THE PROGRESSIVE MOVEMENT 1890-1919

Chapter 13

Industrialization changed American society….

Cities were crowded with new immigrants, working conditions were often bad, and the old political system was breaking down.

These conditions gave rise to the Progressive movement.

Progressives campaigned for both political and social reforms for more than two

decades and enjoyed significant successes at the local, state, and national levels.

Roots of Progressivism

I. The Rise of Progressivism A. Who were the Progressives? 1. People with different ideas

& activities who wanted to reform US society.

2. Believed industrialism & urbanization had created social problems.

3. From both major political parties. 4. Usually urban, educated, and middle-class. 5. Usually journalists, social workers,

educators, politicians, or clergy.

B. Beginning of Progressivism1. Reaction against laissez-faire economy2. Belief that government must be fixed before other problems could be fixed.3. Progressives had faith in science & technology; thought those could be used to fix society's problems.

C. Muckrakers1. Journalists who investigated social problems & political corruption

2. Ida Tarbell - wrote articles critical of Standard Oil Co.

3. Lincoln Steffen - wrote about urban political machines.

Lincoln Steffen

Ida Tarbell

4. Jacob Riis a. Wrote How the Other

Half Lives b. Described poverty,

disease, crime in NYCity immigrant neighborhoods.

5. Result of muckrakers: voters put pressure on politicians to introduce reform legislation. Jacob Riis

Photographs by Jacob Riis

II. City Government Reforms

A. Scientific management - Frederick Taylor 1. Believed companies could be more efficient by managing time, breaking tasks into small parts, & using standardized tools 2. "Taylorism" or "Taylor System." B. Progressives & Taylor’s theory for city gov't:

* Commission plan a. Divide city gov’t into several departments,

each under an expert commissioner b. Hire a city manager (city services expert)

& hire department specialists.

c. Galveston, Tx – first to adopt commission system after huge hurricane in 1900.

Galveston, Tx afterthe 1900 hurricane

III. State Government Reform

A. First - Wisconsin Idea* Robert La Follette –

governor who wanted the people, not political bosses, to

select candidates to run in the general

election. * Led to the direct

primary.

B. Other states followed La Follette’s ideas1. Initiative - citizens could introduce legislation; state legislatures would then be required to vote on it.2. Referendum a. Legislature introduces legislation. b. Voters decide whether to

pass it.3. Recall - voters could demand a special election to remove an elected official before

his term was up (kick him out of office).

C. Direct election of senators1. Originally, the Constitution called for senators

to be elected by state legislatures.2. 1913 - 17th Amendment was ratified; senators

were now elected directly by voters.

IV. Suffrage Movement – Right to Vote for Women A. Early problems

1. Slow start - women suffragists were accused of being unfeminine & immoral.

2. Civil War Era – focus on abolition of slavery 3. 14th & 15th

Amendments concentrated only on African- Americans,

not women.

B. Support for women's vote grew.1. Women lobbied lawmakers.2. Marches3. Public speeches4. Alice Paul organized Washington protest march to force Pres. Wilson to act!5. Carrie Chapman Catt –

nationwide push!!

Alice Paul

CarrieChapman Catt

Women’s Suffrage Movement

C. 19th Amendment -1920 - Women’svote went intoeffect.

V. Social Welfare Progressivism A. Child labor

1. 1900 - 1.7 million under age 16 worked.2. Dangerous, unhealthy3. Muckrakers publicized the problem.4. States began to pass laws: a. Minimum age for working. b. Maximum hours to make kids work. c. Compulsory education laws.

B. Health & safety codes1. Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire (NYC) - 1911. a. 146 women workers

died; many jumped to their deaths.

b. NYC passed strict building codes

dealing with fire hazards, and unsafe working conditions.

2. Workers compensation laws passed a. Insurance funds financed by employers. b. Injured workers receive $$$.3. Zoning laws - regulated how businesses & land could be used.4. Building codes - for safe & healthy buildings (ex: fire escapes)5. Health codes

(ex: clean restaurants)

C. Prohibition movement1. Temperance - moderation/ elimination of alcohol.2. Mostly women-led.3. Women’s Christian

Temperance Union.4. Anti-Saloon League5. Later emphasis more on prohibition - laws banning manufacture, sale, consumption.

VI. Progressives vs. Big Business * Belief that wealth was concentrated in hands of

too few people; esp. trusts (giant corporations that dominated entire industries)1. Some wanted to “bust up” trusts2. Others wanted government to regulate big business.3. Some advocated socialism –

idea that government should own and operate business

(ex: Eugene Debs and the American Socialist Party)

TEDDY ROOSEVELT

The Theodore Roosevelt AdministrationI. TR’s Beliefs A. Social Darwinist in

international affairs; believed that US was in competition with other nations and must be the “fittest.”

B. Progressive in domestic affairs – believed that government should balance the needs of different American groups.

C. TR’s Square Deal1. Name that TR gave to his reform programs.2. “Every man must get an equal shot at the

American dream.”

D. TR & Big Business 1. TR was called a “trustbuster.”

* Ordered his attorney general

to file lawsuits under the

Sherman Anti-trust Act.

2. Coal strike of 1902 a. United Mine Workers (union) called a

strike for150,000 workers. b. Coal prices rose. c. TR urged the parties into arbitration

(settlement by a third party); threatened to use army to run mines; owners gave in. gave in.

d. Something new: US government used to broker deal between powerful groups in society.

E. More of TR’s progressivism 1. Dept. of Commerce

& Labor - formed to regulate business

& working conditions. 2. Hepburn Act a. To strengthen Interstate

Commerce Commission …BUT…

b. By 1920, the ICC had become more interested in protecting the RR’s profits.

II. TR’s Social Welfare Action ** Problems & Solutions A. Medicines that were fake

or harmful to consumers; need better labeling.

B. Food supply 1. Dangerous preservatives in

meat. 2. Upton Sinclair - wrote

The Jungle - about horrible conditions in Chicago’s slaughterhouses.

Upton Sinclair

C. Results1. Pure Food & Drug Act

2. Meat Inspection Act

III. Conservation - Protection of Natural Resources

** Most important part of TR’s first term. 1. Reclamation Act - used federal funds to buy

up and protect public lands (esp. in the West) 2. Gifford Pinchot

a. Head of US Forest Service b. Regulation of lumber companies on federal land. c. National parks & wildlife preserves were set aside.

Gifford Pinchot

d. Yellowstone - first national park.

TR created 16 national monuments, 51 wildlife refuges, and 5 new national parks

Yellowstone - the nation’s first

national park.

Naturalist John Muir founded the Sierra Club and helped to convince TR to create Yosemite National Park.

William Howard taft

The Taft AdministrationI. Taft Becomes President A. Hand-picked by TR as his

successor. B. Hated politics C. Looked at issues from a strictly legal

standpoint. D. Not as personable as TR. E. Angered progressives (they thought he wasn’t

doing enough). F. Payne-Aldrich Tariff – pro-business tariff;

progressives were angry!

Pres. Taft weighed approximately 350 lbs.

He had to have acustom-made

bathtub for the White House.

II. Taft’s Progressive Reforms A. TR was called “trustbuster,” but Taft actually

filed more lawsuits against big business than TR did.

B. Created the Children’s Bureau to help protect America’s children.

C. Mann-Elkins Act – increased power of ICC D. Conservation – Taft actually stronger than TR

had been 1. Regulated mining companies.2. More new national forests.3. Protected waterpower sites.

E. TR was angry at Taft; thought he was not following TR’s programs; publicly criticized his old friend.

"TR"vs.

"Bill"

WOODROW WILSON

The Wilson Administration

I. Election of 1912 A. GOP splits

1. Conservative GOPs for Taft.

2. Progressive GOPs for TR

3. Taft’s supporters had more votes at the National GOP convention, so he

received the Republican nomination.

3. TR leaves the GOP, forms the Progressive Party, aka the Bull Moose Party (TR said he was “strong as a bull moose” and ready to run for President again.)

B. Woodrow Wilson1. Democrat candidate2. NJ Governor; former head of Princeton University.3. He was a progressive.

C. The Campaign1. TR’s progressive plan was called New Nationalism.2. Wilson’s progressive plan was

called New Freedom.

Woodrow Wilson

The Election of 1912 was about these issues:

･ Should America be capitalist or socialist? ･ Should government protect the social welfare of its citizens? ･ Should women be allowed to vote? ･ Should government exercise more control

over business? ･ Should government try to solve the conflict between "capital" and "labor?” ･ Should the government work vigorously for

the conservation of natural resources?

ELECTION OF 1912

D. Wilson is elected * TR & Taft split the GOP vote; Wilson got only

42% of popular vote, but won electoral vote.

WILSON (DEMOCRAT)

ROOSEVELT (PROGRESSIVE)

TAFT (REPUBLICAN)

II. Wilson & Regulating the Economy A. Reforming tariffs

1. He wanted lower tariffs; thought that the resulting competition would force American manufacturing to improve their products & lower their prices.2. Underwood Tariff passed – 1913 a. 1/2 the rate of the 1890s. b. Included provision for an

income tax to be paid by the states.(The 16th Amendment will make personal

income taxes constitutional.)

B. Reforming banks 1. Established the Federal Reserve System - banks had to keep a portion of their deposits in a regional bank.

2. Federal Reserve

Board a. Appointed

by the President b. Set interest

rates

C. Antitrust Action* Federal Trade Commission formed a. To monitor business b. Could regulate business against unfair business practices.

III. Federal Aid & Social Welfare Under Wilson A. Child labor laws B. 8-hour workday for RR workers C. Federal Farm Loan Act –

low cost, long-termloans to farmers.

IV. Legacy of Progressivism A. Americans now expected the government to

regulate the economy & solve social problems…BUT…

B. African-American issues were largely ignored….however….

* The NAACP was formed in 1909 by a group of black &

white progressives. C. Progressivism expanded democracy D. Progressivism improved quality of life for millions of Americans.

Reviewing Key TermsDefine Match the terms on the right with their definitions on the left.

__ 1. a vote held by all members of a political party to decide their candidate for public office

__ 2. the right to vote__ 3. a tax based on the net income

of a person or business__ 4. laws banning the

manufacture, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages

__ 5. a journalist who uncovers abuses and corruption in a society

A. muckrakerB. direct

primaryC. initiativeD. referendumE. suffrageF. temperanceG. prohibitionH. Square DealI. syndicateJ. income tax

EJ

B

G

A

Reviewing Key Terms (cont.)

Define Match the terms on the right with their definitions on the left.

__ 6. the practice of letting voters accept or reject measures proposed by the legislature

__ 7. a business group__ 8. moderation in or abstinence

from alcohol__ 9. the right of citizens to place a

measure or issue before the voters or the legislature for approval

__ 10. Theodore Roosevelt’s promise of fair and equal treatment for all

IF

D

C

H

A. muckrakerB. direct

primaryC. initiativeD. referendumE. suffrageF. temperanceG. prohibitionH. Square DealI. syndicateJ. income tax