The Progressive Era

Goal 7:-Explain the conditions that let to the rise of

Progressivism-Analyze how different groups of Americans

made economic and political gains in the Progressive Period.

Problems of the Late 1800s

Origins of Progressivism

Problems that contributed to the social upheavals of the late 1800s need to be addressed

Journalists expose unsafe working conditions, corruption, and other problems

Intellectuals question the role of large corporations as well as ways to make the government more responsive

Progressive Movement— aimed to return control of the government to the people, restore economic opportunity, and correct the injustices of American life.

Goals of the Progressive Movement

Although progressives didn’t always agree on problems and solutions, their efforts shared at least one of the following goals:

Protecting social welfare Promoting moral improvement Creating economic reform Fostering efficiency

Origins of Progressivism

Grange—regulation of commerce Populists—Omaha Platform which promoted

secret ballot, shorter work day and week, income tax, increase in money supply, immigration control, and direct election of senators

Suffragists—women’s right to vote, Seneca Falls Declaration

Temperance movement—prohibition of alcohol

Socialist Ideas Spark Reform• Some Americans began to embrace

Socialism (socio-economic system where property and the distribution of wealth are shared by the community) in light of the panic—the Socialist Party formed in 1901 and was led by Eugene Debs. The IWW was a major supporter of the American Socialist Party, but later split when they wanted to be more involved politically—the IWW favored the working man being in charge of gov’t and business

Importance of these socialist ideas that emerged is that it brought the problems

of the economy and society to the attention of the public and helped win

over support for change, just not necessarily the change that socialists

were looking for.

• Henry George—”Progress and Poverty,” single-tax concept

• Edward Bellamy—”Looking Backward,” tale of ideal socialist society

• Both George, Bellamy, and Eugene Deb’s radical socialist ideas (although mostly feared) helped spark reform by making the public aware of problems

Key Figure: Eugene Debs

American Union Leader, founded industrial unions (jailed during the Pullman Coach Strike)

Founded the IWW (Wobblies) Founded and led the American Socialist

Party, ran for President 5 times (once from jail)

Protecting Social Welfare Aimed to soften harsh conditions of

industrialization Social Gospel and Settlement House

Movements Organizations like the YMCA and Salvation

Army opened libraries, sponsored classes, built recreational areas, fed the poor and instructed the poor in middle class values

Improvements in working conditions (especially women and children)—Florence Kelley helped inspect factories and get the first laws banning child labor passed

Promoting Moral Improvement Felt morality held the key to improving

the lives of the poor Prohibition was main reform—

prohibitionist groups wanted to ban alcohol stating that it undermined American morals and was the cause of all problems

Women’s Christian Temperance Union spearheaded the movement and went beyond prohibition—opened kindergartens for immigrants, visited inmates in prison, and worked for suffrage

Creating Economic Reform Economic Panic of 1893 promoted reform Aimed to fix the uneven balance among big

business, government and the public under the free-market system of capitalism

Creating Economic Reform

Big Business often received favorable treatment from the gov’t and politicians and used economic power to limit competition

Journalists called “Muckrakers” began writing about and exposing the corrupt and unfair practices of big business

Muckrakers journalists who expose graft, corruption, and other problems in society.

Ida Tarbell—exposed Rockefeller be exposing his cutthroat methods in the History of Standard Oil

Jacob Riis: “How the Other Half Lives” exposes conditions of urban poor

Upton Sinclair: “The Jungle” which exposed the sickening conditions of the meatpacking industry

Lincoln Steffins: worked with Tarbell and other muckrakers by trying to make Americans feel “shamed” and outraged about the corruption in American politics and society

Fostering Efficiency Use of experts and science to make society

and the workplace more efficient or well-organized

Used data to support reform efforts Break down manufacturing tasks into simpler

parts Incorporated scientific management studies to

see how quickly tasks can be preformed Development of the assembly line by Henry

Ford

Cleaning Up Local Government Cities faced the most obvious problems Political Machines had taken over—corruption,

bribery, favors, and kickbacks were common in city gov’t

2 Natural disasters help play a role in instituting change:• Galveston, TX: hurricane and tidal wave almost

demolish Galveston, politicians on the city council failed to achieve relief or adequately rebuild

• Dayton, OH: flood led to the adoption of council-manager gov’t to deal with the disaster

Cleaning Up Local Government

Commission gov’t: experts in charge of different departments, by 1917 500 cities had adopted this style

Council-Manager gov’t: the public elects a city council which is the law and policy making body, an elected mayor will preside over ceremonial duties and act as chairman, the council will also hire a manager who will supervise operations and implement policies. By 1925, managers were running nearly 250 cities.

Reform Mayors

Some mayors instituted reform without changing gov’t structure• Fairer Taxes

• Lower fares for public transportation

• Relief for unemployed

• Dismissing corrupt officials and greedy owners of utilities

• Converted utilities to being publicly owned

• Encouraged citizens to be more active in gov’t

Reform Governors Passed laws to regulate

railroads, mines, mills, telephone companies, and other large businesses

Robert LaFollette “Fighting Bob”: (Wisconsin) led the way—he helped institute railroad reform, regulated tax rates, he also pushed for various voting reforms

Voting Reforms Direct Primaries: allow voters to choose people for public

office Initiatives: a bill organized by people rather than

lawmakers and put on ballot Referendums: voters are able to reject or accept an

initiative Recall: allowed voters to remove officials from elected

positions by forcing them to face another election Direct Election of Senators—before the 17th amendment

senators were elected by state legislatures, the issue of direct election was pushed by the Populist party, and is eventually adopted due to the success of direct primary, 17th Amendment passes in 1913

Reform in the Workplace

Child Labor Children are more prone

to accidents and fatigue National Child Labor

Committee researched and advertised the harsh conditions children faced

Successes in nearly every state passing legislation to ban child labor

Work Hours and Conditions Set maximum hours Muller v. Oregon upheld

a 10 hour workday for women

Bunting v. Oregon upheld a 10 hour workday for men

Worker’s compensation—benefits to aid families when a worker is hurt or killed on the job

Consumer Reforms

Insurance Regulation Fairer Taxes Zoning Laws (part of urban planning) Building Codes = safety Food and Drug Administration = safety Income Tax established under 16th amendment Regulation of trusts and big business Utilities become publicly owned

Women and the Progressive Era

Poorer women had to work: farming to help support family, work in industry and manufacturing, work in offices, stores, and schools, and some with no formal education did domestic jobs (cooks, laundresses, maids, etc.)

Dangerous conditions, low wages, and long hours push women to work for reform

Example: Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire

Women Lead Reforms

Women become more educated—applied skills to reforms

Uneducated women also started efforts to reform workplace health and safety

Women couldn’t vote so they strived to improved conditions at work and home— “Social Housekeeping”

Workplace, housing, education, food and drug reforms

http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=6fc001704a4fdb33c3c0

Suffrage Issue

-one of the Progressive reforms fueled by determined women

-increased activism

-bold new strategies create enthusiasm

-rebirth of national movement under: Carrie Chapman Catt

-some women moved to more militant efforts

-women’s support in WW I eventually guaranteed success

Women’s Rights

National American Women Suffrage Association

Key People: Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Lucy Stone, Carrie Chapman Catt

Faced constant opposition—liquor industry, textile industries, and many men in general feared their reforms and the changing role of women

Strategy for Suffrage and the 19th Amendment

1.convince state to give right to vote

2. court cases to test the 14th Amendment

3. national constitutional amendment

Modest success, improvements in conditions of workers, safer food and drug products, supported by Roosevelt

Efforts and work during Progressive Era, in addition to their service in World War I eventually led to the 19th amendment being passed in 1920—granting women the right to vote!

Essential Questions1. What conditions led to progressivism?2. How did the political, economic, and social

conditions of the Gilded Age lead to the Progressive Era?

3. What events led to women’s suffrage and the 19th Amendment?

4. Which groups of Americans made economic and political gains during the Progressive Era?

5. What tactics were most effective in bringing about the social, economic, and political reforms of the Progressive Era?

Review Questions

1. Which group in society benefited the LEAST from the reforms of the Progressive Era?

a. Immigrants

b. African Americans

c. Women

d. children

2. How did the muckrakers serve Progressivism?

a. By informing people about abuses so they could protest

b. By enacting legislation to prevent political corruption

c. By cleaning up unhealthy meat processing plants

d. By filing and prosecuting antitrust laws

3. What was the MAIN reason behind calls for child labor laws?

a. Poor families needed their children’s wages

b. Child labor lowered the wages of all workers

c. Child labor was harmful to children’s welfare

d. Businesses needed children to perform certain unskilled jobs

4. What was the MAIN goal of the women’s rights movement during the Progressive Era?

a. Higher education for women

b. Women suffrage

c. More jobs in industry

d. Jobs outside of factories

5. Origins of the Progressive Movement include all of the following EXCEPT

a. Journalists

b. The Grange

c. Suffragists

d. Political machines

6. Allows voters to remove officials from elected positions by forcing them to face another election

a. Initiative

b. Referendum

c. Direct primary

d. Recall