1901 – 1918Students will identify major efforts to reform American society and politics in the

Progressive Era

Chronological Timeline

Progressivism- reform movement with a goal of improving life in the Industrial Age

Method of change – make political change and social improvement through government action

Catalyst - Sparked by election of Theodore Roosevelt in 1901

Participants - wide range of groups and individuals

Ending – US entry into WWI in 1917

Middle-class Americans were alarmed by:Rising power of big business Increasing gap between rich and poorViolent conflicts between labor and capitalCorrupt political machines

African-Americans were alarmed by: Jim Crow laws - 2nd class citizen status

Participants – diverse group of individuals and groups Groups

African Americans Feminists, crusaders for women’s suffrage Protestant church leaders (The Social Gospel) Union leaders

Individuals Urban middle-class

Doctors, lawyers, ministers, storekeepersWhite collar workers Middle managers

Politicians Theodore Roosevelt (Republican) Robert La Follette (Republican) William Jennings Bryan (Democrat) Woodrow Wilson (Democrat)

These groups took their civic responsibilities seriously.

Belief that changes were needed and government was the proper way to make changes

Protestant Christians response to the problem of urban poverty

Applied Christian principles to solve social issues

Honest government and just laws could improve the human condition

Pragmatism – “practical approach to morals, ideas and laws”. Put laws in action and test them until something works to create a better society.

Scientific Management – Frederick Taylor, Organize people efficiently – strategy may help government become efficient.

Muckraking -investigating and exposing societal issues through publications (ex. slums, corruption, crime)

Significant stories exposed Ida Tarbell – “History of the Standard Oil Company” Upton Sinclair – The Jungle (Stockyards and Meatpacking

industry conditions) Ida B. Wells- “A Red Record” on the statistics of lynching Publications competed fiercely to outdo rivals

Decline of muckraking Difficult to top the last story Publishers received pressure from banks and advertisers

to tone it down Corporations hired public relations to protect their images

Benefits of Muckraking: Exposed inequities Educated the public about corruption Prepared the way for corrective action

Ida Tarbell

The Jungle – exposed horrible details about the conditions in the Chicago stockyard and meatpacking industry

Results – Congress enacted Pure Food and Drug Act – no

sale of mislabeled food and drugs

Meat Inspection Act - Inspectors visit plants to ensure standards

Progressive ideology – faith in democracy, belief that most people would elect honest rather than corrupt officials

GOAL: Increase voter participationProblem Progressive Solution

Manipulating and intimidating voters

Secret ballot– Vote secretly behind a curtain

Candidates nominated by party bosses

Direct primary –Nominating process in the hands of voters *Problem – limited and used to exclude African American voters

Senate became millionaires club dominated by big business

17th AmendmentSenators elected by popular vote

Politicians refused to accept the will of the people

Initiative – voters compel the legislature to consider a billReferendum – citizens vote on proposed laws on ballotsRecall – Remove corrupt or unsatisfactory politician by majority vote

Goal: Address corrupt city leaders and alliances with local business

Action Result

Public UtilitiesBreak city leaders power and take utilities out the hands of private companies

Many cities came to own and operate gas lines, electric power plants and urban transportation systems

Commissions and city managersVoters elect heads of city departments or hire expert manager

Improve efficiency and reduce corruption

State ReformRobert La Follette became Wisconsin governor

“Wisconsin Idea” – measures that included a direct primary law, tax reform and regulation of railroad rates

Robert "Fighting Bob" La Follette (1855-1925) in a classic pose

Theodore Roosevelt Square Deal – did not favor business or labor,

insisted on fairness for both 1902 Coal Strike- Roosevelt arbitrates between

both groups forces arbitration Trust-busting – interest in breaking up “bad-

trusts” that harmed public and interfered with competition and regulating “good-trusts”. Standard Oil Broken

Railroad Regulation – strengthened regulatory power of Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) Elkins Act – authority to stop railroads from

granting rebates to favored customers Hepburn Act – ICC can fix “just and reasonable”

rates for railroads Conservation – Significant efforts to protect

natural resources

150 million acres of federal land as a national reserve that could not be sold to private interests

Newlands Reclamation Act – provided money from the sale of public land for irrigation projects in western states

National Conservation Commission

William H. TaftTwice as many antitrust (trust-busting)

cases – US Steel Mann-Elkins Act – ICC given power to

suspend new railroad rates and oversee telephone, telegraph and cable companies

16th Amendment – Income taxes beganSplit Republican party – they were

unimpressed with his achievementsPayne-Aldrich Tariff –Raised the tariff on

most imports (he promised to lower tariffs)

Postcard states "Here's to the Man the New Dixie Counts On"

Platform calls for more radical reforms than Progressives – public ownership of railroads, utilities, and major industries like oil and steel

Progressives generally separated themselves from Socialists

Accepted Socialist ideas – public ownership of utilities, 8 hour workday, pensions for employees

Candidate/ Campaign

Party

William Taft Re-nominated, Republican

Theodore Roosevelt/ New Nationalism

Bull Moose Party, newly formed(Progressive Republicans)

Woodrow Wilson/ New Freedom(limit big business and big government)

Democratic

Eugene V. Debs Socialist Party

Winner

Woodrow Wilson

TR is "Dee-Lighted" to throw his hat into the ring of the 1912 presidential election

Tariff Reduction – 1st act was to lower tariffs Banking Reform – National Banking system,

Federal Reserve Board, Dollar bills Major Legislation

Clayton Antitrust Act – Strengthened the Sherman Antitrust Act. Goal breaking up monopolies. Companies can’t buy stock of other companies to form monopolies. Exempted unions from prosecution as trusts.

Federal Trade Commission – Investigate and take action against “unfair trade practice” Watch Dog

Federal Farm Loan Act – Banks to provide farm loans at low rates.

Child Labor Act – No shipment of products made by children under 14.

State of the Union- begun under him for the 1st time in U.S. history.

Federal Reserve Act (System)- private banking system under federal control, in charge of rates, supply of money.

Key volunteer – Jane Addams (Hull House)

Help Others Help ThemselvesExample of Chicago slums

Lobbied for better schools, juvenile courts, liberalized divorce laws, factory safety

Fought for parole, separate juvenile reform, limits on death penalty

Education in America William Harris- “education is a means to lift

all classes of people in civilized life”

1. Public Schools- seen as a training ground for employment and citizenship

2. High School- A means to learn advance technical and managerial skills- job skills

Educating Immigrants- Education used to “Americanize” immigrants. Teach them English and to love the United States.

Generally ignored by Progressive presidents and governors

Progressives did nothing about segregation and lynching Shared in prejudice of the timesConsidered other reforms more important

Approaches to Progressive EraBooker T. Washington vs. W.E.B. DuBois

Booker T. Washington vs. W.E.B. Du Bois

Booker T. Washington- believed that racism would end once blacks acquired useful labor skills and proved their value to society. Liberal arts are worthless until blacks developed basic skills to improve economically

1. Tuskegee Institute-.vocational institute that was used to give job skills in farming, construction

W.E.B. Du Bois- believed that blacks needed immediate equality with White America, blacks needed liberal arts education in order to have a well educated class of leaders to deal with White America

1. Talented Tenth- Only the top 10% of black society should be educated with liberal arts in order to lead the other 90% and guide them to social equality.

2. NAACP- founded by DuBois will other civil rights leaders

African-Americans at the turn of the century

Discrimination- At the turn of the century many states used several different methods to limit African-Americans ability to vote.

1. Literacy Test- given to poor whites and blacks must be able to read, foreign language, harder questions for blacks

2. Poll Tax- to both poor whites and blacks must be paid before they could vote

3. Grandfather Clause- If you could not pass the literacy test or pay the poll tax, could vote if grandfather voted before January 1st , 1867

Plessy v. Ferguson- Plessy a light skinned black boards a train in Louisiana and enters the White only car, arrested for violating state segregation laws

1. Supreme Court Ruling- As long as facilities are equal they can be separate. Separate but Equal established and lasts for 60 years.

Education- African-Americans were discouraged from attending schools by the white majority, high school and college are extremely hard to get into.

Began 1910 – 1930 Reasons for leaving the South

Declining race relationsPoor cotton cropsNorthern job opportunities available during

WWI Northern cities posed problems of racial

tension and discrimination Millions of southern Blacks traveled

North to seek jobs in the city

Founded due to increased racial discrimination

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) – WEB DuBoisGoal: abolish all forms of segregation and

increase educational opportunities for African American children

National Urban League – to help those migrating from the South to the North, motto “Not Alms But Opportunity”

Women reformers target workplace, housing, education, food, drugs

Susan B. Anthony- of National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) works for women’s suffrage, or right to vote

National Women’s Party – Headed by Alice PaulGoal: amendment to constitution for

women’s suffrage (voting rights) 19th Amendment 1920– Women’s

right to vote in all elections, influenced by women’s role during WWI

16th – Income Taxes 17th – Senators elected by popular vote 18th – Prohibited manufacture, sale,

transport of alcohol 19th – Women’s right to vote

1.  Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle exposed

a.  the exploitation of women and children in the nation’s factories

b.  corruption in the oil industry

c.  unsanitary conditions in the nation’s meat-packing industry

2. The Constitutional Amendments adopted during the Progressive Era did all but one of the following. Select the EXCEPTION

a.  prohibited the sale and manufacture of alcohol

b.  authorized a federal income tax

c.  extended the vote to women

d.  outlawed child labor

e.  provided for the direct election of Senators

3.  Which of the following was NOT achieved during Woodrow Wilson’s presidency?

a.  the tariff was reduced

b.  a federal income tax was instituted

c.  racial segregation was imposed in government offices<

d.  an 8-hour workday was established

1.  Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle exposed

a.  the exploitation of women and children in the nation’s factories

b.  corruption in the oil industry

c.  unsanitary conditions in the nation’s meat-packing industry

2. The Constitutional Amendments adopted during the Progressive Era did all but one of the following. Select the EXCEPTION

a.  prohibited the sale and manufacture of alcohol

b.  authorized a federal income tax

c.  extended the vote to women

d.  outlawed child labor

e.  provided for the direct election of Senators

3.  Which of the following was NOT achieved during Woodrow Wilson’s presidency?

a.  the tariff was reduced

b.  a federal income tax was instituted

c.  racial segregation was imposed in government offices<

d.  an 8-hour workday was established