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The Progressives

The Progressive Era, spanning from around 1890 to World War I, was a pivotal time characterized by a strong desire to use government for societal well-being. Antecedents of Progressivism included influences from Populism, social critics, and writers like the Muckrakers who exposed societal injustices. Key features of Progressivism included democratic reforms, government efficiency, regulation, and social justice initiatives. Notable figures such as Theodore Roosevelt played significant roles in advancing Progressive agendas. The era saw significant legislative changes like the Income Tax Amendment, Child Labor laws, and Liquor Prohibition. Despite the strides made in regulatory legislations, current food regulations still allow for a certain level of contaminants like insect fragments in chocolate and peanut butter. However, regulations have improved food safety standards over time, highlighting ongoing efforts towards public health protection.

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The Progressives

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  1. The Progressives Out to save the world!

  2. The Progressive Era marks the end of the Gilded Age with its graft and corruption. Usually considered to be from roughly 1890 to World War I

  3. The desire to use the government as an agency of human welfare—the concept of the federal welfare state Antecedents of Progressivism: • Movement owed a great deal to Populism • Social Critics and Writers

  4. The Muckrakers were the investigative journalists of their day. Exposing evil became a flourishing business.

  5. Important Muckrakers wrote for magazines that were newly popular.

  6. Some of these articles were later made into books, such as Lincoln Steffens’ Shame of the Cities

  7. Jacob Riis published a book of his photographs called How the Other Half Lives in which he depicted lives of poverty.

  8. photos by Jacob Riis

  9. Four features of Progressivism Democratic • Direct primaries • Initiative, referendum, and recall • Income Taxes (XVI Amendment 1913) • Direct election of US Senators (XVII Amendment 1913) Government efficiency • City Manager • Staunton, Virginia (1908) • National Association of City Managers

  10. Regulation • Increased tendency to direct some business activities through federal regulations Social Justice • Settlement House movement • The National Child Labor Committee (1904) • By 1914, 35 state legislatures had passed laws prohibiting children under age fourteen from working • Liquor Prohibition—”manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors . . . prohibited.” (XVIII Amendment 1919)

  11. Theodore Roosevelt (R) • Became President after William McKinley assassinated (1901) • Roosevelt wished to avoid socialism and a return to laissez faire • Used the “carrot and the stick” approach

  12. Northern Securities Company v. United States (1904) • Bureau of Corporations within the Department of Commerce and Labor to collect statistics and investigate the activities of corporations. • John Mitchell (1870-1913) • United Mine Workers’ Union

  13. The Progressive Era • Everybody got something: • 10% pay increase • Nine-hour workday • Operators not required to recognize the United Mine Workers’ Union • Roosevelt the“Trust Buster” • Northern Securities Company

  14. The Progressive Era • Hepburn Railroad Regulation Act (1906) • As Roosevelt’s Administration progressed, he favored: • Income tax • Inheritance tax • Greater regulation of Business • Industrial Safety Regulations

  15. The Presidential Election of 1908 • William Jennings Bryan (D) (1860-1924) • William Howard Taft (R) (1857-1930)

  16. The Progressive Era • Taft called Congress into session to lower tariff rates. • Payne-Aldrich Tariff-raised some tariffs instead of lowering them. Taft makes the progressives MAD!

  17. The Election of 1912 • Theodore Roosevelt • New Nationalism • Woodrow Wilson (D) (1856-1924) • New Freedom

  18. Meat Inspection Act (1906) • Pure Food and Drug Act (1906) • In 1905, by the authority of the Forest Reserve Act (1891), 172 million acres placed under Federal protection

  19. Upton Sinclair was a socialist, who wanted to improve the plight of the working class in America.

  20. In 1906 Sinclair’s novel The Jungle drew outrage against the Chicago meatpacking industry for its arrogant disregard of basic health standards. This led to government regulation of food and drugs.

  21. What about now, however??? Surely the food is better now, because we have made a law!!!!!!

  22. Like the chocolate – how about the chocolate?

  23. Chocolate may contain no more than 60 insect fragments per 100 grams (about a pound).

  24. Peanut butter! Surely not the peanut butter!!!!! Peanut butter can have 50 insect fragments per 100 grams (as much as 620 in the 40-ounce jar of super chunk) or one rodent hair per 100 grams.

  25. Tomato juice is good, or, I couldhave had a V-8, I like that. 100 grams (about 16 ounces) of tomato juice can contain two Drosophila maggots, five eggs and one maggot, OR, ten eggs and no maggot at all.

  26. Well, then, we can just drink orange juice! 250 milliliters (about a cup) of orange juice is allowed to contain ten fruit fly eggs, but only two maggots.

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