Chapter 20: The Progressive Era

Presentation created by Mr. Cameron Flint & Mr. Jeff Kilmer: Cloverleaf High School. All photos and graphics from www.wikipedia.org

Section 1: The Course of ReformProgressivism embraced a widespread effort after 1900 to build a better society. There was no single progressive constituency.Scientific management Academic expertiseUse of ‘institutional economists’Opposed the then common legal thought that treated laws as if they arose from eternal principles.Favored legal, economic, and political thought that were rooted in reality, could be tested, and were reasoned.Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes: “the life of the law has not been its logic; it has been its experience.”

Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes

Section 1: The Course of Reform

William James-pragmatism-judged ideas by their consequences

Most important source of progressive idealism was religion-the ‘Social Gospel’.

Progressive mode of thought favored acquisition of facts-leading to reform or investigative journalism.

Muckrakers exposed corruption & made public award of social ills.

Section 1: The Course of ReformMuckrakers

Ida Tarbell’s

The History of the Standard Oil Company

Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle

“I aimed for their hearts and instead hit their stomachs.” Upton Sinclair

Lincoln Steffen’s Tweed Days in St. Louis

Section 2: Progressivism & National Politics

Vice President Theodore Roosevelt becomes President in 1901 after the assassination of President William McKinley-Mark Hanna reputedly remarked that "Now that damn cowboy is president."

Section 2: Progressivism & National PoliticsHow did Theodore Roosevelt (TR) become President in 1901? What factors made him a ‘different kind of president’?What was the 1890 Sherman Anti-Trust Act?Why was TR troubled by the threat that big business had upon the market place?How did TR act as the ‘Trust Buster’? What trusts did he ‘bust’? What were the Elkins Act & the Hepburn Railway Acts?

Section 2: Progressivism & National PoliticsWhat led to the Pure Food & Drug Act and the Food & Drug Administration?

What did TR call his programs? Why?

Section 2: Progressivism & National PoliticsWhat were the elements of Woodrow Wilson’s New Freedom?

How did the Progressive Era lead to an increase in the intervention of state power in economic, political, and social affairs?

Why did Roosevelt return to the political arena?

He was disappointed in Taft’s performance in the White House.

He observed that public opinion of Taft had grown worse.

Who did Roosevelt align himself with inside the Republican party?

The Insurgents: now known as the Progressive Republicans or just Progressives.

Roosevelt and Taft at the Inauguration

What was the New Nationalism?“The man who wrongly holds that every human right is secondary to his profit must now give way to the advocate of human welfare, who rightly maintains that every man holds his property subject to the general rights of the community to regulate its use to whatever degree the public welfare may require it.”

Teddy Roosevelt

What parts of Roosevelt’s New Nationalism were radical?

State and Federal legislation to actively promote human welfare including child labor laws, and laws to protect women in the workplace.

Workers compensation.

State judges be subject to recall.

Supreme Court decisions to be reversible through popular vote.

What was the 16th amendment?

Gave Congress the power to collect income taxes.

Becomes the law of the land in 1913.

What was the 17th amendment?Allowed for the direct election of Senators

Becomes law of the land in 1913.

What two new states were added to the Union during Taft’s presidency?

New Mexico

Arizona

Differences between Roosevelt & TaftTaft supported the Square DealTaft believed he could only use the powers expressly authorized by law.Roosevelt believed he could do anything not forbidden.Taft was not effective in dramatizing an issue or enlisting public support for his ideas.

The Election of 1912

The Rise

of the Bull Moose:

The Progressive Party

Who formed the National Progressive League?

Senator Robert La Follette.

Nervous collapse left him unable to lead the party in 1912.

Runs for President in 1916 and 1920.

Republican Convention of 1912Chicago, Illinois

National Convention in JuneConservatives rally behind Taft.Progressive Republicans rally behind Roosevelt.Roosevelt in areas where there were direct primaries Roosevelt was generally the choice of the voters.

What advantage did Taft have over Roosevelt at the convention?

Controlled the party machinery.Elihu Root kept a tight hold on the proceedings that he was accused of driving a steamroller over Roosevelt’s forces.

What was the final results of the Credentials Committee?

Taft received 235 of 254 convention seats.

This gives Taft the nomination of the Republican party.

What was the new party?The Progressive Party that was nicknamed the Bull Moose Party

Mix of people in the Progressive Party

College Professors

Social Workers

Newspaper Editors

Rough Riders

Wealthy People motivated by social conscience.

Professional Politicians

Senator Albert BeveridgeNobler America

Social Brotherhood as opposed to savage industrialism.

Representative government that represents the people as opposed to invisible government controlled by corrupt bosses and the robber interest.

Progressive Party PlatformDirect Democracy through initiative and referendum.Conservation of natural resources for the general welfare.Women suffrageLabor reforms such as child labor laws.Revision of the currency system.Introduction of an inheritance tax.

Who was responsible for the progressivism of the Democratic Party?

William Jennings Bryan

He was responsible for seeing that the Democratic party was as progressive as the Bull Moose party.

Helps Wilson get the nomination of the party after 46 ballots.

Differences between the New Freedom and the New Nationalism

The New Freedom– Views monopolies as

enemies of free competition.

– Advocates the use of federal power to ensure more equality of opportunity.

The New Nationalism– Accepts big business as

a fact of life.

– Proposes a more powerful federal government and a strong executive to keep it under control.

Differences between Wilson and Roosevelt.Wilson– A former university

president and college professor.

– Only three years on the political scene.

– Often aloof.

Roosevelt– Long been the best-

known political figure in the United States.

– Strong fighter in a war against privilege.

– Enjoyed mixing with lots of people.

Socialist Party 1912The Socialist Party

Eugene Debs ran for President

The Socialist Party had grown in the last decade boasting 100,000 paying members, and over 700,000 votes in the last election nationwide.

The Issues in the Campaign of 1912Should America be capitalist or socialist?

Should government protect the social welfare of citizens?

Should women vote, and participate as full citizens in the life of the nation?

Should Americans expand their democracy in other ways?

Should government exercise more control over businesses?

Should government try to solve the conflict between "capital" and "labor?"

Should the government work vigorously for the conservation of natural resources?

The Results of the 1912 Election

The Election of 1912Candidate Party Popular

Vote% of Popular Vote

Electoral Votes

Wilson Democrat 6,296,547

42 435

Roosevelt Progressive 4,118,571

27 88

Taft Republican 3,486,720

23 8

Debs Socialist 900,672 -- --

Woodrow Wilson

The Visionary President

What handicaps did President Wilson have when he entered the office in 1913?

He was a minority President chosen by only 42 percent of the vote.No experience in national politics.He knew few Democratic leaders.Democrats not expected to work well together due to local interests.Democrats were so long out of power that they lacked experience running the government at the Federal level.

What advantages did Wilson have entering office?

1912 Election sent a clear message that people in the United States wanted change.No prominent Democratic leaders opposed Wilson.Had the support of Democratic leaders especially William Jennings Bryan, the most powerful Democrat in Congress.

What did Wilson see as the purpose of his election to office?

To do away with the evils that, along with many blessings, industrialism had brought.Some of the evils were: inexcusable waste of natural resources, the human cost of unrestrained individualism, and the use of government for private and selfish purposes.

Wilson’s speech before Congress the first in 100 years.

Tariffs had,” built up a set of privileges and exemptions from competition behind which it was easy to organize monopoly until …nothing is obliged to stand the tests of efficiency and economy.”

Woodrow Wilson

How did Wilson get the Underwood Tariff Bill to pass the

Senate?He appealed to the people denouncing the insidious lobbyists and asked an aroused public to put an end to this unbearable situation.He held personal conferences with Democratic senators.He wrote letters to those threatening to oppose him.

What was the significance of the Underwood Tariff Act?

First substantial drop in import duties since 1857.

It attempted to fix duties at a level where the costs of production in the United States and abroad would be equalized thus lowering the duty on over 1,000 articles.

It removed protection entirely on products that were already competing successfully with foreign products.

What happened to banks in 1907?There were runs on many banks due to the failure of financial markets on Wall Street.

Many banks closed and stopped lending money throughout the crisis.

In 1908 the Federal government set up a commission to investigate the Panic and propose changes to the banking system.

What four aspects of the banking system were flawed according to the Aldrich

Commission?American banks lacked stability in a crisis. They did not keep enough money in reserve to cover sudden withdrawals, and not enough cooperation among banks.America’s currency was inflexible. The amount of money in circulation was tied to the amount of gold and silver in the treasury, plus bonds held by the national banks.The present system provided no means to increase or decrease the supply of money.

What four aspects of the banking system were flawed according to the Aldrich

Commission?Third there was no central control of banking practices.

Too much capital was concentrated in New York City and on Wall Street. Meanwhile other parts of the country, especially isolated rural districts often suffered from a lack of adequate banking facilities and credit.

What two approaches to solving the banking crisis were considered?

Conservative: A great central bank, privately controlled like the first and second Banks of the United States.

Progressive: Strict Federal control of banking and credit.

Wilson creates the Federal Reserve12 Federal Reserve Banks situated around the country.All national banks required to join.Other banks to join voluntarily.Federal Reserve dealt only with member banks.Provided support for banks in times of difficulty such as runs.Provided for local investment allowing money to move freely from one part of the country to another.

How did the Federal Reserve provide a compromise between private and public

control?The Federal Reserve Banks were privately owned.A majority of the directors were were elected by member banks.Overall control remained in the hands of the Federal Reserve board whose 7 members were appointed by the President.The Senate confirms the nominations to a 14 year term in office.Financial center of the U.S. moves to Washington D.C.

What was the purpose of the Federal Trade Commission?

Investigate and regulate business practices.

Had the power to:

– Order companies to cease and desist from unfair conduct.

– Charged with enforcing antitrust laws and preventing unlawful suppression of competition.

What practices did the Clayton Antitrust Act forbid?

Price cutting:

– Whereby a company deliberately sold goods at a loss to drive weaker competitors out of business.

Tying of contracts:

– A purchaser of goods from a particular company had to agree not to trade with its competitors.

Incorporate Investment:

– Whereby a company bought part ownership in rival concern.

Clayton Antitrust Act Continued

Interlocking directorates– Between banks and large corporations whereby the

same people acted as directors in many different companies.

Favorable union language:– “nothing in the antitrust laws shall be construed to

forbid the existence and operation of labor organizations.

How had the Sherman Antitrust Act been used against Unions?

Forbid Conspiracies:– Danbury Hatter’s Case (1903 –1915) Trade

Union was required to pay triple damages to a business whose product had been boycotted.

Clayton Antitrust ContinuedFavorable union language:

– Forbade federal courts from issuing injunctions against peaceful strikes, picketing, boycotts or union meetings.

Protection circumvented:

– Limited to unions pursuing their legitimate purposes.

It was courts who defined the legitimate.

Injunctions could still be issued to prevent irreparable damage to property or to a property right.