THE AGE OF REFORM

1. THE AGE OF REFORM CHAPTER 21 (554-585)

2. ROOTS OF PROGRESSIVISM Not a single group but a movement Fight against corruption and inefficiency in government taken up by liberal Republicans during Grant’s presidency Fight to regulate big business began with the Granger and Populist movement, and moved to anti-trust work Social reformers, made up a many women, were another important part of the movement – slum conditions, child labor (1.7 million under the age of 16 were working) Large labor organizations grew up

3. THE MUCKRAKERS Journalists began writing exposes on big business and big government which drew much comment from readers They took on judges, lawyers, political groups and machines, and anyone they thought were up to no good Theodore Roosevelt compared them to “the Man with the Muck-Rake” from Pilgrim’s Progress – and the name stuck

4. THE PROGRESSIVE MIND Progressives sought to arouse the conscience of “the people” in order to “purify” American life They believed that the source of society’s evils lay in the institutions rather than the weaknesses of individuals – thus government must be made more responsive to the people Progressives often acted at cross-purposes and typically over-simplified their arguments – most were against socialism, against blacks, and against immigrants

5. “RADICAL” PROGRESSIVES: THE WAVE OF THE FUTURE Other Progressives were much more radical Eugene V. Debs – ran for President on the Socialist ticket Debs and Bill Haywood started the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) an anti-capitalist labor union Most had little effect at the time, but had more influence over succeeding generations

6. POLITICAL REFORM: CITIES FIRST Corruption abounded in the big cities (and the small ones) – as they grew their antiquated and corrupt systems only got worse Abe Reuf – San Francisco lawyer who ruled the city, taking bribes from everyone who would pay – was involved in prostitution, illegal liquor, and other criminal activities – this was typical of many cities Cities began to clean this up, experimenting with new types of governmental control – city managers, minimum wages, price controls for utilities and public transportation

8. POLITICAL REFORM: THE STATES Local city bosses usually had ties to powerful state political machines Most state legislatures were still controlled by rural majorities Wisconsin – a prototype Robert M. La Follette “Machine control is based upon misrepresentation and ignorance, Democracy is based upon knowledge” he would champion honest government and would influence many other states to do the same

9. POLITICAL REFORM: THE STATES Wisconsin: Direct primaries for nominating candidates Laws limiting campaign spending and lobbying activities Set up special commissions to handle special jobs like railroad regulation, tax assessment, and highway construction Oregon set up the initiative system, many others followed

10. STATE SOCIAL LEGISLATION These laws grew over time, and early on were typically weak, and the Federal government rarely enacted federal laws to back them up Women, children, and workers in dangerous occupations were the first ones to get help Later it was things like stricter municipal building codes (fire escapes and toilets) and accident insurance and pensions The 14th Amendment forbade states from depriving “any person of life , liberty, or property without due process of law” – conservatives at the state and federal level used this to overturn many of the social laws, but gradually they became accepted throughout the states

11. POLITICAL REFORM: THE WOMAN SUFFRAGE MOVEMENT American Woman Suffrage Association – focused on the vote question alone National Woman Suffrage Association – headed by Susan B. Anthony, was more radical and worked on many other woman’s issues Problems: male dominated society, Victorian sexual inhibitions, idealization of the female as mother and guardian of the home, Darwinian ideas of biological differences – if women were morally superior to men, they needed to vote in order to improve society, but if they were morally superior they were not equal (the same) to men, which ran counter to their argument

14. POLITICAL REFORM: THE WOMAN SUFFRAGE MOVEMENT Wyoming 1869 Utah, Colorado, Idaho by 1896 California 1911 Most other Western states by 1914 New York 1917 National American Woman Suffrage Association pushed for a Constitutional Amendment – the 19th Amendment was passed in 1920

15. POLITICAL REFORM: INCOME TAXES AND POPULAR ELECTION OF SENATORS 16th Amendment - 1913 Authorized the collection of federal income taxes 17th Amendment - 1913 Required the popular election of Senators (formerly elected by state legislatures) The power of the Speaker of the House was also limited by removing the power to appoint all members of committees

16. THEODORE ROOSEVELT: COWBOY IN THE WHITE HOUSE Became president after McKinley was assassinated 42 years old, Harvard graduate, 3 terms New York assembly, 6 years Civil Service Commission, 2 years police commissioner of New York City, 1 year as assistant secretary to the navy, 1 term governor of New York – Dakota rancher, soldier in the Spanish American war, historian, Republican He was not the model for a president

17. THEODORE ROOSEVELT: COWBOY IN THE WHITE HOUSE Roosevelt moved slowly and deliberately, using his executive powers when unable to persuade Congress Strengthened the ICC Set up National Forests Funded irrigation projects Established the Bureau of Corporations

19. ROOSEVELT AND BIG BUSINESS A believer in killing monopolies, Roosevelt was not against big business – he recognized that they drove progress He did use the Sherman Antitrust Act to break monopolies but often worked with the companies to fix their own problems Broke up the Northern Securities Company, Standard Oil, and “fixed” US Steel and the American Tobacco Company

20. ROOSEVELT AND THE COAL STRIKE 1902, United Mine Workers went on strike demanding a 10% wage increase, and 8 hour workday and recognition of the union – the owners refused to deal Roosevelt threatened to order federal troops in to take over the mines A settlement was reached for a 10% wage increase and a 9 hour work day. Coal prices were also raised 10% but the union was not recognized Roosevelt’s Square Deal seemed to be working and his popularity soared

21. TR’S TRIUMPHS Overwhelmingly reelected in 1904 Hepburn Act – Gave the ICC the power to set rates, inspect railroad company books, and generally more power to do its job of keeping the rail industry fair Meat inspection bill – After reading The Jungle Pure Food and Drug Act – forced companies to label their foods, and not use harmful products in their foods Roosevelt was successfully both a reformer and a defender of established interests

22. ROOSEVELT TILTS LEFT As Progressives moved left, so did he as he took more liberal positions Conservation was very important to him: He set apart 150 million acres and strictly enforced grazing, mining, and lumbering laws He favored income and inheritance taxes, stricter regulation of interstate corporations, and regulations benefitting industrial workers As his term came to a close he began criticizing the courts and lost much of his ability to affect change

23. WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT: THE LISTLESS PROGRESSIVE, OR MORE IS LESS Roosevelt chose Taft to succeed him Bryan remained the Democratic nominee and Taft won a large victory Yale graduate, Ohio and circuit judge, civil governor of the Philippines Taft was not a natural leader, liked to nap and eat leisurely and was often made fun of He was effective, breaking more trusts than Roosevelt, establishing the Commerce Court, and reduced tariff duties and obtained legislation backing up Roosevelt’s land reserves Taft did not believe in using presidential power to go around congress like Roosevelt did

25. BREAKUP OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY Roosevelt came back to the US from Africa and was bombarded with all kinds of stories of Taft’s ineptness and laziness The Republican party was dividing into two parts: the Progressives and the Old Guard Taft sided with the Old Guard Roosevelt sided with the Progressives, creating the Progressive Party after Roosevelt was not given the Republican nomination

26. THE ELECTION OF 1912 The Democrats had had enough of William Jennings Bryan and nominated Woodrow Wilson, a liberal Democrat and successful governor of New Jersey with a degree in political science Wilson was also a Progressive, calling his reform policies the New Freedom Social privileges must be eradicated, the great trusts must be broken, fair rules for doing business must be established, but individual freedom of opportunity must be maintained

27. THE ELECTION OF 1912 With the Republican Party split, Wilson easily won the election: Taft got the vote of conservative Republicans Roosevelt got the Progressives Debs got a few socialists Wilson got all the Democrats 435 (Wilson)-88 (Roosevelt)-8 (Taft)

29. WILSON: THE NEW FREEDOM Underwood Tariff (1913) – the first significant reduction in tariff duties since before the Civil War – also called for graduated income tax Federal Reserve Act (1913) – the first US central banking system since Andrew Jackson killed the Bank of the United States in the 1830’s Created the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) which replaced Roosevelt’s Bureau of Trade and had more power

30. WILSON: THE NEW FREEDOM Clayton Antitrust Act (1914) stronger than the Sherman Act Outlawed price discrimination, “tying” agreements and the creation of interlocking directorates Exempted labor unions and agricultural organizations Wilson was very involved in his reform policies and in the end they varied little from Roosevelt’s New Nationalism

31. THE PROGRESSIVES AND MINORITY RIGHTS Progressives were not progressive on the race issue – they were quite the opposite Blacks, Asians, Indians and Eastern Europeans were increasingly losing ground in America The Gentleman’s Agreement of 1907 excluded Japanese immigrants Segregation became more rigid in the South only 8000 black children were attending high school in the entire south Lynching and mob activity continued, mostly in the South

32. BLACK MILITANCY William E. B. Du Bois First American black to earn a Ph.D. from Harvard He broke from Booker T. Washington’s accommodation and submission theories and called on the “talented tenth” of the black population to rise up and save them

34. BLACK MILITANCY The Niagara Movement Du Bois and other like-minded people met at Niagara Falls in 1905 and issued a series of demands: The unrestricted right to vote An end to segregation everywhere Equal economic opportunity Higher education for the talented Equal justice in the courts End trade-union discrimination

35. BLACK MILITANCY The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) – 1909 By this time, just about every important black leader rejected Washington’s approach Still, Progressive presidents were reluctant to do anything, Wilson, a southerner, was actively against them – Southern Democrats dominated Congress When war broke out, the national focus changed