THE ROOTS OF PROGRESSIVISMSection 1
PROGRESSIVE ERA 1890-1920 Progressivism-collection of different ideas
and activities Was not a tightly organized political
movement with specific reforms Many different views on how to fix problems Generally believed that industrialism and
urbanization created social problems Government should take a more active role
in solving society’s problems
BEGINNINGS OF PROGRESSIVISM Reaction to laissez-faire economics Reformers didn’t believe free market had ability to
fix problems especially after seeing poverty of working class and filth and crime in urban areas
Reformers didn’t believe government could fix problems either
Government had to be fixed before it could fix other problems
Strong faith in science and technology Light bulb Telephone Sky scrappers
Believed using scientific principals could produce solutions for society
MUCKRAKERS Muckrakers- group of crusading journalists who
investigated social conditions and political corruption
Competed against each other to see who could expose the most corruption
Concentrated on exposing what they considered to be unfair practices of large American corporations Ida Tarbell- published a series of articles critical of the
Standard Oil Company Others targeted government
Graham Philips- described how money influenced the Senate
Lincoln Steffens- reported on vote stealing and other corrupt practices of urban political machines
CONT. Others concentrated on social problems
Jacob Riis- wrote an influential book called How the Other Half Lives
Described the poverty, disease, and crime that existed in many immigrant neighborhoods
These articles led to a general public debate on social and economic problems and put pressure on politicians to introduce reforms
MAKING GOVERNMENT EFFICIENT Many types of progressivism One group focused on making government more
efficient Believed problems with society would be fixed if
government worked properly Progressives believed business had become
more efficient by applying the principles of scientific management
Frederick Taylor’s book, The Principles of Scientific Management, described how a company could become more efficient by managing time, breaking tasks down into small parts, and using standardized tools
CONT. Didn’t want more democracy in government Believed that led to more compromise and
corruption When it came to managing a modern city it
required experts, not politicians Most American cities the mayor or city
council chose the heads of city department Commission plan- city’s government would
be divided into several departments, which would each be placed under the control of an expert commissioner.
Many cities bought in to the plan
LABORATORY OF DEMOCRACY Robert La Follette- Wisconsin governor who used
his office to attack the way political parties ran their conventions
Party bosses controlled the selection of convention delegates and the candidates who were chosen for office
Direct primary- all party members could vote for a candidate to run in the general election
Progressives from other states pushed for similar electoral changes Initiative- allowed a group of citizens to introduce
legislation and required legislature to vote on it Referendum- allowed proposed legislation to be
submitted to the voters for approval Recall- allowed voters to demand a special election
to remove an elected official from office before his/her term expired
THE SUFFRAGE MOVEMENT 1848 Elizabeth Stanton and Lucretia Mott organized
first women’s rights convention in Seneca Falls, NY First priority should be getting women the right to
vote, this movement became known as the suffrage movement
Suffrage- right to vote Suffrage movement got off to a slow start Split into 2 groups National Woman Suffrage Association- focus on
passing a constitutional amendment allowing women suffrage
American Woman Suffrage Association- strategy was to convince state governments to give women right to vote before trying to amend the Constitution
CONT. The split reduced the movement’s
effectiveness 1878 a constitutional amendment was
introduced to Congress granting women right to vote but it failed
1900 Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, and Colorado were the only states allowing women full voting rights
BUILDING SUPPORT 1890 the two groups joined together to form
National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA)
Didn’t make gains until around 1910 Problem was women were not politically
active Progressive movement got more women
active Needed to vote to promote social reforms they
favored Needed to vote to ensure passage of labor laws
protecting women Women began lobbying lawmakers,
organizing marches, and delivering speeches
CONT. March 3, 1913, the day before President
Wilson’s inauguration, women marched to Washington to draw attention to their cause
Alice Paul- organized the march and wanted to force President Wilson to take action on suffrage
NAWSA was upset with Paul for her actions NAWSA wanted to negotiate with Wilson Paul left NAWSA and formed National
Woman’s Party Supporters picketed the White House,
blocked sidewalks, chained themselves to lampposts, and went on hunger strikes if arrested
CONT. Carrie Chapman Catt- new leader of NAWSA Mobilize the suffrage movement nation-wide
in a final push to gain voting rights NAWSA supported Wilson in the 1916
election Wilson didn’t endorse a woman suffrage
amendment but he did support the Democratic Party’s call for states to give women the vote
19TH AMENDMENT August 26, 1920 the 19th Amendment
guaranteeing women the right to vote went into effect
THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST CHILD LABOR 1900 over 1.7 million children under the age
of 16 worked outside the home 1904 the National Child Labor Committee
abolished child labor Minimum age for employment was passed in
law Maximum hours for children were established At the same time state began requiring
children to go to school instead of work The women or wives now had to go to work
since the children were not working
PROHIBITION MOVEMENT Many progressives blamed alcohol for many
problems Temperance movement- advocated the
moderation or elimination of alcohol Women led the temperance movement for
the most part Women’s Christian Temperance Union
(WCTU) Prohibition- laws banning the manufacture,
sale, and consumption of alcohol