Unit 6: Modern America

1. Unit 6: Modern America The Progressive Era

2. Chapter 24 Objectives • Explain the nature and the goals of the progressive movement. • Compare and contrast the progressive movement with the populist movement. • Describe Roosevelt’s brand of progressivism. • Account for Taft’s mixed record as a progressive. • Evaluate Wilson’s efforts for progressive reform. • Assess the impact of progressivism on U.S. politics, society, and economy

3. The Progressives Film • http://learner.org/vod/vod_window.html?pid=2299

4. Film Questions • What types of issues were Progressive reformers concerned? • How did the federal government respond to threats to public health? • What is the difference between preservation and conservation? • What led to changes to the way young men and women courted? • Did the Women Suffrage Movement marginalize African-American women? • Jane Adams • Henry Goddard • W.E.B. Dubois • What are ghetto girls?

5. Progressive Era • Progressivism • Honest and Efficient Government • Effective Regulation of business • Greater Social Justice for the working class • Government as an agency of human welfare • Features • Aimed against the abuses of the Gilded-Age bosses • Paradox of regulation of business by business leaders • Moral Reform • New response to social ills and tensions of the urban-industrial revolution

6. Antecedents • Populism • Populist Platform of 1892 • Mugwumps • Idea of an honest-government • Socialist critiques • Living and working conditions • Counter the influence

7. Muckrakers • Henry Demarest Lloyd • Wealth Against the Commonwealth • Jacob Riis • How the Other Half Lives • Golden Age of Muckraking • McClure’s • Lincoln Steffens • The Shame of the Cities • Ida Tarbell • History of the Standard Oil Company

8. Muckrakers & Popular Support For Reform • Key to gaining public sympathy • Feeding public curiosity for the sordid details of city life • Diagnosis more than remedy • Expose Corruption to End Corruption

9. Themes of Progressivism • Democratizing government • Efficiency and good government • Regulation of giant corporations • Social justice

10. Themes of Progressivism: Democracy • Direct Primary • Nominations of candidates by the vote of primary members • Initiative • Designated number of voters petition to have a measure put on the ballot • Referendum • Enact a law directly • Recall • Removal of public petition and vote corrupt officials • Popular Election of Senator • 17th Amendment

11. Themes of Progressivism: Efficiency and good government • Frederick W. Taylor and scientific management • Assembling line • Productivity and Dehumanization • Commission System • City-manager • Use of specialists (Wisconsin Idea) • Robert M. LaFollette

12. Themes of Progressivism: Regulation • Complete laissez-faire • Let business work out their own destiny • Public ownership of big business • City-level • Trust-busting • Restore competition • Difficult • Regulation of big business • Problem of regulating the regulators • Regulatory agency under control of those who they regulate

13. Themes of Progressivism: Social justice • Private charities and state power • Child labor • Night work and dangerous occupations • Erratic Supreme Court • Lochner v New York • Voided 10 hour workday • Muller v. Oregon • Upheld 10 hour workday for women • Bunting v. Oregon • Accepted 10 hour day for both men and women

14. Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire • Stricter building codes and factory inspection acts • Workmen's compensation

15. prohibition • Saloons in local politics • Suspicion of bossism

16. Roosevelt's progressivism: The Square Deal • Square Deal • Conservation • Consumer Protection • Regulation of Corporations/big business • Opposition to trust busting • Against wholesale trust-busting • Northern Securities case, 1904 • Railroads engaged in interstate activity and subject to federal authority

17. Coal strike of 1902 • Cause of strike • 20% wage increase • Reduction to 9 hr. workday • Official recognition of the union • Roosevelt and arbitration • Coals shortage and winter • Conference in Washington • Government control over mines • Effects of strike and settlement • 9 hour workday • 10 wage increase • No union recognition

18. Further regulation of business • Elkins Acts • Illegal for railroads to take and give secret rebates from freight charges to favorites • Bureau of Corporations • Reports on activities of interstate corporations • Help corporations correct malpractices and avoid lawsuits • Finds could lead to anti-trusts suits • Anti-trust suits • Standard Oil • American Tobacco

19. Election of 1904 • Republican nomination • TR • Progressive and conservatives voters • Business tycoons • Democratic candidate and positions • Alton Parker • Gold standard • Campaign and result • Swept by TR

20. Reforms in second term • Hepburn Act • Gave ICC power to set maximum freight rates • Railroads, pipelines, sleeping cars, bridges and ferries • Regulation of food and drugs • Upton Sinclair's The Jungle • Meat Inspection Act • Federal inspection of meats for interstate commerce • Sanitation standards w/in processing plants • Pure Food and Drug Act • Forbade the manufacture , sale or transportation of adulterated, misbranded or harmful foods, drugs and liquors

21. Conservation • Background • Reckless environmental abuse • Advocates of resource conservation • Early federal actions • Gifford Pinchot • Friend of Roosevelt • Scientific management • HetchHetchy controversy • Newlands Act • Water to arid western states • Consequences • Indians and rural whites • Disruption of natural ecological cycles

22. Taft's administration • William Howard Taft • Successor to Theodore Roosevelt in 1908 • Support for Roosevelt's policies • Further strengthen of the ICC • Democrats and Bryan • Lower tariff • Against court injunctions against labor actions • Election outcome • Socialist candidate received 421,000 votes • Taft becomes president

23. Taft and Tariff Reform • William H. Taft • Tariff reform • Preference for lower rates • Problems in Senate • 800 Changes to tariff • Reactions to compromise • Old Guard Republican

24. Ballinger-Pinchot controversy • Ballinger's actions to undo Roosevelt policies • Reclaimed reserved water power sites for commercial use • Coal lands for • Pinchot and Glavis • Taft fired Pinchot • Taft dismissed Glavis • Impact of the affair • Wedge b/w Roosevelt and Taft • Progressives in party feel alienated

25. Taft's Achievements • In conservation • More than TR • Set aside forest land in the East • First to withdraw oil reserves from use • 80 anti-trust suits to Roosevelt’s 25 • Mann-Elkins Act • ICC initiate railroad freight rate changes • Telephone and Telegraph regulation • Statehood of Arizona and New Mexico • Children’s Bureau • Constitutional amendments • 16th and 17th amendments

26. Woodrow Wilson • Wilson's rise to power • His background • Student of politics • President of Princeton • Governor of New Jersey • His nomination

27. New Nationalism v. New Freedom New Nationalism New Freedom • TR • Regulation of big business • Direct democracy measures • Child Labor laws • Minimum wage • Wilson • More anti trust action • Small business • Lower tariff • Breaking up concentration of financial power on Wall Street

28. Election of 1912 • Wilson's election • Significance of the election • High mark for progressivism • First presidential primaries • Focus on alternatives • Democrats back into office • Southerners into control • Republican party and conservatism

29. Wilsonian Reform • Wilson's style • President is the only national voice in affairs • Party Caucus to settle disputes • Tariff reform • Wilson's position • Tariff mad the trusts • Efforts for Senate support • Special session spoke directly to Congress • Underwood-Simmons Act • Reduced import duties on most goods • Lowered average duty from about 37% to 29% • Income tax provisions • 1% of income was taxed if over $3,000 or $4,000 married • Graduated to 6 percent on income of about $20,000 • Federal Reserve System • New National banking system • 12 regional reserve banks • Member banks subscribe 6% of its capital • Expand both the money supply and bank credit

30. Anti-Trust • Federal Trade Commission Act • Replaced Bureau of Corporations • Defined “unfair trade practices” • “cease and desist orders” • Clayton Anti-Trust Act • Practices outlawed • Price discrimination • Mergers and acquisitions that may lessen completion • Exclusive dealings • Labor and farm groups • Farm labor organizations were not unlawful combinations in restraint of trade • Injunctions in labor disputes were not to be handed down by federal courts • Disappointments with administration of the new laws • Advice to businessmen to avoid anti-trust suites • Conservatives to the ICC and federal Reserve • The limits of Wilson's progressivism • Social justice • African Americans

31. Wilsons return to reform • Plight of the Progressive party • Appointment of Brandeis • Supreme Court Justice • First Jewish member • Social justice champion • Support for land banks and long-term farm loans • Efforts for cheap rural credit • Farm demonstration agents and agricultural education • Federal Highways Act • Labor reform legislation • Adamson Act of 1916 • 8 hour workday • Time and half for overtime

32. Limits of Progressivism • Acceptance of the public-service concept of the state • Elements of paradox • Disfranchisement of southern African Americans • Manipulation of democratic reforms • Decisions by faceless bureaucratic experts • Decline of voter participation