CHAPTER 19

Political Reform & the Progressive Era

SECTION 1

The Gilded Age & Progressive Reform

Reform in the Gilded Age

Gilded Age Period after Civil War Lasted from 1870s through 1890s Age of serious problems hiding under shiny

surface Political Concerns

Americans feared industrialists & wealthy men were enriching themselves at expense of public

Corruption/Dishonesty in government Bribery & voter fraud appeared widespread

Taming the Spoils System Source of corruption was Spoils System

Practice of rewarding political supporters w/ gov’t jobs W/ election of new President, people swarmed to Washington

looking for jobs in rewards for their political support 1881

James Garfield elected President 4 months later was shot by disappointed office seeker

Sparked efforts to end spoils system Vice President Chester A. Arthur became President

Owed his rise to spoils system 1883

Pendleton Act signed Created Civil Service Commission

A system that includes most gov’t jobs, except elected positions, the judiciary, & the military

Aim was to fill jobs on basis of merit Jobs went to those who scored highest on civil services examinations

Controlling Big Business

Late 1800s Big business influenced politics, often w/

bribery Americans demanded limiting power of

railroads & monopolies Congress

Under Constitution has power to regulate interstate commerce

1887 President Grover Cleveland signed Interstate

Commerce Act Forbade practices such as rebates & set up Interstate

Commerce Commission to oversee railroads

1890 President Benjamin Harrison signed

Sherman Antitrust Act Prohibited businesses from trying to limit or

destroy competition Difficult to enforce Judges often ruled in favor of trusts & the Sherman

Act was used to limit the power of labor unions (strikers blocked free trade & threatened competition)

Corruption in the Cities

Expansion of cities led to expansion of sewers, garbage collection, & roads City politicians often excepted money to

award jobs to friends Powerful politicians (bosses) controlled

work done locally & wanted payoffs from businesses Popular w/ poor

Gave turkeys & coal Poor voted for them in return

William “Boss” Tweed 1860s & 1870s he

cheated NY City out of $100 million

His crimes were exposed by journalists, before being arrested he fled to Spain He was arrested in

Spain & died in jail in 1878

Progressives & Political Reform Progressive Movement

Corruption led to rise Progressives: diverse group of reformers united by a

belief in the public interest Not sacrificed to greed of huge trusts & city bosses

Wisconsin idea 1st to adopt Progressive reforms Governor Robert La Follette “Battling Bob”

Opposed political bosses Appointed commissions of experts to solve problems

Railroad commission recommended lowering railroad rates; as rates decreased, rail traffic increased

1903 Wisconsin was 1st state to adopt a primary run by state gov’t officials

1917 all but 4 states joined

More Power to Voters

Recall A process by which people may vote to

remove an elected official from office Easier to remove corrupt officials

Initiative Process that allows voters to put a bill before

a state legislature Voters must collect a certain # of signatures on a

petition Referendum: way for people to vote directly

on a proposed new law

Two Constitutional Amendments

Progressive Reformers Backed graduated income tax (method of taxation that taxes

people at different rates depending on income) Wealthy pay higher taxes than poor

Supreme Court ruled this was unconstitutional 16th Amendment (gives Congress the power to pass an

income tax) was ratified in 1913 1789

U.S. senators were elected by state legislatures Bribery was a problem Progressives wanted people to vote for senators

1913 17th Amendment was ratified to require the direct election of

senators

The Muckrakers

Press play important role in exposing corruption President Theodore Roosevelt

Compared these reporters to men who raked up dirt/muck in stables

Muckraker became a term for a crusading journalist Ida Tarbell

Targeted big business Work led to demands for more controls on trusts Accused oil baron John D. Rockefeller of unfair business

methods Other reporters described how corruption had led to

inadequate fire, police, & sanitation services Jacob Riis

Jacob Riis Photographs

1906 Upton Sinclair’s novel The Jungle

Grisly details about the meatpacking industry Described how packers used meat from sick

animals & how rats often got group up in the meat

SECTION 2

The Progressive President

The First Progressive President September 6, 1901

President William McKinley assassinated by unemployed anarchist @ the world’s fair in Buffalo, NY

Vice President Theodore Roosevelt became President 42 years old Youngest President to take office Supporter of Progressive goals

Teddy Roosevelt

Came from wealthy NY family Suffered from asthma as child

Built strength by lifting weights, running, & boxing

@23 he was elected to NY state legislature

Served on Civil Service Commission

Headed NYC police department Assistant secretary of the navy 1898

Led U.S. troops in daring exploits against Spain

Returned home a hero Elected governor of New York 2 years later was elected VP w/

McKinley

TR & Big Business

TR won reputation as trustbuster (a person working to destroy monopolies & trusts) Was not against big business, saw difference between “good” & “bad”

trusts Good trusts: were efficient & fair & should be left alone Bad trusts: took advantage of workers & cheated the public by eliminating

competition. Gov’t must control or break them up 1902

Gov’t brought lawsuit against Northern Securities Company (was formed to control competition among railroads) TR said NSC used unfair business practices

1904 Supreme Court ruling: NSC violated Sherman Antitrust Act

Order: trust to be broken up 1st time Sherman Antitrust Act used to break up trusts, not unions

More suits followed Against: Standard Oil & American Tobacco Company

Were later broke up because they attempted to limit free trade

A Boost for Organized Labor

TR also clashed w/ mine owners 1902

PA coal miners strike Wanted: better pay & short workday Owners: refused to negotiate w/ miners’ union

w/ winter approaching schools & hospitals ran out of coal

TR threatened to send troops to run mines Mine owners negotiated w/ miners union &

reached agreement TR 1st President to side w/ strikers

The Square Deal

1904 TR ran for President Promised a Square Deal

Everyone from farmers and consumers to workers and owners should have the same opportunity to succeed

Helped him win election

Conserving Natural Resources TR took action to protect wilderness areas

Lumber companies were cutting down entire forests & miners were removing iron & coal, while leaving gaping holes in the earth to keep up w/ industrial growth

TR loved the wilderness & pressed for conservation Not against using resources, but

believed they had to be used wisely, w/ an eye toward the future

1905 U.S. Forest Service was formed Thousands of acres of land set aside

for national parks

Protecting Consumers

Sinclair’s novel The Jungle shocked TR He made public a report exposing unhealthy

meatpacking plant conditions 1906

Congress passed a law allowing closer inspection of meatpacking houses

Muckrakers Exposed drug companies for making false claims

about medicines & adding harmful chemicals to canned food Congress passed Pure Food & Drug Act (required food &

drug makers to list all ingredients on packages

Taft & Wilson

1908 TR did not run for reelection Supported William Howard Taft

Trouble For Taft Taft: quite & cautious Was wary of power Supported Progressive causes

Broke up more trusts, favored graduated income tax, approved safety rules for mines, created federal office to control child labor, & signed laws giving gov’t workers 8 hour workday

1909 Lost Progressive support Signed a bill to raise tariffs

Progressives argued this raised prices for consumers

Modified conservation policies Progressives accused him of blocking

conservaton

Election of 1912

TR broke away from Taft & ran against him for Republican nomination TR was loved by people, but Taft controlled party leadership Taft nominated by Republican Party

TR & supporters formed new party Progressive Party, later known as the Bull Moose Party

Democrats chose Woodrow Wilson Progressive candidate President of Princeton University & governor of New Jersey Brilliant scholar & cautious reformer Known as begin rigid & unwilling to compromise

TR & Taft gained more votes than Wilson, but spilt Republican vote allowing Wilson to win the election of 1912

Wilson & the New Freedom

Wanted to restore free competition Program called New Freedom Persuaded Congress to create Federal Trade Commission

Power to investigate companies & order them to stop using unfair practices to destroy competitors

1914 Clayton Antitrust Act signed

Banned some business practices that limited competition Stopped antitrust laws from being used against unions

Federal Reserve Act Regulated banking Set up a system of federal banks and gave government the

power to raise or lower interest rates & control the money supply

CHAPTER 19

Section 3

Women Win the Vote

Seneca Falls Convention of 1848 Marked start of women’s

rights movement Elizabeth Cady Stanton &

Susan B. Anthony Formed National Woman

Suffrage Association after C.W.

Wanted right for women to vote

Women Vote in the West

Late 1800s Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, & Idaho allowed

women to vote Recognized women’s contributions made to

build farms & cities by allowing them to vote 1890

Wyoming applied for statehood Congress wanted to bar women from voting Wyoming lawmakers stood firm & was

admitted with women being able to vote

Growing Support

1900s Women’s suffrage grew 5 million women worked

outside the home Paid less, but wages gave

them some power Demanded say in law

making

Carrie Chapman Catt Developed way to win

suffrage state by state Suffragists: people who

worked for women’s rights to vote followed her plan Efforts brought steady

gains

The Nineteenth Amendment

Women right to vote In some states it did not apply to federal elections Call for federal amendment to allow women to vote in all elections

Alice Paul Met with President Wilson in 1913 Explained suffragists were committed to achieving a federal

amendment Wilson pledged support

1919 19th Amendment passed

Guaranteed women right to vote August 1920

¾ of states ratified the amendment 19th Amendment

Doubled # of eligible voters

New Opportunities for Women Women also struggled to gain access to jobs

& education Were refused licenses to practice law or

medicine Higher Education

A few women managed to get higher education to enter a profession

1877 Boston University granted first Ph.D. to w woman

1900 1,000 women lawyers & 7,000 doctors

Women’s Clubs

At First Read books & sought ways to

advance their knowledge In time many became

reformers Raised money for libraries,

schools, & parks Pressed for laws to protect

women & children, ensure pure food & drugs, and win the vote

African American women formed own clubs National Association of Colored

Women Battled to end segregation &

violence Joined battle for suffrage

Women Reformers

Progressive Era Some women committed themselves to

reform Became social workers to help the poor

Florence Kelley Investigated sweatshop conditions Became chief factory inspector in Illinois

Main concern was child labor Organized boycott of goods produced in

factories employed by young children

Crusade Against Alcohol 1820s

Reform against alcohol abuse Women took leading role

1874 Woman’s Christian Temperance Union

Frances Willard became president Spoke about evils of alcohol Wanted state laws to ban sale of liquor Worked to close saloons Later joined suffrage movement w/ other WCTU members

Carry Nation More radical temperance crusader Husband died from heavy drinking Often stormed into saloons swinging a hatchet & smashed beer kegs &

liquor bottles Actions gained publicity, but embarrassed WCTU

1917 18th Amendment passed by Congress Enforced prohibition (a ban on the sale and consumption of alcohol Ratified in 1919

SECTION 4

Struggles for Justice

Discriminated against in North & South Landlords refused to rent homes in white

areas Restricted to worst housing & poorest jobs

African Americans

Born into slavery Self educated Worked in coal mines &

attended school when he could

1881 Helped found Tuskegee

Institute in Alabama Offered industrial & agricultural

training Advised African Americans to

learn trades & to move up gradually in society

Practical approach won support from Carnegie & Rockefeller Helped build trade schools

Presidents also sought his advise on racial issues

Booker T. Washington

1st African American to receive a Ph.D. from Harvard

Agreed with Washington on needing training

Disagreed with him on accepting segregation

Urged black to fight segregation

1909 Joined w/ others to form

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Worked for equal rights for

blacks

W.E.B. Du Bois

More than 1000 African Americans in the south were victims of lynching: murdered by a mob

after the depression of 1893 violence worsened

Ida B. Wells an African American journalist

talked about free speech in her articles urged African Americans to protest against

lynchingalso called for a boycott of segregated streetcars

and white-owned stores

Campaign Against Lynching

Setbacks and Success

• President Wilson supported segregation and thought of it as a benefit

• Despite challenges, some African Americans prospered– George Washington Carver

• Discovered hundreds of new uses for peanuts and other crops in the South

– Sarah Walker• Created line of hair products for African American women• Was the 1st American women to earn more than $1 million

– Black owned insurance companies, banks, and other businesses server African Americans

– Black colleges trained young people– Churches became training ground for generations of African

American leaders• African Methodist Episcopal Church

Mexican Americans

• 1900– ½ a million Mexican Americans lived in U.S.• Faced legal segregation like African Americans

• 1910– San Angelo, Texas• Built new schools for Anglo (of English

ancestry) children• Mexican children forced to attend separate,

inferior schools• When Mexican children tried to attend one of

the new schools, officials would not let them

Increased Immigration

• 1910– Revolution and famine swept through

Mexico– Thousands fled to the U.S.• All levels of Mexican society - poor farmers,

middle class, and upper class

– 90% of Mexican Immigrants lived in the southwest at first• Migration later spread Mexican Americans to

other parts of the country to find work

Daily Life

• Mexican immigrants as farmhands, built roads, or dug irrigation ditches– Some lived near R.R.’s they helped build

• Other Mexican Americans worked in factories under harsh conditions– Paid less than Americans– Denied skilled jobs

• Sought to preserve culture & language• Created barrios (ethnic Mexican American neighborhoods)

– LA home to nation’s largest barrio

• Within Barrios Mexican immigrants & Mexican Americans helped each other– Some formed mutualistas (mutual aid groups)

• Pooled money to pay for insurance and legal advise• Collected money for the sick and needy

Asian Americans• The Chinese exclusion act of 1882 led to

employers on the west coast in Hawaii to hire people from Asian countries, mostly from Japan and the Philippines.

Japanese Immigrants

• More than 100,000 Japanese immigrants traveled to the U.S in the early 1900’s

• Some went to Hawaii to work on sugar plantations

• When the U.S. annexed Hawaii in 1898, Japanese sought a better life in the mainland.

∙ most became farmers that settled on dry barren land that the Americans didn’t want.

• Japanese built up their farms and began to produce most of California's fruits and veggies.

A Gentlemen's Agreement• Asians were out casted.• In the 1900’s, san Francisco forced all Asian

students even children to attend different schools than white students.

• When Japan protested the issue, it threatened to cause an international crisis.

• Unions pressured Theodore Roosevelt to limit the immigration from Japan.

• He refused and tried to hush the turmoil between Japanese and Americans.

• He proposed the idea that if san Francisco ended there segregation he would limit the Japanese immigrants

• In 1907 Roosevelt created a gentleman's agreement with Japan.

• Japan agreed to stop workers from going to the U.S and the U.S agreed to allow Japanese women to join their husbands and family already in the U.S.

• The anti-Japanese feeling remained high.

• In 1913 California banned Asians who were not American citizens from owning land.

Religious Minorities• Religious minorities faced deep prejudice• Roman Catholics and Jews were included in the

immigration boom.• Nativist groups such as the Anti-Catholic American

Protective Association (ACAPA) worked to restrict immigration.

• Jews and Catholics who were not immigrants face discrimination in jobs and housing.

• A feeling of Anti-Catholicism was common in schools. • Some teachers lectured against the Pope, and

textbooks with references to “decitful catholics”• American Catholics set up parochial schools, or

schools sponsored by a church.• 1913• Anti-Semitism, or prejudice against Jews, took place in

Georgia.• Leo Frank• Jewish Man

He was falsely accused of murdering a young girl.

Despite lack of evidence, he was sentenced to death.

Although the Governor of Georgia reduced his sentence.

A mob took him form prison, and lynched him.

In response to the lynching, and Anti-Semitism, American Jews founded Anti-Defamation League.

The League worked to promote understanding and fight prejudice against Jews.