Progressivism in the Early 20th Century: Origins, Muckrakers, Reforms

1. Ch. 11: The Progressive Reform Era (1890-1920)

2. Section 1: Origins of Progressivism • The early 20th century brought a series of domestic reforms, known as progressivism.

3. Roots of 20th Century Reform • Populism: William Jennings Bryan • Social Gospel Movement • Prohibition • Electoral reforms • Settlement houses • Unlike Populism which came from the rural West, 20th century progressivism comes primarily from within cities.

4. Goals and Beliefs • Government should… • Be accountable to its citizens. • Curb the power and influence of wealthy interests. • Be given expanded powers to help improve the life of its citizens. • Become more efficient and less corrupt.

5. Henry George • Early reformer and writer. • Wrote Progress and Poverty, in 1879. • Believed poverty arose when wealthy people bought land and held it. • Proposed land tax.

6. Edward Bellamy • Newspaper editor, wrote Looking Backward in 1888. • A man goes into hypnosis in 1887 and wakes up in the year 2000. Waking up in 2000, he finds the U.S. to be transformed. • For many Americans, the book represented what could be.

7. The Muckrakers • Journalists played the role of alerting the public to wrongdoing in politics and business. • Theodore Roosevelt called these writers muckrakers. • A muckrake is a rake used to clean manure and hay out of stables.

8. Upton Sinclair: The Jungle • Upton Sinclair wrote The Jungle • Exposed the public to the horrible working and sanitation conditions of the meatpacking industry. • Prompted the creation of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

9. The Jungle • “It seemed they must have agencies all over the country, to hunt out old and crippled and diseased cattle to be canned. There were cattle which had been fed on ‘whisky-malt,’ the refuse (garbage) of the breweries, and had become what the men called ‘steerly’- which means covered with boils… It was stuff such as this that made the ‘embalmed beef’ that killed several times as many U.S. soldiers as all the bullets of the Spaniards (in Spanish-American War).” -Upton Sinclair, The Jungle, 1906

10. The Labor Movement • Unions, although stifled by business leaders, continued to grow into the 1900s. • Fought for better working conditions and higher wages.

11. Socialists • The Progressive Era saw a rise in the popularity of socialism. • Socialism- an economic and political philosophy/system favoring government control of property and income. • Many promoted socialist ideas as a means of more evenly distributing wealth. • Socialists advocated government ownership of major American industries (oil, steel, etc.).

12. Socialist Party of America • Founded in 1901. • By 1912 the party had won more than 1,000 government offices. • Many progressives thought socialism too extreme and merely wanted to reform the current system, ridding the government of corruption and improving the quality of life for the lower class.

13. Women’s Groups • Women rise to new levels of civic activism. • Women founded the National Consumers’ League (NCL). • NCL investigated the conditions under which goods were made and sold. • Much of women’s activism came to be focused around one primary issue, women’s right to vote.

14. Florence Kelley • A leader in labor reform. • Worked for with Jane Addams at the Hull House in Chicago. • Government asked Kelley to help investigate local labor conditions. • Based on her work, Illinois passed a law prohibiting child labor and regulated sweatshop conditions. • Focused on outlawing child labor and worker protection.

15. Mary Harris “Mother” Jones • Irish immigrant, lost her husband and four children in a yellow fever epidemic in Tennessee. • Established a dressmaking business, lost it all in the Great Chicago Fire. • Became passionate about labor reform. • Traveled around the country organizing labor unions, particularly in the mines in West Virginia and Colorado. • Spokesperson for unions, founded the International Workers of the World (IWW).

16. Resistance to Progressive Reforms • Many resisted progressives attempt to reform society. • Sought to increase government involvement in housing, the workforce, healthcare, and even entertainment. • Some resisted the idea of increase government control. • Even some poor families, who progressives were trying to help, sometimes resisted ideas like banning child labor, which they depended on to survive.

17. Section 2: Progressive Legislation • The push for reform gave way to new legislation during the Progressive Era.

18. Expanded Role for Government • Progressives believed that government ought to increase its responsibility for the welfare of people. • Advocated a “safety net” for people. • Unemployment benefits • Accident and health insurance • Social security.

19. Municipal Reforms • Municipal = City/Local • Municipal reforms aimed at ending corruption within cities. • Attacked political machines like Tammany Hall (Boss Tweed) in favor of educated, professional leadership.

20. City Reforms • Some cities changed their structure of government. • Many city governments began to take over control of utilities (water, gas, and electric) to break up monopolies. • Some cities offered new welfare systems • New public parks, baths, and work-relief programs.

21. State Reforms • Voters gained more direct influence in lawmaking and in choosing candidates. • Formerly, party leaders often handpicked candidates for office. • States began adopting direct primaries for state offices. • In a direct primary, citizens can select their own nominee for an upcoming election.

22. Power to Voters • Many states adopted… • Initiatives- allows voters to put a proposed law directly on a future ballot by collecting voters’ signatures on a petition. • Referendum- allows voters to approve or reject a law passed by the legislature. • Recall- allows voters to remove public officials from office before the next election.

23. 17th Amendment • Prior to political reforms, US senators were picked by each state’s legislature. • In 1913, the 17th Amendment required the direct election (voter chosen) of senators.

24. Reforms in the Workplace • State reformers worked to curb workplace hazards. • Many states established labor departments to regulate working conditions. • Businesses resisted new government regulation, believing it to be unconstitutional.

25. Muller v. Oregon • In Muller v. Oregon, limited female laundry workers to working 10 hours a day. • Using scientific evidence they successfully argued that long work hours negatively affected women’s health.

26. Robert La Follette • Wisconsin governor, Robert La Follette, was one of the most determined Progressives in U.S. politics. • “Fighting Bob” tried to clean up government and produce social welfare reforms. • Served as Wisconsin governor then as U.S. Senator. • Ran as the Progressive Party’s candidate for President in 1924, and earned one sixth of the vote.

27. Theodore Roosevelt’s “Square Deal” • In 1902, the United Mine Workers went on strike. • Mine owners refused to negotiate. • Roosevelt insisted on arbitration, a third party ruling on the situation. • He threatened to seize the mines with the U.S. army..

28. TR’s “Square Deal” • Arbitrators ruled in favor of a raise for miners. • Roosevelt called this a “square deal” for both sides, became well-known slogan. • First time a president ever sided with laborers during a strike, instead of the owners.

29. Antitrust Activism • Roosevelt also broke up numerous trusts and monopolies. • The Roosevelt administration filed 42 antitrust actions. • The beef trust, Standard Oil, and the American Tobacco Company were all broken up or reorganized under TR’s presidency.

31. Railroad Regulation • Roosevelt won the passage of the 1906 Hepburn Act. • The act gave the Interstate Commerce Commission strong regulatory powers to enforce railroad laws. • Authorized the ICC to set and limit railroad rates.

32. Public Health • Public outcry from Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle forced TR to respond by passing the Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act, regulatory acts that enforced sanitation pure food preparation. • The acts led to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

33. Protecting the Environment • Theodore Roosevelt set aside more than 200 million acres for national forests, mineral reserves, and water projects.

47. New Constitutional Amendments • 16th Amendment (1913)- Gave congress power to collect a federal income tax. • 17th Amendment (1913)- Provided for direct election of senators. • 18th Amendment (1919)- Prohibited the manufacture and sale of liquor. (repealed in 1933)

48. Section 3: Progressivism Under Taft and Wilson

49. Taft’s Presidency • Taft was persuaded to run for President by his good friend, Theodore Roosevelt. • Taft disappointed both conservatives and progressives during his presidency, and became very unpopular.

50. Conflict over Tariffs • In 1908, Taft had run on a Republican platform of lower tariffs. • Instead, he passed the Payne-Aldrich Tariff, which actually increased some tariffs. • Progressives, who favored low tariffs, were furious.