TOPIC 28.1—PROGRESSIVISM: THE BACKGROUND (656-665)
I. The Progressive Movement
A. The Progressive Movement had a major impact in American history politically, socially, and economically
1. The Progressive movement was a reform movement of the early 1900s
2. The movement focused on the evils of monopolies, corruption, inefficiency, and social injustices
3. Progressives believes in using the government to solve all of society’s problems
4. Progressives were mainly made up of middle class individuals; lots of women
B. The background of the Progressive movement goes back to early economic issues
1. Much of the ideas of the Progressive movement began with the Greenback Labor Party; hard money/soft money issue
2. Even more of the Progressive movements goals were created in the Populist Party of the 1800s; farmers
C. Progressives did not believe in “laissez-faire (hands off) policy in government
II. The Muckrakers
A. Much of the work of exposing the corruption and wrongs of society were pushed by a group known as the Muckrakers
1. Muckrakers was a name given by Theodore Roosevelt to writers who exposed the negative things about society in the
late 1800s and early 1900s
B. Early Progressive writers were critical of government corruption and the power of wealth
1. Henry Demarest Lloyd wrote Wealth Against the Commonwealth in 1894; protest against Standard Oil Company
2. Thorsten Veblen wrote The Theory of the Leisure Class in 1899; was a savage attack on predatory wealth
3. Jacob Riis wrote How the Other Half Lives in 1890; told of the harsh life in NYC slums; very popular
4. Theodore Dreiser wrote The Financier in 1912 and The Titan in 1914; battered promoters and profiteers
5. Lincoln Steffens wrote a series of articles entitled The Shame of the Cities; unmasked the corrupt alliance between big
business & the government
6. Ida M. Tarbell wrote The History of Standard Oil Co.; written against Standard Oil Company
7. David Phillips wrote The Treason of the Senate in 1906; he said 75 senators supported the railroads & trusts but not
the people
8. Ray Stannard Baker wrote Following the Colored Line in 1908; told of the sorry treatment of America’s blacks
9. John Spargo wrote The Bitter Cry of the Children in 1906; told of the abuses of child labor
10. Upton Sinclair wrote The Jungle in 1906; exposed the unsanitary conditions in the meat packing industry
C. Much of the writing of the Muckrakers was found in early magazines of the 1900s
1. Included magazines like McClures, Cosmopolitan, Colliers, and Everybody’s
III. The Progressive Platform
A. Most of the goals of the Progressive movement involved more involvement of the people and government
1. Progressives pushed for the direct primary; little election before the big election (usually held in May)
2. Progressives pushed for the initiative or voter proposed legislation (not legislatures)
3. Progressives pushed for the referendum or yes or no ballots on initiatives
4. Progressive pushed for the recall or the ability to remove an elected official early
5. Progressives pushed for a limit to the amount of money that could be spent on political campaigns
6. Progressives pushed for a limit on who could donate to political campaigns
7. Progressives pushed for the secret ballot
8. Progressives pushed for the direct election of senators; 17 th amendment
9. Progressives pushed for women’s suffrage; 19th amendment
10. Progressives pushed for prohibition of alcohol; 18 th amendment
B. Much of the Progressive platform was parts of the old Populist Party platform
IV. Progressives in the City
A. Progressives focused on inefficiency & corruption in the cities
1. One problem in the city was inefficiency in government; solution was city-manager system
2. Another problem in the city was corruption in government; solution was city-manager system
B. Progressives were given an opportunity to try their methods in Galveston TX
1. Galveston had been hit hard by a hurricane; Progressives offered to fix city
V. Progressives in the States
A. Progressive governors made some of the biggest gains at the state level
B. Three important Progressive governors attempted their reforms in their home states
1. The most impactful was Robert Lafollette of Wisconsin
2. A second Progressive governor was Hiram Johnson of California
3. A third Progressive governor was Charles Evans Hughes of New York
VI. Progressive Women & Their Issues
A. Women were a big part of the Progressive Movement
1. Progressive women tended to focus on issues like moral issues or “maternal “ issues
B. Progressive female leader, Florence Kelley, focused on child labor & improved conditions
C. Progressive leaders also had an impact on women’s labor issues
1. In the case of Muller v. Oregon, the Supreme Court said women could be protected in factory labor work
D. Progressive women also focused on anti-liquor laws as part of the their Progressive reforms
VII. The Triangle Shirtwaist Company
A. Progressive leaders also focused on safety conditions in many of America’s factories
1. Much of this was inspired by a tragedy called the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire
a. The fire incinerated tens of dozens of this company’s female workers
b. The incident put the focus on factory reforms & worker safety laws