Progressive Era

1890-1920

Cause and Effects of the Progressive Movement

● Long-Term Causes
○ Urbanization
○ Growth of the middle class
○ Industrial working conditions

● Immediate Causes
○ Scandals about political corruption
○ Rise of powerful corporation
○ Changes in immigration

● Effects
○ Expanded democracy
○ Antitrust legislation
○ Business reforms
○ Social reforms
○ Urban reforms

Muckrakers - Journalist who became involved in exposing the “filth” of society.

Ida Tarbell - The Histroy of Standard Oil

Lincoln Steffens - The Shame of Cities (corrupt government)
Jacob Riis - How the Other Half Lives
John Spargo - The Bitter Cry of Children
Joseph Mayer Rice - Articles in a journal - The Forum
Emma Goldman - writings and lectures

Novelists - naturalistic novel

Portrayed human misery and the struggle of common people.

Helen Hunt Jackson - A Country of Dishonor

Theodore Deiser - Sister Carrie
Frank Norris - The Octopus
Upton Sinclair - The Jungle
Frances Ellen Watkins - Lola Leroy
Social Gospel

Religious movement to help solve societal problems

Rejected Social Darwinism

Worked for change

● To end child labor
● To get better wages, conditions and hours for all workers

Other Progressive Initiatives

● 1904 - National Child Labor Committee

○ Florence Kelley
● 1912 - US Children’s Bureau
○ Julia Lathrop
● 1916 - Keating-Owens Act - Tries to limit child labor
● 1918 -
● 1938 - Fair Labor Standards Act - Legislates child labor

Suffrage

● National American Women’s Suffrage Association (NAWSA)

○ Elizabeth Cady Stanton
○ Susan B. Anthony
○ Carrie Chapman Catt
● National Association Opposed to Women’s Suffrage (NAOWS)
● National Women’s Party (NWP)
○ Alice Paul
○ Lucy Burns
● Wyoming - 1st territory 1869 then state 1890 to allow women to vote!
● National Association of Colored Women (NACW)
○ Protect and educate black children when parents were working
■ Ida Wells
● Anti-lynching
● Suffragette
● Fought against a segregated school in Chicago
● 1930 - One of the first African-American women to run for
public office
19th Amendment

The right to vote “shall not be denied or abridged on account of sex.”

August 18th, 1920, the last required state ratified the amendment.

Temperance movement

● Women’s Christian Temperance Union 1874

● Anti-Saloon League 1893
● Carry A. Nation/Carrie Nation
● 18th Amendment - 1917 proposed, 1919 ratified
● 21st Amendment - 1933 proposed/ratified

Reforming Government

● Direct Primary - citizens vote to select nominees for upcoming elections.

● Initiative - citizens could propose new laws directly on the ballot by using a
petition.
● Referendum - citizens could approve or reject laws passed by a legislature.
● Recall - voters had the power to remove an elected official before his/her term
ended.
● Direct election of Senators - 1899 Nevada - 1913 - 17th Amendment (all
states)
● Want regulation of public utilities like water - WHY? They are essential and
should be affordable!

Teddy Roosevelt and African Americans

As a progressive, he wanted to show support for African Americans, but he did not
actively challenge segregation or racism.

Politically this is difficult - Southern Politicians gave him grief for having Booker T
Washington to the White House for dinner, After which TR, did not invite him for dinner
again nor any other African American.

TR did not appoint many African Americans to positions in the Post Office and
Custom Houses, which did earn him some votes during elections.
Labor and Business

Business, Labor and Consumer interests must be balanced

● Too much power by one group = unfair advantage of the others (coal strike in PA)

Square Deal
● Treat every citizen fairly
○ Did not promise everyone the best hand but the opportunity to play the
hand dealt and no crookedness in the dealing.

Mergers - two or more companies combine as one.

1901
● Carnegie Steel
● + Steel companies owned by JP Morgan
● = United States Steel Corporation

Largest corporation in U.S. history (60% of steel production)

TR takes on the railroad

● 1887* Interstate Commerce Commission (no real teeth.)

● 1903 Elkin’s Act
● 1906 Hepburn Act (ICC gets teeth.)
○ Set and limit shipping costs (no special rates for certain customers)
○ Max prices for ferries, bridge tolls and oil pipelines
TR becomes known as the Trustbuster by opponents; the “Trust-tamer” by his
supporters.

Regulation of food and drug industries

● Pure Food and Drug Act (1906) (Thank you, Upton!)

○ Prhobited sale of mislabeled or contaminated meat.
○ Origins of the FDA
■ Makes sure people aren’t hurt by dangerous substances or
dishonest labels.
● Meat Inspection Act (1906)
○ Requires inspection of meat plants.
Why is TR so dedicated to conservation and nature?

He had first hand evidence of the damage people do to the environment.

Taft

● 1910 - Taft fired Pinchot

○ Friend and supporter of Roosevelt who criticized Ballinger fir selling off
federal land, rich with coal, in Alaska.
○ Made Taft look bad to conservationists
■ BUT transferred as much land into government reserves as
Roosevelt
● 1912 - Bread and Roses strike (bread = food, roses = $ for future)
● 1913 - vetoed literacy test bill, which would have required immigrants to
take a literacy test.

Scientific Management

● Method to run factories and other businesses more efficiently.

● Businesses were looking to “offset” losses due to union organization.
● Work often entailed a person doing a specific task over and over for hours!

If Roosevelt and Taft had not split the vote, is it likely the republican candidates would
have won the election? (Yes, they have more percentage combined than Wilson.)

How progressive is the public? (Very)

Wilson against the “Triple wall of privilege”

● Tariffs
○ Underwood tariff act - lower tariff to maintain “foreign competition”
○ Graduated income tax (permissible by 16th amendment - 1913)
● Banks
○ Federal Reserve Act
■ 12 regional Federal Reserve Banks
● Trusts
○ Clayton Antitrust Act - strengthened laws against monopolies, gave
unions bargaining and strike rights (improvement over Sherman
Anti-trust Act)
○ Federal Trade Commission - examine company records and investigate
business practices - could issue restraining orders to stop “unfair labor
practices” (still around today!)