Progressive Movement

1. Progressive Movement Additional Chapter Notes

2. Progressive Movement • This was not a single movement, just the most drastic change at a given time in our history. • Has sparked future reform or changes/ideas of where responsibility lays – in the people or government. • Redresses imbalances and curb excesses that arose during the period of industrial growth following the Civil War. • Influenced by the growth of media, which allowed for dissemination of ideas and debate. • Magazines, city newspapers, etc.

3. Florence Kelley • Social reformer with strong sympathies for the powerless in society – mainly women and children. • Pushed for the government to solve social problems • Became the general secretary of the National Consumer’s League • Tried to improve labor conditions, particularly child labor laws • Wrote numerous books and articles about child labor • Muller v. Oregon – pushed for the welfare of women in the workplace

4. Louis D. Brandeis • Advocated with Florence Kelley in Muller v. Oregon • Son of a Czech Jew who immigrated to the U.S. in 1849 • Raised in Louisville, Kentucky and attended Harvard • Known as the “people’s attorney” as he defended the constitutionality of several state laws prescribing maximum work hours and minimum wages. • Promoted federal antitrust laws • Other People’s Money, and How the Bankers Used It (1914) – explained the control investment bankers exercised over American industry. • 1916 – Wilson appointed him to the U.S. Supreme Court • First Jewish person to receive this honor

5. Anti-Saloon League • Worked to pass laws to force people to change their drinking habits and punish those who drank • Early temperance efforts asked individuals to change their ways • Founded by progressive women – mainly • Households in which women did not work, men could put security of the entire family in jeopardy • Religious convictions and problem behavior induced by drinking (violence, abuse, job accidents/loss) • Endorsed politicians who opposed alcohol, regardless of party affiliation. • Statewide referendums to ban alcohol • 1900-1917 many voters (mainly in the South and West) prohibited sale, production, and use of alcohol • Many “dry” towns, city wards, and rural areas

6. Eugene V. Debs • Union organizer who led the Pullman Strike of 1894 • Jailed and help in contempt of court for violating an injunction under the Sherman Antitrust Act • Early founder of the Socialist Party of America • Competition was unfair – some were left out against people like John D. Rockefeller • Ran for president five times • 1920 he ran his campaign from prison but still managed to receive almost one million votes

7. Henry Ford/Model T • Perfected the large-scale use of the assembly line • Reduced the number of hours required for production from 12 to 2 hours for the Model T • Lack of consumer choice however – “any color as long as it is black”

8. Reform Governors • James S. Hogg (TX) • Drove out illegal insurance companies from TX and pushed for antitrust legislation • Regulated railroads – focused on the abuses in rates • Railroad commission helped increase milling and manufacturing in TX by lowering freight rates • His job – “making war on unscrupulous business” in TX • Robert La Follette (“Fighting Bob”) – progressive Republican from WISCONSIN • “Wisconsin Idea” – public universities contribute to the state by having professors serve in office, drafting legislation, running commissions, etc. • U.S. Senator – tackled big banks • 1924 he ran for president as the Progressive Party candidate • Start of WI’s most famous political family

10. Women in Public Life • Became politically and socially active • Susan B. Anthony, Florence Kelley, Jane Addams, Lillian Wald, etc. • Telephone operators – connected wires through a switchboard to make a phone call. • Previously done by men, but there were many complaints of profane language and that they talked back. • Women accepted the work for only $10/week • Demonstrate they are a beneficial part of society to earn equality (similar to ideas from Booker T. Washington). • Department stores advertised to shop by phone • Chicago ad – “order, inquiry, or request will be quickly and intelligently cared for”, shown with a picture of a line of female telephone operators.

11. Women’s Colleges and Coeducation Many women’s colleges (Radcliffe and Pembroke) became part (still separate) of previously male-colleges (Harvard and Brown) Vassar – previously an all women’s college – is now coed. Traditional male-only schools (Amherst, Dartmouth, Princeton, Williams) are now coed. Areas of study that were male-dominated (medicine, law, and engineering) now have equal or greater numbers of females.

12. Susan B. Anthony • Suffragette who questioned the 14th Amendment • States denying male citizens the right to vote would lose their congressional representation … but aren’t women citizens? • Came from a strict Quaker family • Self-discipline, education, strong belief system • Mary Perkins – her teacher – taught her a positive view of womanhood • Voted illegally in the 1872 presidential election and was fined $100, which she never paid. • Reviled and scorned in her early years as a suffrage leader • 1890 she was a national heroine (however the 19th Amendment didn’t pass until 1919) – well before any progress had been made.

13. Roosevelt and the Square Deal • The Progressive Era is not just about the reforms but also the precedent set for an activist presidency. • Roosevelt set the national agenda • Previously, there was little in the ways of federal authorities intervening in domestic affairs. • Roosevelt expanded the responsibilities of the presidency and described in the Constitution. • Arbitrating labor disputes • Regulating business

14. Rough Riders • Heroic cavalry brigade during the Spanish-American War (chapter 10) • Roosevelt recruited cowboys, police officers, miners, and college athletes. • Colonel Leonard Wood resigned his post as the White House physician to command • Roosevelt was second in command • Although they were a cavalry brigade, most battles they fought were on foot as their horses were often stranded.

15. Coal Mining and the 1902 Coal Strike • Dangers of coal mining – biggest fears include collapse and explosion • After a fire or explosion, miners would descend into the mines with a canary in a cage – a dead bird meant that gases were accumulating and it was time to get out. • 1902 Coal Strike – threatened public welfare and the federal government was expected to step in. • Coal mine operators were astonished when Roosevelt refused to do their bidding – set up and arbitration • 1894 – federal intervention suppressed the Pullman Strike (led by Eugene V. Debs)

16. Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) • 1906 the ICC used its powers to set and enforce freight rates in the railroad industry. • Its authority increased to include railroad workers wages and working conditions, water freight rates, and trucking freight rates. • ICC became more successful after the Elkins Act and Hepburn Act • Elkins Act (1903) – illegal for railroad officials to give, and shippers to receive, rebates for using particular railroads. • Hepburn Act (1906) – limited the distribution of free railroad passes

17. Meat Inspection • In the past, meat inspection was mostly about what might fall or walk into products. • Today it is about the unseen dangers • E. coli bacteria, antibiotics or chemicals, mad cow • Mad cow outbreak in Great Britain in 1996 and then across Europe (mainly France, Spain, and Germany) in 2000 • 1996 meat inspection experienced extensive changes • Rising costs of scientific inspections • FDA put restrictions on importation of feed and livestock from other countries

18. Gifford Pinchot • Head of the U.S. Forest Service • Epitomized the Progressive Era • He and Roosevelt fashioned a policy for BOTH conservation and business interests • Served during Taft’s administration – questioned the Secretary of Interior, Richard A. Ballinger, for making decisions favoring business interests a the expense of conservation of natural resources. • Removed from office by Taft for insubordination and then served two nonconsecutive terms as Pennsylvania governor

19. Washington v. Du Bois • Booker T. Washington • Educator and spokesperson for African Americans, advocating for self-improvement • Urged African Americans to accept their [second class] status under Jim Crow Laws and work to improve themselves through vocational training and economic self-reliance. • Made him popular among whites, but Du Bois and other black leaders disagreed with his apparent acceptance of segregation. • W.E.B. Du Bois – helped found the NAACP in 1909 • In 1920 he had a power struggle with NAACP’s executive secretary, Walter White, where Du Bois’ position was ironically similar to Washington. • Argued for a separate economy for African Americans making the distinction between forced and voluntary segregation. • He was pushed outside the mainstream of the civil rights movement. • Both approaches to social reform had strengths. • Washington’s counsel for self-improvement was helpful and Du Bois’ militancy helped further the cause of racial equality for African Americans.

20. Difficult Decisions of 1902 • Conservationists (Pinchot) pushed for balanced use of natural resources – preserve some and use others for private industry. • Free market advocates (Ballinger) wanted private development of wilderness areas. • Preservationist (Muir) wanted to preserve all remaining wilderness. • What were the pros and cons of each position and what factors in 1902 influence them? • Job loss, health concerns, unknown results affecting the balance of nature, threat of extinction to certain species. • In 1902, what would you have decided – preserve or develop?

21. William Howard Taft • Only served one term as president (1908-1912) • Taught constitutional law at Yale • Chaired the National War Labor Board (WWI) • Supporter of the League of Nations after WWI • 1921 – President Harding named Taft chief justice of the Supreme Court • President – one of the people, embody people’s hopes and dreams, and be a strong leader • Chief Justice – judicious and analytical mind (fits more in this position) • 1910 he initiated the popular presidential custom of throwing out the first ball of the major league baseball season.

22. 1912 Election (map – 331) • Most states assigned electoral votes on a winner-takes-all basis • Taft (Conservative) and Roosevelt (Progressive) split the Republican vote • Taft was conservative, cautious, curbing reforms • Roosevelt was reform minded, used the bully pulpit (more popular with the people) • Wilson did not even need to win 50% of the popular vote to win • Wilson won 40 states in the electoral vote (so he would have won without the popular vote) – strong reform agenda as a progressive leader.

23. Carrie Chapman Catt • Succeeded Susan B. Anthony as president of the National American Woman Suffrage Association in 1900. • Helped lead the suffrage movement to the successful passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920. • Founding member of the League of Women Voters • Leader of the 1920s and 1930s peace movement Carrie Chapman Catt Emmeline Pankhurst

24. Emmeline Pankhurst • British suffragist whose bold maneuvers captured media coverage, “tutoring” American women struggling for suffrage. • Helped found the National Women’s Social and Political Union who often used radical tactics. • Parades, organized protest meetings, hunger strikes, heckled Parliament candidates, spat on policemen (often imprisoned before Parliament granted them suffrage in 1928 – well after America) • Even more revolutionary in the context of Victorian society – 1890s-1900s, women were expected to be polite and modest. • Women marching in protest and engaging in civil disobedience was a major shock to many.

25. William Monroe Trotter • Dissatisfied by Wilson’s inaction to reverse the segregation of government employees. • Worked with the Niagara Movement to found the NAACP • Later criticized the NAACP policy of racial accommodation and reliance on financial support from whites. • Established the National Equal Rights League – protested discrimination • Led several nonviolent protests and demonstrations to address issues of racial and social justice.

26. Deregulation and Federal Income Tax • Deregulation – industries are permitted to compete with government control (to improve efficiency and lower prices) – still debated today • Progressive Era – regulation was seen as a necessary role of government to ensure safety and fairness for consumers and industrial competitors. • Those against regulation said it cause inefficiency and high prices • Modern deregulation critics – businesses may skimp on safety, may neglect hard-to-serve populations (elderly, poor, disabled) while competing for more profitable customers. • Federal Income Tax – taxing individual earnings and corporate profits (graph on 334) • 1915-1955: low tax revenues resulted in relatively low federal spending • 1955-1995: tax revenues increased dramatically, as did federal spending