Progressive Presidents: Crash Course US History #29

Summary

In this CrashCourse U.S. History episode, John Green discusses the rise of Progressivism and the significant impact of three key presidents: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and Woodrow Wilson. The episode explores their domestic policies, including trust-busting and economic regulations, as well as their foreign policies that expanded U.S. influence, especially in Latin America. Green highlights Roosevelt's Square Deal, Taft's trust-busting efforts, and Wilson's New Freedom, emphasizing the evolution of federal government power and its role in shaping modern America.

Takeaways

• 📚 The script discusses the rise of Progressivism and the role of 'great men' in shaping U.S. history, particularly focusing on three presidents: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and Woodrow Wilson.
• 🌟 Theodore Roosevelt is highlighted as a model of a 20th-century president, known for his engagement in both domestic and foreign policy, and his political program, the Square Deal, which aimed to regulate corporations.
• 🏛 Roosevelt's conservation efforts are noted, with the establishment of national parks and the appointment of Gifford Pinchot, reflecting the progressive belief in expert management of resources.
• 🔍 The script contrasts Roosevelt's approach with Taft's, who was more conservative and focused on trust-busting, but also supported the 16th amendment for income tax, which had significant implications for federal power.
• 🐃 The 1912 election is described as a contest of ideas between Wilson's 'New Freedom' and Roosevelt's 'New Nationalism', both advocating for government intervention in the economy but in different ways.
• 🗳️ Woodrow Wilson's presidency is characterized by his New Freedom program, which included policies like the Underwood Tariff, the Clayton Act, and the Federal Reserve System, showing a mix of trust-busting and economic regulation.
• 🌎 The script touches on the international aspect of Progressivism, with U.S. presidents expanding national government power beyond the country's borders, particularly in the Western Hemisphere.
• 🚢 The building of the Panama Canal and the U.S. intervention in Panama's independence are highlighted as examples of Roosevelt's 'Big Stick' diplomacy.
• 💵 Taft's 'Dollar Diplomacy' is presented as an alternative to Roosevelt's military approach, focusing on economic investment and loans to spread American influence.
• 🛡️ Wilson's foreign policy, despite being an isolationist, involved interventions in Latin America, with the aim of promoting American values and products.
• 🎖️ The script concludes by emphasizing the significance of Roosevelt, Taft, and Wilson in shaping the modern American presidency, with a focus on the balance between government power and individual freedom in the industrial era.

Q & A

Who was the youngest American president ever, and how did he come into office?

Theodore Roosevelt became the youngest American president ever at 42 years old after William McKinley was assassinated.

What was the Square Deal, and what did it aim to do?

The Square Deal was Theodore Roosevelt's political program, which aimed to distinguish between good corporations that provided useful products and services at fair prices and evil corporations that existed solely to make money.

What was the main difference between Roosevelt's and Taft's views on big business?

Roosevelt felt it was the federal government's responsibility to regulate the economy directly and break up wealthy corporations, whereas Taft didn't see big business as inherently bad unless it stifled competition.

Why did Theodore Roosevelt run against William Howard Taft in the 1912 election?

Roosevelt was frustrated with Taft for being more conservative than most progressives and for firing Gifford Pinchot, prompting Roosevelt to challenge Taft for the Republican nomination and later run as a third-party candidate.

What was Woodrow Wilson's New Freedom, and how did it differ from Roosevelt's New Nationalism?

New Freedom aimed to reinvigorate democracy by restoring market competition and preventing big business from dominating government, while New Nationalism recognized the inevitability of big business and sought to use government intervention to stop its abuses.

What role did the Federal Reserve System play in Wilson's presidency?

The Federal Reserve System, founded in 1913, gave the government much more control over banks in response to the Panic of 1907, where the U.S. had to be bailed out by J.P. Morgan.

What was the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine?

The Roosevelt Corollary stated that the U.S. would exercise an 'international police power' over the Western Hemisphere, meaning it would intervene in Latin America whenever it wanted.

How did Wilson's approach to foreign policy in Latin America differ from Roosevelt's?

While Roosevelt used military intervention to achieve his goals, Wilson preferred economic influence through loans and investment, though he also intervened militarily more than any other U.S. president.

What major event did the Progressive presidents set the stage for with their foreign policies?

The Progressive presidents' foreign policies set the stage for America's involvement in World War I.

How did the election of 1912 change the political landscape in the United States?

The election of 1912 resulted in Woodrow Wilson's presidency due to the split Republican vote between Taft and Roosevelt, leading to the only Democratic president between 1896 and 1932 and significant Progressive reforms.

Outlines

00:00

😀 Introduction to the Progressive Era and 'Great Men' History

The video script introduces the topic of Progressivism and the role of significant figures in shaping U.S. history. John Green humorously addresses the concept of 'great man' history, acknowledging that while he himself is not a 'great man,' many U.S. presidents have been. The script sets the stage for a discussion of three such presidents and their impact on the 20th century, hinting at a comparison to the famous rivalry between Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton, with a modern twist involving a canal and shootings.

05:01

🏛️ The Rise of National Governments and Roosevelt's Square Deal

This paragraph delves into the historical context of the rise of national governments and corporations, and how this led to the desire for a strong national government as an alternative to local control or corporate dominance. It introduces Theodore Roosevelt as a key figure who embodied the 20th-century president, engaged in both domestic and foreign policy. Roosevelt's 'Square Deal' is explained as an attempt to differentiate between beneficial and exploitative corporations, with an emphasis on federal regulation and trust-busting. The script also touches on Roosevelt's conservation efforts and the establishment of national parks.

10:02

🗳️ The Election of 1912 and the Debate Over Government Power

The script describes the 1912 election as a pivotal moment in U.S. history, with four candidates representing different views on government power and economic concentration. It contrasts Woodrow Wilson's 'New Freedom' platform, which aimed to restore market competition and prevent corporate dominance, with Teddy Roosevelt's 'New Nationalism,' advocating for government intervention to regulate big business. The election's outcome, influenced by the split in the Republican vote, led to Wilson's presidency and the implementation of his policies, which included tariff reduction, income tax, and pro-union legislation.

🌎 International Progressivism and the Expansion of Federal Power

The final paragraph discusses the international aspect of Progressivism, highlighting how presidents like Roosevelt, Taft, and Wilson expanded federal power beyond domestic affairs. It touches on the U.S.'s interventions in Latin America and the Caribbean, the building of the Panama Canal, and the contrasting approaches to foreign policy, from Roosevelt's 'Big Stick' diplomacy to Taft's 'Dollar Diplomacy.' The script also introduces Wilson's philosophy of exporting American products as a means of spreading democracy and his interventions in Mexico. The paragraph concludes by emphasizing the importance of this period in shaping the role of the federal government in the modern era.

Keywords

💡Progressivism

Progressivism was a political movement in the early 20th century U.S. that sought to address societal problems through government intervention and reforms. In the video, Progressivism is discussed in the context of the policies and actions of Presidents Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and Woodrow Wilson, who expanded the federal government's role in both domestic and international affairs.

💡Square Deal

The Square Deal was a political program introduced by Theodore Roosevelt that aimed to distinguish between 'good' and 'bad' corporations. It was part of Roosevelt's broader progressive agenda to regulate the economy and protect the public interest. The term is used in the script to illustrate Roosevelt's approach to trust-busting and economic regulation.

💡Trust-busting

Trust-busting refers to the policy of breaking up large corporations or trusts that were seen as monopolies, in order to promote fair competition. The script mentions Roosevelt's trust-busting activities, such as the prosecution of the Northern Securities Company, as an example of his efforts to regulate big business.

💡Hepburn Act of 1906

The Hepburn Act was a piece of legislation passed by the U.S. Congress that expanded the regulatory powers of the Interstate Commerce Commission over railroads. The script notes this act as an example of the legislative branch working with Roosevelt to implement progressive reforms.

💡Conservationism

Conservationism is a philosophy and policy of protecting the environment and natural resources from overuse and destruction. Roosevelt's conservationist efforts are highlighted in the script, particularly his establishment of national parks and his belief in the government's role in preserving natural resources.

💡New Nationalism

New Nationalism was a political program proposed by Theodore Roosevelt that advocated for government intervention in the economy to regulate big business and promote social welfare. The script contrasts Roosevelt's New Nationalism with Woodrow Wilson's New Freedom, showing the differing views on government's role in the economy.

💡Bull Moose Party

The Bull Moose Party was a third party formed by Theodore Roosevelt after he broke with the Republican Party. It was named for the 'strenuous' and 'fearless' qualities of the animal. The script mentions the Bull Moose Party as part of Roosevelt's political strategy during the 1912 election.

💡New Freedom

New Freedom was Woodrow Wilson's political program that aimed to restore competition in the market and prevent big business from dominating government. The script discusses Wilson's New Freedom as a counter to Roosevelt's New Nationalism, emphasizing a different approach to dealing with the concentration of economic power.

💡Federal Reserve System

The Federal Reserve System is the central banking system of the United States, established in 1913 to provide a more stable and secure financial system. The script notes the creation of the Federal Reserve as part of Wilson's economic policies, which aimed to give the government more control over banking in response to financial crises.

💡Dollar Diplomacy

Dollar Diplomacy was a foreign policy approach favored by William Howard Taft that emphasized the use of economic investment and financial influence to extend American power. The script contrasts Taft's Dollar Diplomacy with Roosevelt's more interventionist approach, illustrating different strategies for international influence.

💡Panama Canal

The Panama Canal is a major shipping canal that connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, facilitating international maritime trade. The script describes the U.S.'s involvement in the canal's construction as a significant example of American neo-imperialism and the use of foreign policy to secure economic interests.

Highlights

Discussion on Progressivism and the role of 'great men' in U.S. history.

Theodore Roosevelt became the youngest American president in 1901 after McKinley's assassination.

Roosevelt's Square Deal aimed to regulate corporations and distinguish between good and evil corporations.

The Hepburn Act of 1906 gave the Interstate Commerce Commission the power to regulate railroad rates.

Roosevelt was a conservationist, setting aside millions of acres for national parks.

William Howard Taft, Roosevelt's successor, was a trust-buster who broke up Standard Oil in 1911.

The 16th amendment, allowing Congress to pass an income tax, was supported by Taft.

The Bull Moose Party, founded by Roosevelt, advocated for a modern welfare state.

Woodrow Wilson's New Freedom aimed to reinvigorate democracy by restoring market competition.

The Clayton Act of 1914 exempted unions from antitrust laws and made it easier for them to strike.

The Keating-Owen Act outlawed child labor in manufacturing.

The Federal Reserve System was founded in 1913, giving the government more control over banks.

Roosevelt's foreign policy included the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine, exercising 'international police power' over the Western Hemisphere.

The Panama Canal was built under Roosevelt's administration, involving U.S. intervention in Panama.

Wilson's intervention in Mexico aimed to teach the Mexicans 'to elect good men.'

Progressivism flourished under Roosevelt, Taft, and Wilson, expanding the power of the federal government both domestically and internationally.

Roosevelt, Taft, and Wilson recognized the necessity of a strong national government to manage big business.

Progressive presidents were concerned about freedom in the U.S. but less so in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Transcripts

Hi, I’m John Green, this is CrashCourse U.S. History and today we’re going to finish

our discussion of Progressivism, and indulge in a bit of “great man” history.

Mr. Green, Mr. Green! Great man history, huh? Well I was born on a sunny, summer morning

in 197-- Yeah you’re not great, Me from the Past.

Also, you’re a boy not a man, and the only historically significant thing you ever participated

in was a brilliant senior prank that wasn’t even your idea.

However, 39 of our 43 presidents were, at least arguably, great men and today we’ll

be talking about three of them. It will be kind of like a Jefferson vs. Hamilton for

the 20th century, except not like that at all. But there will be a canal, and TWO people

get shot. Intro

So, as we saw in CrashCourse World History, national governments were on the rise from

the middle of the 19th century until basically now.

And in the U.S., Corporations became national and then, by the twentieth century, international.

Like, the British East India Company was kind of an international corporation, but it wasn’t

the same as Coca-Cola, although they did both deal in narcotics.

And this mania for nationalization even affected sports. Like, in baseball, the National league

and the American league were formed and in 1903 they played the first inaccurately named

World Series. I’m sorry, was Botswana invited? Then it’s

not a World Series. Anyway, the rise of a strong, national government

was seen as an alternative to people’s lives being controlled by provincial city and state

governments or by ever-growing corporations. Like, Herbert Croly, editor of the New Republic,

thought that to achieve the Jeffersonian democratic self-determination ideal of individual freedom,

the country needed to employ Hamiltonian government intervention in the economy. And he wasn’t

the only one who believed that. Okay, so in 1901, 42-year-old Theodore Roosevelt

became the youngest American president ever after William McKinley was assassinated by

Leon Czolgosz. Czol--? Czolg--? Czol--? Hold on.

“Czolgosz. Polish.”

Czolgosz? Czolgosz? His name was Leon Chuckles? Man, Leon Chuckles was a real barrel of laughs

for an anarchist. Usually they’re very serious. Right, so Leon Chuckles paved the way for

Teddy Roosevelt, who in many ways the model of the 20th century president.

He was very engaged in both domestic and foreign policy and he set the political agenda for

the whole country. His political program, the Square Deal, aimed to distinguish good

corporations that provided useful products and services at fair prices from evil corporations

that existed just to make money. That is hilarious. A corporation that doesn’t exist just to

make money. That’s fantastic, Teddy. Everybody knows that corporations are just

inherently greedy people, but they are people. Roosevelt felt it was the federal government’s

responsibility to regulate the economy directly and to break up power of wealthy corporations,

and he used the Sherman Act to prosecute bad trusts such as the Northern Securities Company,

which was a holding company created by J.P. Morgan that directed three major railroads

and monopolized transport. And that did not make J.P. Morgan a happy

bunny. Thank you for that, Stan. That’s, that’s wonderful.

Shockingly, the legislative and executive branches managed to work together and Congress

passed some actual legislation, including the Hepburn Act of 1906, which gave the Interstate

Commerce Commission the power to regulate railroad rates and examine their company books.

And Roosevelt was also a conservationist. He wanted to preserve the environment from

economic exploitation, probably so that there would be plenty of animals for him to hunt

with his big stick while he walked softly. Having appointed noted progressive Gifford

Pinchot head of the forest service, millions of acres were set aside for new, highly managed

national parks reflecting the progressive idea that experts could manage the world.

But then in 1908, Teddy Roosevelt decided to go elephant hunting instead of running

for re-election and he picked William Howard Taft to be his successor, but the man who

became our largest president massively disappointed Roosevelt.

When I say “our largest,” by the way, I don’t mean our greatest. I mean our largest.

Taft was a pretty hard-core trust-buster who ordered the prosecution that broke up Standard

Oil in 1911, but he didn’t see big business as bad unless the corporations stifled competition.

He also supported the 16th amendment, allowing Congress to pass an income tax, and that paved

the way for the 18th amendment, Prohibition, because with an income tax, the federal government

didn’t have to rely on liquor excise taxes. So, why didn’t Roosevelt like Taft? Well,

not only was Taft more conservative than most progressives, he also fired Pinchot in 1910.

And Roosevelt was so frustrated with Taft that he actually challenged the incumbent

president for the Republican nomination in 1912.

Which Roosevelt lost, but he didn’t let it drop. He founded his own Progressive Party,

called the Bull Moose Party so that he could run again.

So, the election of 1912 featured four candidates: Taft; Teddy Roosevelt for the Bull Moose Party;

Eugene Debs, for the Socialist Party; and Democrat Woodrow Wilson.

It’s worth noting that in contemporary American political discourse, all four of these people

would have been seen as somewhere between crazy liberals and actual communists.

So Eugene Debs, from right here in my home state of Indiana, did not support the Socialist

Party’s goal of abolishing capitalism, but he ran on a platform that included public

ownership of railroads and banks, and laws limiting work hours.

And running on the socialist ticket, Debs won 6% of the vote, which was, to quote another

president, “not bad.” But the election of 1912 turned out to be

a contest between Wilson and Roosevelt’s competing views over the dangers of increasing

government power and economic concentration. Wilson claimed, “Freedom today is something

more than being let alone. The program of government must in these days be positive,

not negative merely.” That’s just not good grammar, sir.

His program, called New Freedom, was supposed to reinvigorate democracy by restoring market

competition and preventing big business from dominating government. It included stronger

anti-trust laws and policies to encourage small businesses.

Roosevelt’s answer to New Freedom was a program he called New Nationalism, because,

of course, in election years all things are new.

Roosevelt recognized the inevitability of big business and hoped to use government intervention

to stop its abuses. New Nationalism included heavy taxes on personal

and corporate fortunes and greater federal regulation of industries.

So, the Bull Moose Party platform was in some ways a vision of a modern welfare state, it

called for:

Women’s suffrage Federal regulation

National labor and health legislation for women and children

Eight hour days and living wage for all workers National systems of social insurance for health,

unemployment, and old age

What are we, Canada? God, I wish we were Canada...You weren’t

recording that, were you, Stan? Roosevelt thought his party’s platform was

one of the most important documents in the history of mankind, and Americans agreed,

they supported him and elected him in a landslide. Oh wait, no they didn’t.

Instead, he lost. And also, a guy shot him at one of his campaign stops, that’s shooting

#2. Roosevelt however survived and even went on to make the speech after being shot.

What happened in the election is that Taft and Roosevelt split the Republican vote, leaving

Woodrow Wilson president with a mere 42% of the popular vote, giving us our only democratic

president between 1896 and 1932. Oh, it’s time for the mystery document?

The rules here are simple. I guess the author of the mystery document.

If I’m wrong, I get shocked by the shock pen, which many of you insist is fictional,

but I promise, it’s not. “The two things we are fighting against,

namely, excessive tariffs and almost universal monopoly, are the very things that these two

branches of the Republican party both decline to combat. (...) They intend to accept these

evils and stagger along under the burden of excessive tariffs and intolerable monopolies

as best they can through administrative commissions. I say, therefore, that it is inconceivable

that the people of the United States, whose instinct is against special privilege and

whose deepest convictions are against monopoly, should turn to either of these parties for

relief when these parties do not so much as pretend to offer them relief.”

Alright, it’s definitely about the 1912 election. It talks about the Republican party

being split into two parts, so it’s by a democrat. Or a socialist, but probably a democrat

judging from the Mystery Document itself. You always make it hard, Stan. So it’s not

going to be Woodrow Wilson because that would be obvious, but I do not know the names of

any other prominent democrats, so I am going to guess Woodrow Wilson. YES? Get in!

So, with its stirring anti-tariff, anti-monopoly, do not pass GO, do not collect $200 stance,

New Freedom won out, and because the Democrats also controlled Congress, Wilson was able

to implement this program. The Underwood Tariff reduced import duties

and after the ratification of the 16th amendment, Congress imposed a graduated income tax on

the richest 5% of Americans. Other legislation included the Clayton Act

of 1914, which exempted unions from antitrust laws and made it easier for them to strike;

the Keating-Owen Act, which outlawed child labor in manufacturing; and the Adamson Act

which mandated an eight hour workday for railroad workers.

If Wilson’s New Freedom sounds a lot like Roosevelt’s New Nationalism, that’s because

they ended up being pretty similar. Wilson engaged in less trust busting than

expected, and more regulation of the economy. Wilson didn’t institute a national system

of health and unemployment insurance, but he did expand the powers of the Federal Trade

Commission to investigate and prohibit unfair monopolistic practices. He also supported

the founding of the Federal Reserve System in 1913, which gave the government much more

control over banks in response to the Panic of 1907 where the U.S. had to be bailed out

by J.P. Morgan. Fear not, big banks, the government will bail

you out in due time. So, under Roosevelt, and Wilson, and to a

lesser extent Taft, Progressivism flourished domestically, but it also became an international

phenomenon as presidents expanded national government power outside the country’s border,

mostly in the Western Hemisphere. Like, between 1901 and 1920, U.S. marines

landed in Caribbean countries over 20 times, usually to create a more friendly environment

for American businesses, but sometimes just to hang out on the beach.

And this points to an interesting contradiction, Progressive presidents were very concerned

about big business as a threat to freedom in the United States, but in Latin America

and the Caribbean, they weren’t that concerned about freedom at all.

Teddy Roosevelt especially was much more active in international diplomacy than his predecessors.

He was the first president to win the Nobel Peace prize, for instance, for helping to

negotiate the Treaty of Portsmouth that ended the Russo Japanese War in 1905.

You may be familiar with his motto, “Speak Softly and Carry a Big Stick” – which

essentially meant “the U.S. will intervene in Latin America whenever we want.”

And probably the most famous such intervention was the building of the Panama Canal. It featured

feats of engineering and succeeding where the French had failed...Stan, these are my

favourite things! Let’s go to the Thought Bubble.

The way we got the 10 mile wide canal zone wasn’t so awesome. In 1903, Panama was part

of Colombia but the U.S. encouraged Philippe Bunau-Varilla to lead an uprising. Bunau-Varilla,

a representative of the Panama Canal Company, was so grateful after the U.S. sent a gunboat

to ensure that the Colombian army couldn’t stop him that he signed a treaty giving the

U.S. the right to build and operate the canal and sovereignty over newly independent Panama’s

Canal Zone, which we gave up in 2000 after enjoying nearly 100 Years of sovereignty thanks

to Carter’s stupid altruism. Roosevelt also added the Roosevelt Corollary

to the Monroe Doctrine, the 1823 statement that the U.S. would defend independent Latin

American states from European intervention. Now, according to Roosevelt, we would wield

our big stick like a policeman waving around a nightstick exercising an “international

police power” over the western hemisphere. In practice, this meant using American troops

to ensure that Latin American countries were stable enough for Americans to invest there.

Like, in 1904 we seized the customs house in the Dominican Republic to make sure that

they paid their debts to investors, then by “executive agreement” American banks got

control of the DR’s finances. Roosevelt also encouraged investment by the United Fruit

Company in Honduras and Costa Rica, helping to turn those nations into Banana Republics.

No, not the store, Thought Bubble. Yes. Taft, on the other hand, maybe because of

his experiences as governor of the Philippines, was less eager to wave America’s Big Stick.

He emphasized loans and economic investment as the best way to spread American influence

in a policy that came to be known as Dollar Diplomacy. Ultimately, Dollar Diplomacy was

probably more effective, but it seemed weak to many people in contrast to Roosevelt’s

strategy of SEND ALL THE TROOPS RIGHT NOW. Thanks, Thought Bubble. I wore my Banana Republic

shirt just for this occasion. So, we’ve discussed Roosevelt and Taft’s

foreign policy. Let’s move on to Wilson, who was, of course, an isolationist. No. Woodrow

Wilson. Okay. Woodrow Wilson was not a volleyball. He was

the son of a Presbyterian Minister, a former American history professor and once had been

governor of New Jersey, so he understood moral indecency.

Wilson thought the best way to teach other countries about the greatness of America was

to export colossal amounts of American products. Like, in 1916, he instructed a group of businessmen,

“Sell goods that will make the world more comfortable and happy, and convert them to

the principles of America.” In short, Woodrow Wilson believed correctly

that the the essence of democracy is the freedom to choose among hundreds of brightly coloured

breakfast cereals. Still, Wilson intervened in Latin America

more than any other U.S. President and his greatest moral triumph was in Mexico, where

he wanted to teach the Mexicans “to elect good men”.

To do this, Wilson sent troops to stop weapons from flowing to the military dictator Victoriano

Huerta but the Americans, who landed at Veracruz were not welcomed with open arms, and 100

Mexicans and 19 Americans were killed. And then in 1916, having learned his lesson

(just kidding), Wilson sent 10,000 troops into northern Mexico to chase after revolutionary

bandit Pancho Villa. Villa had killed 17 Americans in New Mexico.

And everyone knows that the proper response to such a criminal act is to send 10,000 troops

into a foreign country. Pershing’s expedition was a smashing success fortunately…except

that he actually did not capture Pancho Villa. But all of that was a prelude to Wilson’s

leading America to our first international moral crusade, our involvement in the Great

War. So, this period of American history is important

because Roosevelt, Taft, and Wilson oversaw the expansion of the power of the federal

government both at home and abroad, and in doing so they became the first modern American

presidents. I mean, these days, we may talk about small

government and large government, but really, we’re always talking about large government.

Roosevelt, Taft, and Wilson recognized that the national government was going to have

to deal with big business, and that it would have to get big to do that. And also that

it had a role to play in ensuring that Americans would retain some freedom in this new industrial

era. And they also built neo-imperialistic foreign

policies around the idea that the safer the world was for American business, the better

it was for Americans. As our old friend Eric Foner wrote: “The

presidents who spoke the most about freedom were likely to intervene most frequently in

the affairs of other countries.” Sometimes for good and sometimes for ill,

we’ll see an extreme and ambiguous case of that next week when we look at America

in World War I. Thanks for watching. I’ll see you then.

Crash Course is produced and directed by Stan Muller. Our script supervisor is Meredith

Danko. The associate producer is Danica Johnson. Our show is written by my high school history

teacher, Raoul Meyer, Rosianna Rojas, and myself. And our graphics team is Thought Café.

Every week, there’s a new caption for the libertage. If you’d like to suggest one,

you can do so in comments where you can also ask questions about today’s video that will

be answered by our team of historians. Thanks for watching Crash Course and as we

say in my hometown, don’t forget to be awesome.