Progressive Era: Reformers, Women's Suffrage, and Political Change

1. HIST3:CH 19 The Progressive Era

2. Immigration restrictions Prohibition Political reform End to white slavery, prostitution, and sweat shops End of child labor PROGRESSIVISM Americanization of immigrants Anti-trust legislation Rate regulation of private utilities End of urban political machines Women’s suffrage 2

3. I. The Reformers The Progressives were composed mainly of middle-class men and women Principal Reform Groups: The Social Gospel Movement Women Reforming the Cities: Settlement Houses The Anti-Saloon League What was progressivism? Many historians believe it was the urban counterpart to rural populism It can also be defined as the beginning of modern “liberalism” Liberals/progressives believed: The government should be more active Social problems should be addressed through government legislation Public funds should be used to address social problems

4. Social Gospel Movement The religious doctrines preached by those who believed that the churches should directly address economic and social problems; opposite of the idea of Social Darwinism p336

5. Settlement House Movement: The settlement house movement began in the late 1880’s and lasted up through the Great Depression of the 1930’s. Middle-Class educated women and men volunteers lived and worked in settlement houses. Settlement houses were often converted residential buildings in poor urban neighborhoods. By 1910, there were over 400 settlement houses in the U.S. The goal was to improve the lives of poor families by providing amenities and services that were not provided by government. They offered clubs, classes, social gatherings, playgrounds, arts programs, sports and summer camps, clean milk stations, well-baby clinics and other innovative programs. Settlement workers saw their mission as social reform. The settlement houses became laboratories for developing new techniques and offering training in the new field of social work. 5

6. Municipal Reform: ►municipal reform ►utilities - water, gas, electricity, trolleys ►commission plan ►council-manager plan (Dayton, 1913)

7. II. State Political Reform • Galveston hurricane Democratizing Trends • Initiative • Referendum • Primary • Recall Professional Administrators • Their use ensured continuity and efficiency rather than a chaotic turnover of personnel each time a new party came into office Progress of Reforms • States adopted these various reforms, mostly beginning in the West and the Midwest

9. III. Women’s Progressivism • National American Woman Suffrage Association • National Women’s Party • Nineteenth Amendment • Margaret Sanger Margaret Sanger (1883-1966) American leader of the movement to legalize birth control during the early 1900's. As a nurse in the poor sections of New York City, she had seen the suffering caused by unwanted pregnancy. Founded the first birth control clinic in the U.S. and the American Birth Control League, which later became Planned Parenthood.

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11. The suffrage movement, under new leadership launched an all out campaign to win the vote 19th Amendment By 1916, almost all of the major suffrage organizations were united behind the goal of a constitutional amendment. When New York adopted woman suffrage in 1917, and when President Woodrow Wilson changed his position to support an amendment in 1918, the political balance began to shift in favor of the vote for women. On May 21, 1919, the House of Representatives passed the amendment, and 2 weeks later, the Senate followed. When Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify the amendment on August 18, 1920, the amendment passed its final hurdle of obtaining the agreement of three-fourths of the states. Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby certified the ratification on August 26, 1920, and the face of the American electorate changed forever.

12. IV. Progressivismin National Politics • Presidential administrations of Theodore Roosevelt, William H. Taft, and Woodrow Wilson Theodore Roosevelt, Reformer: • Sherman Antitrust Act • Hepburn Act of 1906 • Trustbuster • National Forest Service William Howard Taft, Reformer? • Progressive Party Woodrow Wilson, Reformer: • “The New Freedom” • Clayton Antitrust Act • Federal Trade Commission • Keating-Owen Child Labor Act

13. THEODORE ROOSEVELT: REPUBLICAN - NY Twenty-Sixth President1901-1909 “Square Deal” Square Deal: President Theodore Roosevelt's plan for reform; all Americans are entitled to an equal opportunity to succeed, focused on busting trusts, government regulation of big business, fair chance for labor, and environmental conservation

14. WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT: REPUBLICAN - OH Twenty-Seventh President1909-1913 Taft had problems with both the conservative and progressive wings of his Republican Party. This eventually led to a split between he and Theodore Roosevelt culminating in the 1912 election where they ran against each other, splitting the Republican vote, assuring a Democratic victory. A major reason for the split was Taft’s firing of Gifford Pinchot. This was seen as an attack on the conservation and violation of Roosevelt’s core beliefs. Taft did promote several progressive agendas including initiating more anti-trust case than Roosevelt.

15. Taft Splits the Republican Party 1912.

16. Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) or Wobblies: This radical union aimed to unite the American working class into one union to promote labor's interests. It worked to organize unskilled and foreign-born laborers, advocated social revolution and led several major strikes. Stressed solidarity. Wilson’s “ New Freedom ” Platform: Tariff reduction Reform of the banking system New laws to control abusive corporations Restore competition to increase opportunity Support the rights of union and the working man Woodrow Wilson: Democrat Twenty-eighth president1913-1921 Underwood-Simmons Tariff (1913): Provided for a federal income tax as a means to compensate for anticipated lost revenue because of the reduction of tariff duties Reform of the banking system Federal Reserve Act (1913): The Federal Reserve Act provided for the establishment of up to 12 Federal Reserve Banks (district banks) to coordinate policy with a seven-member Federal Reserve Board in Washington The Federal Reserve was set up to prevent or moderate the cycles of boom and bust that had devastating impact on the American economy

17. Clayton Anti-Trust Act (1914) : Clarified the existing antitrust law (Sherman Act 1890). A number of business practices were prohibited including: Predatory price cutting. Price fixing. Ownership of stock in competing companies. Interlocking directorates (the practice of having the same individuals serve as directors of competing companies). Placed limitations on the use of injunctions against unions and stipulated that labor organizations were not illegal combinations acting to restrain trade; boycotts, strikes and picketing were all recognized as legal activities. Keating Owen Child Labor Act (1916): This act limited the working hours of children and forbade the interstate sale of goods produced by child labor. Unfortunately the Supreme Court declared this and subsequent laws unconstitutional. Federal Trade Commission Act (1914): Established to preserve competition by preventing unfair business practices and investigate complaints against companies.

18. V. Progressive Influenceson American Culture • Their ideas influenced business and educational practices • Goals to improve the overall quality of life for many Americans The Muckrakers: • Muckrakers • Pure Food and Drug Act Progressivism in Business: • Scientific management • Time-and motion studies Progressive Education: • Progressive Education Association The Role of Laws: • Eugenics

19. Role of the media in exposing the problems in America Muckrakers: Upton Sinclair, Ida Tarbell, Jacob Riis, Lincoln Steffens

20. Newspapers and magazines expose the problems of industrial society

22. Eugenics movement While nearly all progressives agreed that immigrants caused problems, some wanted to help them assimilate while others wanted to limit the flow of immigration. The Eugenics movement was an effort to grade races and ethnic groups based on their genetic qualities. The sterilized those who were undesirable for reproduction and believed human inequalities were hereditary and immigration was contributing to the number of unfit people.