilson and his administration never pushed legislation through Congress extending these benefits to the entire workforce, while a national health insurance system of the kind advocated by Roosevelt was never established, despite the fact that Wilson, according to one study, "promoted Roosevelt’s policy of universal health insurance coverage when he was elected president."[24] Despite this, the New Freedom did much to extend the power of the federal government in social and economic affairs, and arguably paved the way for future reform programs such as the New Deal and the Great Society.

Legislation and programs

Note: This listing contains reforms drawn up by the Wilson Administration as part of its New Freedom program together with wartime reforms and reforms drawn up by individual Congressmen. The latter two have been included because it is arguable that the progressive nature of these reforms was compatible with the liberalism of the New Freedom.

Farmers

Labor

Health and welfare

Wartime measures

Veterans

Education

Constitutional

Environment and public works

Conservation

Books

In 1913 Woodrow Wilson's book The New Freedom was published, detailing his thoughts about the concepts and program.[91] He had previously written two other books, Congressional Government published in 1900, followed in 1901 by When a Man Comes to Himself.

See also

Notes

  1. http://www.socialstudieshelp.com/Lesson_68_Notes.htm Woodrow Wilson, The Progressive
  2. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.32106020214380;view=1up;seq=650 The Survey. v.36 1916, P.546
  3. https://books.google.com/books?id=xp8nAQAAMAAJ&dq=Woodrow+Wilson+the+betterment+of+men+in+this+occupation+and+the+other,+the+protection+of+women,+the+shielding+of+children,+the+bringing+about+of+social+justice&pg=PA45 The Presidency of Woodrow Wilson By Kendrick A. Clements, 1992, P.44-45
  4. http://www.socialstudieshelp.com/Lesson_68_Notes.htm Woodrow Wilson, The Progressive
  5. https://books.google.com/books?id=4xfWCgAAQBAJ&dq=Thus,+often+in+spite+of+himself,+Houston+made+sizable+contributions+to+the+success+of+the+Wilsonian+program&pg=PA138 Wilson, Volume II The New Freedom By Arthur S. Link, 2015, Third Printing 1967, P.138
  6. http://www.socialstudieshelp.com/Lesson_68_Notes.htm Woodrow Wilson, The Progressive
  7. By: Strum, Philippa Strum, "Louis D. Brandeis, the New Freedom and the State," Mid America, 1987, Vol. 69#3 pp 105-124
  8. Link,Woodrow Wilson and the Progressive Era pp. 69–72
  9. The Senate, 1789-1989: Addresses on the history of the United States Senate By Robert C. Byrd, Mary Sharon Hall, Wendy Wolff, 1988, p. 408.
  10. The Democratic text-book 1916, p. 132.
  11. Book: Warren, Elizabeth. Prosperity, Peace and Respect: How Presidents Manage the People'S Agenda. 2 June 2011. Xlibris Corporation. 9781462884049. Google Books.
  12. Book: Hoover, Herbert. The Ordeal of Woodrow Wilson. 1 October 1992. Woodrow Wilson Center Press. 9780943875415. Google Books.
  13. Web site: Woodrow Wilson: 7th Annual Message.
  14. The Morning Oregonian, Saturday, July 20, 1912
  15. Woodrow Wilson (1890): The State: Elements of Historical and Practical Politics. Chapter XV: The Functions of Government, p. 614.
  16. The Papers Of Woodrow Wilson Volume 17 1908-1908, P.510-511
  17. https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=890&dat=19130305&id=zw9PAAAAIBAJ&sjid=pkwDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6689,283401&hl=en Miss Wilson to Aid the Children
  18. The Papers of Woodrow Wilson Volume 11 By Woodrow Wilson, Arthur Stanley Link, 1971, p. 74.
  19. The Papers of Woodrow Wilson Volume 11 By Woodrow Wilson, Arthur Stanley Link, 1971, p. 77
  20. The Papers of Woodrow Wilson Volume 11 By Woodrow Wilson, Arthur Stanley Link, 1971, p. 84.
  21. As noted by the editor(s) on p. 305 of The Papers Of Woodrow Wilson, Volume 12, 1912, Princeton, New Jersey, Princeton University Press, 1978: “While there is no direct evidence about the authorship of this document, internal evidence, vocabulary, phrasing, and style all point to Wilson as the principal author.”
  22. A Crossroads Of Freedom – The 1912 Campaign Speeches of Woodrow Wilson Edited by John Wells Davidson With a Preface by Charles Seymour, p. 191
  23. Web site: From Woodrow Wilson.
  24. Book: Wilson, Woodrow. The New Freedom. 29 May 2013. Cricket House Books LLC. 9781625001207. Google Books.
  25. Extension Service Review for March 1941, vol. 12. no.3, p. 44.
  26. Annual Reports of the Department of Agriculture, For the Year Ended June 30 1916, Report of the Secretary of Agriculture, Reports of Chiefs, p. 4
  27. Eight years with Wilson's cabinet. With a personal estimate of the President by David F. Houston, volume 1, p. 207.
  28. Progressivism by Walter Nugent
  29. Encyclopedia of South Carolina By Somerset Publishers, Staff, Editorial
  30. Congressional Record, Sixty-Fourth Congress, First Session. Volume LIII, Part 13. (Pages 12587 to 14173), p. 13317.
  31. Annals of Iowa A Historical Quarterly, 1990, p. 699,
  32. Roots of reform: farmers, workers, and the American state, 1877–1917 by Elizabeth Sanders
  33. https://books.google.com/books?id=xp8nAQAAMAAJ&dq=food+production+and+control+acts+of+1917,+seeds+were+purchased+and+sold+to+farmers+at+cost,+and+fertilizer&pg=PA70 The Presidency of Woodrow Wilson By Kendrick A. Clements, 1992, P.70
  34. A Brief History of Farmers Home Administration, p. 2, Revised February 1988
  35. Coopers International Journal, Volumes 26-27, p. 496, Coopers International Union of North America, 1916
  36. Congressional Record, Sixty-Fourth Congress, First Session. Volume LIII, Part 13. (Pages 12587 TO 14173), p. 13318.
  37. Congressional Record, Sixty-Fourth Congress, First Session. Volume LIII, Part 13. (Pages 12587 TO 14173), p. 12913.
  38. Pattern Makers' Journal, Volumes 29-31, Page 8, 1918
  39. Political Science Quarterly Volume 31, 1916, p. 3.
  40. https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Labor_Firsts_in_America/aA5ZVfF_mp4C?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=1917+cantonment+adjustment+commission+widespread+use+of+the+prevailing+wage&pg=PA22&printsec=frontcover Labor Firsts in America By United States. Department of Labor, 1977, P.30
  41. Annual Report of the Surgeon General of the Public Health Service of the United States for the Fiscal Year 1914, p. 314.
  42. Book: McGerr, Michael E.. A Fierce Discontent: The Rise and Fall of the Progressive Movement in America, 1870-1920. 1 January 2005. Oxford University Press. 9780195183658. Google Books.
  43. https://books.google.com/books?id=S8m0Rwea_CIC&q=An+Act+to+promote+the+welfare+of+American+seamen&pg=PR13 United States Statutes at Large, Containing the Laws and ..., Volume 38, Part 1, By United States, p. 1164
  44. Book: Constitutional Law for a Changing America: A Short Course. Lee. Epstein. Thomas G.. Walker. 2 October 2014. CQ Press. 9781483323930. Google Books.
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  47. Working in America by Catherine Reef
  48. https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=OLSF19160826.2.7 Organized Labor, Volume 17, Number 35, 26 August 1916
  49. https://books.google.com/books?id=TvhxxTch9_gC&dq=Esch%E2%80%93Cummins+Act+woodrow+wilson&pg=PA681 Woodrow Wilson: His Life and Work – William Dunseath Eaton, Harry C. Read – Google Books
  50. https://books.google.com/books?id=vsCeCHxH7jQC&dq=steelworkers+job+security+1970&pg=PA670 Work in America: A–M. – Google Books
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  53. The Mosquito Crusades: A History Of The American Anti-Mosquito Movement From The Reed Commission To The First Earth Day by Gordon Patterson
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  78. From Progressivism to Prosperity: World War I and American Society by Neil A. Wynn
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  83. Federal health administration in the United States by Robert Devore Leigh
  84. War's Waste: Rehabilitation in World War I America by Beth Linker
  85. Encyclopedia of Multiculturalism: Slavery-Zoot-suit riots by Susan Auerbach
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  87. The politics of American Federalism by Daniel Judah Elazar
  88. Time-Life Books, Library of Nations: United States, Sixth European English language printing, 1989
  89. How to draw the life and times of Woodrow Wilson by Melody S. Mis
  90. Mothers Day and Other Family Days, Volume 37 by Reagan Miller
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Further reading