Lesson 8:The Progressive Era(Chapter 8 in Textbook)
The Gilded Age of the late 1800s was full of problems.
-Cities were dirty. Politicians were corrupt. Big Business was doing what it wanted to make money. The government was laissez faire. They supported big business even though it hurt small business,
laborers, and consumers. They did little to stop corruption at all levels. They did little to help
overpopulated, dirty cities.
-The people did not have a strong voice in government.
-Wealthy industrialists built huge trusts that limited competition and raised prices for consumers.
-Wealthy industrialists had too much influence over branches of government...especially Legislative.
The Progressive Movement is an attempt to fix the problems of the Gilded Age.
Time Period: Early 1900s
Presidents To Be Discussed In This Lesson:
Theodore Roosevelt 1901-1909
William Taft
1909-1913
Woodrow Wilson
1913-1921
The Progressive Movement
Industrialization/urbanization/immigration brought benefits , but produced many social problems.
-To fix these problems, reformers began a movement called Progressivism at the turn of the century.
Populism v Progressivism
Similarities
Both were reform movements that attempted to
-get rid of government corruption.
-make gov'tt more responsive to needs of people
-eliminate the abuses of big business/industry.
Differences
Time Period:
-The Populist Movement occurred during the late
19th Century and died out after the 1896 election.
-The Progressive Movement occurred during the
early part of the 20th Century.
Members:
-Populists had been mainly farmers and low level
workers.
-Progressives were middle class professionals
focused cleaning up the cities, physically and
politically.
Success:
-Populists had limited success = Interstate
Commerce Act
-Progressives had widespread and long lasting
success.
What did Progressives focus on?
Progressive Reforms
Political and Voting Reform
Australian Ballot
Initiative, Referendum, and Recall
Direct Primary
Direct Election of Senators(17th Amendment)
Eliminating Government Corruption
Getting rid of spoils system, or patronage
Getting rid of political machines
Limiting Influence and Unethical
Practices of Big Business
Reducing Income Disparity Between Rich/Poor
Safety of Consumers
Protecting the Environment
Conservation
Journalists called Muckrakers opened the people's eyes to corruption and bad business practices by
engaging in investigative reporting.
-President Theodore Roosevelt called these journalists...muckrakers. Why?
-The muckrakers’ articles appeared in popular magazines and newspapers.(McClures)
-The PEOPLE were horrified by the conditions that were revealed to them and demanded reforms.
Muckrakers
Lincoln Steffens, managing editor at Mclure's
magazine, published The Shame of the Cities.
-reported to the public how political corruption
affected all aspects of life in the city.
-exposed how the government of Philadelphia let
utility companies charge excessively high fees.
-showed how corrupt politicians won elections by
bribing and threatening voters
Jacob Riis, a photographer for the New York
-photographed the crowded, unsafe, rat-infested
Evening Sun, published How the Other Half Lives tenement buildings where the urban poor lived. His photos and writing shocked the nation
Lewis Hine
-Photographed laborers and child laborers
Ida Tarbell published The History of Standard Oil -reported that John Rockefeller used ruthless
methods to ruin his competitors and charge higher
prices
Important Progressives
Robert Lafollete(WI)
Theodore Roosevelt(NY)
Woodrow Wilson(NJ)
Progressive Governors
Jane Addams
-Settlement House Movement
-Women's Rights
Floence Kelley
-Worked to ban child labor
-Women's Rights
Progressives also tried to better children’s lives by improving education and increasing literacy.
-A number of states passed laws that required children to attend school until a certain age.
Reforming the Workplace
A Workplace Tragedy at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Encourages Workplace Reform
In March 1911, a fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City shocked Americans and
focused attention on the need to protect workers.
-Workers had little chance to escape the raging fire because managers had locked most of the exits. The
fire killed 146, most of them young Jewish women. Many jumped from the windows in desperation.
Because of the tragedy, Progressives intensified their calls for workplace safety reform.
-Many garment workers' unions went on strike.
-New York passed fire code laws to make workplaces safer, and other cities and states followed suit.
-Many states adopted workers’ compensation laws to pay workers who were hurt on the job.
Reforming Government
Progressive reformers wanted to
-free government from the control of political bosses and powerful businesses.
-give people more control over government and make government more effective in serving the public.
1900...a massive hurricane destroyed the city of Galveston, TX.
-Galveston replaced its mayor and board of aldermen with a five-person commission. More Efficientt!!
The Galveston plan spread efficiency and helped stop corruption.
-New city governments curbed power of political machines placing and placed more power under
government control. Who chooses the government? THE PEOPLE
-New city governments purchased public utilities so that electric, gas, and water companies to keep
utility companies from charging city residents unfairly high rates. It also did this to conserve resources.
-Who do these reforms help?
Reforming Elections
Lafollete's Wisconsin Idea
Direct Primary
An election in which citizens vote to select
nominees for upcoming elections.
Initiative
Gave people the power to put a proposed new law
directly on the ballot.
Referendum
Allowed citizens to approve or reject laws passed
by a legislature.
Recall
Gave voters the power to remove public servants
from office before their terms ended.
Another major election reform:
-Progressives promoted the Populist idea that the people/voters should directly elect their own senators
-United States Senators had always been promoted or elected by the state legislature.
-That reform became law in 1913 when the Seventeenth Amendment to the Constitution was approved.
Section 2
In the 1900s, a growing number of women were no longer content to have a limited role in society.
-Women wanted to do more than be wives and mothers. They wanted to make a positive difference.
-But, they did not have the right to vote, were paid much less than men, and lacked influence.
-Progressive women began to mobilize and DEMAND reforms.
Working Women Face Hardships in the Late 1800s and Early 1900s
-Working =difficult jobs, with long hours and dangerous conditions.
-Women were usually expected to hand over their wages to their husbands, fathers, or brothers.
-Women in factories and as laundresses or servants.
-Women could easily be cheated or bullied by their employers.
-A key goal of women reformers was to limit the number of work hours worked because women were
still expected to be the caretakers of the home.
Progressive women wanted to help the urban family.
Progressive Women and Reforms What made these reforms progressive?
Settlement House Movement
-Jane Addams
Helped urban poor and immigrants
Anti-Child Labor
-Florence Kelley
Lobbied Congress to outlaw child labor to protect children
Women's Working Hours
Mueller v Oregon-----(women’s rights, labor conditions, 14th
Amendment)
-The Supreme Court agreed that long working hours harmed
working women and their families and ruled that their hours could
be limited.
-The Court viewed women as a special class that needed
protection.
- Quote from the Court: “Woman’s physical structure and the
functions she performs . . . justify special legislation restricting the
conditions under which she should be permitted to toil.”
-Progressives viewed this as a victory, BUT what harm did this do?
Temperance Movement
-Focused on getting rid of alcoholic beverages
-Carrie Nation
-Led to passage of 18th Amendment, which outlawed the
-Becomes Prohibition Movement production and sale of alcohol
Birth Control Movement
-Margaret Sanger
Anti-Lynching
Sanger thought family life and women’s health would improve if
mothers had fewer children.
-Opened the country’s first birth-control clinic.
-Arrested and jailed several times
-Courts eventually said doctors could give out birth control info
-Founded American Birth Control League and Planned Parenthood.
Ida B. Wells set up organizations that helped poor African
American women with food, work, daycare.
-also exposed lynching in the South by printing articles about the
subject in her newspaper.
The boldest goal of Progressive women was suffrage—the right to vote.
Why did women fight so hard for the right to vote?
-It was the only way to make government protect children, foster education, and support family life.
-Without the vote, women had little influence on the politicians who and look after their interests.
Jane Addams explained women needed the vote because political issues reached inside people’s homes.
-Read “Why Women Should Vote”
The Fight For Woman's Suffrage
Suffrage = Right to Vote
Suffragettes = Women that worked for suffrage
1848-1890
1848- Seneca Falls Convention...Susan B.
Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton begin a
national campaign for suffrage.
-BUT they failed at the federal level.
How did they win? What was their strategy?
National American Woman Suffrage Association
(NAWSA)led by Carrie Chapman Catt
Congressional Union
(CU)led by Alice Paul
-Began to lobby Congress to pass a constitutional
amendment giving women the right to vote.
-While lobbying Congress takes time, the
NAWSA used the new referendum process to try
to pass state suffrage laws.
-By the end of 1890s women in western states,
like Wyoming and Colorado, had won the right to
vote.
-So...The state to state strategy worked first.
-NAWSA was peaceful
-Radical...Sometimes Violent
-Marched with picket signs outside the White
House, went on hunger strikes when arrested
-Got the public's attention...got the leaders of
Congress attention....got President Wilson's
attention.
-Used World War I to show that American soldiers
fight for liberty around the world while women
did not have full equality at home
Did all Americans agree with woman's suffrage?
NO. Some Americans believed that
-Voting would take a woman's attention away
from the home, children, family issues, and
volunteer work.
-Women did not need the right to vote because
their husbands already had it.
-Voting would make women masculine.
Success in 1919
June 1919
-Congress ratified the 19th Amendment.
“The right of citizens of the United States to vote
shall not be denied or abridged by the United
States or by an state on account of sex.”
Did gaining the right to vote give women full equality?
Where did they still face discrimination in 1920?
Section 3
The Progressive Reformers did not focus of helping African Americans.
-BUT, the Progressive Movement showed African Americans how to bring about change.
-The civil rights movement would follow the Progressive's strategy.
By 1910, segregation was the norm across the nation. Why? The Plessy Decision and Jim Crow Laws
-SCOTUS had legalized segregation by negatively interpreting the 14th amendment.
Differing ideas among black leaders about the strategy African Americans should use to gain equality
-Booker T. Washington argued that blacks should learn a skill or trade, work, and get economic equality
first. He thought blacks should be patient with whites and prove their worth.
-W.E.B. Dubois disagreed publicly with Washington. He argued that blacks should go to college and
get a liberal arts education to become leaders. He thought that blacks should demand equality NOW.
African Americans would follow the advice and example of Dubois.
1905:
-The Niagara Movement, led by Dubois, denounced Washington's ideas of gradual progress
compromise.
1909:National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
NAACP's goals were to help African Americans
-Protect their lives -Protect their right to vote
-Protect their civil rights
NAACP leaders included white and black Progressives who had worked in other areas of social
reform. -Among them were Jane Addams, Ray Stannard Baker, and Florence Kelley.
Important: The NAACP's Strategy was to use the courts to challenge unfair laws through lawsuits.
The NAACP still serves minorities today.
1911: The National Urban League
The National Urban Leagues goals were to help migrant African Americans to the north
-find jobs
-find housing
-adjust to urban life -avoid poverty
The National Urban League 's leaders included blacks and whites.
The National Urban League
-bought clothes and books.
-sent children to school.
-helped factory workers and maids find jobs.
Both the NAACP and the Urban League still aid African Americans today.
What about helping immigrants?
-Progressives used settlement houses and the Social Gospel movement to help immigrants and the
urban poor. Progressive settlement houses also helped with Americanization efforts.
Section 4
McKinley had been re-elected President in 1900, but within a few months he was assassinated.
-His Vice President, Theodore Roosevelt, became President.
-The arrival of Theodore Roosevelt ushered in a new Progressive for the federal government.
-He was so different from those Presidents in the late 1800s. He was charismatic and energetic.
-The public loved Theodore. Journalists begged for interviews. Children begged for Teddy Bears.
Theodore Roosevelt's Progressive Presidency
Term: 1901-1909
TR passed Progressive reforms and expanded the powers of the presidency.
TR created the Modern Presidency.
-He greatly expanded the power of the Presidency.
-He changed the way Americans viewed the roles of the President and the government.
Roosevelt OFTEN stepped in with the authority and power of the federal government.
TR acted on his belief that the federal government had the responsibility of protecting the people as
consumers, laborers, and small business owners.
TR's “Square Deal”
Goal:
-Tto keep the wealthy/powerful from taking advantage of small business owners and poor.
-His idea of the “Square Deal” did not mean that everyone would get rich or that the government
should take care of the lazy. He called it “Square” because it would be fair for all sides of society.
TR and Labor: The 1902 Anthracite Coal Mining Strike
-Pennsylvania coal miners went on strike. Miners wanted a pay raise and a shorter workday. He wanted
the strike ended quickly and the workers treated fairly.
-First, Roosevelt tried arbitration to get mine owners to listen to workers’ concerns. The mine owners
refuse to meet with the workers. TR threatened to send federal troops to take control of the mines and
to run them with federal employees. The owners gave the miners a pay raise and a nine-hour workday.
-For the first time, the federal government had stepped in to help workers in a labor dispute.
-Roosevelt was dedicated to controlling the power of corporations and protecting the people.
TR and Business Regulation
TR was a Republican but did not agree with laissez faire. He was very hands on as President.
TR pushed Congress to establish the Department of Commerce and Labor to monitor businesses
engaged in interstate commerce and to keep capitalists from abusing their power.
TR pushed Congress to pass Elkins Act that imposed fines on RRs that gave special rates to some.
TR pushed Congress to pass Hepburn Act, which strengthened the Interstate Commerce Commission.
TR gained a reputation as a“trustbuster.”
-He and the Supreme Court forced large companies to break up and end trusts/monopolies.
-He chose “bad” trusts to break up and left “good” trusts alone.
TR and Consumer Protection
In 1906, Upton Sinclair published his novel The Jungle. His descriptions of the filthy, unhealthy
conditions in meatpacking plants revolted the public and infuriated TR.
TR pushed Congress to pass the Meat Inspection Act that required the federal government to inspect
meat sold across state lines and required federal inspection of meat processing plants.
TR pushed Congress to pass the Pure Food and Drug Act that banned shipment of impure food and
mislabeled food/medicines.
TR and Conservation
Progressives attempted to protect the environment and conserve natural resources for future use.
TR's was a Progressive. Also, his deep reverence for nature also shaped his conservation policies.
1891-Congress had given Presidents power to protect timber land by setting aside federal forests.
TR was influenced by John Muir, the leader of the Sierra Club.
The Sierra Club promoted conservation and protection of environments from industrial development.
TR closed off more than 100 million acres of forest land.
-He protected wilderness areas from being destroyed and misused by industry.
TR pushed Congress to pass the National Reclamation Act that gave the federal government the power
to decide where and how water would be distributed. The government would manage dams that would
created reservoirs, generate power, and direct water flow. This would make one state's rivers and
streams available to farmers in other states.
The federal government's conservation began in the West....then spread across the country.
Roosevelt left the presidency after two terms in office.
-He used his popularity to help Secretary of War William Howard Taft win the presidency in 1908. Roosevelt expected Taft to continue his programs and policies.
President William Howard Taft
Term: 1909-1913
Taft pushed Congress to pass the Mann-Elkins Act that gave the government control over telephone
and telegraph rates.
Taft brought twice as many trust lawsuits against corporations than TR had done.
-In 1911, the Supreme Court “busted” up Rockefeller's Standard Oil Company.
BUT...
Taft wanted Congress to collect income taxes, but they didnt go along with Taft.
Taft pushed Congress to pass the Payne-Aldrich Act that did not lower tariffs as much as TR wanted.
Taft fired Gifford Pinchot, TR's Chief of Forestry, for accusing Taft's administration of mishandling
conservation and helping industry.
TR began traveling the country criticizing Taft for not being “Progressive” enough.
Theodore Roosevelt declared that he was “strong as a bull moose” and decided to run for a third term
as President. His promised that his platform, New Nationalism, would be very progressive.
Election of 1912
Taft and Roosevelt both wanted to be the nominee for the Republican party. Taft was nominated.
Progressives left the Republican Party and set up the Progressive Party. They nominated TR.
-“The Bull Moose Party”
The Democratic Party nominated Progressive New Jersey Governor Woodrow Wilson.
The Republican vote was split between Taft and Roosevelt.
Woodrow Wilson wins.
President Woodrow Wilson
Term: 1913-1921
Wilson's policies were called “New Freedom”. It looked much like TR's New Nationalism.
Wilson vowed to place more government control on corporations/rich...tariffs, banks, and trust.
Wilson wanted to protect customers and keep business competition fair.
He pushed for lower tariffs on foreign goods.
-If American companies' prices were too high...consumers could buy foreign goods at a cheaper price.
-Lowering tariffs increased competition between companies and forced them to lower prices.
-He pushed Congress to pass the Underwood Tariff Bill that cut, or lowered, tariffs.
-Reducing tariffs eliminated American businesses control over price and increased competition.
BUT...the government lost revenue when tariffs were low. Tariffs were the main source of revenue.
-Wilson pushed Congress to collect income taxes to make up for the loss of government revenue.
Wilson and Income Taxes
Wilson pushed Congress to pass the 16th Amendment.
-The 16th gave Congress the power to collect income taxes from the people to fund the government.
-The revenue from the income tax more than made up for the lost money from tariffs.
-It was a progressive graduated income tax...the more money you make, the more taxes you pay.
JP Morgan was the wealthiest banker during this time.
-In 1906, he propped up the country during a rough economic time. He bailed out big industries so they
wouldn't fail.(U.S. Steel)
-This gave him enormous influence over government and monetary policy.
Wilson tried to reform the banking system.
At that time, the government had no authority to supervise banks. As a result, interest rates for loans
could fluctuate. A few wealthy bankers had a great deal of control over the nation, state, and local
banks' reserve funds. Progressive wanted to end this corruption.
Wilson wanted to eliminate bankers and businesses influence over the financial system.
-He and the Progressives wanted to take the politics out of it.
Wilson pushed Congress to pass the Federal Reserve Act in 1913.
-This law placed national banks under the control of a central Federal Reserve Board, which set up
regional banks to hold reserve funds from commercial banks.
The Federal Reserve Act created government supervision through the Federal Reserve Board.
The Federal Reserve was created to protect the American economy from greed.
The Federal Reserve Board sets interest rates for bank loans.
The Federal Reserve supervises banks to make sure that they are run efficiently.
Like TR and Taft, Wilson focused on trusts.
He pushed Congress to create the Federal Trade Commission(FTC) to monitor business practices that
might lead to monopoly.
He pushed Congress to pass Clayton Antitrust Act to strengthen the Sherman Antitrust Act.
Wilson and Labor
The Clayton Antitrust Act protected the rights of labor unions.
The Adamson Act limited railroad employees workdays to eight hours.
The Progressive Legacy
Transition from Laissez Faire to Increased Regulation.
Laws passed established the federal government as a regulator of corporate activity.
Voting reforms expanded voters' influence.
Laws protected small business and customers from big business.
The federal government gained more control over peoples' lives.
The American economy today showcases the strength of the Progressives’ legacy.
-Antitrust laws, the Federal Reserve Board, and federal agencies watch closely over the economy.
-The controls that Roosevelt and Wilson put in place continue to provide consumer protections.
-The Progressive years expanded the government’s role in managing natural resources.
Congress expands its power through acts/laws that regulate businesses, banks, and the entire economy.
Theodore Roosevelt creates the modern presidency by expanding the power of the President.
-This would influence Taft, Wilson, and future presidents.
Progressive Successes
-Initiative
-Federal Trade Commission
-Referendum
-Federal Reserve
-Recall
-ICC
th
-16 Amendment
-Sherman Antitrust Act
-17th Amendment
-Clayton Antitrust Act
th
-18 Amendment
-Conservation
-19th Amendment
-Adamson Act
-Meat Inspection Act
-Pure Food and Drug Act