Reform Movement

Immigrants

•Between 1890 and 1914, immigrants and their children constituted about one-third of the American population.

•Nativism•A policy of favoring native-born individuals over foreign-born individuals

Urbanization

• Urbanization- a process in which an Urbanization- a process in which an increasing proportion of an entire increasing proportion of an entire population lives in cities and the population lives in cities and the suburbs of cities suburbs of cities

• In 1860 only 20% of the people in the In 1860 only 20% of the people in the United States lived in cities with United States lived in cities with populations greater than 2,500populations greater than 2,500

UrbanizationMajor Reasoning

• Mechanization on the farmMechanization on the farm

• Rapidly expanding factoriesRapidly expanding factories

• Luxuries: electricity and indoor Luxuries: electricity and indoor plumbing, grocery stores, retail stores.plumbing, grocery stores, retail stores.

• Cities offered a new life and ironically Cities offered a new life and ironically solitude that small towns did not.solitude that small towns did not.

Social Issues

• High CrimeHigh Crime– In 1906 Chicago had an estimated 10,000 In 1906 Chicago had an estimated 10,000

prostitutes, many of whom were under the age prostitutes, many of whom were under the age of 19. The city also had about 7,000 cocaine of 19. The city also had about 7,000 cocaine addicts addicts

– 2005 - 7,245 prostitutes arrested and 59,051 2005 - 7,245 prostitutes arrested and 59,051 narcotics violationsnarcotics violations

– The murder rate increased from 1.2 per 100,000 The murder rate increased from 1.2 per 100,000 people in 1900 to 6.8 per 100,000 in 1920 people in 1900 to 6.8 per 100,000 in 1920

– 2005 – 5.6 : 16,692-total2005 – 5.6 : 16,692-total

• Poor infrastructurePoor infrastructure

• Over crowdingOver crowding

• Poor SanitationPoor Sanitation

CAN THE LAW REACH HIM?  THE DWARF AND THE GIANT THIEF.Cartoon by Thomas Nast, c. 1872

Political Corruption

• Spoils systemSpoils system• BriberyBribery• Political Machines-sophisticated Political Machines-sophisticated

organizations established to win votesorganizations established to win votes• Ward Boss- controlled jobs, contracts, and Ward Boss- controlled jobs, contracts, and

favorsfavors• Tammany Hall Machine - New York City Tammany Hall Machine - New York City

– 1854-19341854-1934– a job, a bag of coal, legal advice a job, a bag of coal, legal advice

• Charles Darwin– Wrote On the Origin of Species, and was

the originator of Natural Selection.

• Natural Selection– The idea that animals reproduce faster

than the food supply, so only the fittest survive to reproduce.

Social Issues

• Poverty• Working Conditions• Henry George - Land & Tax• Naturalism• Social Gospel Movement

– YMCA & Salvation Army– Temperance

Jane Adams - settlement house movement

Progressive &

Public Interest• Temperance movement

– Effort to protect women from their abusive husbands during their drunken rampage

• Women's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU), founded in 1874– Frances Willard – 1900 300,000 members– Most states would pass laws restricting alcohol in

various ways

Public Education

• Spread of schools• Americanization

Learning English and understanding the laws and system of government of the United States

Education in the workplace - vocational

Higher Education

Public Libraries

Who are the Progressives

• Collection of many different views on how to fix American society

• Industrialization & Urbanization as the root of all evil

• Governmental more active role in solving socities issues

• Members of both major political parties• Generally-urban, educated, middle-class• Leaders: journalist, social workers, educators,

politicians, clergy

What did the Progressive Stand For?

• Against Laissez-faire economic in an unregulated market

• Doubted the free-markets ability to address social issues

• Doubted current Governmental system could fix social issues

• Fix Government 1st• Scientific principles could fix society

Muckrakers

• Group of crusading journalists

• Invested society & political corruption

• They were the first to articulate progressive ideals

Muckrakers

• Ida Tarbell– McClure’s magazine– Series of articles criticizing Standard Oil• Jacob Riis:

-“How the Other Half Lives”

Poverty, Disease & Crime in immigrant neighborhoods N.Y. city

Created a Public Backlash on politicians to introduce reform

Congressional Action

• In 1903 Congress prohibited individuals "dangerous to the public welfare," meaning political radicals, from immigrating

• Dillingham Commission– 1907-1911– Concluded that immigrants from eastern and

southern Europe were not assimilating as well as the immigrants from western and northern Europe

– The commission recommended limiting immigration from southern and eastern Europe

The Eugenics Movement

• The movement to improve the human race– Some state legislatures allowed forced

sterilization of criminals and individuals who were diagnosed as having severe mental disabilities

Populism 1890

• Granger movement– 1875- had over a million members– Tired to benefit from an economy of scale

• Farmer’s alliance– One in the South– One on the plains – Controlled 8 state legislatures & had 47

representatives in Congress during the 1890s.

William Jennings Bryan“Cross of Gold” Speech

Former Democrat– Three time populist nominee for president

• The People’s Party “You shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns; you shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold”!

Populist - Reform Issues

• Elimination of the gold standard. Populists supported the Silver Standards which would have made money cheaper and more available.– This would have created inflationary pressure and

raised prices. If a silver standard would not be accepted they would have settled for bimetallism.

• Passage of a graduated income tax.• The end of life tenure for Federal Judges.

• The end of the printing of paper currency by nationally chartered private banks.

• Public ownership of railroads and telegraphs• Direct election of Senators• Restriction of undesirable immigration.• An 8- hour work day for government

employees.

Progressivism in

Action

Reforming State and City Governments

• Direct primaries-All party members could vote on which candidate a party would support for office

• Initiative-allowed citizens to introduce a bill into the legislature and required members to take a vote on it

• Referendum-allows voters to vote on purposed laws • Recall-This measure allows voters to remove an elected

official from office before their term is up• 17th amendment-provided for the direct election of

senators by the citizens of the state

• Commission form of government– the mayor/council form is replaced by a commission of

five experts in their field.

Governmental Regulation of Business

• In 1914 about 35,000 people died on the job; another 700,000 were injured

• States established commissions to regulate businesses– Railroads, electric companies, gas companies

• 1902-Maryland passed the first state law requiring employers to buy insurance that would compensate workers injured on the job.

Governmental Regulation of Business

• 1916-Congress passed the Workmen's Compensation Law

• 1903 Oregon passed a law that prohibited employing women in a factory or a laundry for more than 10 hours a day

• Muller v. Oregon- the Supreme Court upheld the right of the state to regulate business to protect the public interest

• "The overwork of future mothers," Brandeis wrote, "thus directly attacks the welfare of the nation."

Progressives Protecting Children

• Juvenile courts• Public education

– 1850 there were 200 high schools– 1900 - 6,000– 1920 - 14,000 – 1870 approximately 20% illiteracy rate– 1920 only 6% illiteracy rate

• financial assistance to children in homes with no father by State bases

• In order to achieve a nationwide solution, the temperance movement, like other progressive reforms, would have to convince Congress and the President to take a more active role in social reform

Women’s Suffrage

• Suffrage-The right to vote• Seneca Falls, New York 1848

– First major women's rights conference

• By 1890 women had won at least partial suffrage in 19 states

• The National American Woman Suffrage Association– 1893-13,000 members – 1910-75,000 members

1912 - 9 states, all west of the Mississippi River, allowed women to vote in all elections

• 1920-Nineteenth Amendment– States that no citizen’s right to vote can be

denied due to sex

Why Did Populism Decline?• The economy experienced rapid change.

• The era of small producers and farmers was fading away.

• Race divided the Populist Party, especially in the South.

• The Populists were not able to breakexisting party loyalties.

• Most of their agenda was co-opted bythe Democratic Party.

Industrial Workers of the World (IWW)

• Formed in Chicago in 1905- Wobblies • The leader was William D. ("Big Bill") Haywood• Socialist organization that wanted to overturn

capitalism• Blamed competition for all social problems• Wanted all workers of the world to unite for the

common cause of socialism• Often conflicted with the progressive

movement even though they had many common goals

Problemswith the

Progressive Movement• Many immigrants relied on the political

machines for social services

• Many immigrants relied on the labor of their children to make ends meet

• Many of these immigrants utilized beer and wine in their social events and celebrations.