Pay attention to the notes. As I cover the information, listen carefully because then you will have to answer critical thinking questions based on the information.

When the 1900's dawned, there were 76 million Americans. 1 out of 7 were foreign-born. A new reform movement immediately began, led by "Progressives". Their goals were to stop monopolies, corruption, inefficiency, and social injustice.

The method of the progressives was to strengthen the state—to give more powers to the government. Their over-arching goal was to use the government "as an agency of human welfare."

Writers and Politicians began to pinpoint targets for the progressive attack1894 Henry D. Lloyd “Wealth Against

Common Wealth” exposed the corruption of monopoly of the Standard Oil Company.

1899 Thorsten Veblen “The Theory of the Leisure Class” criticizing those who made money out of the trusts.

Socialist promoted a brand of progressivism base on Christian doctrines to get better housing and living conditions for the urban poor.

Feminist entered the fight to improve the lives of families that lived and worked in cities with bad condition. Jane Addams Lillian Wald

Around 1902, a new group of social critics emerged—the muckrakers.

They were called "muckrakers" first by Teddy Roosevelt. It was a derogatory term, him being unimpressed with their tendency to focus on the negatives and "rake through the muck" of society.

1902 magazines joined in on the bashing of the trusts.CosmopolitanCollier’sEverybody’s

President Roosevelt gave them the name of “Muckrakers” he found them annoying.

Some of their writings became best-selling books

2. Do you think it is necessary to “rake to the mucks” in order to create change in society? In other words should the media focus on the negatives?

Lincoln Steffens wrote "The Shame of the Cities" (1902) which exposed city corruption in cahoots with big business.

Ida Tarbell wrote an exposé in McClure's that laid bare the ruthless business tactics of John D. Rockefeller and the Standard Oil Company. Some thought she was just out for revenge because her father's business had been ruined by Rockefeller. But, all of her facts checked out.

Thomas Lawson exposed the practices of stock market speculators in "Frenzied Finance" (1905-06), published in Everybody's. (He'd made $50 million himself playing the market.)

David Phillips wrote "The Treason of the Senate" (1906) in Cosmopolitan. He said that 75 of the 90 U.S. senators represented big businesses rather than the people. He backed up his charges with enough evidence to also impress Teddy Roosevelt.

3.The muckrakers raised awareness of the corruption in the government. Do you think modern day magazines, books, and newspapers do the same? Why or why not? Can you think of an example of how any of these media outlet raise awareness of the problems in the country?

Don’t state the obvious, be creative. Focus on these kids!

Progressives were usually middle-class men and women who felt squeezed from the big trusts and the immigrants that worked for cheap labor.

They favored and generally got the following accomplished:

The initiative where voters could initiate laws, rather than waiting and hoping a legislator might do it.

The referendum where voters could vote proposed bills into law, circumventing unresponsive legislators altogether.

The recall where voters could remove elected officials rather than waiting for his term to expire. The thought was, "We voted them in, we can vote them out."

The secret ballot, called the Australian ballot, to help get a true vote and avoid intimidation at the polls.

The direct election of senators by the people. At the time, U.S. senators were chosen by state legislators, not the people. This became reality in 1913, with the 17th Amendment.

And female suffrage. This would have to wait a bit longer (until 1920).

Woman could not vote or hold a position in office, but they were still very active in regards of family-ill issues.

Most female progressives related their activities as extensions of their traditional roles of wife and mother.Keeping children out of mills and sweatshopsWinning pensions for mothers with dependent

childrenMaking sure food products were safe to eat

Women’s Trade Union League and the National Consumers League

Two new federal agencies in the Department of Labor The Children’s

Bureau (1912) The Women’s

Bureau (1920)

Women reformers gained speed after the Triangle Shirtwaist Company burnt down in 1911, trapping and killing 146 mostly young, women workers. The tragedy gained much attention and gave the women momentum.

The public outcry prompted many states to pass laws regulating hours and conditions in such "sweatshops" and to pass workers' compensation laws.

STOP and Think

Progressivism really got its start and took off on a more local level rather than national.

Local Progressives cracked down on "slumlords," rampant prostitution, and juvenile delinquency.

States took note and attacked trusts, railroads

Mine owners did not pay any attention to the workers and refused to even negotiate. Schools and factories were being shut down, and

hospitals were suffering the winter cold. Desperate, and annoyed, Roosevelt

threatened to seize the mines and operate them with federal troops. A compromise decision gave the minors 10%

increase and nine hours of work. 1903 Department of Commerce and Labor,

which was also a part of the Bureau of Corporations (breaking the monopoly and making way for the “trust-busting" era).

President Roosevelt was touched by the progressive movement and embraced a “Square Deal”, a program with the three C’sControl of the corporationsConsumer protectionConservation of natural resources

1902 a strike took place in the anthracite coal mines of Pennsylvania, 140,000 workers demanded 20% pay increase and reduction of working hours from ten to nine hours.

STOP AND THINK!

The Interstate Commerce Commission created in 1887 did not succeed. So Congress passed the Elkins Act in 1903, this fined railroads that gave rebates and the shippers that accepted them.

Hepburn Act, 1906 restricted the free passes of the railroad.

Roosevelt believed that there were “good trusts” and “bad trusts”, so he did not want to go smashing all of the businesses. For example the Northern Securities Company, which was organized by J.P. Morgan and James J. Hill. 1904, the Supreme Court upheld

Roosevelt’s antitrust suit and told the Northern Securities to vanish, this made Wall Street really mad but helped Roosevelt’s image.

Roosevelt cracked down on over 40 trusts, and he helped remove the beef, sugar, fertilizer, and harvester trusts, but in reality, he wasn’t as great of a trustbuster as he might seem to be. His intentions were not to take down the “good trusts,”

but the trusts that did fall under Roosevelts’s regulations fell symbolically, so that other trusts would reform themselves.

Roosevelt’s successor, William Howard Taft, took down more trusts. 1911 when Taft tried to crack down on U.S. Steel, a

company that had personally been allowed by Roosevelt to absorb the Tennessee Coal and Iron Company, the reaction from Roosevelt was explosive.

7.How did Roosevelt help the country? Be specific!

A lot of the meat companies were preparing meat in very unsanitary ways and the Europeans were complaining about the exported meat that they bought from the U.S. In 1906, the Meat Inspection Act was passed,

which decreed that the preparation of meat shipped over state lines would be subject to federal inspection from corral to can. Canned food is something that the Americans desperately needed.

Pure Food and, Drug Act initiated to prevent the misuse and mislabeling of foods and anything related to pharmacy.

Desert Land act of 1877- under which federal government sold arid land cheaply.

The act that was successful was the Forest Reserve Act of 1891which allowed to set aside public forest as national parks and other reserves. 46 million acres of land were preserved due to this.

Roosevelt loved natural resources and helped initiate conservation projects.

Another act that was created was the Newlands act of 1902 that initiated projects for western states.

By 1900 a quarter of the nations natural timberlands remained so Roos. Set aside 125 millions acres. Big accomplishment during his presidency.

The book of Jack London’s call and the boy scouts of America were created due to disappearance of the national frontier.

8.Roosevelt loved nature and did everything in his power to conserve the land, forest, and air. Imagine if he did not have the foresight to preserve these things, what would our country be like? Why would this be negative for us?

Theodore Roosevelt was loved by the people, witnessed by the "Teddy" bear. Conservatives thought of him as unpredictable due to his Progressive ways they meddled the government into businesses.After winning his election in 1904, he announced he would not seek a third term. This cut his power a bit since everyone then knew he'd be out in four years.The economy took a sudden and sharp downtown in 1907. Wall Street was pounded, banks were run, suicides went up, and there were many Wall Street "speculators" were indicted on sneaky dealings.As with any economic downtown, the president was blamed, justly or not. Conservatives, especially, charged that Roosevelt's meddling in business had fouled up the cogs of the economy. They called it the "Roosevelt Panic."The Panic did reveal the need for a more elastic currency supply. In other words, the banks needed reserves to release into circulation if times got tough.Congress passed the Aldrich-Vreeland Act (1908) authorizing national banks to release money into circulation.This law/action paved the way for the monumental Federal Reserve Act (1913).

In 1908 campaign William Howard Taft was elected as the successor of TR where he was hoping that Taft would follow “his policies”.

Taft defeated William Jennings Bryan. TR went on a lion hunt while Taft was in

charge. He helped many Americans have healthy adult

lives, and ensured that new trusts would fit in capitalism.

TR protected against socialism and opened the eyes of Americans to see that they share the world with other nations. So it couldn’t be isolationist.

Read about Taft on your own!!