spring 2013 the progressive movement - mr....

CP U.S. History (S) Mrs. Saldarriaga/Mr. Warzon Spring 2013

1 | P a g e U n i t 1 N o t e P a c k e t - P r o g r e s s i v e s

The Progressive Movement The progressive movement began at the turn of the 20th century. The movement tried to return government to the control of the people, give Americans more economic opportunities, and correct injustices in people’s lives. Progressivism had four major goals:

1. Protecting Social Welfare 2. Promoting Moral Reform 3. Creating Economic Reform 4. Fostering Efficiency Protecting Social Welfare In the early 20th century new organizations tried to help the urban poor: YMCA (Young Men’s Christian Association) –

Organization that opened many libraries, held classes, built swimming pools and tennis courts.

Concord, NH YMCA William & Catherine Booth of the Salvation Army

Salvation Army –

Fed poor people in soup kitchens, cared for children in nurseries, sent missionaries into slums to try to convert people to their value system (hard work and temperance).



Individuals also made a difference:

Florence Kelley --

Ms. Kelley was instrumental in improving factory conditions for women, getting women’s working hours reduced, and ending child labor in Illinois.

Promoting Moral Reform Florence Kelley

Largest moral reform movement was the Temperance Movement, which sought to pass prohibition laws in the U.S.

Prohibition: an attempt to ban production, sale, and consumption of alcoholic beverages.

Prohibition Political Cartoon from 1910s



Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) Founded in Chicago in 1873 to promote goal of prohibition (end of sale, distribution, and consumption of alcoholic beverages). Members usually entered saloons and starting singing and praying to get patrons to leave. Most influential leader was Frances Willard, who helped A WCTU Group Pleads with a Saloon Keeper

membership grow to 245,000 families by 1911 (the largest women’s group in U.S. history at that time). Anti-Saloon League A more activist temperance group which was founded in 1895 Members attacked saloons, which angered immigrant communities. Frances Willard of the WCTU

Carrie Nation was a famous Anti-Saloon League member who attacked bars with her hatchet. Carrie Nation with her Bible and her infamous hatchet

Why was the leadership of the temperance movement mostly made of women?



Creating Economic Reform After the Panic of 1893, many Americans began to question the capitalist system. Writers criticized the government’s laissez faire economic policy. Laissez faire means that the government should not seek to regulate the economy at all. Some Americans like Eugene V. Debs embraced socialism (a.k.a. Marxism), which said that the Mr. Eugene V. Debs capitalist system was destined to fail. Muckrakers These were journalists wrote about corrupt business practices in newspapers and magazines. The name comes from the fact that corporations thought these writers were “slinging mud”, or unfairly criticizing companies. One famous muckraker was Ida Tarbell, who wrote a monthly column called “The History of the Standard Oil Company”. Another, Upton Sinclair wrote a book on the meatpacking industry called The Jungle.

Ida Tarbell

Upton Sinclair



Fostering Efficiency One idea in this area was “Scientific Management”, proposed by Frederick Winslow Taylor. Scientific management hoped to apply the scientific method to a factory to make it more efficient and productive. Another great innovation in this field was the assembly line, first used by the Ford Motor Company in Detroit.

Advantage -- by having each worker perform only one job over and over, the worker gained skill and speed.

Disadvantage – people became like machines. Work became less

skilled. Frederick Winslow Taylor Henry Ford



Cleaning Up Government

Local Government Many cities adopted a city council or commission to make laws and regulations. Many cities also adopted a city manager – this person made sure laws were implemented and enforced.

State Government Reform Governors Wisconsin’s governor Robert M. La Follette was a big reformer, especially of the railroads:

He taxed railroad property at the same rate as other business property in the state.

He set up a commission to regulate railroad rates.

He forbade railroads to issue free travel passes to state officials. Other progressive governors included Aycock of NC, Cummins of IA, and Folk of MO.

Gov. Aycock Gov. Cummins Gov. Folk



Workers’ Rights

Child Labor

Number of children under working had grown to 2 million in 1910.

Girl, age 9, carries sharp knife to cut beets Two newsboys – one is 6 years old

Many children developed serious health problems:

curvature of the spine from heavy lifting tuberculosis and bronchitis for children working in mines high accident rates from fatigue

What effect did the corruption of the Gilded Age have on Progressives? Give at least three specific examples to support your answer.

Boy, age 12, injured in factory accident – foot and hand crushed.



Attempts at passing a national child labor law were unsuccessful, but most states passed such laws during the 1910s.

By 1920, there were only 1 million children working.

Limits on Working Hours

Supreme Court said states could pass laws to limit working hours.

Reforming Elections

Ordinary citizens in many states got other reforms like:

The Australian Ballot

Also known as the secret ballot, because it meant that no one could see how you voted.

The Initiative

Citizens could petition to have a law that they wrote put on the ballot for passage by the population of a state.

The Referendum

Referendum is a public vote on a proposed law or initiative.

The Recall

Allowed voters to remove a public official that they saw as corrupt, by holding another election if enough voters agreed.

By 1920, about 20 states had adopted at least one of these reforms. Seventeenth Amendment

Passed in 1913, this allowed the voters to choose their own senators by popular vote.

Pre-1913, senators had been selected by state legislators.



Popular election/direct election of senators meant that senators had to listen more to what the public said.

Teddy Roosevelt & the Square Deal Early Life Teddy Roosevelt was born to a wealthy New York family. He was very sick as a child with asthma, and sought to overcome this by being very physically active. He liked to box and wrestle, hunt, and ride horses. Once he rode 100 miles in one day on horseback just to prove he could! Educated at Harvard College. Hero of San Juan Hill Teddy Roosevelt fought in the Spanish American War in Cuba. He was one of the leaders of the “rough-riders” – a volunteer cavalry unit. Newspapers liked him so much they called him the “hero” of the Battle of San Juan Hill.

Which election reform do you think was the most important one made during the Progressive Era? Why?



Early Political Life Served three terms in the New York State Assembly. Named Assistant Secretary of the Navy. Also served as governor of New York. Political bosses couldn’t control him, so they decided to get him nominated as the vice-presidential candidate on William McKinley’s ticket in 1900. 1900 Campaign Button Assassination of President McKinley

When McKinley was assassinated in 1901, Teddy Roosevelt became the youngest ever President of the U.S. (he was 42 years old) The Presidency Teddy Roosevelt became president in 1901. He was very popular because he was young and charismatic.



Once, when he spared a bear cub’s life, the press called the bear “Teddy’s Bear”. A toymaker then made a small stuffed bear and called it the Teddy Bear. Two political cartoons about “Teddy’s Bear”

TR saw the Presidency as a way to influence both legislation and the news media. He thought the federal government should solve problems that states couldn’t solve by themselves. He also felt that America needed a STRONG national government. One of his first promises to the American people was to give them a “Square Deal”, which meant that he would reform big business to make it fair. The Square Deal Coal Strike of 1902

140,000 coal workers went on strike for 20% raises, 9 hour workdays, and the right to unionize.



Mine owners refused to talk to the workers and asked the government to send in the army to break the strike.

Coal Workers on Strike in 1902

TR refused to break the strike, so after 5 months he invited both sides to the White House to negotiate.

Negotiations failed, so TR threatened to take over the mines if a solution wasn’t found.

Both sides decided to let an arbitration commission settle their dispute.

Commission’s decision in 1903, gave workers a 10% raise and a 9 hour workday. The workers couldn’t force people to join a union, and weren’t allowed to strike again for 3 years.

Federal Arbitration

The Coal Strike demonstrated a new principle of government.

TR said that whenever a strike threatened the public welfare the federal government had a right and a duty to intervene.

It also showed that strikes could be settled without violence.

Is arbitration a better solution than a strike for solving labor disputes? Why or why not? Give me three reasons to support your conclusion.



Trustbusting

By 1900, over 80% of industries (steel, oil, coal, railroads, etc.) were controlled by trusts.

Trusts were like monopolies that used unfair business practices to drive competition out of the market. Then they would raise prices.

In 1890, Congress passed the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, which declared trusts were illegal if they acted in “restraint of trade”.

The Standard Oil Trust

The wording of the law was so vague, that it was hard to prosecute trusts in court.

TR thought that some trusts were “good” trusts and some were “bad” trusts. Bad trusts acted against the public interest.



Teddy Roosevelt taming the trusts

TR thought federal government should only intervene in cases where trusts hurt the public interest. He filed over 44 lawsuits against trusts using the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, and some of these lawsuits were successful.

Railroad Regulation

In 1887, Congress passed the Interstate Commerce Act, which prohibited railroad “pools”.

Pools were agreements in which railroad companies divided business in an area and split the profits.

The Interstate Commerce Commission was set up to monitor the railroads, but was very weak.



The Hepburn Act of 1906

Forbade distribution of free travel passes.

Gave ICC power to set maximum railroad rates.

Protecting Citizens

After reading The Jungle by Upton Sinclair, Roosevelt decided that the food industry needed reforms.



Meat Inspection Act of 1906

Set cleanliness requirements for meatpackers.

Set up federal inspections to make sure meatpackers met requirements.

Inspection stamp Inspector inspecting slaughtered pigs

Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906

A children’s medicine. The key ingredient? Morphine!



An ad for Lydia Pinkham’s Vegetable Compound – this was marketed toward women. Key ingredient? Alcohol!

Made manufacturers be truthful on all food and medicine labels.

Didn’t really ban harmful products; government expected citizens to read labels and decide for themselves.



Protecting the Environment

TR was the first great conservationist president.

He realized America’s resources were NOT endless. Sought to conserve forest and water resources.

On the advice of John Muir (a conservationist), he set aside 148 million acres of forest land as federal reserves.

He also set aside 1.5 million acres for water power and 80 million acres for mineral and water exploration.

John Muir

TR established over 50 wildlife sanctuaries and many national parks.

How do reforms like the Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act show a change in the government’s attitude toward regulation of private industry?



Crater Lake National Park in Oregon, one of five national parks TR created

Named Gifford Pinchot to be head of the U.S. Forest Service.

Together they urged conservation, or the careful use of natural resources.



Progressivism with Taft & Wilson Election of 1908

Roosevelt chose William Howard Taft to be the Republican candidate.

Democrats ran William Jennings Bryan.

Taft won.

Taft’s Presidency

Taft tried to make progressive reforms, but Congress did not cooperate. William Howard Taft

Taft tried to lower tariffs on imports, but Congress would only allow hides, canary birdseed, and sea moss to be duty free goods (Payne-Aldrich Tariff).

Taft appointed a non-conservationist as Secretary of the Interior – Richard A. Ballinger.

Ballinger removed 1 million acres of land from the federal reserves, which made the public angry.

Also, Taft fired Gifford Pinchot from the Forest Service.

As a result of Taft’s poor choices, the Republican Party split into two parts.

Republicans Split

When the Republicans split between conservatives and progressives, Democrats gained control of the House of Representatives.

Roosevelt decided to run for a third term as president in 1912.

TR lost the Republican nomination to Taft.



Roosevelt and his supporters started a new party called the Progressive Party or the “Bull-Moose Party”.

The Bull Moose Party

Adopted a platform of

Direct election of senators.

National adoption of the initiative, referendum, and recall.

Women’s suffrage

Eight hour workday

Minimum wage for women

Federal child labor law

Federal Trade Commission to regulate business

Woodrow Wilson Wilson was the progressive governor of New Jersey.

His election platform was called the “New Freedom” for Americans.

New Freedom required stronger antitrust laws, banking reform, and lower taxes.

How does the Bull Moose Platform compare to the Populist Platform in the 1890s? Are there similarities? Differences? What are they?



Election of 1912

Republican nominee: Taft Bull-Moose nominee: T. Roosevelt Democratic nominee: Woodrow Wilson (governor of New Jersey) Wilson got 42% of the popular vote, but won the Electoral College.

Wilson’s New Freedom Clayton Anti-Trust Act Wilson thought all trusts were bad and should be broken up. This law passed in 1914 -- declared monopolies illegal and said officers of companies in violation would be prosecuted. Labor unions and farmers’ groups were exempt from the Clayton Act. Act protected unions’ rights to strike and boycott peacefully were protected.



Federal Trade Act Also passed in 1914.

This law established the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) which had the power to

Investigate possible violation of

regulatory statutes.

Require periodic reports from corporations about business practices

Had power to issue “cease and

desist” orders to companies in violation of the law.

Taxes & Tariffs

Wilson had the Underwood Tariff of 1913 passed, which cut many tariff rates by over 10%. Federal Income Tax

Wilson also asked for Congress to draft an amendment to the Constitution allowing a Federal Income Tax. The 16th Amendment was ratified in 1913, and allowed the government to tax income and earnings.

Tax would be graduated – richer people paid more than poorer people.



Maximum tax was 6% and was only applied to people who made more than $500,000 per year.

Federal Reserve System

Created with the Federal Reserve Act of 1913.

Decentralized banking system under federal control.

Nation was divided into 12 districts. Each district had a federal reserve bank with which all the national banks in that district were affiliated. Federal Reserve Banks had the power to issue paper money to member banks.

Example of a $20 Federal Reserve Note from 1914 – Notice Pres. Cleveland was on this denomination



Member banks would use money to make loans to customers. Federal Reserve could also transfer money to a member bank that was in trouble – keeping it from closing and thereby protecting people’s deposits. Woman Suffrage Women had been trying to win the right to vote since the mid 1800s. Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucy Stone, and Julia Ward Howe were all leaders of this movement. There were three different strategies for getting the vote:

1. Tried to convince states to grant the right to vote

Wyoming was the first state to grant women the right to vote in 1869

2. Use court cases to test the Fourteenth Amendment’s promise of “equal

protection under the law” and citizenship.

Women tried to vote over 150 times in 10 states to start these court cases.

Supreme Court said in 1875 that women were citizens, but citizenship didn’t mean you could vote.

3. Women pushed for a Constitutional amendment to give them the right to vote.

While idea was introduced several times in Congress, it was always voted down.



By 1910, women only had voting rights in Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, and Idaho. In the early 1900s more college-educated women were joining the suffrage movement. These women were influenced by the Woman Suffrage movement in Britain, where the women were more militant. Many women who protested for suffrage were arrested, jailed, and force-fed to end hunger strikes. After WWI, when women did much to support the American War effort, politicians relented and introduced the 19th amendment.



The amendment was ratified in 1920, over 72 years after women had first demanded the right to vote at Seneca Falls. End of Progressivism Progressives failed to address many social issues like a national ban on child labor, and civil rights for black Americans. World War I, which began in 1914, effectively ended Progressivism in the U.S.

Why do you think it took so long for women to get the right to vote in the U.S.?



Review for Progressivism Test

1. What were the four goals of the Progressive Movement?

2. What was the Temperance Movement?

3. What is Prohibition?

4. What does the term “laissez faire” mean?

5. Who were the muckrakers and what did they do?

6. Who invented the idea of “Scientific Management”?

7. Which invention was Henry Ford the first to use in a factory?



8. What were the advantages and disadvantages of the assembly line?

9. Which Wisconsin governor was well-known for his reforms of the railroad industry? Why were these reforms necessary?

10. What is the Australian ballot also known as?

11. Describe how the Initiative process works.

12. What is the Referendum? How does it work?

13. What is the Recall? How does it work?



14. What did the 17th Amendment say?

15. Why did Teddy Roosevelt become President?

16. What did Teddy Roosevelt promise the American people?

17. How did Roosevelt solve the Coal Strike of 1902?

18. How did the resolution of the Coal Strike show the nation what kind of president

Roosevelt intended to be?

19. Which law did Roosevelt use to break up “bad trusts”?

20. Describe a “pool”?



21. Which law gave the Interstate Commerce Commission the right to set maximum railroad rates?

22. What prompted TR to get Congress to pass the Meat Inspection Act?

23. What did the Meat Inspection Act do?

24. What did the Pure Food and Drug Act do?

25. What does conservation mean?

26. William Taft’s presidency caused what to happen to the Republican Party?

27. What was the nickname of the new Progressive Party?

28. Who was the Progressive Party’s candidate for president in 1912?



29. What did the Bull Moose Party have as its platform (there are 7 things)?

30. Who was elected president in 1912?

31. What was Wilson’s program for the American people called?

32. What did the Clayton Anti-Trust Act say?

33. What did the Federal Trade Act do?

34. Which amendment to the Constitution added a federal income tax?



35. What was the Federal Reserve System?

36. What was the name of the movement that wanted to give women the right to vote?

37. What were the three ways women sought suffrage?

38. Which amendment to the Constitution gives women the right to vote?

39. What event ended the Progressive Era?

spring 2013 the progressive movement - mr....

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