The Progressive Movement

1. The Progressive Movement Ch 11, Sec 1-2

2. 1890-1920-new reform movement. • Called Progressivism or Progressive Movement. • Felt that private charities could not do enough to help poor. • Gov’t must get involved. • Progressivism not a single party or group. • Overall, had social, moral, economic, political goals.

3. Goals of Progressivism • Government should be more accountable to its’ citizens. • Government should limit the power of wealthy interests. • Government should be given expanded powers so that it could become more active in improving citizens’ lives. • Governments should become more efficient and less corrupt.

4. Beginnings of Reform • Journalists wrote of conditions in factories and slums. • Called muckrakers. • Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle. • Brought attention to bad conditions to the people and gov’t. • Led to reform groups and legislation to correct conditions/abuses.

6. Reformers and Groups • Labor Movement. • Unions grew to combat low pay and working conditions. • Owners used courts to prevent strikes (injunctions). • Socialist Movement. • Gov’t redistributes wealth; gov’t controls property & income; became popular. • Socialist Party won local gov’t victories, not successful on national level.

7. Women very important/influential in Progressive movement. • National Consumer’s League inspected factories, demanded minimum wages, factories follow state laws. • Florence Kelley worked with Jane Addams. • Helped end child labor, regulate sweatshops. • Mother Jones was a union organizer, famous for organizing mine workers. • Helped found IWW, or Wobblies. • Rose Schneiderman – Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. • Fire inspectors, fire drills, fire exits unlocked, automatic sprinklers.

8. Florence Kelley

10. Mother Jones

12. Rose Schneiderman

15. Progressive Legislation Reforms • Progressives wanted social welfare programs. • Programs to ensure a minimum standard of living. • Unemployment, health insurance, safety regs. • Municipal Reforms (local gov’t). • Pushed for home rule-cities have ability to govern themselves. • Pushed to bring down political machines. • Pushed to take over utilities (electricity, gas, water). • Welfare services (baths, parks, shelters, relief for unemployed).

16. State Reforms. • More power for voters. • Direct primary-citizens nominate candidates for election. • Initiative-citizens can put proposed laws on ballots via petition. • Referendum-citizens approve or reject law passed by legislature. • Recall-citizens vote to remove public official from office. • Workplace reforms. • Health & safety laws (limited hours, worker’s comp). • Establish state labor departments. • Abolished child labor, est. minimum wage.

17. Federal Reforms. • Theodore Roosevelt was big Progressive president. • Forced coal miners & owners to negotiate deal to end strike. • Filed 42 anti-trust lawsuits; became known as “trust-buster”, didn’t like monopolies. • Gave power to ICC to regulate railroads’ rates. • Inspired by The Jungle, passed the Pure Food and Drug Act, Meat Inspection Act. • Required labels of ingredients, sanitary conditions, rating system for meat.

23. Created federal Department of Labor, Women’s Bureau, Children’s Bureau. • Laws to protect women, kids. • TR was big environmentalist; created US Forest Service, set aside 200 million acres for parks. • New Constitutional Amendments. • 16th – Allowed federal gov’t to tax income. • 17th – Direct election of senators by voters. • 18th – Established Prohibition.