The Progressive Era

Goal

• Change the political and economic injustices that had resulted from America’s rapid industrialization

• Move away from laissez faire and towards government regulations to prevent abuses

Roots

• Reform tradition• Legacy of Populism• Problems of Industrial Society• Influence of the Middle Class• Social Gospel Movement• New Forms of Journalism• Rising Consumer Consciousness• Socialism, Anarchism, Communism• Support of Women and Worker

Reform Tradition/ Legacy of Populism

• Abolitionist

• Populist (farmers)

• Populist farmers gave progressives strong rural support

Problems of Industrial Society

• Brutal working conditions• Child labor• Political corruption• Overcrowding• Environmental abuse• Inequality of wealth• Sale of dangerous products• Laissez faire-failed to combat these problems

Influence of the Middle Class

• Populism was rural but progressivism was national

• Believed rise of big business, organized labor and political machines had closed the door to individual opportunity

Social Gospel

• Rooted in religious views of helping the poor

• Salvation Army/YMCA

• Promoted temperence

Journalism

• Newspapers reached a larger populations

• Made money by advertisement

• Advertisers pay more if a lot of people read the newspaper

• People liked investigative journalism-corruption stories were very popular

Consumers

• Because industry produced large amounts of food for the whole country, progressives believed government intervention was needed to police the market for public safety

Ideologies

• Communism, anarchism, socialism

• Progressives rejected these ideas but did believe in moderate reform being necessary

Support of Women and Workers

• Progressives favored suffrage (women’s right to vote)

Early Progrssives

• Non-governmental organizations such as churches, settlements, and newspapers played just as a vital role as government

• Remember the power of the vote

Muckrakers

• Writers who exposed the abuses and corruption of industrial society

• Muck=dirt

• Ex. Upton Sinclair, Thomas Nast, Jacob Riis

Social Reformers

• Jane Addams-ran a “settlement house” in Chicago

• Settlement houses-provided services to immigrants and the urban poor

1.English classes

2.Childcare

3.Nursing of the sick

4.Citizenship help• up to 400 settlement houses in US

Other groups

• NAACP-National Association for the Advancement of Colored People

• Anti-Defamation League-opposed anti-Semitism and religious prejudice

Municipal Reform

• Municipal-city level government• Progressives moved against machines and

gathered votes• Reformers expanded city services by using

money not going into “boss’s pockets”• Started new forms of city government like

city commission or city manager, weakening the power of one single person

State Reform

• Robert La Follette-governor of Wisconsin fought railroads and regulated them

• Thoedore Roosevelt-NY

• Woodrow Wilson-NJ

Political Reforms

• Secret Ballot

• Initiative

• Referendum

• Recall

• Direct Primary

• Direct Election of Senators (17th Amendment)

• Women’s Suffrage

Social and Economic Reforms

• Triangle Shirtwaist Factory-safety

• Supreme Court Cases: Lochner vs NY, Muller vs. Oregon

Four Women Reformers

• Susan B. Anthony

• Florence Kelley

• Carrie Chapman Catt

• Alice Paul

Susan B Anthony

• Published “The Revolution”-weekly journal for women’s rights

• Co-founded NWSA (National Women Suffrage Association)

Florence Kelley

• Fought for 8 hour workday, and factory conditions

• Persuaded the courts to limit women’s workday hours

Carrie Chapman Catt

• Founded League of Women Voters

Alice Paul

• Led protest group for voting rights

• Proposed “Equal Rights Amendment”-

The Progressive Presidents

• From 1901-1919-3 progressive presidents were elected

• Theodore Roosevelt

• William Howard Taft

• Woodrow Wilson

Theodore Roosevelt 1901-1909

• Became leader of army unit “Rough Riders”, fought in Cuba during the Spanish American War

• Became very popular and was elected governor of NY 1899

• Political bosses hate him, wanted him to be out of NY and nominated him to be vice-president

• In 1901 President McKinley was assassinated and he became president at 42

• Believed the president was the steward (manager) of the people

• Made “Square Deal”-equal opportunity, conserve natural resources

• Coal Strike of 1902• “Trust Buster”• Meat Inspection Act (“Jungle” influenced)• Pure Food and Drug Act- warning and nutritional

labels

• Regulated railroad prices

• Regulated telephone and telegraph rates

• Stopped the sale of 1.5 million acres for use as national parks (National Conservation Commission)

William Howard Taft 1909-1913

• Proposed income tax (16th amendment)

• Workman’s compensation for railroad employees

Bull Moose Party 1912

• Progressive Party nickname-nominated Roosevelt again

• Wanted direct election of US Senators• 8hr workday, women’s suffrage, recall • In election all candidates-TR,WHT,WW,ED were

progressives• Division of supporters of Taft and Roosevelt led

to Democrats winning the Election

Woodrow Wilson

• “New Freedom”-tame big business and increase competition

• Underwood Tariff of 1913-tariffs were taken advantage of by US businesses, Wilson lowered tariffs by 25%

• Graduated Income Tax-tax based on how much money you make

• Federal Reserve Act

• Clayton Antitrust Act

• Federal Trade Commission Act

• 8 hour workday for railroad workers

• No child labor (later ruled unconstitutional)

Florida

• William Sherman Jennings

• May Mann Jennings

• Napoleon Bonaparte Broward

End

• World War I started