A Whirlwind Tour of Progressive Reforms

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A Whirlwind Tour of Progressive Reforms

• 1870s to 1910s

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Major Theme of this Lecture

• By the late 19th century, the U.S. had fulfilled
  its Manifest Destiny ? spread from Pacific to
  Atlantic
• It had become a major industrial power and a
  wealthy nation
• Wealth creation had been allowed willy-nilly.
  Some of the impacts did not match with American
  ideals (equality, liberty, democracy,
  opportunity, rights)
• Progressives looked for ways to restore these
  ideals to the little guy

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Railroads

• Problems
• Corruption
• Railroad company (Union Pacific) hired by U.S.
  gov. to build railroad
• Railroad company stockholders set up a fake
  construction company (Credit Mobilier) to build
  railroads. This company charged crazy high rates,
  and stockholders took the extra.
• Congressmen were given shares in the railroad in
  order to look the other way
• Price Fixing
• If there is only one railroad line, charge very
  high prices
• Example- many short railroad trips cost more than
  long ones
• What is the point here?

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Railroads

• Solutions
• Grangers tried to get laws passed
• Grangers- farmers union
• Munn v. Illinois and the Interstate Commerce Acts
  were attempts to regulate railroads
• These failed
• Result- corrupt railroads led to a large recession

5
Womens Rights

• Problems
• Cant vote or hold office
• Not admitted to colleges
• Victorian ideals
• Women must be proper and lady-like at all times

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Womens Rights

• Solutions
• Womens suffrage movement
• Suffrage the right to vote
• Seneca Falls Convention ? 1848 ? women pledge to
  work for their rights
• Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton
• Oppositions from liquor store owners, factory
  owners (women are against child-labor), and men
  (who like their privileges)
• Some women were radicals ? burned down houses,
  spit on police, etc.
• Pre- WWI ? some states (Wyoming) grant women the
  right to vote
• Post-WWI ? womens wartime contributions
  convinces many that women deserve the vote
• 19th Amendment

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Teddy Roosevelt

• President who Supported Progressive reforms
• Thought president could use the bully pulpit to
  win reforms
• Bully pulpit- presidents voice is loud and
  influential ? using this pulpit (place to speak
  to a crowd) the Robber Barons could be bullied

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Teddy Roosevelt (cont.)

• Promised Americans a square deal
• Trustbuster broke up more trusts than
  previous presidents
• Sided with workers in a mine strike
• When mine owners wouldnt compromise, TR
  threatened to use the army to take over the mines
  
• Outlawed railroads giving free passes to
  congressmen. Why?
• Form of bribery.
• First conservationist president ? set aside
  lands for the people

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Health Reforms

• Problems
• The Jungle
• Solutions
• Meat Inspection Act
• Food and Drug Administration

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Civil Rights

• Problems
• Legal segregation
• Solutions
• Not much
• Presidents did not make this a priority, although
  they did help in a few individual cases
• Presidents are unwilling to pass anti-lynching
  laws

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Civil Rights

• Disagreement among African Americans about the
  proper route for movement for equal rights
• Booker T Washington ? Black people should work
  hard and pull themselves up without spending time
  focusing on unfair laws ? these laws can be dealt
  with once African Americans have jobs and wealth
• E. B. Dubois ? Black people must demand total
  equality immediately
• NAACP set up on this second model

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Tariffs

• Problem
• Factory owners want high tariffs. Why?
• Protects them from foreign competition
• Workers want lower tariffs. Why?
• Gives them lower prices.
• During the Gilded Age, tariffs had been kept
  high.

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Tariffs

• Solution
• Underwood Act (under president Wilson) lowers
  tariffs
• that country used to get from tariffs is
  replaced by a graduated income tax
• 16th amendment
• Graduated?
• The more you make, the higher your tax rate

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Monopolies and Trusts

• Problem
• Not enough competition
• Leads to high prices for consumers

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Monopolies and Trusts

• Solutions
• Clayton Act
• Stronger version of Sherman anti-trust act
• Can break up monopolies
• Federal Trade Commission (FTC) set up as a trust
  watchdog
• Can warn companies when they are getting too big

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Banks

• Problems
• Unregulated banks can collapse ? cause financial
  panics
• Solutions
• Federal Reserve
• Bank of the banks
• Can loan money to banks to prevent collapses
• Can make rules for banks (for example, you can
  only loan out so much money)

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End of the Progressive Era

• World War I (1914-1918) turns Americas attention
  away from Progressivism

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Hansen Name _______________U.S. History
Period _______ Successes (and a few
Failures) of the Progressive Movement (1870s to
1910)

• Major Theme of this Lecture
• By the late 19th century, the U.S. had fulfilled
  its Manifest Destiny ? ___________________________
  __
• It had become a major industrial power and
  ____________
• Wealth creation had been allowed ___________ .
  Some of the impacts did not match with
  ___________________ (equality, liberty,
  democracy, opportunity, rights)
• Progressives looked for ways to
  ____________________ _____________________________
  __________________
• Railroads
• Problems
• ___________________
• Railroad company (Union Pacific) hired by _______
  _________________________. to build railroad
• Railroad company stockholders set up _________
  __________________________________ (Credit
  Mobilier) to build railroads. This company
  charged ____________________________, and
  stockholders took the extra.
• Congressmen were given _________________
  ______________in order to look _______________
• Price Fixing
• If there is only one railroad line, _____________
  ________________ prices
• Example- many ____________ railroad trips cost
  more than ___________ ones
• What is the point here?
• Solutions
• _________________ tried to get laws passed
• Grangers- _______________ union

• Womens Rights
• Problems
• ____________ or hold office
• Not admitted _________________
• __________________________
• Women must be proper and lady-like at all times
• Solutions
• Womens __________________________
• Suffrage the right to ___________
• ______________________Convention ? 1848 ? women
  pledge to work for their rights
• Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton
• _____________________________ liquor store
  owners, factory owners (women are against
  child-labor), and men (who like
  __________________________)
• Some women were _________________? burned down
  houses, spit on police, etc.
• Pre- WWI ? some states (____________) granted
  women the _______________________________
• Post-WWI ? womens ____________________
  _______convinced many that women deserve the vote
• _______Amendment
• Teddy Roosevelt

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• Tariffs
• Problem
• Factory owners want ___________________. Why?
• Protects them from ______________________________
• Workers want lower tariffs. Why?
• _________________________________________.
• During the Gilded Age, tariffs had been kept
  __________.
• Solution
• ________________Act (under president Wilson)
  lowers tariffs
• that country used to get from tariffs is
  replaced by a ________ ___________________________
  _________________________
• _____________ amendment
• Graduated?
• The more you make, the _________________
  __________________________________
• Monopolies and Trusts
• Problem
• Not enough ____________________
• Leads to __________________________ for consumers
• Solutions

• Teddy Roosevelt (cont.)
• Promised Americans _______________________________
  _
• Trustbuster broke up more trusts than
  ________________
• Sided with __________________ in a mine strike
• When mine owners wouldnt compromise, TR
  threatened to ________________________________
  ___________________________________________
• Outlawed railroads giving ___________ to
  congressmen. Why?
• Form of _________________.
• First conservationist president ? set aside
  __________ for the people
• Health Reforms
• Problems
• The Jungle
• Solutions
• ______________________________________
• Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
• Civil Rights
• Problems