The Progressive Movement

• Big Idea: – The Progressive Era (1900-1920) was a period of

great reform movements including:• Political reforms at the local, state, and federal levels• Social Welfare reforms• Economic reforms, and the beginning of business

regulation

The Progressive Movement• Who-– Middle-Upper Class Reformers

• What they wanted-– Progress/Change-deal w/problems caused by

industrialization

• When-– 1880’s-1920’s

• Muckrakers-– Journalists who exposed problems

The Progressive MovementConsumer Protection

Upton Sinclair’s work led to the passage of the Meat Inspection Act and Pure Food and Drug Act

Jacob Riis Journalist/Photographer

Helping the Poor

• Settlement Houses helped immigrants and poor w/education

• Jane Addams established one of these in Chicago called Hull House

Helping the Poor

Thomas NastPolitical Cartoonist who exposed

political corruption

Populists Influence Progressives

• After the Civil War in 1865, Farmers in the West struggled greatly to make profits and pay off their debts

• Farmers struggled because of a drop in price of farm products:

~Deflating money supply (less amount of money in circulation) with the governments acceptance of

the Gold Standard~Industrialization created new technology that increased farm production and increased

competition from around the World

Populist Party Demands

• “Free Coinage of Silver” – Inflate the money supply in order to inflate Farm product prices

• Wanted Government Regulation of the monopolistic railroad companies – Railroads were charging very high rates to transport farmers goods

• Called for Progressive Income Tax and an 8 Hour workday to get support from urban workers

Government Begins to Regulate Big Business“Standard Oil Trust depicted as an aggressive

octopus grabbing everything it can”

Government Begins to RegulateBig Business

• Sherman Anti-Trust Act/Clayton Anti-Trust Act-–Attempted to regulate/control

monopolies/trusts• Interstate Commerce Commission-–Government regulate/control shipping of goods

• Federal Trade Commission-– Stops unfair business practices

Government Begins to RegulateBig Business

• Federal Reserve Banking System “The Fed”-–Controls amount of $$$ banks can loan and

interest rates on loans.

• The Fed will lower interest rates to get people to take out loans-mainly on homes.

• Meant to stimulate the economy.

Progressive Presidents

• Teddy Roosevelt(1901-1909) becomes the first progressive president.

• His domestic policies were called the Square Deal - all citizens should be treated fairly by government and business. (consumer protection!)

Progressive Presidents

• TR wanted monopolies controlled.

• Became known as the “Trustbuster”

Progressive Presidents

• TR was a conservationist-today we would say environmentalist

• He began the National Parks Service

Progressive Presidents

• TR began the Progressive/Bull Moose Party for the 1912 Presidential Election

• He ran against his successor-William Howard Taft and the eventual winner Woodrow Wilson

Progressive Presidents

• William Howard Taft-(1909-1913) would actually break up more trusts than Roosevelt but never got the credit.

• One of these was the Standard Oil Company-Rockefeller’s

Progressive Presidents

• Woodrow Wilson 1913-1921

16th Amendment (1913)Progressive Federal Income Tax

“The More you make the more you pay”

More Participation in Government• 17th Amendment (1913) - Citizens directly

vote for US Senators-originally voted by State Legislature

• Referendum-citizens vote on laws• Initiative-citizens propose laws• Secret Ballot- less intimidation• Robert LaFollette - Progressive • Wisconsin Governor

18th Amendment (1919) “Prohibition of Alcohol”

• 1933• 1920

19th Amendment - (1920)Women’s Suffrage

Carrie Chapman Alice Paul

Women’s RightsMargaret Sanger

• Planned Parenthood

African American Rights1896 - Plessy v. Ferguson

“Separate But Equal is legal”Booker T. Washington• Learn a skill/vocation, make

money-Tuskegee Institute

W.E.B. DuBois• Fight for civil rights through

Political means, one of founders of NAACP-1903

Key Terms and People

• Populism, William Jennings Bryan, Inflation, Free Coinage of Silver, Boss Tweed, Tammany Hall, Thomas Nast, Jacob Riis, Upton Sinclair, Jane Addams, Muckrakers, Meat Inspection Act, Pure Food and Drug Act, Sherman/Clayton Anti-Trust Act, FTC, ICC, The Federal Reserve System, Roosevelt, Taft, Wilson, Lafollete, Carrie Chapman Catt, Alice Paul, Settlement Houses, suffrage, Graduated Income Tax, Square Deal, Temperance Movement, Prohibition, Plessy vs. Ferguson, Conservationism, WEB Dubois, Booker T. Washington, NAACP