Muckrackers

Suffragettes

Populists

Labor

Unions

Civil

Rights

Temperance

2nd Great Awakeni

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Antebellum Reforms

[1810s-1850s]

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WAR

Populism[1870s-1890s]

Social Gospel

Progressivism

[1890s-1920]

1920s Revivalis

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New Deal[1930s-1940s]

1950sRevivalis

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Great Society

&1960s Social

Movements

ChristianEvangelica

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The “Culture Wars”:The Pendulum of Right v. Left

The “Culture Wars”:The Pendulum of Right v. Left

Progressive Era• Why it matters: Industrialization, urbanization, and immigration brought man benefits to America, but they also produced challenging social problems.• In response, a movement called Progressivism emerged in the 1890’s. Progressives believed that new ideas and honest, efficient government could bring about social justice. Progressive ideas brought lasting reforms that still affect society today.

Origins of Progressivism• Multiple walks of

life– Different political

parties, social classes, ethnic groups, religions

– A lot of them were from the middle class or dissatisfied industrial workers.

Origins of Progressivism

• Common beliefs– Industrialization and

urbanization had created troubling social and political problems.

– Progressives wanted to bring about reforms that would correct these problems and injustices.

– They encouraged their state legislatures and the federal gov’t. to enact laws to address the issues faced by the poor.

– Wanted to use logic and reason to make society work in a more efficient and orderly way.

Progressivism v. Populism• Similarities

– Both wanted political reform to get rid of corrupt gov’t. officials and make gov’t. more responsive to people’s needs.

– Both sought to eliminate the abuses of big business.

• Differences– Progressive

• Middle class• Believed in highly educated leaders that should use modern

ideas and scientific techniques to improve society.

– Populism• Consisted mostly of farmers and workers.

Target a variety of problems

• Women– Gaining the right to vote= # 1

priority• Reformers targeted city

officials who built corrupt organizations, called political machines.– The bosses of these political

machines used bribery and violence to influence voters and win elections.

– They counted on the loyalty of city workers who looked the other way when they took money for themselves.

• People living in crowded cities needed paved streets, safe drinking H2O, decent housing.

Trust busting• Some worried about big business

– Wealthy industrialists took over businesses and built huge trusts that limited competition and raised prices.

– Middle class wanted the gov’t. to bust the trusts and therefore create more economic opportunities for small businesses.

• Closing the gap– Some wanted to close the gap

between rich and poor.– Mostly motivated by religion.– Attacked the harsh conditions of

miners, factory workers.– They wanted better living

conditions for inner cities.– Strived for social welfare laws to

help children.

Muckrakers• Socially conscious journalists and other writers

dramatized the need for reform– Sensational investigative reporting uncovered a wide

range of problems.• Teddy Roosevelt nicknamed these journalists

muckrakers because they were too fascinated with the ugly side of things.– A muckraker is a tool used to clean manure and hay out

of animal’s stables.

Novelists Defend• Fiction writers put a human face on social problems.

– They portrayed human misery and developed a new genre- naturalism.

• The Jungle by Upton Sinclair– Related the despair of immigrants working in Chicago’s

stockyards and revealed the unsanitary conditions.

Settlement Houses• Settlement House= a community

center that provided social services to the urban poor.– Gave mothers classes in child

care and taught English to immigrants.

– The ran nursery schools and kindergartens.

– They provided theater, art, and dance programs for adults.

• Jane Addams became the leading figure in the settlement house.– Opened Hull House near Chicago.– Included 13 buildings.– By 1911, the country had more

than 400 settlement houses.

Improving Education• Florence Kelley

– Lawyer that helped convince the state of Illinois to ban child labor, and other states soon followed.

– 1902- Kelley formed the National Child Labor Committee which led the federal gov’t. to create the U.S. Children’s Bureau.

• Congress banned child labor officially in 1916.– Keating-Owens Act– Required children to attend school

until a certain age.• Some argued they should only be

taught work skills.• Some argued they should learn

literature and music.• Some argued girls should learn

different content than boys.

Work Hazards• Each year, about

30,000 workers died on the job due to hazards.– 500,000 were injured

each year

• Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, NYC– A factory fire– Workers had little

chance to escape the fire because managers had locked most of the exits.

– 146 died, most of them young Jewish women.

– Many jumped from the windows in desperation.

Government• 1900, Galveston, TX was torn apart by a hurricane.

– Killed more than 8,000 people.– Galveston replaced the mayor and also put in a 5 person

committee.• This form of gov’t. proved very efficient and carried out

reform and rebuilt the city.• Known as the Galveston Plan, 500 other cities adopted this

example for their own cities.

Election Reform

• Party leaders traditionally picked candidates for state and local offices.– Wisconsin established a direct

primary, an election in which citizens themselves vote to select nominees for upcoming elections.

– By 1916, all but four states had direct primaries.

• Initiative- gave people the power to put a proposed new law directly on the ballot in the next election by collecting citizen’s signatures on a petition.

• Referendum- allowed citizens to approve or reject laws passed by a legislature.

• Recall- gave voters the power to remove public servants from office before their terms ended.

• 17th Amendment- 1913, direct election of senators by voters, not state legislatures.

Progressive Politicians

• Theodore Roosevelt- New York Governor– Roosevelt worked to

develop a fair system for hiring state workers and made some corporations pay taxes.

– Wanted wildlife reform.

• Woodrow Wilson- New Jersey Governor– Wilson reduced the

railroad’s power and pushed for a direct primary law.

• Both will bring Progressive reform to the White House during their presidency.