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The Progressives
Believed that an efficient government could protect public interest & restore order to society
Middle class reformers addressed many social problems, including
• Working conditions • Rights for women & children • Economic reforms • Environmental issues • Social welfare
Theodore Roosevelt 1st president to use the
government to directly help the public interest
Saw the presidency as a "bully pulpit" to preach his ideas
Often bypassed congressional opposition (like Jackson)
Offered Americans a Square Deal
Was enormously popular with many Americans
Regulation of Corporations
Anthracite Coal Strike (1902) o United Mine Workers union in Pennsylvania went
on strikeo The president of the company demanded that
Roosevelt prosecute the union leader for violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act
o Roosevelt threatened to seize the mines & operate them with federal troops if the owners refused compromise
o The owners consented to arbitration
Regulation of Corporations
Elkins Act (1903) o Allowed heavy fines for
railroads & shippers that abused rebates
Hepburn Act (1906) o Restricted the railroad’s
use of free passes o Allowed the government
to stipulate maximum rates
o Concluded that there were “good trusts” & “bad trusts”
Consumer Protection European markets threatened to ban American
meat since some was found to be tainted
The public was sickened by Upton Sinclair’s description of unsanitary food products o He had detailed accounts of filth, disease, &
putrefaction in Chicago’s damp and ill-ventilated slaughterhouses
Roosevelt appointed a special investigating commission whose report almost out-did Sinclair’s novel
Consumer Protection Meat Inspection
Act (1906)o Made meat shipped
across state lines subject to federal inspection throughout the meat-making process
Pure Food & Drug Act (1906)o Prevented the
mislabeling of food & drugs
Conservation Newlands Reclamation Act (1902)
o Authorized the government to collect money from the sale of public lands in western states & use the funds for the development of irrigation projects
o Settlers repaid the cost of reclamation by building successful farms
o Money was put into a revolving account in order to finance additional projects
o Allowed for the construction of dams on virtually every major western river
William Howard Taft
Won the election of 1908
Lacked Roosevelt’s fire & gutso Content to keep the
status quo rather than rock the boat
o Adopted a passive attitude towards Congress
Trustbusting Brought 90 suits against trusts during his 4
years in office – twice as many as Roosevelto United States v. American Tobacco Company
(1911)• The Supreme Court ordered the company to
reorganize based on the “rule of reason” which allowed only “reasonable” restraints on trade
• Worked to impair the government’s anti-trust activities
o Also in 1911, the Court ordered the dissolution of the Standard Oil Company• Determined that it violated the Sherman Anti-Trust
Act of 1890
Progressive Legislation Taft’s contributions to conservation rivaled
those of Roosevelto Established the Bureau of Mines to control mineral
resourceso Protected water-power sites from private development
Postal Savings Bank System (1910)o Authorized the Post Office Department to receive savings
deposits from individuals & pay interest of 2% per year
Mann Elkins Act (1911)o Put telegraph, telephone, & cable corporations under
federal jurisdiction
Split in the Republican Party
Payne-Aldrich Tariff (1909)o Taft had made a campaign
promise to address the tariff
o The House passed a moderately reductive bill, but the Senate made revisions that raised the tariff to 37%
o Taft signed the Payne-Aldrich Tariff, thus betraying his campaign promises
o The Progressive wing of the party was outraged
Taft-Roosevelt Split National Progressive Republican League
(1911)o Robert La Follette of Wisconsin emerged as the
party’s leading candidate only to be pushed aside by Roosevelt
Republican Convention (1912)o Although Roosevelt clearly had a majority of
Republican votes, Taft was given the nominationo Prompted the Progressives to leave the party &
create their own – Roosevelt “Bull Moose” Partyo Gave the Republican Old Guard control of the GOP
Election of 1912 Republican – William Howard Taft
o Supported by “Old Guard” Republicanso Did little campaigning
Progressive – Theodore Roosevelto Supported by cultured, middle-class peopleo Called for a “New Nationalism”
• Believed that only a powerful federal government could regulate the economy & guarantee social justice
• Thought that concentration in industry was a natural part of the economy that should be paralleled by the growth of powerful regulatory agencies
• Wanted a broad program of social welfare
Election of 1912 Democrat – Woodrow Wilson
o Supported by young Southern progressiveso Called for a “New Freedom”
• Attacked the Triple Wall of Privilege: The tariff, the banks, & the trusts
• Favored small businesses & a return to a free competitive economy without monopolies
• Believed that all trusts were bad• Rejected a stronger role for the government in human
affairs
Election of 1912
Socialist – Eugene V. Debso Found support in industrial
cities & ethnic communitieso Divided into conservative &
radical wings• Conservatives called for
government ownership of the railroads & utilities, factory inspections, & the abolition of the Senate & the presidential veto
• Radicals – supported by the International Workers of the World (IWW) – advocated strikes & sabotage over politics
Woodrow Wilson
Born in Virginia
Former president of Princeton University
Governor of New Jersey
Believed the president should play a dynamic role in government
Lacked Roosevelt’s common touch
Moral righteousness often made him uncompromising
Underwood Tariff (1913)
Wilson called for a special session of Congress to address the tariff issue
The Underwood Tariff Bill was passed by the Houseo Reduced the tariff to 25%o Enacted a graduated income tax under authority granted
by the 16th Amendment• 1% on incomes over $4000• 7% on incomes over $500,000
The Senate then allowed numerous increases in rates to be addedo Wilson appealed to the people to demand that their
Senators pass the bill
Federal Reserve Act (1913)
Created the Federal Reserve System & granted it the authority to issue paper money
Established a Federal Reserve Board – appointed by the president – to oversee a nationwide system of privately owned regional banks
Current functions of the Fed include:o Addressing the problem of banking panicso Managing the nation’s money supplyo Maintaining the stability of the financial systemo Strengthening the US’s standing in the world economy
Federal Trade Commission (1914)
Empowered a commission – appointed by the president – to monitor industries engaged in interstate commerce
Allowed commissioners to issue cease & desist orders, ending unfair trade practices such as false advertising, mislabeling, & bribery
Clayton Antitrust Act (1914)
Supplemented the Sherman Antitrust Act (1890) by:o Outlawing price discriminationo Regulating mergers & acquisitions
Enforced by the Federal Trade Commission
Exempted labor & agricultural organizations from antitrust prosecution while explicitly legalizing strike & peaceful picketingo Union leader Samuel Gompers hailed the act as the
“Magna Carta of labor”
Other Progressive Reforms
Federal Farm Loan Act (1916) – Low interest loans for farmers
Federal Highway Act (1916) – Highway construction in rural areas
Workingmen’s Disability Act (1916) – Assistance to federal civil-service employees during periods of disability
Keating-Owen Act (1916) – Child labor restrictions on products sold through interstate commerceo Ruled unconstitutional in 1918 on the grounds that it
interfered with states’ powers