The Progressive Era (1890-1920) – Part I

• At the beginning of the twentieth century (1900s), many Americans looked around at their country and did not like what they saw:

• Unchecked immigration• Powerful monopolies• Corrupt governments (Federal, State and City)• Poor working conditions• Slums and crime in cities• Environmental damage from industrialization

Who were the Progressives?• Progressives were:

– Usually Middle Class– Usually lived in towns / cities– Were found in both the Democratic and Republican

Party (this was NOT a united movement)– Believed that government was the solution to

society’s problems

• The Progressive Movement had three goals:– Government controlled by people– Guaranteed economic opportunities through

government regulation– Elimination of social injustices

Background• Democrats and Republicans may have turned

to Progressive ideas in order to head off two political threats that wanted radical change to society:

• Threat 1: The Populist Party (angry farmers)

• Threat 2: The Socialist Party (angry workers)

Threat 1: The Populists• Populist

Demands

1) Australian ballot

2) graduated income tax

3) nationalization of the US transportation system

4) currency based on silver

5) sub treasuries6) inexpensive

farm loans7) regulation of

railroads

• The Populists won three states, and they had plenty of reason to be optimistic for the 1896 election, especially after the economic depression of 1893

Threat 1: The Populists and the 1896 Election

• The Democratic Party adopted part of the Populist platform– Free silver

• The Republican Party spent heavily in the election because they feared for the economy• Most factory workers in the North

voted Republican. Some factories posted signs that workers would be fired if William Jennings Bryan (the Democratic candidate) was elected.

Threat 2: The Socialists• It was formed in the

late 1800s. Eugene Debs became a Socialist after he was imprisoned during the Pullman Strike

• They started small, but grew quickly:– 41,000 votes in 1900– 402,000 votes in 1904

• Socialists wanted:– Public control over the

economy– Social equality

• It’s possible that the Democrats and Republicans undertook progressive reforms in order to head off the Populist and Socialist threat

Who were the Muckrakers?• Muckrakers were journalists and writers who

wrote about social problems. Their articles appeared in newly popular periodicals such as McClure's, Everybody’s and American Magazine

• Some examples:

– Jacob Riis…How the Other half Live (1890)– Lincoln Steffans…The Shame of the Cities (1902)– Ida Tarbell…The History of Standard Oil (1904)– Upton Sinclair…The Jungle (1906)

Who were the Muckrakers?• Teddy Roosevelt gave these writers the

nickname “muckrakers,” during the meat scandal of 1906

• The Muckraker was a character in John Bunyan's 1660s novel The Pilgrim’s Progress. The muckraker spent all day raking muck and looking down. He failed to look up and see heaven above him

• Muckrakers exposed wrongdoing in society with their investigative journalism

Progressive Changes: Regulating Industry

• (1891) Sherman Anti-Trust Act—Prevents any business structure that “restrains trade” (monopolies)– In the 1890s no monopolies were successfully

prosecuted– In fact the first group to be successfully prosecuted

under this act were unions.

• (1914) Clayton Anti-Trust Act—Expands Sherman Anti-Trust Act; outlaws price-fixing; exempts unions from Sherman Act

Political Progressivism• There were many types of Progressives. One

group of Progressives focused on making government more efficient. Efficiency progressives took their ideas from business.

• Many progressives believed that the USA needed more democracy. They wanted to make elected officials more responsive to voters.

• Remember that BEFORE Progressive reforms, city governments were run by machines. The party “boss” controlled who ran for office.

A City and a Storm• On September 8, 1900, a massive hurricane

devastated the city of Galveston, Texas. About 6,000 people died. When the political machine that ran the city’s government could not respond to the disaster, local business leaders convinced the state to let them take control. In April, 1901, Galveston introduced the commission system of city government. Under this system, Galveston chose five commissioners to replace the mayor and city council.

• The city quickly recovered from the disaster and reformers in other cities either copied Galveston or came up with their own system.

Progressive Changes to City Governments

• Galveston, Texas successfully reformed its city government with the commission government. Other cities made their own reforms.

Progressive Reforms at the State Level

• Political reform first came to the state level when Wisconsin voters elected Republican

Robert La Follette to be governor.

• Follette had fought the Wisconsin political machine to become elected; he used his office to attack the way political bosses controlled the selection of candidates to run for political office at conventions.

• La Follette pressured the state legislature to require each party to hold a direct primary in which all party members would vote for a candidate to run in the election

Democracy and Progressivism

• Inspired by La Follette, progressives in other states pushed for similar electoral changes. To force state legislators to respond to voters, three new reforms were introduced in many states.

• Initiative: Allows a group of citizens to introduce legislation and required the legislature to vote on it

• Referendum: Allows proposed legislation (laws) to be submitted to the voters for approval

• Recall: Allows voters to demand a special election to remove an elected official from office before his or her term had expired

More Democracy at the Federal Level

• There are four Progressive amendments to the constitution:

• Remember: Internet Service Provider Women– ISP for Women

16th Amendment (1913) – Income Tax17th Amendment (1911) – Senators (direct

election by the people)18th Amendment (1918) – Prohibition19th Amendment (1920) – Women get the right

to vote