The Progressive Movement

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The Progressive Movement Part I. The Origins of
the Movement
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Theme of this Lecture

• By the late 19th century, the U.S. had fulfilled
  its Manifest Destiny ? spread from Atlantic to
  Pacific
• It had become a major industrial power and a
  wealthy nation
• Wealth creation had been allowed willy-nilly.
  Some of the impacts did not match with American
  ideals (equality, liberty, democracy,
  opportunity, rights)
• Progressives looked for ways to restore these
  ideals to the little guy

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Basic Problems of the Gilded Age

• poor working conditions
• unfair labor practices
• political corruption
• environmental destruction
• monopolies
• discrimination and legal segregation for women,
  African Americans, and immigrants
• unstable economy
• social divide between rich and poor

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Causes of Problems

• Industrialization
• Immigration
• Urbanization
• Bank Instability
• Lack of Government Regulation

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A Definition

• Why this name?
• The Progressives wanted change
• To some Americans, change was bad
• For example, the factory owners thought that new
  business practices, say safety regulations (lots
  of fire exits, for example) might be a drain on
  their profitability
• The Progressives name made the point that change
  was you guessed it
• Progress!

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Origins of Progressivism

• In the mid 1800s, some private groups (not the
  government!) started to try to solve some of the
  problems of the Gilded Age
• The Social Gospel Movement was a religious
  movement, inspired by the idea that helping the
  poor and oppressed was a way into heaven
• Followers of this movement set up Settlement
  Houses- places in urban slums where services were
  provided (think? homeless shelters)
• The YMCA and the Salvation Army are surviving
  examples of Settlement Houses

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Origins of Progressivism (cont.)

• Also in the mid 1800s, a group of farmers, angry
  at bad conditions, formed a political party known
  as the Populist (aka Peoples) party
• This party, managed to gain 10 of the national
  presidential vote
• As a result, the major political parties adopted
  many of the Populist policies to win these votes
• Although the Populist Party eventually died out,
  it demonstrated that united effort by the people
  could cause change

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Uncovering the Problems

• investigative reporters attempting to uncover
  corruption in American society
• primarily wrote articles for newspapers,
  magazines, and journals
• some published entire books

The Muckrakers
Focused on raking the muck of society and
making it public knowledge.
Originally considered a negative term Later,
these journalists helped inspire others to fight
for progressive change including President
Teddy Roosevelt.
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Famous Muckrakers
Ida Tarbell(focused on monopolies like
Rockefellers Oil Monopoly)
Lincoln Steffens(focused on government
corruption like political machines)
Upton Sinclair(focused on immigrants experience)
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What Muck did they rake?

• Upton Sinclairs The Jungle
• Conditions in meatpacking plants were horrible
• There was a need for regulation
• The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire
• Thousands of immigrant women were burned to death
  in a building without sufficient safety features
• Again.. A need for regulation

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The Jungle
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The Progressive Movement Part II. Successes and
Failures of Progressivism
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Womens Rights

• Problems
• Cant vote or hold office
• Not admitted to colleges
• Victorian ideals
• Women must be proper and lady-like at all times

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Womens Rights

• Solutions
• Womens suffrage movement
• Suffrage the right to vote
• Seneca Falls Convention ? 1848 ? women pledge to
  work for their rights
• Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton
• Oppositions from liquor store owners (women
  favored prohibition), factory owners (women were
  against child-labor), and men (who like their
  privileges)
• Some women were radicals ? burned down houses,
  spit on police, etc.
• Pre- WWI ? some states (Wyoming) granted women
  the right to vote, but no national right to vote

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Teddy Roosevelt

• President who Supported Progressive reforms
• Thought president could use the bully pulpit to
  win reforms
• Bully pulpit- presidents voice is loud and
  influential ? could be used from a pulpit (a
  place to speak to a crowd) to intimidate the
  Robber Barons into changing their ways

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Teddy Roosevelt (cont.)

• Promised Americans a square deal
• Trustbuster broke up more trusts than previous
  presidents
• Sided with workers in a mine strike
• When mine owners wouldnt compromise, TR
  threatened to use the army to take over the mines
  
• First conservationist president ? set aside
  lands for the people

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Health Reforms

• Problems
• The Jungle
• Solutions
• Meat Inspection Act
• Food and Drug Administration

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Monopolies and Trusts

• Problem
• Not enough competition
• Leads to high prices for consumers
• Solutions
• Sherman Anti Trust Act and later Clayton Act
• Gov can break up monopolies
• Federal Trade Commission (FTC) set up as a trust
  watchdog
• Can warn companies when they are getting too big
  and are in danger of being broken up

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Banks

• Problems
• Unregulated banks can collapse ? cause financial
  panics
• Solutions
• Federal Reserve
• Bank of the banks
• Can loan money to banks to prevent collapses
• Can make rules for banks (for example, you can
  only loan out so much money)

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End of the Progressive Era

• World War I (1914-1918) turned Americas
  attention away from Progressivism

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Hansen Name _______________U.S. History
Period _______ Lecture Guide The
Progressive Movement

• Part I. The Origins of the Movement
• Theme of this Lecture
• By the late 19th century, the U.S. had fulfilled
  _____________________ ? spread from
  ______________ to ____________
• It had become a ____________________________ and
  a wealthy nation
• Wealth creation had been allowed ______________.
  Some of the impacts did not match with
  _________________________ (equality, liberty,
  democracy, opportunity, rights)
• Progressives looked for ways to restore these
  ideals to the __________
• Basic Problems of the Gilded Age
• poor working conditions
• ____________________________________
• political corruption
• environmental destruction
• ______________________________
• discrimination and legal segregation for women,
  African Americans, and immigrants
• _____________________________
• social divide between ______________________-
• Causes of the Problems
• _______________________
• Immigration
• Urbanization

• Origins of Progressivism (cont.)
• Also in the mid 1800s, a group of ______, angry
  at bad conditions, formed a political party known
  as __________(aka Peoples) _____
• This party, managed to gain _______ of the
  national _________________________________
• As a result, the major political parties
  ___________many of the Populist policies to
  ____________________________
• Although the Populist Party eventually
  ___________, it demonstrated that united effort
  by the people __________________
• Uncovering the Problems
• The Muckrakers
• ________________________ attempting to uncover
  ____________ in American society
• primarily wrote _____________for newspapers,
  magazines, and journals
• some published entire ____________
• Focused on raking the muck of society and
  making it ___________________________________.
• Originally considered a __________________.
  Later, these
• journalists helped inspire others to fight for
  progressive
• change including President _____________________
  ___.
• What Muck did they rake?
• Upton Sinclairs The Jungle
• Conditions in _____________________were horrible
• There was a need for ________________
• The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire

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• Solutions
• Womens suffrage movement
• Suffrage ____________________________
• Seneca Falls Convention ? 1848 ? women __________
  _____________________________________________
• _______________________and Elizabeth Cady Stanton
  
• Oppositions from ______________________owners
  (women favored prohibition), ______ owners (women
  were against child-labor), and ________________
  (who like their privileges)
• Some women were _________ ? burned down houses,
  spit on police, etc.
• Pre- WWI ? some states (____________) granted
  women the right to vote, but no
  _______________________________
• Teddy Roosevelt
• President who ___________________________________
  _________
• Thought president could use the
  ___________________to win reforms
• Bully pulpit- presidents voice is loud and
  influential ? could be used from a pulpit (a
  place to speak to a crowd) to ____________________
  ____ ____________________ into changing their
  ways
• Promised Americans _________________________
• ___________________ broke up more trusts than
  previous presidents
• Sided with workers in a mine strike
• When mine owners wouldnt compromise, TR
  threatened to _________ __________________________
  ______________________________
• First ___________________ president ? set aside
  lands for the people
• Health Reforms

• Banks
• Problems
• Unregulated banks can collapse ? cause
  ___________________
• Solutions
• Federal Reserve
• ____________ of the banks
• Can ________________ to banks to prevent
  collapses
• Can make _________________(for example, you can
  only loan out so much money)
• End of the Progressive Era
• _____________________ (1914-1918) turned
  Americas attention away from Progressivism