Unit 5

The Progressive Era 1900-1920

The Progressive Era

• Progressive Era: Time period from 1900-1920 marked by reform to solve problems largely caused by industrialization– Areas of focus:• Labor rights• Political reform• Consumer protection• Women’s rights• Business regulation• Moral reform

Progressive Era cont.

• Populist Party:– A US political party that sought to represent the interests of

farmers and laborers in the 1890s, advocating increased currency issue, free coinage of gold and silver, public ownership of railroads, and a graduated federal income tax.

– Roots of the progressive movement• Progressive Party

– political party that carried on many populist ideas. – Formed in 1912– they sought to bring many social and political changes.– Also called the Bull Moose Party.

Progressive Era cont.

• Progressives were not radical– They wanted capitalism and democracy preserved– Progressives did call for an end to laissez-faire

government in the U.S.• They asked for, and got, a new role for our government

Muckrakers

• Muckrakers were journalists who revealed corporate corruption and bring public attention to the problems caused by industrialization.

• Muckrakers urged people to fight for reforms

Muckrakers cont.

• Ida Tarbell– Wrote A History of Standard Oil– she made the public aware of the practices of the Big business

• Upton Sinclair– Author of The Jungle – Meat packing industry

• The Jungle (1906)– A book written by Upton Sinclair that exposed the horrendous

and downright gross conditions of the food-packaging industry of the time and inspired pro-consumer federal laws regulating meat, food, and drugs.

Political Reform• Direct Democracy: A form of democracy where the people make decisions

directly• William U'ren

– State representative from Oregon who fought for the direct election of senators, initiatives, recalls, and referendums.

– His ideas became known as the Oregon plan and were copied by other states.• Initiative

– Progressive proposal to allow voters to propose legislation themselves• Referendum

– A form of direct democracy that places proposed laws on ballots, allowing the people to vote on them directly.

• Recall– giving voters the ability to remove from office disloyal or incompetent officials

• 17th Amendment– Progressive Era Amendment passed in 1913 that allowed for the direct election of

senators instead of state legislatures selecting them.

Political reform cont.

• Robert M. La Follette– A republican and later progressive politician– He served as Governor, Senator and Representative for

Wisconsin. – He is the associated with the "Wisconsin Idea" for government. – His reforms include the direct primary, worker's compensation

and state regulation of railroads.• Direct primary– allowing voters to select a candidate for the general election

for their party instead of holding a convention of party officials to select one.

Politics: Economy• Underwood Tariff

– Pushed through Congress by Woodrow Wilson, this 1913 tariff reduced average tariff duties by almost 15% and established a graduated income tax.

– It was part of Wilson's progressive attacks on tariffs.• Federal Reserve Act

– a 1913 law that set up a system of federal banks and gave government the power to control the money supply.

– It made modern monetary policy possible.– By controlling the money supply, the government can limit inflation and

unemployment.• 16th Amendment

– passed in 1913 that provided for the federal income tax.– It provided a source of government revenue other than tariffs.

Politics: Women’s Suffrage• Suffrage

– The legal right to vote• Alice Paul

– Women's rights activist and suffragist who formed the National Women's Party to fight for suffrage.

• National American Women's Suffrage Association (NAWSA)– Founded by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony to gather

support for an amendment guaranteeing women's suffrage. – It was lead by Carrie Chapman Catt after 1910.

• 19th Amendment– Progressive Era Amendment passed in 1920 that granted suffrage to

American Women. – It was first called for in 1848 by the Seneca Falls convention.

Consumer Protection

• Meat Inspection Act (1906)– An act passed which allowed the Federal Government

to inspect and ensure the quality of meat products in the United States.

• Pure Food and Drug Inspection Act (1906)– An act which called for the regulation of consumer

products to prevent false advertising. It prohibited false statements on food labels.

• Both acts were passed in response to public pressure after the publication of The jungle

Moral Reform

• Temperance– A moral and reform movement that sought to end

social problems by limiting the use of alcohol.– Its ultimate victory was the 18th amendment.

• 18th Amendment– passed in 1919 that outlawed the distribution and

sale of alcohol.– It marked the beginning of prohibition in America.

Business Regulation• Trustbuster

– informal name given to T. Roosevelt and W. H. Taft for their devotion to dissolving corrupt, monopolistic trusts.

• Federal Trade Commission Act– authorized a presidentially-appointed commission to oversee industries engaged in interstate

commerce, such as the meatpackers. – The commissioners were expected to crush monopolies at the source.

• Clayton Anti-Trust Act– New antitrust legislation constructed to remedy deficiencies of the Sherman Antitrust Act, namely,

it's effectiveness against labor unions• Hepburn Act (1906)

– expanded the Interstate Commerce Commission to include in its powers the prosecution of express companies, sleeping-car companies, and pipelines.

– For the first time gave the ICC that ability to nullify existing rates and set maximum rates.• Northern Securities Co. v. United States

– 1904 Supreme court case that was a victory against trusts.– The supreme court ruled that the Northern Securities railroad trust had to break up.– It was the first major victory for the Sherman Anti-Trust Act.

Labor Rights

• Workingmen's Compensation Act– established an all-purpose protection program for Federal civilian

employees and their dependents in the event of injury or death• Anthracite coal strike

– marked a change in the way that Presidents dealt with business owners and labor.

– Teddy Roosevelt tried to have management and labor meet in Washington, when management refused, he punished them by threatening to use the National Guard to take their mines away.

– This was the first pro-labor presidential response in a strike.• Minimum Wage• Child Labor Laws

Election of 1912

• Three way contest between Democrat Woodrow Wilson, Republican William Howard Taft, and Progressive Theodore Roosevelt.

• Roosevelt split off of the Republican party and stole many votes from Taft which allowed Wilson to win by a large margin in the electoral college.

• William Howard Taft– President after Roosevelt; – Different views than Teddy– Still progressive– Republican nominee in 1912

Election of 1912 cont.• Theodore Roosevelt

– President of the United States from 1901-1909– first real progressive president.– He handled labor and big business differently than previous presidents. – He also sought environmental conservation.– Bull Moose Progressive candidate in 1912

• Square Deal– the stated policy of President Theodore Roosevelt, originally promising fairness

in all dealings with labor and management and later extended to include other groups.

• New Nationalism– Theodore Roosevelt's political belief in a strong government to regulate

industry, protect the middle and working classes, and carry on great national projects

– Campaign slogan for 1912

Election of 1912 cont.

• Woodrow Wilson– Democratic candidate for president in 1912. – He won the three-way election largely because of division

within the Republican party. – He was considered a progressive President. – He was the first liberal Democratic president.

• New Freedom– Woodrow Wilson's campaign slogan for his first term that

focused on limited government. – It also came to represent his progressive reforms during his

first term that focused on tariffs, banks, and business reform.