The Progressive Reform Era (1900-1920)

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The Progressive Reform Era (1900-1920)

• ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
• Do all reform movements improve American society
  and politics?
• Were the Progressives successful in making
  government more responsive to the will of the
  people?
• Does government have a responsibility to help the
  needy?

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Origins of Progressivism

• Definition those who favor progress towards
  better conditions in government and society
• A diverse group of reformers united by a belief
  in the public interest
• Grew out of Populist group
• Major difference Populists focused on farmers
  and Progressives focused on cities
• New reformers were reacting to effects
• 1. rapid industrial growth
• 2. immigration
• 3. urbanization

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The 4 Basic Goals

1. Government should be accountable to its citizens
2. Government should reduce power and influence of
   wealthy interests
3. Government should have more powers to improve the
   lives of its citizens
4. Government should become more efficient and less
   corrupt.

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Writers as Reformers

• Henry George To combat the problem of poverty,
  the government should put single tax on
  landowners, prevents land speculation
• Edward Bellamy A utopian country where
  government has taken over big business to get rid
  of poverty

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Muckrakers
Name given by Teddy Roosevelt those who muck
or Rake manure and dirt --- expose the wrongdoings
Upton Sinclair Exposed the dangers of the
meatpacking industry
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Famous Muckrakers

• Lincoln Stephens
• The Shame of Cities
• exposed political corruption
• Ida Tarbell
• Exposed abuses committed by Rockefellers
  Standard Oil Company

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Jacob Riis, How the Other Half Lives
Journalist/Photographer exposed the dangerous
conditions of tenements and slums to New York
upper and middle class
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Progressive Reform OrganizationsMiddle-class,
and Women

• Labor Movement
• Grew slowly
• Work for better wages, conditions, etc.
• Socialist Party
• End capitalism, redistribute wealth, government
  control of industries
• Womens Groups
• Winning the vote was essential.

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Women Reformers workplace reform

• Jane Addams Hull House
• Community centers set up to help newly arrived
  immigrants
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  ain.cgi?fileimg/show_gallery.pttgallery5
• Florence Kelley
• Laws protecting child labor, Better working
  conditions
• Mother Jones
• Organized unions in the coal mines

• Some Resistance though from very people
  Progressives trying to help. Why?

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Triangle Shirtwaist Fire

• 146 workers died
• Doors were locked from outside
• many women jumped to their deaths
• Aftermath New workplace protections were put in
  place
• Sprinklers,
• fire drills,
• unlock exits

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Municipal Reforms

• Attacking city bosses Boss Tweed
• Setting up a Commission form of Govt
• Five appointed administrators, no mayor
• Hurricane disaster in Texas, 6000 dead
• City ownership of Utilities gas, water,
  electric
• Welfare Services parks, playground,

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State reforms
Direct primary Voters choose their candidates
17th Amend. US Senators elected by popular vote
Initiative voters can put bills before Congress
Referendum - Voters vote on bills directly
Recall voters can remove public official from office
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Wisconsin The Great Laboratory of Reform

• Robert LaFollette, Fighting Bob
• Clean up govt
• Wisconsin Idea
• Using public and academic experts to help draft
  reform legislation

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Progressive Presidents
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The Bully Pulpit

• Phrase coined by Teddy Roosevelt
• The Presidency was a bully pulpit, a terrific
  platform to advocate an agenda

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Teddys Square Deal

• Youngest President to take office at 42
• Domestic Program consisting of
• 1. control of corporations
• 2. Consumer Protection
• 3. conservation of natural resources

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Teddy as a Progressive

• Believed there were good and bad trusts
  regulate them
• Pure Food and Drug Act accurate labeling and
  handling of foods
• Labor Department added in 1913
• Take care to protect nations natural
• resources
• National Forest Service

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New Constitutional Amendments

• 16th federal income tax
• 17th direct election of senators
• 18th Prohibition of alcohol
• 19th womens right to vote

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Election of 1908

• Teddy Roosevelt did not run for 3rd term
• Happily passed policies over to Taft as successor

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William Taft

• More cautious, quiet, unwilling to compromise
• Made enemies with many progressives
• Payne-Aldrich Tariff
• Taft appointed Richard Ballinger as Sec of
  Interior and Ballinger fired Gifford Pinchot

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William Taft and Progressive Reform

• A Trust Buster broke up more trusts, monopolies
  than Roosevelt had
• Reserved more public land for parks
• Supported passage of 16th and 17th amendments
• Mann-Elkins Act govt regulate telephone and
  telegraph lines reducing monopolies

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The Election of 1912

• Roosevelt challenged Taft under a new idea New
  Nationalism
• walked out of convention - Bull Moose party
• Woodrow Wilson New Freedom
• Fair competition and protection against
• monopolies
• Eugene V. Debs Socialist Party
• Woodrow Wilson wins bc Republicans split the
  Vote, Roosevelt v. Taft

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Woodrow Wilson and Progressive Reform

• Reduces tariffs
• Clayton Anti-trust Act
• FTC gave federal govt power to regulate unfair
  business practices
• Federal Reserve
• Divided country into 12 federal district banks
• Regulates currency and circulation

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Wilsons Second Term

• 1st Jewish Supreme Court Justice is appointed,
  William Brandeis
• Won 1916 election under slogan,
• He kept us out of the war

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The Limits of Progressivism

• No help for Women Rights
• No help for Ethnic minorities
• Japanese, Chinese, Mexicans
• Religious minorities (Catholics and Jews)
• No help for ending Jim Crow
• Plessy v. Ferguson held that separate but equal
  facilities was okay
• racial discrimination continues

US entrance into WWI ends Americas interest in
reform!
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Black Leaders and reform

• Booker T. Washington

• W.E.B. DuBois

NAACP
Tuskagee Institute of Alabama
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Ida B. Wells Anti-lynching campaign
1892 230 lynchings
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Original Leaders of Womens Suffrage

• 1848 Seneca Falls Convention
• Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, Susan B.
  Anthony
• AWSA worked on state level to get vote
• Susan B. Anthony arrested civil disobedience
• Two Paths for Suffrage
• votes at state level
• Federal amendment

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Suffrage in 20th Century

• National American Womens Suffrage Association
  (1890)
• Younger generation replaces Anthony and Stanton
• Carrie Chapman Catt - NAWSA
• Alice Paul more aggressive, CU
• Catt felt CUs plan was too aggressive, might
  alienate moderate supporters

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World War Ones effect on Womens Suffrage

• Women very patriotic
• Went to work in factories and in volunteer army
  corps
• Hypocritical

19th Amendment Womens Right to Vote