Origins of Progressive Movement

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Origins of Progressive Movement

• Aim How progressive were the Progressives?

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What is Progressivism?

• A response to the social problems brought by
  industrialization and urbanization.
• Trying to make things better.
• Moving forward

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What caused the problems?Who is to blame?

• Laissez-faire no govt regulation of business or
  society.

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How do we fix the problems?

• Fix government
• Use modern ideas, science, and technology to make
  govt more efficient and effective

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Who were the muckrakers?

• Ida Tarbell criticized unfair business practices
  like trusts. Wrote History of Standard Oil

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Lincoln SteffensShame of the Cities

• Exposed corruption in urban politics.

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Jacob RiisHow the Other Half Lives

• Photographer, exposed poverty in NYC immigrant
  neighborhoods.

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John SpargoThe Bitter Cry of the Children

• Child labor

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Upton SinclairThe Jungle

• Exposed unsanitary conditions in meat-packing
  industry

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Progressive Campaigns

• Government
• Commission Plan--new style of efficient city
  govt.
• Modern cities need experts, not politicians.
• City depts. should be run by professionals and
  led by a city manager.

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Galveston Hurricane 1900leaves 6000 dead and
city ruined
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Increased Democracy

• Wisconsin becomes the Laboratory of Democracy
  under Governor Robert La Follette
• Felt party bosses and political machines had too
  much influence.
• Direct primariesparty members vote for their
  partys candidates
• Initiative, Referendum, and Recall
• 1. Initiative citizens introduce legislation
  for vote
• 2. Referendum citizens vote on legislation
• 3. Recall special election to remove an
  official

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17th Amendment Direct Election of Senators

• citizens now vote for their Senators rather than
  state legislators appointing them. Removed
  influence of political machines and big business.

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19th AmendmentWomens Suffrage

• Document A Votes for Women
• Leaders
• Elizabeth Cady Stanton
• Lucretia Mott
• Susan B. Anthony
• Julia Ward Howe
• Alice Paul
• Carrie Chapman Catt
• Tactics
• marches, speeches, picketing, hunger strikes

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1920 19th Amendment passes
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Child Labor

• Document C Child Labor
• New laws passed that set minimum ages and maximum
  hours
• Childrens Bureau (Taft) investigated child labor
  abuses
• Compulsory education laws required children to go
  to school

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Health and Safety Codes

• Called for new safety regulations and workers
  compensation
• Set zoning laws and building codes
• Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire in NYC 1911150
  women died trapped in building

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Temperance movement leads to to 18th Amendment

• Document B Pledge for Temperance
• Temperance moderation or elimination of alcohol
• Alcohol led to poverty and abuse
• Progressives wanted to remove the temptation.

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Regulating Big Business and the Economy

• Sherman Anti-Trust Act to break up large
  companies to restore competition
• Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) regulated
  big business
• Federal Trade Commission (FTC) a watchdog agency
  to monitor business to ensure fair trade
  practices
• Clayton Anti-Trust Act gave unions the right to
  exist

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Federal Reserve Act 1913a central bank system
for US

• Allowed the government to direct and guide the
  economy by controlling the amount of money in
  circulation and setting interest rates.

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Is Socialism the answer?

• Some Progressives believed the govt should own
  and operate major industry for the benefit of all
  Americans
• Eugene Debs ran for Pres in 1912 as the American
  Socialist Party candidate. Received almost 1
  million votes!

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Consumer Safety

• 1906in response to The Jungle, Congress passes
• Meat Inspection Act and
• Pure Food and Drug Act

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Environmental Conservation

• Managing our natural resources
• Newlands Reclamation Act 1902
• large scale irrigation and development
• Western US
• Govt regulation of timber, mining, and water
  resources
• Established National Parks and wildlife preserves.

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Presidents of the Progressive Era

• Theodore Roosevelt
• Promised a Square Deal
• Known as the Trustbuster
• Believed in Gentlemens Agreements
• His Legacy
• Stronger executive branch, the modern Presidency

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William Howard Taft

• Tafts Progressive Reforms
• more of a trust-buster than TR
• estd Childrens Bureauto fight child labor
• Mann-Elkins Actstrengthened ICC
• ConservationBureau of Mines, more natl forests

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HOW DID TAFT DIFFER FROM T.R.? TRcharismatic,
well-liked, loved the spotlight, big
ideas. Taftlegalistic, less ambitious, less
popular
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Woodrow Wilson

• Underwood Tariffcut tariffs in half
• 16th Amendment
• Federal Reserve
• Federal Trade Commission
• Adamson Act 8-hr workday
• Clayton Antitrust Act recognized unions

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Election of 1912

• Democrats Woodrow Wilson
• Republicans William Taft
• Progressives Theodore Roosevelt

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Legacy of Progressivism What did it do?
Increased the govts intervention in economic
and social issues (also the publics expectation
of that intervention) What did it not do?
Did not address racial discrimination.
African-Americans began that fight themselves.
Formed NAACP. (Met in Niagara Falls)

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Discussion Questions

• How is Progressivism different from Populism?
• To what extent is there a trade-off between human
  needs and profit in a capital economy? Explain.
• Why did support for socialism increase during the
  Progressive Era?
• How did muckrakers use media to effect reform?
• How effective were muckrakers in achieving their
  goals?
• To what extent was the Progressive movement based
  in the middle class?
• How did Progressives envision the role of
  government in American life?
• Why did some opponents of Progressive reform
  argue that Progressives were insensitive to the
  poor?
• To what extent do you agree with opponents of
  Progressivism? Explain.

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All Politics Is Local-- Speaker of the House
Thomas P.ONeill Jr.

• Why would ONeill put forth this argument?
• To what extent do you agree with this argument?
  Explain.
• Read My Story
• How can we evaluate the success (or failure) of
  the Progressive movement?
• How can we explain the poor treatment of workers
  in the US today in light of Progressive reform?
• To what extent was reform by community members
  during the Progressive Era?
• To what extent should reform be driven by
  community members today?