Goal 7 – The Progressive Movement in
the U.S. (1890-1914)
7.01 Explain the conditions that led to the rise of Progressivism.
7.02 Analyze how different groups of Americans made economic and political gains in the
Progressive Period.
7.03 Evaluate the effects of racial segregation on different regions and segments of the US
society.
7.04 Examine the impact of technological changes on economic, social, and cultural life in
the U.S.
1
Let’s Review Industries and Their Impact on Urban Areas
During the Industrial Revolution, new inventions were improving the production of goods. Goods
were being manufactured at a fast pace. Because companies had capital, they decided to invest it. They
invested in building new factories. These factories attracted people who needed jobs. These people were
former farmers and immigrants.
Immigrants constantly came to the U.S. during this time because of the wealth in this country.
They were looking of a new beginning. They wanted to have money, own homes, and become successful.
However, some Americans did not like them. These immigrants did not look like the “old immigrants.”
These “new immigrants” were darker skinned and did not speak English. Some Americans began to think
that they were superior to the “new immigrant” and joined nativist groups. The Ku Klux Klan saw an
increase in its membership during this time. They began to hate more people than previously. Who did
Now, they hated immigrants, Catholics,
the KKK originally hate?
Jewish people, and
. The immigrants really had little chance for
success thanks to the nativist attitude in the U.S. Some factories refused to hire them. Henry Ford of
Ford Motor Company refused to hire Irish and Jewish people. People hated immigrants because
immigrants worked for less pay than native born Americans. Because they were willing to work for less,
some Americans thought they were taking away jobs from them. We hear these same anti-immigrant
arguments today in America.
Factory working conditions were unsafe and hazardous. Factory workers lived in tenements.
Tenements were overcrowded and dirty. Urban slums developed around these tenements. These areas
had open sewers and rats crawling around everywhere. The urban slums were an environmental disaster.
Jacob Riis was a journalist. He saw these slums and decided to report on them. He took pictures of
people living in these slums and published them. The book was called How the Other Half Lives. The
book really made people aware of the poor livening conditions that factory workers had to live in.
Where did factory workers live?
What kind of living conditions existed in urban slums?
Why did nativists dislike immigrants?
What is this a picture of?
How do the people look in this picture?
Does the room look comfortable?
Would you be able to live in these conditions?
2
The Start of People Calling for Reform
Thanks to Jacob Riis’s book
, people
After Riis’s
began to demand change (reform). What does reform mean?
book, another terrible incident happened in America. A terrible fire destroyed the Triangle Shirtwaist
Factory Fire March 25, 1911.
The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory was a textile mill. That means that it made clothes. Women
typically worked in the textile/clothing factories. The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory hired women. Why
The fire started spreading throughout
would a factory hire women?
the building, however, the factory had LOCKED ALL THE EXIT DOORS. The reason the factory had
locked the doors was to prevent employees from stealing the. Because the exit doors were locked, the
women were locked inside the building with the fire raging. 146 people were killed in the fire. When
people read about this incident in the newspaper, they called for reform in the workforce. New safety
laws were created to make workplaces safer.
What are Muckrakers?
Muckrakers were investigative journalists. They researched different parts of society and
workplaces to expose corruption and the need for reform. These muckrakers are similar to the news
shows, like 20/20 and Dateline, that we watch today.
One female muckraker was Ida Tarbell. She was a daughter of an oil man
driven out of business by John D. Rockefeller. She vowed to avenge her father when
she grew up. Tarbell investigated the business practices used by the Standard Oil
Company. She wrote about the abuses of the trust in her book, The History of Standard
Oil Company. When people read how Rockefeller controlled oil refineries and drove out
all his competitors, they demanded reformed. The U.S. government responded by trying
to break-up the Standard Oil Company’s trust in the U.S. v. Standard Oil Company.
The company was ordered to break up its trust.
Upton Sinclair, a muckraker, wrote The Jungle. This book was published
in 1906. Sinclair had investigated the working conditions of immigrants in the meat
packing industry. He talked about the unsanitary workplace. When people read
this book, they began throwing up their burgers and steaks. He talked about how
rats and bugs were crawling and jumping into the piles of meat. This made
everyone sick! It still makes people sick today. President Theodore Roosevelt read
the book and was called to action by the voters. People wanted him to clean up the
meat packing industry. So Roosevelt decided to create and pass the Meat
Inspection Act. This act allowed the government to regulate the meat packing industry. Later, he passed
the Pure Food and Drug Act, which created the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This
government agency regulates the food and drug industries. Thanks to Roosevelt, it is safe to eat our
hamburgers again! This agency still exists today. Sometimes they have to recall (make companies take
back food) that is contaminated (bad). A modern day example was the Peter Pan Peanut Butter was
recalled due to a contamination.
Other notable muckrakers are Lincoln Steffens and Frank Norris. Steffens wrote about political
corruption in The Slave of the Cities. Because of his novel, voters demanded voting reforms. Norris
wrote about railroad abuses against farmers in The Octopus.
Connect the muckraker to the appropriate reform.
Ida Tarbell
A. meat packing industry
Upton Sinclair
B. political corruption
Frank Norris
C. oil industry
Lincoln Steffens
D. railroad corruption
3
Who are the Progressives?
Progressives were a group of reformers during the 1890’s to 1914. The people that made up the
Progressive Movement were typically white middle-class men and women. Middle-class women did not
have to work in factories, so they had more time on their hands to think of ways to improve society. Also,
middle-class people had more leisure time. In their leisure time, they discussed society, politics, and the
economy. The four goals of Progressives were social welfare, the workplace by increasing efficiency,
morals, and the economy. Each of these things needed change and reform to help the U.S. improve.
Intentions of Progressives
What does social welfare mean?
Why did Progressives want to improve society by
increasing social welfare programs?
How do owners increase efficiency in their
factories?
What are morals?
What was the major moral reform during this era?
What kind of economy does the U.S. have?
How can ________________________ economy
be improved during this era?
Social Reforms
Because women were apart of the Progressive Era, they looked at improving society
through the home and workplace. Women thought about how they could help families and
the underprivileged.
The “Prohibition” Movement started in the early 1800’s, but gained more
support during the Progressive era. The Prohibition Movement wanted the
abolishment (banning) of alcohol in the U.S. Women were the main
supporters of the Prohibition Movement. They felt that if people drank less or none at all,
society’s morals would improve. The movement’s membership increased so much that
they asked for a constitutional amendment. President Woodrow Wilson signed the 18th Amendment,
known as the Prohibition Amendment, in 1919. This banned the consumption, production, and
distribution of alcohol in the U.S.
Some people felt that this new law was uncalled for. They felt it was regulating their morals and
right to choose what to do with their body. Irish and German immigrants felt that this law was
discriminating against their culture. Because most Americans felt this law was silly
and stupid, they simply ignored it. The 18th Amendment turned law-abiding Americans
into criminals. People began to make their own alcohol called moonshine. The crime
rate increases during the 1920s because of prohibition. The intent of the law was good,
but Americans did not support it. Because it lacked support, the amendment was
repealed by the 21st Amendment in 1933 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Party time again!
4
President Theodore Roosevelt
Vice President Theodore Roosevelt became president in 1901 after the
assassination of President William McKinley, a Republican. Theodore Roosevelt became
a national hero in the Spanish-American War in 1898. He was a member of the famous
Rough Riders, a cavalry group, which fought in the Spanish-American War. He led a
charge up of Rough Riders up a famous hill called San Juan and helped to win the Battle
of San Juan. After the war was over, Roosevelt became popular. In the Election of 1900,
he ran as a vice presidential candidate with McKinley as the presidential candidate.
McKinley won the election and Roosevelt became the Vice President. He promised every American a
“Square Deal.” His presidential program is known as the
. Why?
Because he believed everyone should have the same chances of success.
How did Theodore Roosevelt become President?
President Theodore Roosevelt is sometimes referred to as Teddy and TR. These two nicknames
are very common when we address President Roosevelt. Teddy loved being President and Americans
loved him! He was kind of a bully. Teddy believed that either people were with him in his decisions or
against him. This is not a guy that is willing to compromise! Whenever TR wanted a law passed, he
simply intimated Congress into passing it. Maybe intimation is not a good word. TR “persuaded”
Congress to see his point of view using the “bully pulpit.” A pulpit is just a podium or stand where a
speech is made. So when people say that TR used a “bully pulpit” they mean that he bullied people into
following his views.
As president, TR saw his job as protecting the people. The first major thing he did to protect the
people was arbitrating a strike. The Anthracite Coal Mine Strike of 1902 was a major strike. Over
150,000 miners refused to work. The workers wanted higher pay, shorter work days, and official
recognition of their union. The owners of the mines refused to negotiation with the workers. This was
really bad for the U.S. All the power in the U.S. ran off of coal. If these miners did not return to mine the
coal, then the U.S. would not have power. Power is important because of electricity and HEAT! The
winter months were quickly approaching and the reserve (amount of coal set aside in case of an
emergency) was diminishing. Roosevelt felt he had to act. If he did not get involved, people would be
cold during the winter. Roosevelt decided it was time to call the owners and the miners to the White
House to discuss the problem. He arbitrated the dispute. Arbitration is a process in which parties in a
dispute submit their differences to the judgment of an impartial third party. Roosevelt acted as the
arbitrator. He got the miners a wage increase. Roosevelt was viewed as a hero of workers. This was a
HUGE switch for the government. The government (Roosevelt) sided with workers and not owners.
Why was Roosevelt’s decision to step into the Coal Mine Strike important?
Roosevelt was also known as trust-buster. He was called a trust-buster because he would break
up trusts during his terms as president. People were concerned that trusts and monopolies were harming
the free market economy. A free market economy is capitalism. This allows everyone to make and lose
money. However, trusts and monopolies were stopping everyone from making money and made it
possible for only them to make money. Roosevelt faced many challenges, including previous decisions
made by the Supreme Court. One of those decisions that harmed Roosevelt’s trust busting was the United
States v. E.C. Knight Co., 1895. The Supreme Court ruled that some monopolies could not be broken up
despite the Sherman Anti-Trust Act. E.C. Knight was a sugar company, but because sugar was necessary,
5
the monopoly was allowed to continue. Roosevelt felt that these monopolies were harmful because they
could charge customers whatever they wanted. He was successful in breaking up the Northern Securities
Company. In Northern Securities v. US, the Supreme Court ruled that the railroad company was a
monopoly and needed to be broken up. The company had violated federal law by having a monopoly in
the Pacific Northwest region of the U.S. Roosevelt would pursue other trusts during this time, which is
why he became the trust-buster. Because Roosevelt was convinced that trusts were harmful to the
economy, he decided to break up other trusts using the Sherman Anti-Trust Act.
He also decided to regulate the railroad industry. TR passed the Elkins Act, which made rebates
that railroads used illegal. Rebates were a way that railroads gave congressmen and businessmen free
fares on goods and trips. Thanks to the Elkins Act, the railroad industry was less corrupt.
Name three things that TR did to help people. 1.
2.
3.
President William H. Taft
Taft was TR’s Vice President. In 1908, he won the Presidency. TR
retired to the quiet life. Taft was a different man than TR. He was not as
outgoing or aggressive as TR. Taft was not willing to bully people into doing
what he wanted. Taft had a very hard time as President. TR was very popular
and sometimes following a popular president is bad. Taft was constantly
compared to TR. This comparison did not sit well with Taft. As time passed,
these two former co-workers and friends would argue about political decisions.
Taft was a trust-buster like
. He
breaks up twice as many trusts as TR did in half the time. However,
is known as the trust-buster. Taft tried to help the progressives by passing
many reform efforts aimed at improving the economy and society. The Mann-Elkins Act expanded the
power of the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) to regulate telephone and telegraph rates. This
gave the government more power over private businesses.
What group was responsible for the creation of the ICC?
Why was the ICC created?
As a trust-buster, he led many cases against big business. During his time as President, the
Supreme Court ruled in American Tobacco v. US that the American Tobacco Company owned by James
Duke (Duke University is named after him) was a monopoly and forced its break-up.
The Payne-Aldrich Tariff was passed during Taft’s term. Taft wanted this tariff to lower tariffs,
which would have saved customers money. However, by the time Congress was done with rewriting it,
the tariff was raised. People were upset because the Progressives wanted tariffs to lower not raise! Taft
was becoming unpopular and the Election of 1912 was looming.
6
The Road to the Election of 1912
The Election of 1912 is one of the most important elections in U.S. history. Let’s look at the
reasons for why this one election is so important by examining the key players in it.
Taft was becoming unpopular. He was not following a progressive path and voters began to get
upset. TR was known as a conservation president. TR set aside land to be preserved (not touched) for
future generations. These reserves would be protected by the federal government from tree cutters and
miners. No one would be allowed to disturb the peace of the land. When Taft became president, he
followed many of TR’s policies. However, he allowed a tree cutting company (a timber company) to cut
down trees on a federal reserve. When TR heard this, he was upset. People started telling TR that he
should run for a third term as president. Remember, TR served out assassinated President McKinley’s
term. TR was then elected as President in 1904. Understand that no president had ever served more than
two terms. Which president set this precedent?
Taft still had some support from the Republican Party. When the nominations for
presidents started in 1911, Taft was nominated by the Republican Party.
Theodore Roosevelt had tried to get the Republican nomination, but he failed.
Woodrow Wilson was nominated for the Democratic Party. Teddy was so
upset by the lost of the Republican nomination that he formed his own political party
known as the Bull Moose Party or the Progressive Party.
Why was TR upset with Taft?
The Elephant, Donkey, and Moose Compete or the Election of 1912
Taft, Wilson, and Roosevelt were joined by another competitor, Eugene V. Debs. Debs
represented the Socialist Party. As we can see, the Election of 1912 is getting pretty crowded. Each
candidates must try to get a majority of the voters behind them.
Taft is a Republican and at Roosevelt’s heart he is too a Republican. These guys compete so hard
against each other and their views are so similar that they split the Republican vote. Republicans had a
hard choice: choose Taft the Republican nominee or Roosevelt a Republican dressing up like a Bull
Moose. Because these guys split the Republican vote, Woodrow Wilson wins the Election of 1912.
This election is important because it shows the influence of a 3rd party in a two-party system.
We see similar results in the Election of 1992. In this election, incumbent President Bush and nominee
Ross Perot were so similar that William Clinton won the election.
Match the Candidates with their Political Party
Candidate: _________________________
Political Party: _____________________
Candidate: _________________________
Political Party: _____________________
Candidate: _________________________
Political Party: _____________________
Candidate: _________________________
Political Party: _____________________
7
Wilson as President
Wilson was a Progressive as well. When he became President, he decided to
help people fight oppression from big business. He thought big businesses were evil.
Wilson wanted to lower tariffs and promote free trade. Wilson was an all around nice
guy. He viewed issues as either good or evil. It was hard for him to compromise
because of his strong beliefs on good and evil.
During Wilson’s Presidency, he passed many progressive
reforms. It was under him that the Federal Reserve Act was
passed. The Federal Reserve Act established the Federal Reserve, which would
watch over banking in the U.S. The Federal Reserve is a government agency that still
continues to operate today. Wilson felt the Federal Reserve was necessary to make
sure that banks, which are NOT government owned, operated fairly. As we stated earlier, Wilson felt that
trusts were “evil.” This meant that he believed it was his job to make trusts and monopolies illegal. The
Clayton Anti-Trust Act was passed in 1914. This was different than the older anti-trust law, the
of 1890 because it spelled out what a trust was. By defining what a trust
was, it made it possible to break up more trusts and monopolies with the Clayton Anti-Trust Act.
Additionally, the Clayton Anti-Trust Act ensured that unions were legal. Remember, big business tried to
use the Sherman Anti-Trust Act to break up unions. Well, Wilson felt that this was
unfair, so the Clayton Anti-Trust Act supported unions. This was a huge victory for
unions. The U.S. government was now officially backing them the little guy over
big business. By making unions legal and not trusts, unions will be able to use
strikes, peaceful picketing, and boycotts. Thanks to President Wilson, the worker
received protection from their workplaces!
Wilson’s Presidency saw a dramatic increase in Constitutional
Amendments. The 16th Amendment was passed, which gave Congress the
right to impose a graduated income tax. A graduated income tax is based on
your ability to pay. For example: teachers make $32,000 a year whereas a
teenager working at McDonald’s makes $10,000. A teacher would have to
pay more taxes because she makes more than the teenager. The 16th
Amendment was apart of the Populist Movement. Remember, they wanted a
gradual income tax. They felt this would make taxes fairer for all people.
The 17th Amendment is the direct election of senators. This means that when we go and vote, whoever
gets the most votes wins. The Presidential election is different. Why?
Again, the Populists had proposed this too. The 17th Amendment reduced the power of political
machines. The next amendment passed under Wilson was the 18th Amendment. We sometimes refer to
this amendment as the Prohibition Amendment. The Prohibition Amendment made it illegal to sell,
distribute, or produce alcohol. This was an attempt at improving society. However, it just made more
people turn to criminal actions to get alcohol. The last amendment passed under President Wilson was
the 19th Amendment. The 19th Amendment granted women the right to vote. Sometimes this is referred
to as Women’s Suffrage. Remember, women have been fighting for the right to vote since the Seneca
Falls Convention. What important document was issued at Seneca Falls?
All things must come to an end and the Progressive Movement was no exception. World War I
began in Europe in 1914. The U.S. did not join right away because of our isolationist foreign policy. The
U.S. remained neutral at the beginning of the war. However, by 1917, the U.S. could no longer stay out
of the war. When the U.S. entered the war, the Progressive Movement ended.
What do you think about President Wilson’s time in office?
8
Wow, we have covered a lot of information so far! I think its time we do a little
review to get all these names and laws right.
Who Am I?
I created the Bull Moose Party in 1912.
I used the Sherman Anti-Trust Act to break up
monopolies and trusts.
I improved the banking system by creating the
Federal Reserve Act.
I wanted to lower tariffs, but Congress increased
them with the Payne-Aldrich Tariff.
I wanted everyone to have a “Square Deal.”
Under me, Prohibition was passed.
I strengthen the ICC with the Mann-Elkins Act.
I passed the Elkins Act to regulate railroads.
I was the real trust-buster.
I am known as the trust-buster.
I sometimes bullied people to get what I wanted.
I signed the 17th Amendment giving voters more
power and control of their election of senators.
Because of me, labor unions are legal.
I arbitrated a coal strike in 1902, which was
unheard of because I sided with labor.
I broke up the American Tobacco Company.
Because of the E.C. Knight ruling, I had a hard
time breaking up some monopolies.
I granted women the right to vote thanking them for
their support during World War I.
I opened up conservation land making my
predecessor (the idiot before me) upset.
We divided the Election of 1912 causing the
wonder-boy Wilson to win.
I was also called TR and Teddy.
I really hated being President and enjoyed serving
on the Supreme Court after my term was over.
9
Progressive Amendments
The 16th, 17th, 18th, and 19th Amendments are known as Progressive Amendments. Why? All
these amendments were passed during the Progressive Era under President Wilson due to the demands for
change. Let’s review these amendments:
Picture of a Progressive
Identify the
Explain Impact
Identify if this
Amendment
Progressive
impacted society,
Amendment
politics, and/or the
economy
10
Reforms at the State Level
We have so far talked about reforming the national government. Progressives did not just stop at
fixing the national government. They also tried to fix state and local governments too. One of the most
notable progressive governors was Robert La Follette. La Follette was a governor of Wisconsin. He
decided that the railroads were so corrupt that they needed reform at the state level. He decided to adopt
the direct primary. This allowed people to choose their candidates for office versus having the party
bosses choosing them. This decreased the power of political machines, which deceased the influence of
railroads in the state government. Other states also adopted direct primaries. La Follette also developed a
merit system for state civil service workers. This was similar to the Pendleton Act, which required a merit
system for federal jobs. He also taxed the railroads decreasing their power and influence in the state.
States also started to adopt the referendum. A referendum allows citizens to vote on an issue that
voters wanted. Another way that state progressives increase the power of voters was by adopting the
initiative. An initiative allows citizens to force a vote on a particular issue. The power of the voter was
again increased with recall. Recall allows voter to remove state government officials if they are corrupt
before their term is over. This made state government officials accountable for their actions in office.
The final improvement was the secret ballot (Australian ballot). This allows voters to cast their ballot
without having to sign it. This prevented party bosses and candidates from harming or hurting people that
did not vote for them.
Name the four things that increase the power of the voter in state governments.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Reforms in City Government
City governments were in bad need of reform. In New York City, Tammany Hall, a political
machine operated by Boss Tweed, had cheated the citizen of money. People began to feel that city
governments needed to clean up their act! Now that the federal and state governments were clean up
corruption, it was time to take care of it in the cities.
One way was by creating a commission government. A commission government runs the city
versus having a mayor or individual leader. The next improvement to city governments was the creation
of a city manager. City managers are hired and not elected. Because they were hired, they had to answer
to the city council, which is elected by the people. All of these things increased the power of the voter
and made the local governments more accountable to the voter.
Name the three things that increase the power of the voter in the cities.
1.
2.
3.
11
Segregation
During Reconstruction (1866 to 1877), things improved for African-Americans. When
Reconstruction ended with the
of 1877, things began to go downhill for
them. Jim Crow Laws made segregation legal in the U.S. In the South, the KKK increased their activity.
The 15th Amendment, which gave all citizens the right to
was denied to AfricanAmericans.
The disenfranchisement (keep from voting) of African-Americans was done with
three tools. The first was the literacy test. All people had to read in order to vote. This
hurt African-Americans because they were kept from learning to read during slavery.
Another tool used to keep African-Americans down was the poll tax. This stated that
you had to pay in order to vote. This hurt African-Americans because most were poor
and could not afford to pay the tax. The last thing that was used to disenfranchise
African-Americans was the grandfather clause. This stated that your grandfather had to
be eligible to vote or have voted before 1866. Why would the date for this law be 1866?
The grandfather clause made it possible for all white men to vote. Understand that this said that even if
you couldn’t read or pay the poll tax, you could still vote if your grandfather was eligible. Remember, all
white men received suffrage by 1828. All these measures were done to keep the white man supreme and
keep African-Americans down.
Plessy v. Ferguson, 1896 is a famous Supreme Court case
involving an African-American man fight Jim Crow laws. Homer Plessy,
who was 1/8 African-American, was jailed for sitting in a “white only”
section of a train. This incident occurred in Louisiana, a deeply Southern
state that believed in Jim Crow Laws. Plessy sued because he considered
this unconstitutional. The Supreme Court ruled that “separate was
equal.” This meant that if there was a white section there had to be
“colored” section. It meant equal in number, not quality. An example is
that the white people’s bathroom would have running water and a toilet.
The “colored” bathroom would be a pot with no running water. “Separate,
but equal” was segregation and inequality.
Two kinds of segregation became known to the U.S.: de jure segregation and de facto
segregation. De jure segregation meant that there were laws that supported segregation. De jure means
of the law. De facto segregation is not an official law. De facto means as a matter of fact. De facto
segregation developed due to economic and social factors. Both of these forms of segregation kept
African-Americans from gaining equality. Some African-Americans during World War I, left the South
and moved North to find work in the factories. They were hoping to escape racism. This is known as the
Great Migration.
What are the three ways African-Americans were disenfranchised?
1.
2.
3.
Who did these disenfranchisement laws not apply to?
What was the decision in Plessy v. Ferguson?
12
Booker T. Washington versus W.E.B. DuBois
Booker T. Washington was African-American. He was born in the South.
Washington founded the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. This school was created to
help African-Americans by providing a vocational education. A vocational education
includes manual labor, agriculture, and technical jobs. He felt that if African-Americans
excelled in these fields, they would gain economic equality with white men. Once
economic equality was met, then African-Americans would achieve equality.
W.E.B. DuBois was an African-American born in the North. He was highly
educated. DuBois was the first African-American to graduate from Harvard
University. He disagreed with Washington on gaining equality. DuBois felt that
Washington was too compromising. DuBois stated that African-Americans must
demand full equality now. He advocated that with a college education, AfricanAmericans would be able to gain equality. These two men differed on their ways
of helping African-Americans. DuBois demanded immediate rights, while
Washington was willing to wait for equality. Washington gave a speech in Atlantic, Georgia in which he
told African-Americans that they should accept segregation and settle for the blue collar jobs. When
DuBois heard of this speech, he called it the Atlantic Compromise speech. He said that Washington was
willing to accept second class citizenship. He was very angry with Washington. DuBois felt that
African-Americans should demand full and immediate rights. He also wanted them to get a college
degree and work in white collar jobs (managerial or professional jobs).
DuBois helped organize the Niagara Movement, which was formed by a group of intellectual
African-Americans who wanted equality. The Niagara Movement at the Niagara Falls Convention
formed the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored Peoples) in 1905. The
NAACP became a major organization that promoted the rights of all minorities in the U.S. The
organization fought many discriminatory laws during this time era, especially during the Civil Rights
Movement of the 1960s. They are still active today.
Why might these two men have different views on equality?
Complete the following comparison chart about Washington and DuBois.
Booker T. Washington
Similarities between Them
W.E.B. DuBois
1.
1.
1.
2.
2.
2.
3.
3.
3.
13
Technological Advances of the Progressive Era
We have talked a great deal about advances in machinery during the Industrial
Age. Electricity was installed in many urban homes and buildings. The rural areas were
still acquiring electricity. Factories were able to operate longer and more efficiently.
Production of goods increased and more items were sold. This helped the economy
boom. Who invented the light bulb?
Who invented the
alternating current, which allows electricity to flow into buildings and equipment?
The electric sewing machine reduced the cost of clothing and the workload of factory workers.
Refrigerators allowed people with electricity to keep their food fresh and longer than before. Women
could now shop for a week’s worth of groceries, which gave them more time. Electric trolleys allowed
people to move away from the factories that they worked at. The electric trolley was the first real mass
transit in cities. People were able to move about easier within a city, which gave rise to the entertainment
industry. Theaters began to build and movies would soon be produced. Skyscrapers were another sign
of city life. They allowed city planners to use every inch of cities for businesses and living areas. What
invention allowed skyscrapers to be built?
Henry Ford was an automobile manufacturer. He owned Ford Motor Company. Ford was not
the first guy to invent a car, but he made the car affordable for
the average citizen. By 1907, he had sold more than 30,000
Model Ts, his first car. He used the assembly line in producing
the Model T. Assembly lines had existed before Ford, but he
perfected the use of it in his factory. His employees would stay
in one spot all day performing the same task. For example: you
would put on the driver’s side door all day and that was all you
had to do. Before him, the parts had remained stationary and
people moved from station to station. Ford instead made people
stationary and the parts mobile. Ford also viewed his workers as
consumers. He paid them $5 a day. Why? Because he wanted them to buy the very cars they were
producing. How smart! This is the reason why Old Navy gives its employees a discount. It sees them as
consumers.
The airline industry was also growing during this time. The Wright
Brothers, Orville and Wilbur, made their first successful flight in 1903 at Kitty
Hawk, North Carolina. Once they had accomplished this feat, the U.S.
government saw the potential in flying. They decided to use airplanes to transport
the mail and military goods. By 1926, the commercial airline business began.
Americans could now travel wherever they wanted.
The Kodak camera was invented during this time. The Kodak camera
allowed people to capture precious memories forever. It also allowed journalists and
news reporter to take pictures of events in action. The Kodak camera will allow for
the development of photojournalism. This will lead to the Spanish-American War in
1898 because journalists will take a picture of the ship, U.S.S. Maine, exploding in the
Havana Harbor in Cuba.
Coca Cola was also created during this time. People
would drink this refreshing beverage during their leisure
time. The creation of Coca Cola would spur the creation of other sodas.
Life was becoming more similar to what we know today. Mail-order catalogs became popular
too. You could now buy anything you wanted, even if you didn’t live in the city. This meant that rural
areas could have all the nice things that existed in the urban areas.
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Inventions Review
Complete the following chart explaining how each invention impacted society.
Invention
Impact on Society
Kodak Camera
Skyscrapers
Coca-Cola
Airplanes
Model T
Electric Trolley
Electricity
What do you think life would be like today if we did not have these inventions?
Tell me one invention that you could not live without today. Why?
Explain how one of the above inventions impacted the economy during this time.
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