90 likes | 220 Views
How successful were the Progressives at solving the problems of the Gilded Age? 1/8-11 Lecture. The Progressive Period. Progressive Period (1890s-1920s). Believed that increased government involvement (both national and local) was necessary to fix the problems of the Gilded Age
E N D
How successful were the Progressives at solving the problems of the Gilded Age? 1/8-11 Lecture The Progressive Period
Progressive Period (1890s-1920s) • Believed that increased government involvement (both national and local) was necessary to fix the problems of the Gilded Age • Wanted to elevate public interest over private greed • Beginnings of United States’ movement toward a social welfare states
Progressive Period • Who were they: • Urban middle-class • Muckrakers – journalists who desired to educate Americans through the exposing of corruption and injustice • Politicians • Women • Goals • Return control of the government to the people • Restore economic opportunities • Correct injustices in American life
Political Reforms • Civil service reform • Municipal Reform • City-manager system • Regulation of public utilities • Secret ballot • Direct primaries • 17th Amendment (direct election of senators) • Initiative, referendum, recall • 19th Amendment (extends right to vote to women) • People to know: Robert LaFollette, Alice Paul, Carrie Chapman Catt, Lincoln Steffens
Economic Reforms • Trust-Busting • Sherman and Clayton Anti-Trust Acts • Interstate Commerce Commission • Federal Reserve • Labor Reform • Child Labor Act, workers’ compensation, reduction in working hours • 16th Amendment (income tax) • People to know: Teddy Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, Woodrow Wilson, Ida Tarbell, Mother Jones
Social Reforms • Aid for the poor • Settlement houses • Housing codes • Prohibition • Consumer Safety • Meat-Inspection Act • Pure Food and Drug Act • Conservation • People to know: Jane Addams, Theodore Roosevelt, John Muir, Upton Sinclair, Anti-Saloon League
Criticism • Beyond women, little attention was paid other minority groups • Voter participation actually decreased • Increase of bureaucracy kept decision-making out of the people’s hands
Preparation for the DBQ • In your pairs, go through the DBQ documents. If helpful, use the “know/infer” method . • Think about how you can use the documents (along with possible outside info) to answer the question below: • Evaluate the effectiveness of Progressive Era reformers and the federal government in bringing about reform at the national level. In your answer be sure to analyze the successes and limitations of these efforts in the period 1900-1920.