Chapter 8

The Progressive Era

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• a. Progressives attempted to solve poverty, the spread of slums, poor working conditions in factories and the power of big corporations.

 

• b. When President Roosevelt spoke about a “square deal” he was talking about a fair situation for everyone. He tried to achieve this by breaking up trusts and regulating industries.

• c. In the field of conservation Roosevelt added to the forest reserves, doubled national parks, created the first wildlife refuge and preserved natural wonders.

progressivism

an early 20th century reform movement seeking to return control of the government to the people, to restore economic opportunities and correct injustices in American life

muckraker

around 1900, a term for a journalist who exposed corruption in American society.

Ida Tarbell

a muckraker who exposed John D. Rockefeller’s company’s use of unfair business practices.

Three goals of progressive reformers

• 1. Reform government and expand democracy

• 2. Promote social welfare

• 3. Create economic reform

patronage

• Elected officials gave government jobs or contacts to their friends, even if they were not qualified

Pendleton Civil Service Act

• This law passed in 1883 ended patronage. It required people getting a government job to take a test to prove they were qualified

direct primary

voters, rather than party conventions, choose candidates to run for public office

initiative

• the procedure that allows voters to propose a new law directly

referendum

• when a proposed law is submitted to a vote of the people

recall

• to vote an official out of office

Promoting Social Welfare

• Addressed problems of poverty, unemployment and poor working conditions

• Examples: Jane Addams- Hull House ; prohibitionists- wanted to make alcohol illegal

Creating Economic Reform

• Sherman Antitrust Act: a law passed in 1890 that made it illegal for corporations to gain control of industries by forming trusts

Theodore Roosevelt

• the first progressive president of the U.S. He was interested in trying to change society to make it fair for everyone, not just the privileged. He was known as a trust buster because he was responsible for breaking up many trusts. He was also concerned about America’s natural resources.

“Trustbuster”

• Theodore Roosevelt’s nickname for breaking up 44 trusts. Wanted to offer everyone a “square deal”

Upton Sinclair

author of The Jungle, a book that exposed the poor sanitary conditions of the meat-packing industry

The Jungle

• Described unsanitary conditions in a meat packing plant that ground up dead rats with the pork to make sausage.

The Jungle

• Caused Roosevelt to pass Meat inspection Act and Pure Food and Drug Act.

Conservation

• Roosevelt was a strong crusader for conservation.

• Set aside more than 200 million acres of public land for national parks

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• a. The Republican Party split in 1912 because some Republicans wanted to nominate Taft for president while others wanted Roosevelt. They split so each could run their own candidate.

• b. Some of Wilson’s major progressive accomplishments as president were: the Clayton Antitrust Act, The Federal Reserve Act and the Prohibition Amendment (18th Amendment).

• c. The Federal Reserve Act established the Federal Reserve Board and improved the nation’s banking system.

William Howard Taft

succeeded Roosevelt as president and continued Roosevelt’s attack on trusts. He broke up twice as many trusts as Roosevelt

Sixteenth Amendment

an amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1913, that gave congress the power to create income taxes

Property Tax

• People pay taxes on property they own.

Sales Tax

• Sales tax is imposed on the retail price of merchandise and collected by the retailer.

Estate Tax

• This tax is charged against the value of the property of a person who dies. Also known as the “death tax”.

Seventeenth Amendment

• an amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1913, that provided for the direct election of U.S. senators

Election of 1912

• Republicans split their support. ½ supported Taft and those supporting Roosevelt formed the Progressive Party a.k.a. the Bull Moose Party.

• The Democrats supported Woodrow Wilson

• Wilson won the election

Clayton Antitrust Act

• a law passed in 1914 that laid down rules forbidding business practices that lessened competition: it gave the government more power to regulate trusts

Federal Reserve Act

• a law passed in 1913 that “created” the nation’s banking system and instituted a flexible currency system

Civil Rights

• Roosevelt, Taft and Wilson did little to advance civil rights of African-American. Wilson approved segregation in the federal government.

Eighteenth Amendment

• Known as the Prohibition Amendment, this law prohibited the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages.

Susan B. Anthony

a leader of the women’s suffrage movement; she was president of the National American Women Suffrage Association 1n 1892