Chapter Five

1
Chapter Five

• The Progressive Era

2
Progressive Impulse

• Urbanization a gradual shift from a rural
  agrarian society to the city life
• Low Wages, disease, tenement housing, unsanitary
  conditions.
• Immigrant labor increases 25 million from 1880
  to 1920.
• Social Problems illegal jobs, gambling,
  prostitution, robbery, extortion, garbage,
  polluted water.
• Bad for immigrants, worse for African-Americans

3
Progressive Impulse

• Politics Power Corruption
• Corruption bribes, contracts, favors for votes.
• Machines political organizations to gain votes
• Tammany Hall and George Washington Plunkett (p.
  156) I seen my opportunities and I took 'em.
• Trusts combinations and corporations trying to
  control an industry
• Rising middle class felt pressure from the rich
  and poor.

4
Reformers

• Progressives feared the power of the wealthy and
  were joined by intellects who challenged Social
  Darwinism
• Muckrakers writers who exposed the social evils
  of their times and wealthy corporations.
• Ida Tarbell Standard Oil
• Upton Sinclair Meatpacking Industry

5
Reformers

• Religious Reform Social Gospel movement with a
  goal to improve life on earth.
• Hells Kitchen a church in New York's most
  poverty stricken area with alcoholism,
  unemployment, and societys evils.

6
Activists

• Jane Addams and Florence Kelly women activists
• Hull House helped the needy in many ways,
  provided childcare, and education
• African Activists rights, housing, racism,
  unemployment, lynching
• Ida Wells antilynching campaign and refused to
  move from her train seat.
• National Association for the Advancement of
  Colored People (NAACP) founded in 1909 with a
  goal to make life better for African-Americans.
  Wells, Addams, Dubois.

7
Reformers

• Jane Addams

8
Reform Kickin some Butt!

• Political Reform-Wisconsin Gov. Robert LaFollete
• Fought against the political machines
• Direct primary, created initiatives for citizens
  to make bills.
• Referendum
• Recall
• Direct election of Senators (Seventeenth
  Amendment)

9
Economic Reform Regulate Big Business

• Railroad Commission regulate rates
• City government control of power and gas
  (coalfuel)
• Insurance for injured workers
• Women workday-10 hours max in Oregon which was
  the first state to enact this law.

10
Social Reform

• Women struggle to vote
• Juvenile system, to children w/o fathers,
  public education, womens health, temperance
• 1874 WCTU Womens Christian Temperance Movement
• John Dewey philosopher and creator of the
  well-rounded citizen

11
Corrupt Editorial

• In groups of three you will become Muckrakers in
  the Progressive Era.
• Choose a related topic child labor, temperence,
  womens rights, immigration, sanitation, big
  business, political machines, etc.
• Research chapter five and six for information on
  your topic brainstorm, encyclopedias, text.
• Write a one page newspaper editorial about your
  topic.
• We will read these in a radio show format.