The Progressive Era

1. The Progressive Era

2. Do Now:What does this quote mean?? “I believe in democracy because it releases the energies of every human being” W. Wilson

3. Progressivism • Reform efforts that were to combat the problems of the 1890’s: • Unsafe factories • Dominance of corporations • Cure problems caused by industrialization • Make government more responsive to the public’s needs

4. Progressive Movement • Aimed to return control of the government to the people, restore economic opportunities , and correct injustices in American life. • Attracted: farmers, middle class, city dwellers, writers, teachers, scholars and women.

5. 4 Goals of Progressivism

6. 1. Promoting Social Welfare • Progressives tried to relive urban problems • Unsafe factories • Child labor (Florence Kelly) • Food/drug plan • Work day hours/compensation • Instituted: YMCA, Salvation Army

7. 2. Promoting Moral Reform • Programs to lift up the poor (including immigrants) by improving personal behavior • Prohibition: • Feared it would undermine democracy • Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WTCU): promoted the goal of prohibition that led to problems with saloons that served cheap meals, cashed paychecks etc.

8. 3. Promoting Economic Reform • After panic of 1893 many feared the capitalistic system • Some embrace socialism • Eugene V. Debs felt there was an unequal balance between big business  government  poor • Muckrakers were journalists who wrote about the corrupt side of business (whistle blowers)

9. Muckrakers

10. 4. Fostering Efficiency • Improving efficiency in the workplace to make tasks easier and more productive • Reforming city and state government to make it less corrupt

11. Some statistics….. • 1890: 1.5 million children worked • 1910: 2 million children worked. Problems businesses liked hiring children: small hands, low wages BUT..high accident rates • Child labor laws reformed by progressive programs -by 1920 child labor cut in half • 1902 Maryland pays workers compensation, other states to follow

12. Election Reforms • 1. Oregon establishes the secret ballot • 2. Initiative: a bill originated by people, not lawmakers • 3. Voters not legislature accept or decline an initiative by a referendum—a vote on an initiative • 4. Recallallows voters to remove public officials by forcing them to face another election before their term has ended • 5. Direct Primary: (Wisconsin 1903) voters would choose candidates through popular election • 17th amendment senators voted in by popular vote

13. Reforms for Women • 1900 women made up 25% of industrial workforce: sewing, folding, packing and bottling. Women made up 40% of the tobacco industry, 50% of government trade… BUT received 50% less pay than men

14. Reforms for Women • Late 19th century many women become more active in public life and attend women’s colleges (Vassar, Smith, Wellesley, Radcliffe, Barnard) • Women apply their skills to social reforms:

15. Reforms for Women • 1. Unsafe factories, labor abuses, housing reform, food and drug laws • 2. African-American women-NACW (National Association of Colored Women) • 3. Suffrage: Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton • NAWSA: National American Women’s Suffrage Association

16. 3 Approaches to Suffrage • 1. Convince legislators to grant women the right to vote • 2. 14th amendment gave citizens rights to vote—why not women?? • 3. Make a national constitutional amendment granting women the right to vote

17. “The Anthony Amendment” “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.” Proposed to the Senate and flatly denied!!

18. Suffrage • Women still not able to vote were getting intolerant especially because immigrant men who received citizenship were able to vote. • 3 Developments: • 1. Increased activism of local groups • 2. The use of new strategies to build enthusiasm for the movement • 3. The rebirth of the national movement

19. Local Suffrage Battles • By the early 1900’s women viewed suffrage as their civil right. • Many groups (mostly college educated young women) spread the word of suffrage to women around the country speaking to crowds urging them to strive for their right to vote.

20. Suffrage • During WW I women’s determined efforts make suffrage likely. • 1919 congress passed the 19th amendment winning ratification in 1920 giving women the right to vote a right they had fought for since 1848.

22. Progressive Presidents Theodore Roosevelt: 1901-1909 William H. Taft: 1909-1913 Woodrow Wilson: 1913-1921

23. Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt • Becomes president (at 42 years old) in 1901 after the assassination of President McKinley • Dynamic personality, served 3 terms in NY State Assembly, NY City Police Commissioner, Assistant Secretary of US Navy and VP of USA

24. TR-Square Deal • TR believed the office of the president and the government should use their power to advance public programs which would allow his office to step in to solve problems when states couldn’t. • He called this the people’s right to a “square deal” these would become the various progressive reforms in his administration.

25. TR and the Square Deal (examples) • 1902: Coal Strike: 140,000 miners went on strike in PA demanding a 20% raise, a 9 hour workday and the right to organize a union. • The workers continued to strike for 5 months as the winter approached • TR called both sides to White House for arbitration and in 1903 reached a compromise • **This action demonstrated from then on-when a strike threatened public welfare the federal government would step in and intervene.

26. TR-Square DealTrusts • 1900: trusts controlled 4/5 of all industries in the US. People mistrusted trusts because they were corrupt. • In 1890 congress passed the Sherman Antitrust Act: which prevented monopolies. But…the language was vague and enforcement was difficult. • TR made it his business to file anti-trust suits: in all he filed 44 suits and was able to break up some trusts--but not completely.

27. TR-Square DealFederal Regulation • Elkins Act 1903: Made it illegal for railroad officials and shippers either to give or to receive rebates--once a RR set rates it could not change them without notifying the public. • The Hepburn Act 1906: limited the distribution of free railroad passes (bribery) and gave the ICC (Interstate Commerce Commission) power to set maximum RR rates when shippers complained (needed court approval) • These acts gave the government more power to regulate the RR industry.

28. TR-Square DealProtecting Health • Upton Sinclair’s book The Jungle prompted TR to investigate the meatpacking industry. • 1906: Meat Inspection Act: dictated strict cleanliness requirements for meatpackers and created the program of federal meat inspection. • 1906: Pure food and Drug Act: halted the sale of contaminated foods and medicines and called for truth in labeling.

29. TR-Square DealConservation • Private interest ate away at the wilderness exploiting natural resources   • TR set aside millions of acres of forest reserves, water power and mineral and water resources • TR established more than 50 wildlife sanctuaries and several national parks.

30. TR-Square DealCivil Rights • TR not civil rights supporter but supported a few African American individuals • Booker T. Washington the head of an all black trade school was invited to the White House for dinner. • W.E.B. Dubois was critical of Washington for accommodating segregation. • Progressives were largely indifferent to civil rights and in 1909 started the NAACP.

31. Progressivism-Taft • TR Secretary of War William Howard Taft won 1908 election against Democrat William Jennings Bryan • Taft was a “trust-buster” busting 90 trusts in 4 years • Payne-Aldrich Tariff: lower rates (tariffs) on manufactured goods

32. Republicans Split • Speaker of the House Joseph Cannon either ignored or weakened progressive bills. • With the help of democrat’s reforms… republicans stripped Cannon of his powers. • By midterm elections of 1910 the Republican Party was in disarray. Progressive republicans vs. old school republicans fought over many reform bills. Due to this, democrats won control of the house.

33. TR-Bull Moose • In 1912 TR ran for a 3rd presidential term. • At the republican convention supporters of Taft did not allow TR and his delegates into the convention. • Taft was nominated by the Republicans. • TR was so mad he split from the Republican Party and formed a 3rd party: The Progressive Party known as the “Bull Moose Party” (TR--strong as a bull) calling for many progressive reforms.

34. Election 1912

35. Woodrow Wilson • Wilson was elected president in 1912 he enacted his program of “New Freedom” and planned his attack on the “triple wall of privilege”: trust, tariffs and high finance.

36. Wilson-Progressive Reforms • Clayton Antitrust Act 1914:strengthened the Sherman Antitrust Act and made some business practices illegal. • This law stated labor unions and farm organizations had a right to exist and allowed them to strike, picket and boycott. • Samuel Gompers president of the AFL realized its benefit to the average worker. • Federal Trade Act 1914:set up a 5 member watch dog agency Federal Trade Commission which had the power to investigate possible business violations such as unfair practices and corruption. The FTC also could shut down corporations if they felt it necessary.

37. Wilson-Progressive Reforms • Wilson helped pass the Underwood Tariff of 1913: reducing tariff rates for the first time since the Civil War. • Wilson urged voters to “watch their public officials”-- the senate actually did cut tariff rates because of the words of Wilson. • Something had to replace the lost revenue: The 16th Amendment ratified in 1913 legalized a federal income tax.

38. Wilson-Financial Reform • The nation needed a way to make credit more easily available and a way to adjust the amount of money in circulation: • 1. established a decentralized private banking system under federal control • Federal Reserve Act 1913 divided the nation into 12 districts which had a federal reserve bank-all the national banks were affiliated with this bank • 2. The Federal Reserve Bank could issue new paper currency in an emergency. • The banks could use the new currency to make loans to their customers • Banks could also transfer funds to member banks saving them from closure • By 1923 70% of the nations banking were part of the Federal Reserve System.

39. WilsonAnti-Social Reformer?? • Although Wilson ran on a progressive reform platform like his predecessors he retreated on issues such as civil rights: • Wilson opposed federal anti-lynching legislation • The Capitol offices resumed the practice of segregation during Wilson • Wilson appointed Southern whites to his cabinet who extended segregation • Liberal whites and members of NAACP felt betrayed as Wilson promised to help them if he was elected. • WW I will loom in the future making progressive policies a thing of the past taking up much of Wilson’s time and attention

40. Progressive Amendments • 16th Amendment: Gave power to the federal government to levy income tax (1913) • 17th Amendment: Direct election for Senate (1913) • 18th Amendment: Established Prohibition (the consumption, sale and making of alcohol) (1919) • 19th Amendment: Women’s Suffrage (1920)