Theodore Roosevelt
-rose steadily through gov’t
ranks
-Spanish American War
-Gov. of NY
reform governor
-Vice President of William
McKinley
-Became President with
McKinley’s assassination
Square Deal
-”hit the line hard”
-Presidency as the “bully pulpit”
he serves as the protector of
the people
This was his program to fix the
oppression of common man by
Robber Barons
-”politics is the art of the
possible”
-”speak softly and carry a big
stick”
Gov’t Involvement
-1902 coal strike
mine owners refused to
bargain
-strike threaten fuel needs of
the nation
-Roosevelt had both groups to
meet and go to arbitration
-set an example (Precedent) of
Presidents mediating strikes
The Jungle
-written by Upton Sinclair it
was muckraking novel
-meant to expose the conditions
of immigrants
-impact of novel was the
description of meatpacking
industry
-passed Meat Inspection Act,
1906
Pure Food and Drug Act is
passed because of the Book
Conservation
-industry was consuming large
portions of natural resources
-pollution was destroying
waterways
TR starts the conservation
movement by creating the
National Park System
-set aside large portions of
forestlands
-Gifford Pinchot
-development of land for the
common good
Civil Rights
-Progressive era (a period of widespread social activism and political reform across the
United States, from the 1890s to the 1920s. The main objectives of
the Progressive movement were eliminating problems caused by industrialization,
urbanization, immigration, and corruption in government.) as a whole ignored the
needs of minorities
-Booker T. Washington-was an American educator, author, orator, and advisor to
presidents of the United States. Between 1890 and 1915, Washington was the
dominant leader in the African-American community.
-W.E.B. DuBois- he was the first African
American to earn a doctorate, he became a
professor of history, sociology and economics
at Atlanta University. Du Bois was one of the
co-founders of the National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in
1909.
- NAACP- The National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People is a civil
rights organization in the United States,
formed as a bi-racial organization to advance
justice for African Americans. Its mission in the 21st century is "to ensure the political,
educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate racial
hatred and racial discrimination."
Booker T. Washington
-Founded Tuskegee Institute
-gradual improvement and
learning to live in a segregated
society was the goal
-economic equality first thru
vocational training or skills
-Atlanta Compromise
-Washington proposed that
blacks and white could
cooperate on certain economic
issues while being separate in
social issues
W.E.B. DuBois
-Harvard educated
-demanded immediate end to
white segregation
-Niagara Falls Convention
-helped found the NAACP to
promote racial and economic
equality
Race Relations
-racial etiquette
-lynching was against the law but
not enforced in the South
-discrimination in the Northern
cities also
-Mexican seasonal workers
-continued resentment of the
Chinese
Voting Discrimination
-end of Reconstruction
Ways Black Americans were kept
from voting, blocking the
progress of freed men
-literacy tests
-poll taxes
-grandfather clause
Segregation
-black codes
Jim Crow laws = segregation
-Plessy v. Ferguson, 1896
with the “separate but equal”
doctrine, the Supreme Court
reinforced segregation
Farmer’s Problems
-weather problems
-falling prices
-increasing debt
-dependent upon corrupt
railroads
~construction graft(bribes)
~bribes
~unfair pricing
-need for cheaper money
deflation and inflation
Farmers
= The Grange
The Grange = Populists
Populists = Progressives
The Grange
-also called the Patrons of
Husbandry
-began as farmers banding
together and evolved
into political group
-called for regulation of
railroads
The Grange
-“Granger Laws”- midwestern state laws that
regulated railroad
abuses
-ICC- Interstate
Commerce Act
-Federal law supported
by farmers that
regulates commerce and
ends abuses by the RR’s
Populism
-took the place of the
Grange
-strong mid-west support
-reform based party
-Omaha Platform, 1892
Regulation of RR’s
Direct Election of Senators
Bimetallism
increase $ supply, income
tax, secret ballots, 8 hour
workday, immigration
control
Free Silver Crusade
-Panic of 1893
-nation enters a recession
-Bimetallism - many people
promote silver and gold
standard for currency
-would create larger money
supply
-”greenbacks” issued based on
silver and gold bullion
reserves
-Gold standard only would limit
money supply as gold reserves
were limited
-1896 election
End of the Populists
-William McKinley-Rep. Gold Standard
-William Jennings Bryan-Dem/Pop Free Silver
“Cross of Gold Speech”
-McKinley wins election
-Populism dies
Progressive Reforms
Women vote=Suffragists
Susan B. Anthony still the
leader of the women’s
movement
Temperance – ban on
alcohol
-more states granting
suffrage
-often treated unequally in
the economic world
Socialist Fears
-Eugene V. Debs
Labor Union leader,
also started the
American Socialist
Party
-I.W.W. called Wobblies
Progressives Emerge
-Mostly middle class
reformers
-wanted “progress” in
society
-Social Gospel
-thought that people
need to help those less
fortunate
-religious groups
-Salvation Army
-opposite of Social
Darwinism
Muckrakers
-progressive era
journalists who exposed
graft(bribes) and
corruption in society
Ida Tarbell - wrote about
dangerous business
practices in the oil
industry
-Lincoln Steffins
Government reform
-Upton Sinclair
Gov’t Reforms
-commission government
-manager government
-better control over public
interests
utilities should publicly
owned
Progressives try to fix
terrible working conditions
of the poor through books
and magazines like
McClure’s
Voting Reforms
-Direct primaries
candidates for each party
selected by the people
-initiatives
-referendums
-recall
17th Amendment - direct
election of Senators
-Robert La Follette
Reform leader, Gov. of WS
Consumer Reforms
-insurance regulations
-zoning laws
-building codes
-FDA
Upton Sinclair wrote “The
Jungle” exposing corruption
in the meat industry
Meat Inspection Act gets
passed because of the
book
Labor Reforms
-Women’s Working
Conditions
Oregon v. Muller
limited women’s working hours
Change in Supreme Court
Rulings
-Limits on child labor
Progressives were the most
influential in getting
improved working
conditions
Other Reforms
income tax
established
regulation of
trusts
prohibition
begins
PROGRESSIVE P
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Taft Elected
-Roosevelt serves two
terms
-William Howard Taft
designated to replace
him
-Taft never wanted or
liked being President
-reluctant to use
Presidency as bully
pulpit
Activities
-Roosevelt earned name as
trustbuster
Taft helps Federal
government win many antitrusts lawsuits
-twice as many trusts as
TR
-tried to lowers tariffs
-angered the conservation
movement by opening up
gov’t lands
-Fires Pinchot
Taft’s Struggles
-progressive and
conservative parts of party
begin to fight
-Speaker Joe Cannon
old style conservative goals
clashed with progressives
-Republicans argue over
party goals and leaders
-TR decides to try for third
term
-Taft beats Roosevelt for
1912 Republican party
nomination
Bull Moose Party
-Roosevelt forms his Bull
Moose Party out of the old
Progressive Party to run
for 3rd term
-New Nationalism
federal powers should be
expanded to protect the
public
-supported many Progressive
reforms
New Freedom
-Democrats nominated reform
governor Woodrow Wilson
-New Freedom
~Wilson Fights the 4
Privileges
~wealth
~trusts (against)
~banking reform
~tariffs (wanted low)
~favored small business
interests over monopolies that
have too much control and
were seen as evil
Election of 1912
-voters had choice between
conservatism, New
Nationalism, New Freedom,
or Socialism
-Socialist Debs got nearly 1
million votes
-Roosevelt and Taft split the
Republican votes allowing W.
Wilson to win the election
-Wilson wins the election with
only 42%
Tariff and Taxes
-Income tax created in the
16th Amendment and soon
became main revenue
source
-gov’t needs to be able to
control money supply
-set up system of 12
national banks
-Federal reserve is an
essential part of our
economy today
Progressive Results
-laissez-faire policy fades
-social reforms help many
Susan B. Anthony is
biggest reason women
have the right to vote,
19th Amendment
women’s support in WW I
eventually guaranteed
success
-African Americans still
ignored
-World War I seems to
end reforms