The Roots of Progressivism

Objectives:What is Socialism?

What do they want?Who was an important leader?

Vocab/ Key People• Muckraker: writers investigated social conditions and political

corruption• Direct Primary: all party members can vote for candidate to run• Initiative: permitted group of citizens to introduce legislation• Referendum: allowed citizens to vote on legislation• Recall: allowed special election to replace rep• Suffrage: the right to vote• Prohibition: law stop production, sale and consumption of

alcohol • Robert M. La Follett: R. Governor model of progressive reform• Carrie Chapman Catt: NAWSA leader mobilized suffrage

movement

Progressives

• Progressivism oppose Laissez-faire economics– Industry and Urbanization created social problems– Consisted of urban, educated, middle class

workers• Science will fix the world– Light bulb, telephone, automobile

Muckrakers

• Keyed by Theodore Roosevelt• Referred to Pilgrim’s Progress• Obsessed with scandal and corruption• Most focused on Industry• Collected all stories into The Shame of the

Cities

Govn’t Efficiency

• The Principles of Scientific Management– Break job into smaller parts– Gave less qualified jobs– City corruption

• Mayor or City Council gave jobs to friends• Gave city services

• 2 solutions– Commision plan: many department– Council manager plan: city manager hired to run city

La Follette

• Rep. Governor model of progressive reform• Party bosses controlled selection of

candidates• Wanted law for direct primaries• To force govn’t to listen pushed for:– Imitative– Referendum– recall

Direct Election

• Congress elected by state legislature– Very corrupt

• New amendment passed for direct election– Meant to end corruption– Removed state check on federal power– 1913 17th amendment passed

Suffrage

• Seneca Falls NY Stanton wanted Womens suffrage

• Many suffragists threatened– Abolitionist as well slavery came first– Fought for 15th amendment to include women• Republicans refuse

– Split the women in 2 parties.

Only Wyoming, Idaho, Utah & Colorado gave women vote by 1900

• NYC National Women's Suffrage

• Elizabeth Cady Stanton & Susan B Anthony

• 1869• Wanted new

amendment

• Boston American Women's suffrage Association

• Lucy Stone & Julia Ward Howe

• Wanted to convince state legislatures

Support

• 1890 combined• National American Woman Suffrage

Association• Wanted to vote for women’s work rights• March 3, 1913 March on Washington• Alice Paul split into National Women Party– Chained to light posts, picketed white house,

blocked sidewalks, went on hunger strikes

More Support

• 1915 Carrie Chapman Catt: leader NAWSA– Gave support to Wilson’s reelection

• 1918 Senate put suffrage amendment out but fails by 2 votes

• Midterm beat out 2 anti suffrage senators• 8/26/1920 19th amendment gave women vote

Child Labor

• #1 Progressive Issue– Farms ok but factories and mines dangerous

• John Spargo “The Bitter Cry of the Children”

Health and Safety

• Workers Compensation- came about at this time– Paid families or individuals who were injured or

killed on the job• Lochner vs. New York– State could not limit a bakers hours to 10 per day

• Muller vs. Oregon– State could limit a women's hours

Prohibition

• Alcohol explains societies problems.– Leads to anger abuse and sickness– Hurt worker efficiency

• Led to the temperance movement– 1874 Women's Christian Temperance Movement• 1911 250,000 members

– 1893 Anti Saloon League• Prohibition- law banning the manufacture sale

and consumption of alcohol

Progressives vs. Big Business

• Big business destroys competition– 1890 Sherman Anti-Trust Act– 1887 Interstate Commerce

Commission

• Many people pushed for Socialism– Govn’t controls all that affects basic

life• Eugene V Debs won nearly 1

million votes in 1912 for president

Assignment• Create this graph and fill it in with the 6 Issues

exposed by the muckrakersProblems Exposed by Muckrakers