The Progressive Era

1. The Progressive Era 1890-1920

2. The Progressive Era • The American Progressive Era occurred in the years before and after the turn of the 20th century • It lasted approximately 25 years • 1890 to 1916 • Caused by industrialization, urbanization, and immigration • The time period was typified by many reforms at the city, state, and federal levels

3. 3 Progressive Presidents • Theodore Roosevelt 1901-1908 Republican • The “Square Deal” and “New Nationalism” • William Howard Taft 1909-1912 Republican • “Dollar Diplomacy” • Woodrow Wilson 1913-1920 Democrat • “The New Freedom”

4. Progressivism – Main Ideas • Goal: • Improve American life by expanding democracy and achieving social and economic justice • Political Reforms: • Wipe out graft, political machines, business domination of government • Give people closer control over government: i.e. More Democracy • Social and Economic Reforms: • Eliminate business practices harming farmers, workers, tenement dwellers, and consumers • Expand government regulation over economy

5. Sources of Progressive Strength • Farmers: • Populist heritage • wanted more regulation of RRs, lower tariffs, easier credit • Urban Middle Class • Professionals, shop owners, small businessmen • Alarmed at huge trusts and political machines • Wanted lower tariffs, more Gov. regulation, more democracy

6. Sources of Progressive Strength • Workers • Wanted laws regulating hours, protecting workers, safer conditions • Writers (Muckrakers) • Critically analyzed American society (but more about them later….) • Political leaders • Short lived Progressive Party • Progressives in both major parties

7. The Muckrakers • Aided the trust-busting campaigns of Roosevelt and Taft and the general reforms of the Progressives by exposing the evils of big business:

8. Effect of the Muckrakers • Term coined by Theodore Roosevelt after a character in Pilgrims Progress who turned down a crown for a “muckrake” used to shovel poo into a pile • Mass circulation in newspapers and magazines; the works had a major impact on American society • The Jungle in particular caused response (because it was really gross) • 1906 Congress passed two laws • The Meat Inspection Act: sanitary regulations for meat packers and federal inspection of meat packing plants • The Pure Food and Drug Act: prohibited sale of impure and poisonous food and drugs

9. Social Gospel Movement • Religious Crusade emphasized social responsibility as a key to salvation • Believed church-based humanitarian work could transform society • Salvation Army formed from this movement • Urged end of child labor and shorter work week

10. Settlement House Movement • Sought to improve the life of urban workers living in slums by helping them to gain education, access to art, better housing and better jobs • Settlement Houses • Located in slum neighborhoods run by educated, middle class women • Tried to help immigrants adjust to American life • Imparted middle class values • Became training ground for women leaders and launched the social work profession • Jane Addams: Hull House • Most famous, became politically involved in Chicago in order to “clean up: her neighborhood • Became a model for more than 400 other settlement houses in the US

11. Protecting Children and Improving Education • Child Labor Reforms • Florence Kelley • Helped create the U.S. Children’s Bureau to protect health and welfare of children • Child labor not ended for good until 1938 • Education Reform • Many states began to pass laws requiring children to attend school. • John Dewey wanted students to think creatively and to teach new subjects like history and geography

12. Triangle Shirtwaist Fire • March 1911, a fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City shocked Americans and propelled the push for better working conditions • Started by a dropped match on the 8th floor of a ten story building • Workers could not escape because most exits were locked • Many jumped to their deaths • Killed 146 people, 123 of them were women, most new immigrants between the ages of 16 and 23 • Led to laws in New York and several states that shortened working hours and to making workplaces safer

13. Reforming Government • Reform of city government • Commission form of government • Progressives reform election rules • direct primary: citizens vote to select nominees • initiative: people propose new law directly • referendum: citizens approve or reject laws that have been passed • recall: voters remove public servants from office before terms expire

14. Progressive Governors Take Charge • Robert La Follette of Wisconsin – railroad reform, improved education, make factories safer, adopted direct primary • Hiram Johnson of California – ended Southern Pacific Railroad’s dominance of state government, instituted direct primary, initiative, referendum, and recall, protected natural resources

15. Women’s Movements • Working Conditions • Muller v. Oregon (1903 ) – limited working hours for women to 10 per day • Florence Kelley – formed the National Consumers League (NCL) and Women’s Trade Union League (WTUL) to improve the lives of women as buyers of goods and workers • Temperance • Led by the Women’s Christian Temperance League • Promoted never drinking alcohol • Felt alcohol led men to waste their earnings, neglect their families, and abuse their wives • Led to the passage of the 18thAmendment

16. Women’s Movements • Birth Control • Led by Margaret Sanger • Believed women’s health would improve if they had fewer children • 1916 opened first birth control clinic in US • Ida B. Wells • African American woman who helped form the National Association of Colored Women • Set up daycare centers to protect and educate black children while their parents worked • Wrote about horrors of lynching

17. Women’s Suffrage • Goal of Movement • To get Congress to pass a Constitutional Amendment and get ¾ of the states to ratify it • To get individual states to permit women to vote • Western states had given women the right to vote before the amendment was passed • Women attended the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848 and for the first time formally demanded the right to vote • Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton worked for women’s political issues • National American Woman Suffrage (NAWSA) formed in 1890 with Anthony as president • Nineteenth Amendment - right to vote “shall not be denied or abridged on account of sex”; August, 1920

18. Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B Anthony

19. Fighting Racial Discrimination • Rights of African Americans limited because many Progressives held prejudices • 1896 Supreme Court issues Plessy v. Ferguson verdict • SC upheld a Louisiana law separating blacks and whites in RR cars • South pressed on with its Jim Crow laws and its program of segregation • Facilities for blacks were almost always inferior to those of whites • Education: black schools poorly constructed and funded and black teachers poorly paid • By 1910, segregation was the norm in the nation

20. African American Reformers Booker T. Washington W. E. B. DuBois Blacks should move slowly toward racial progress Work hard and wait patiently Gradually win white’s respect Should teach blacks trade skills Educated at Harvard Believed that blacks should not have to wait, should demand equality Called together the Niagara Movement Talented blacks should be taught history, philosophy, literature so they learn to think Would not compromise on rights

21. NAACP • 1908 a riot broke out in Springfield when whites wanted to lynch to black prisoners • Some white reformers realized they needed to help blacks • Joined with leaders of the Niagara Movement and formed the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People • Focused on battle for equal access to housing and professional careers

22. Accomplishments of Progressives • Political Reforms • City and State Action • Direct Primaries: allowed voters rather than party bosses to nominate candidates • Corrupt Practices Laws regulated contributions and campaign spending • Australian ballot: secret ballot • Initiative and referendum gave voters a greater voice in making laws • Recall: enabled voters to oust unsatisfactory public officials • Municipal and state civil service exams reduced positions able to be dominated by political machines • Women’s suffrage in some states extended democracy • Federal Action • Direct Election of Senators: 17th Amendment • National Women’s Suffrage: 19th Amendment

23. More Accomplishments of Progressives • Social and Economic Reform • City and State • State Regulation of intrastate RRs and public utilities improved service and reduced rates • Consumer protection laws assured honest weights and unadulterated foods • Fair Tax Laws reduced burden on property owners by taxing income • Child Labor Laws set a minimum age for employment and prohibited children from dangerous occupations • Women Labor Laws set minimum wage and maximum hours • Welfare Benefits enacted for dependent children, widows, and elderly • Factory inspection laws improved sanitation, lighting, and safety • Workmen’s Compensation protected workers and the families in case of on-the-job injury

24. Even More Accomplishments of Progressives • Social and Economic Reform • Federal Action • Expanded federal regulation of RRs, industries, and banks • Conservation measures for US’s natural resources • Consumer Protection Laws for pure food and drugs • Income Tax: 16th amendment • Legitimate Union Activities exempted from antitrust prosecution • Federal funds used for long-term, low-interest loans to farmers

25. Weaknesses of the Progressive Movement • Uneven Pattern of Reform • Some states very little accomplished • Some states very progressive: NY, NJ, CA, OR, MI, OH, WI • Court Roadblocks • Claimed that some progressive legislation illegal or unconstitutional • Survival of Political Machines • Failed to end power of Political Machines; bosses learned to evade reform laws

26. Results • Disappearance of Progressive Movement • Early 1920s • Many reforms passed and enthusiasm died out • Attention shifted from domestic to foreign affairs with WWI • Heritage of Progressive Movement • Promoted belief that government’s job is to care for welfare of the people • Transition from Laissez-faire to government regulation of economy