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Chapter 6
Chapter 6 – The Progressive Move4ment (1890-1920)
I. The Origins of Progressivism
A. The Progressive Era
Ø Who was Upton Sinclair?
1. The Roots of the 20th Century Reform
§ Progressives grew out of earlier reform movements such as the Populists. What was the big difference between the two?
§ The new reformers were reacting to the effects of the era rapid industrialization, immigration and urbanization
§ Why were they called progressives?
2. The Progressives: Their Goals and Beliefs
§ This was not a single movement and progressivism was not a unified movement.
§ Most held (4) basic beliefs:
i. government should be accountable to its citizens
ii. Government should curb power/influence of wealthy
iii. government should have more power to improve people’s lives
iv. Government should be more efficient and less corrupt
B. Igniting Reform: Writers and Their New Ideas
Ø The ideas of journalists and other writers had enormous influence on public opinion.
1. Two Early Reformers
§ Henry George wrote Progress and Poverty and his big idea was to tax landowners on the value of their land. For what reason?
§ Edward Bellamy wrote of government ownership of big businesses so they would help people.
2. The Muckrakers
§ Were journalists who wrote to expose wrongdoings
§ Discuss the origin of the term Teddy Roosevelt
§ He perceived as their obsession with scandal and corruption
§ Ideas widely circulated in cheap newspapers and magazines
§ Identify some famous muckrakers
Ida Tarbell = Standard Oil Lincoln Steffens = Corruption in Cities
C. Progressive Reform Organizations
1. The Labor Movement
§ The union movement grew slowly in the 1890’s because employers discouraged workers from joining.
§ DEFINE injunction
2. Socialists
§ The Progressive Era saw a rise in the popularity of socialism – an economic and political philosophy favoring public or government control of property and income.
§ What did American socialists want?
§ The Socialist Party of America was formed in 1901.
3. Women’s Groups
§ Women played a pivotal role in the reform movements of the Progressive Era.
§ National Consumers’ League (NCL)
Investigated conditions in which goods were made
D. Two Women Reformers
Ø Because so many urban women and children worked in factories, women’s organizations took a special interest in workplace reform.
1. Florence Kelley
§ Leader in the work for labor reforms
§ What are some accomplishments Kelley had?
2. Mother Jones
§ Irish immigrant who was inspired by her own personal convictions and tragedies.
§ Organized unions in the mines of West Virginia and Colorado.
E. Progressive Reform Meet With Resistance
Ø Why would poor families resist the Progressives? They needed salaries from their kids to get by
II. Progressive Legislation
Ø What was the Triangle Shirtwaist Company? Fire here killed 152 women workers because fire door was locked
Ø .
A. An Expanded Role for Government
Ø Progressives believed that the government ought to increase its responsibility for the welfare (well being) of people
Ø They wanted more social welfare programs - Identify some of the programs they wanted.
Ø
B. Municipal Reforms
1. Attacking the Bosses
§ The power of the city bosses was a road block for progressive reform.
§ In some cities voter support for reforms prompted machines to work with reformers (improve city services)
2. New Forms of Municipal Government
§ Commission form of government – no mayor but 5 appointed
§ What made Galveston, Texas turn to this system?
A Hurricane that killed over 6,000 and destroyed the city
§ Council manager system was used in Dayton, Ohio; elected city council and a professional city manager to run city services.
3. Cities Take Over Utilities
§ Reformers were successful in taking control of utilities from monopolies in some cities.
4. Providing Welfare Services
§ Public baths, parks and a work-relief program in Detroit and playgrounds, free kindergarten, housing for homeless in Toledo
C. State Reforms
1. More Power to Voters
§ Direct primary =
§ Initiative =
§ Referendum = voters decide YES or NO on a bill
§ Recall = politician is removed from office by vote before term is up
§ 17 Amendment = Direct election of Senators
2. Reforms in the Workplace
§ States worked to curb workplace hazards.
§ Business owners successfully argued that the government should not interfere with private contracts.
3. Wisconsin’s Reform Governor
§ One of the most determined Progressives in US politics was Robert La Follette of Wisconsin. (3-term governor from Wisconsin)
§ What was the ‘Wisconsin Idea’?
Public-Academic alliance to improve government
D. Federal Reforms
Ø Theodore Roosevelt became president and he was a powerful voice of change – what was the “bully pulpit”?
an ideal platform from which TR could guide or rally the American public
1. TR’s Square Deal
§ TR intervened in a labor dispute between mine workers and management in a coal strike and worked out a
2. Anti-trust Activism
§ The Roosevelt administration filed 42 anti-trust actions
§ What was TR belief about trusts?
Some trusts were good (leave them alone) others were bad and needed to be destroyed
3. Protecting Public Health
§ Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection in 1906 – these laws required accurate labeling of ingredients, strict sanitary conditions and a rating system for meats, and patent medicines
4. A New Labor Department
§ A cabinet-level Department of Labor was added in 1913 to look out for workers.
5. New Constitutional Amendments
§ 16th Amendment =
§ 17th Amendment =
§ 18th Amendment =
III. Progressivism Under Taft and Wilson
A. Taft’s Presidency
Ø With TR’s backing, Taft easily won the election of 1908 against Democrat William Jennings Bryan (who ran for the 3rd and last time!)
1. Conflict Over Tariffs
§ Taft wanted to lower taxes, but the Senate out maneuvered him.
§ What did the Payne-Aldrich Tariff do? Hardly cut tariffs at all which angered many Progressives and hurt Taft politically
2. The Ballinger-Pinchot Affair
§ Taft angered Progressives by replacing secretary of the interior James Garfield with Richard A. Ballinger
§ Richard Ballinger, Taft’s Secretary of the Interior, angered conservationists because he sided with big business on issues dealing with developing federal lands in the west.
§ Gifford Pinchot, head of the US Forest Service, exposed that Ballinger had given business interests special treatment in land dealings.
§ What happened to Pinchot?
B. Turmoil in the Republican Party
1. The Midterm Elections of 1910
§ When TR came home from a long safari, he saw the political turmoil but at first refrained from criticizing his old friend Taft.
§ But in 1910, he campaigned for Progressives in the midterm elections on the idea of New Nationalism income and inheritance tax, business regulation, and welfare laws
C. The Election of 1912
Ø TR challenged Taft for the Republican nomination in 1912, but Taft used his control of the convention won the nomination
Ø How did TR and his supporters react? Marched out of convention and formed their own political party –
1. The Bull Moose Party
§ Platform included tariff reduction, child labor ban, 8 hour work day, federal worker’s compensation, and direct election of senate
2. Taft’s Record
§ What were some of Taft’s accomplishments as President?
Reserved more public land and filed more anti-Trust cases then TR
3. Wilson’s New Freedom
§ To head the Democrat ticket, the party chooses New Jersey Governor Woodrow Wilson.
§ Called his plan ‘New Freedom” – What did this mean?
4. A Four-Way election
§ Democrat Wilson wins the election because Republicans are split between Taft and Tr. Who was the 4th candidate?
D. Wilson’s Policies as President
Ø As former president of Princeton and governor of New Jersey, Wilson acquired a reputation as a tireless reformer.
1. Tariffs and Taxes
§ Wilson wanted to reduce tariffs
§ First major victory was the Underwood Tariff of 1913 that reduced tariff rates 40% - How did he make up this lost revenue?
2. Attacking the Trusts
§ Clayton Anti-Trust Act of 1914 strengthened the Sherman Anti-Trust Act – regulating certain business practices.
§ What did the Federal Trade Commission do?
Had the power to order business to stop unfair business practices that hurt competition
3. The Federal Reserve System
§ Wilson wanted to
§ Congress passed the Federal Reserve Act – 1913
o Created 12 districts, each with a Fed Bank
o Every national bank had to join – What was the purpose here?
4. Brandies to the Supreme Court
§ First Jewish Supreme Court justice in American history.
5. Wilson Wins a Second Term
§ Wilson ran on “he kept us out of war” and won 277 to 254 over Charles Evan Hughes.
E. The Limits of Progressivism
1. Social Justice and Progressivism
§ The Progressive presidents took little action to pursue social justice reforms – no work for women’s suffrage or ending Jim Crow
2. The End of Progressivism
§ What will end Americans interest in reform?
IV. Suffrage at Last
A. Anthony and Stanton: Preparing the Way
Ø American women activists first formally demanded the right to vote in 1848 at the Seneca Falls Convention in New York.
Ø Who were the (3) leaders of the women’s movement?
Ø American Equal Rights Association (Anthony and Stanton) worked on the passage of a Constitutional Amendment for suffrage.
Ø What did the American Woman Suffrage Association work on?
Work to win women’s right to vote at the state level
Ø In 1872, Stanton led a group of women to the polls in Rochester, NY where she insisted on voting – she was arrested for this civil disobedience.
Non-violent refusal to obey a law in order to change it
B. Suffragist Strategies
Ø What were the two paths that suffragists followed toward their goal?
1. Federal Level –
2. State Level –
Ø Pushing for the Federal Amendment was very difficult
§ First introduced in 1868, it stalled and was reintroduced in 1878 and made it to a Senate Committee.
§ How did Stanton describe the chair of the committee’s reaction?
“…a picture of indifference and contempt”
C. Suffrage at the Turn of the Century
Ø In 1890, veteran leaders of the suffrage movement were joined by younger leaders in forming the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA).
Ø By the time of this founding, women had won many rights – IDENTIFY
Married women could now buy and sell property
Ø The beloved leaders of the movement, Stanton and Anthony, died in 1902 and 1906 respectively without seeing the realization of their life’s work.
Ø It was time for a new generation to take on the cause of women’s suffrage.
D. A New Generation
Ø One leader who emerged to re-energize the movement was Carrie Champman Catt.
Ø She headed NAWSA and focused on precinct-by-precinct political work
Ø Who was Alice Paul?
1. A Split in the Movement
§ The Congressional Union (CU) headed by Alice Paul called for an aggressive, militant campaign for the constitutional amendment.
§ Went to jail and went on hunger strikes to protest their treatment.
§ How did NAWSA feel about the CU’s plan?
These aggressive tactics would hurt the movement
2. Impact of World War I
§ What did the US entrance into WW I do for the women’s suffrage movement?
Helped the women’s suffrage movement because many women helped with the war effort and did men’s jobs when they went to war
E. Victory for Suffrage
Ø In 1919, Congress formally proposed the suffrage amendment
Ø In August 1920, Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify the 19th Amendment – and women had the right to vote.