Chapter 22, Section 2: The Progressives

1. Chapter 22, Section 2: The Progressives Main Idea: Progressive reformers worked to end political corruption and give voters greater power.

2. A. Reforming City Governments • Cities became corrupt because, as they grew, politicians accepted money to give away service jobs. Bribes & corruption became common & widespread. Political Bosses • Powerful politicians that controlled many local governments. • They ran politicalmachines that controlled services in cities in exchange for payoffs from businesses. • They were popular with poor immigrants because they provided jobs & charity, which allowed them to continuously get reelected. Boss Tweed • Ran NYC in the 1860/70s and cheated the city out of over $100 million. • He was eventually exposed by journalists such as Thomas Nast (political cartoonist) & fled to Spain, but was apprehended & sent to jail because he was recognized (cartoons). Good Government Leagues • goal was to replace corrupt officials with honest leaders.

3. Thomas Nast’s cartoons in Harper’s Weekly led to Tweed’s arrest “Let’s stop them damned pictures. I don’t care so much what the papers write about – my constituents can’t read – but they can see pictures.” – Boss Tweed

4. Nast was 1st to use Donkey & Elephant symbols for pol. parties Nast’s version of Santa is now widely accepted as the only version (many before)

5. Problem:Corrupt city bosses, such as Boss (William) Tweed in NYC. With his 1873 conviction behind him, Tweed was sued by New York State for $6 million. Held in debtor's prison until he could post half that amount as bail, he had few options. Still wealthy, his prison cell was fairly luxurious. Yet Tweed was determined to escape. Fleeing to Spain, he worked as a common sailor on a Spanish ship until recognized from a Nast cartoon & captured. Extradited to New York, William Marcy Tweed died in debtor's prison on April 12, 1878. Tweed-le-dee and Tilden-dum, Thomas Nast, Artist, Illustration in Harper's Weekly, July 1, 1876.

6. B. The Muckrakers • Reformers used the press to turn public opinion against corruption. Reporters described how corruption led to poor city services. • Muckrakers – crusading journalists who “raked the dirt” to expose wrong-doing. They helped change public opinion to demand change & reform. • Jacob Riis - photographed slum life & Child Labor (How the Other Half Lives) • Ida Tarbell - wrote articles about big business (particularly Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Co.) • Upton Sinclair – wrote The Jungle, a novel that depicted the terrible conditions in the meat packing industry • Lincoln Steffens – wrote The Shame of the Cities, about corruption in city governments

7. Jacob Riis immigrated to the U.S. from Denmark in 1870. He found work as a reporter & eventually became a reformer in order to help fix the poor living conditions in urban areas. The following photographs were taken by Riis and published in his book, “How the Other Half Lives.” Jacob Riis By writing and taking photographs of the tenements, Riis was able to bring these problems to people’s attention. His book helped lead to the development of housing codes to improve poor living conditions.

8. Home of an Italian Rag Picker, 1888 Five Cents Lodging, Bayard Street, c. 1889 Women's Lodging Room in the West 47th Street Station, c. 1892 Men's Lodging Room in the West 47th Street Station, c. 1892

9. Dens of Death Sleeping Quarters, Rivington Street Dump It Costs $1 a Month to Sleep in These Sheds Poverty Gap, an English Coal-Heaver's Home

10. Flat in the Pauper's Barracks w/ All Its Furniture A Seven-Cent Lodging House, Pell Street Bohemian Cigar Makers at Work in their Tenement Old Mrs. Benoit in Her Hudson Street Attic

12. President Roosevelt proposed legislation to clean up the meatpacking industry after reading The Jungle. • Food and Drug Act • Meat Inspection Act

14. C. The Progressives • Progressives was the term that reformers called themselves (forward-thinking people who wanted to improve American life) • 1898-1917 is known as the Progressive Era • They were never a single, united group with one goal. They were many groups & individuals with many causes & goals that believed that society’s problemscould be solved. They fought for public interest (good of the people) • Progressives valued education. They wanted schools to promote reform & teach democratic values by example (ask questions & work together to solve problems)

15. PROGRESSIVISM Muckrackers Suffragettes Temperance MidclassWomen Popul ists CivilRights Labor Unions

16. D. Political Reforms TheWisconsin Idea • Gov. Robert “Battling Bob” La Follette: “The will of the people shall be the law of the land.” Empowering Voters (give more power): • Primary – voters of a party choose their party’s candidate for the general election • Initiative – gave voters right to put a bill before a state legislature (propose a new law) • Referendum – allowed voters to vote directly on a bill (instead of the elected officials who normally would) • Recall – allowed voters to remove an elected official from office due to incompetence (not same as impeachment) Two New Amendments 16th– gave Congress power to levy an income tax (graduated – tax people @ diff. rates based on ability to pay) 17th– allowed for direct election of senators (used to be elected by state legislatures, who were controlled by special interests)

17. Progressive Political Reforms Before After Party leaders pick candidates for state and local offices Voters select their party’s candidates PRIMARY Only members of state legislatures can introduce bills Voters can propose bills to the legislature INITIATIVE Only legislators pass laws Voters can vote on bills directly REFERENDUM Only courts or legislature can remove corrupt officials Voters can remove elected officials from office RECALL

18. RECALL

19. Political Reforms 16th Amendment(1913) – gave Congress the power to impose an income tax