Four Goals of Progressivism

1
Four Goals of Progressivism

1. Protecting Social Welfare Deal with the harsh
   conditions created by industrialization and rapid
   urbanization. (YMCA, Salvation Army, soup
   kitchens)
2. Promoting Moral Improvement The lives of poor
   people would improve if they held higher moral
   standards. (Temperance and Prohibition)
3. Creating Economic Reform Remove corporate
   influence from government and put restrictions on
   the market place. (end Laissez-Faire policies,
   govt. regulation of business)
4. Fostering Efficiency To use scientific study
   and hypothesis to make the workplace much more
   efficient. (Scientific Management, Assembly Line)

2
Local Government Progressive Reforms

• Many cities elected mayors and other officials
  who ran on reform (progressive) platforms.
• Promised to shut down political machines and
  clean up corruption in local government.
• Converted public utilities to publicly owned
  companies.
• New forms of local government were adopted
  (Commission System in Galveston Texas and
  Council-Manager System in a variety of cities)

3
State Level Progressive Reforms
Progressive governors were elected in several
states Robert M. La Follette in
Wisconsin James S. Hogg in Texas Charles B.
Aycock in North Carolina

• Economic
• Heavy regulation of corporations, especially
  railroads.
• Keating Owen Act (1916) ended child labor.
• Limits on working hours for men and women
  upheld by Supreme Court Muller v. Oregon and
  Bunting v. Oregon.
• Workers compensation laws for those injured or
  killed on the job.

4
State Level Progressive Reforms

• Elections
• Initiative a bill originated by the people
  through petition.
• Referendum a direct vote on an initiative by
  the people.
• Recall special election that allows voters to
  remove elected officials from office before the
  end of their term.
• 17th Amendment Voters in each state directly
  elect their Senators.

5
Women as Progressives

• Florence Kelley
• Fought for laws limiting child labor and setting
  a 10-hour workday for women.
• Success in Illinois led to similar laws in other
  states.

6
Women as Progressives

• Carry Nation
• Advocate for Temperance and Prohibition of
  alcohol.
• WCTU (Womens Christian Temperance Union) was
  formed.
• Many states began to adopt Blue Laws that
  limited the sell of alcohol.

7
Women as Progressives

• Susan B. Anthony
• Suffragist
• National American Woman Suffrage Association
• Three part strategy
• Convince state legislatures to grant women voting
  rights
• Pursue court cases to defend woman suffrage
• Push for a Constitutional Amendment granting
  women the right to vote.

8
Progressive Era Presidents

• Theodore Roosevelt
• Republican (1901 1909)
• Former Governor of New York and Assistant
  Secretary of the Navy
• Self Proclaimed hero in Spanish-American War

9
Theodore Roosevelt

• Trustbusting using the Sherman Antitrust Act to
  force monopolies to follow the rules.
• Used Arbitration to mediate coal strike
• Elkins and Hepburn Acts regulated railroads.

10
Theodore Roosevelt

• Meat Inspection Act passes after TR reads The
  Jungle.
• Pure Food and Drug Act calls for truth in
  labeling
• Roosevelt supports conservation by placing
  millions of acres of public land in new National
  Parks.

11
William Howard Taft

• Secretary of War under Roosevelt.
• Handpicked by Roosevelt to run against William
  Jennings Bryan in 1908
• Won the election largely due to Roosevelts
  endorsement.
• After leaving the presidency (1909-1913) served
  as 10th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
• Got stuck in a bathtub.

12
William Howard Taft

• Trustbusting busted over 90 trusts (more than
  Roosevelt)
• Angered progressives by passing Payne-Aldrich
  Tariff (high rates) and by allowing one million
  acres of land to be taken out of the national
  parks and returning it to public lands.
• Roosevelt was not pleased.

13
Election of 1912
vs
vs

• Wilson
• Democrat Challenger
• Progressive Governor of New Jersey

• Taft
• Republican Incumbent
• Angered progressive Republicans

• Roosevelt
• Bull Moose Party (Progressive Party)
• Hes back and hes mad.

14
Election of 1912
15
Woodrow Wilson

• Democrat
• Former President of Princeton University
• Progressive Governor of New Jersey
• Won election of 1912 (thanks for the help Teddy!)

16
Woodrow Wilson

• Trustbusting Clayton Antitrust Act passed
  (still used today)
• Federal Trade Commission watchdog agency that
  regulates corporations (still used today)
• Federal Reserve System (The Fed) The basis of
  the nations banking system issues currency and
  controls interest rates (still used today)

17
Woodrow Wilson

• 16th Amendment Established federal Income Tax.
  A graduated tax in which those with higher
  incomes pay a higher percentage in taxes.
• 18th Amendment Prohibition of Alcohol
• 19th Amendment Womens Suffrage

18
The Limits of Progressivism

• The Progressive Era lasted from 1901 1917. The
  U.S. entrance into World War I brought it to an
  end.
• None of the Progressive Era presidents dealt with
  the issue of civil rights even though leaders
  such as W.E.B. DuBois and the NAACP made requests
  for action to be taken.
• Wilson did not support a Federal Anti-lynching
  law.
• Part of the reason there was a lack of support
  was politics (presidents did not want to lose the
  support of southern congressmen for their other
  progressive measures)