CHAPTER 16 SECTION 1

The Progressives

What were you doing when you were 8 years old?

Think about it…

What laws are in place for workers that are under the age of 18?

What if I told you that women can not vote?

Information?

If you wanted to find out about Hurricane Irene, how would you do that?

If I asked you when the Steelers play the Ravens, what would you do?

How did people in the 1900’s get their information?

Was the majority of the population LITERATE?

Could people in Pittsburgh know what was happening in Chicago? New York? Somerset?

This was the norm, not the exception…

Who were the Progressives? (Ch. 16, Section 1, pg. 522)

Progressives focused on three areas of reform: 1. Easing the suffering of the urban poor 2. Improving unfair and dangerous working conditions 3. Reforming government at the national, state, and

local levels.

The people who wanted these changes were called progressives.

Why do you think they were called progressives?

Muckrakers

Writers were the first to expose many of the social ills that Progressives (or the reformers) targeted.

Magazines were very popular at this timePopular magazines printed journalist’s

firsthand accounts of injustices and horrors they had witnessed.

They were called muckrakers because they “raked up” or exposed the filth of society.

Primary Sources: Ida Tarbell (pg. 523)

Who was Ida Tarbell?

Questions to think about: What did she do? How did she describe the leadersOf Standard Oil?

What do you think she hoped to Achieve by publishing her articles?

Ida Tarbell

Reported on the corrupt practices of the Standard Oil Company

SOC pressured independent oil companies to give up their lawsuits against SOC.

1880 victory withdrew all of the lawsuitsMade it fair, not a monopolyWhy do you think she published her articles?

Muckrakers Video

Discovery Ed Video

Issue #1: Reforming Society

By 1920, more than half of Americans lived in cities.

Why?Tenenment Act of 1901:

Forced Landlords to install lighting in public hallways Provide at least 1 toilet for every two families!

Think about it!!!

How can something like this Act contribute to a drop in the death rate?

Civil Rights – Major Organizations formed at this time….

NAACP National Association for the Advancement of Colored

People Fought for equal rights Protested segregated government W.E. B. Du Boise and Jane Addams were strong

activists ADL

Anti-Defamation League Sigmund Livingston, Jewish man living in Chicago Goal: Fight Anti-Semitism, or hostility towards Jews

What challenges did these activists face?

Is it easy to stand for what you believe in?

#2: Reforming the Workplace

Progressives wanted to improve the working conditions for women & children

40% of Americans were living in povertyProgressives and Labor Unions fought to

secure laws ensuring workers a minimum wage.

What is a union? A union is an organized group of workers who come

together to make decisions about the conditions of their work. Through union membership, workers can impact wages, work hours, benefits, workplace health and safety, and other work-related issues.

What is considered poverty today?

2011:

2011 HHS Poverty Guidelines

Personsin Family

48 ContiguousStates and

D.C. Alaska Hawaii

1 $10,890 $13,600 $12,540

2  14,710  18,380  16,930

3  18,530  23,160  21,320

4  22,350  27,940  25,710

The state or condition of having little or no money, goods, or means of support; condition of being poor.

Synonyms: privation, neediness, destitution, indigence, pauperism, penury. Antonyms: riches, wealth, plenty.

14.3% (or 1 in 7 Americans)

Graphic Organizer

Problems in the

workplace

Triangle Shirtwaist Company Fire

Tragic event in NYC that killed 154 women and children

Turning point for reform in factories

What safety precautions are in place in our high school that stemmed from this event?

http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/triangle/trianglenewsaccounts.html

http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/trianglefire/

Discovery Education Video

#3: Reforming Government

Progressives wanted to eliminate political corruption and make government more efficient.

Think: Mafia (Discuss)Reforms were made at the city, state, and

federal level. CITY LEVEL:

Development of commission plan (Commissioners were experts in their field rather than party loyalists).

http://www.city.pittsburgh.pa.us/cp/html/planning_commission.html

State Level

Robert M. La Follette

Use your textbook to answer the following: 1. What was the Wisconsin Idea? 2. Why would it be important to limit campaign

spending? 3. Why were railroads so important to regulate at this

time?

Robert M. La Follette

1. Wisconsin Idea: Ambitious agenda of reforms (He was the governor

of WI)

2. Limit on Campaign spending? Important because it created an even playing field

for those running for office. If there was no limit, only those with money and power would be elected.

3. Importance of Railroads? Only means of transportation throughout the

nation at this time. Carried people and goods.

Vocabulary