Unit 3.2 Progressivism
l Progressivism
l Not a unified political movement, but rather a broad range of reform movements
l Progressives rejected the ideas of ______
l Progressives ______industrialization & urbanization for the filth, crime, and poverty of American cities, yet ______the power of science and technology to build a better society
l They believed that change can only come through ______government action
l Progressives tended to be urban, educated, middle-class Americans
l Progressive leadership came from journalists, educators, social workers, and the clergy
l ______: journalists who investigate social conditions, unfair business practices, and political corruption (today, this is called “investigative journalism”)
l Examples of muckrakers:
l Ida Tarbell (1857 – 1944)
l Wrote ______(1904), an exposé of Rockefeller’s unfair business practices
l For many Americans, this was their first lesson on why monopolies are dangerous
l Charles Edward Russell (1860 – 1941)
l Exposed the horrible conditions in Chicago’s stockyards, badly damaging the reputation of the ______
l David Graham Phillips (1867 – 1911)
l Exposed corruption in the U.S. Senate; the public uproar that followed led to the passage of the ______, changing how Senators are elected
l Shot and killed by a man who believed Phillips’ exposé had led to the downfall of his family’s reputation
l Lincoln Steffens (1846 – 1936)
l Wrote ______ (1904), an exposé on political corruption within the US’ major cities
l Jacob Riis (1840 – 1914)
l Wrote ______(1890): Used photographs to expose the horrible living conditions in the tenements and slums of NYC
l Worked with then NYC police-commissioner Theodore Roosevelt to force reforms within the NYPD
l Progressive Philosophers
l Henry George (1839 – 1897)
l Wrote ______(1879)
l Argued that a gap was opening up between the rich and poor due to industrialization
l Wanted government to tax the rich (through property taxes) to raise the money for social programs to help the poor
l Lester Frank Ward (1841 – 1913)
l Wrote ______(1883)
l Used Charles Darwin’s ideas to argue that humans were different from animals because of the ______; we succeed not because of the ability to compete, but rather because we have the ability to cooperate (through government), an idea that came to be called Reform Darwinism
l Edward Bellamy (1850 – 1898)
l Wrote Looking Backward, 2000 – 1887 (1888)
l Predicted a future where the US has become a ______– no crime, poverty, or politics, government owns all industry and distributes wealth ______
l Naturalist Writers: Group of novelists who argued that, contrary to “survival of the fittest,” sometimes people ______– they are caught up in circumstances that they can’t control
l Stephen Crane (1871 – 1900)
l Wrote Maggie, A Girl of the Streets (1893): tale of a girl forced by family circumstances into ______
l Also wrote ______(1895), the short-story The Open Boat
l Jack London (1876 – 1916)
l Author of ______ (1903)
l Wrote stories of man’s struggle against the uncontrollable power of nature
l Theodore Dreiser (1871 – 1945)
l Wrote ______(1900): a story of how sex and wealth can slowly corrupt the innocent without them even being aware of it
l The Social Gospel
l Primarily church-centered effort to improve society through the biblical ideals of ______
l Churches began to evolve from being simply places of worship to being community centers and taking on missions designed to help the poor – provide gyms, social programs, day care
l The Salvation Army
l Began in ______in 1865 as the Christian Mission, spread to US in 1880
l Charity dedicated to “The advancement of the Christian religion as promulgated in the religious doctrines . . . the advancement of education, the relief of poverty, and other charitable objects beneficial to society or the community of mankind as a whole.”
l The YMCA
l The ______
l Began in England in 1844, spread quickly throughout US
l Aim was to help urban workers by offering Bible studies, prayer meetings, citizenship classes
l Facilities included gyms, pools, libraries, auditoriums, and temporary low-cost lodging
l Settlement Houses
l Most famous settlement house = Jane Addams' Hull House in Chicago
l Middle class “settlers” moved into working class neighborhoods to help provide education, meals, childcare, medical care, and general advice to immigrants and poor workers
l Public Education
l Industrialization increased demand for a trained, educated workforce
l Schools were also necessary for Americanizing ______: they learned English, US History, patriotism, responsibilities of citizenship
l School to Work Pipeline
l Schools were used to teach the traits necessary to succeed in the industrial workforce: punctuality, attendance, neatness, efficiency, attention to detail, obedience to authority
l High schools offered a variety of technical and vocational skills
l Public Universities
l Due to the Morrill Land Grant Act, the number of public universities rose dramatically
l Between 1870 and 1890, the number of American students in college tripled
l New colleges opened aimed specifically at educating female and black students