Ch. 11:
The Progressive Reform
Era (1890-1920)
Section 1: Origins of Progressivism

The early 20th century brought a series of
domestic reforms, known as progressivism.
Roots of 20th Century Reform
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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.
Goals and Beliefs

Government should…

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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.
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.
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.
The Muckrakers

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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.
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).
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 SpanishAmerican War).”
-Upton Sinclair, The Jungle, 1906
The Labor Movement

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Unions, although stifled by business leaders, continued
to grow into the 1900s.
Fought for better working conditions and higher wages.
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.).
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.
Women’s Groups
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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.
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.
Mary Harris “Mother” Jones
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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).
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.
Section 2: Progressive Legislation

The push for reform gave way to new legislation during
the Progressive Era.
Expanded Role for Government

Progressives believed that
government ought to increase its
responsibility for the welfare of
people.
 Advocated a “safety net” for
people.

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Unemployment benefits
Accident and health insurance
Social security.
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.
City Reforms
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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.
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.
Power to Voters
 Many
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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.
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.
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.
Muller v. Oregon
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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.
Robert La Follette
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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.
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..
TR’s “Square Deal”

Arbitrators ruled in
favor of a raise for
miners.
 Roosevelt called this a
“square deal” for both
sides, became wellknown slogan.
 First time a president
ever sided with
laborers during a
strike, instead of the
owners.
Antitrust Activism
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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.
Railroad Regulation
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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.
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).
Protecting the Environment

Theodore Roosevelt set aside more than 200 million
acres for national forests, mineral reserves, and water
projects.
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)
Section 3: Progressivism Under
Taft and Wilson
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.
Conflict over Tariffs
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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.
Ballinger-Pinchot Affair
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Taft appointed Richard
Ballinger as Secretary of the
Interior.
Ballinger opposed
conservation policies of
Western land.
Gifford Pinchot, head of the
U.S. Forest Service, was a
conservationist and in
conflict with Ballinger.
Ballinger-Pinchot Affair
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In 1909, it became known
that Ballinger had allowed a
private business group to
obtain millions of acres of
Alaskan public land
containing rich coal
deposits.
Pinchot charged Ballinger
with corruption, but Taft fired
Pinchot.
Pinchot became a public
hero and Taft became
increasingly unpopular.
Turmoil in Republican Party
 There
was a bitter divide between
Progressives and the “old guard” of
conservative Republicans in the House
and Senate.
 Theodore Roosevelt, reemerging as a
political figure, began campaigning for
progressive candidates.
Election of 1912
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In the 1912 election,
Roosevelt challenged
Taft for the Republican
nomination.
Taft won
Taft’s nomination upset
progressive Republicans
who vowed to form their
own party.
Bull Moose Party
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Progressives formed their
own party with Roosevelt as
their Presidential candidate.
When TR was asked about
his physical readiness for a
campaign, he said, “I feel as
fit as a bull moose!”
Progressive Party became
known as the Bull Moose
Party.
Bull Moose Party

Bull Moose Party platform included
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tariff reduction
women’s suffrage
more regulation of business
a child labor ban
an eight hour workday
direct election of senators
“It takes more than that to kill a Bull
Moose”
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During one of his campaign speeches, Roosevelt was shot.
With a bullet lodged in his lung, Roosevelt spoke for another hour
and a half before seeking medical attention.
“Friends,” he said, “I shall ask you to be quiet. I don’t know whether
you fully understand that I have just been shot; but it takes more
that that to kill a Bull Moose.” (as he showed the crowd his bloody
shirt)
Taft’s Record

Although Taft’s Presidency
is often overshadowed with
unpopularity, he did
accomplish some
significant reforms.
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Reservation of public lands
Brought more antitrust suits
than TR
The sixteenth and
seventeenth amendments
Wilson’s New Freedom

Woodrow Wilson was
the Democratic
Presidential candidate
in 1912.
 Ran on a reform
platform to break up
big business and
trusts.
Four-Way Election

Thus, four candidates ran for the 1912
presidency,
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William Howard Taft: Republican (incumbent)
Theodore Roosevelt: Bull Moose Party
Woodrow Wilson: Democratic Party
Eugene V. Debs: Socialist Party
Taft and Roosevelt split the conservative and
progressive Republicans, giving Wilson the
victory despite only 42% of the popular vote.
Woodrow Wilson

Former professor of
political science
 First major goal was
tariff reform.
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Reduced tariff rates
from 40 percent to 25
percent.
To make up for lost
tariff revenue, passed
the 16th Amendment
which created a
federal income tax.
Wilson and Antitrust
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Wilson believed all trusts and
monopolies should be
eliminated.
Passed the Clayton Antitrust Act
to strengthen the Sherman
Antitrust Act of 1890.
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Spelled out very specific
restrictions that allowed competition
in marketplace.
Created the Federal Trade
Commission (FTC) to enforce
the Clayton Act and set up fairtrade laws.
Federal Reserve System
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In 1913, Congress passed an act that created the Federal
Reserve System.
The Federal Reserve System, “the Fed”, became the central
bank for the entire country- the bankers’ bank.
The Fed created a new national currency and could now
expand and contract the amount of currency in circulation.
Federal Reserve Districts
Louis Brandeis to Supreme Court

In 1916, Wilson
nominated progressive
lawyer Louis D. Brandeis
to the Supreme Court.
 Wilson drew significant
criticism for his
nomination, Brandeis
was considered very
radical.
Social Justice and Progressivism
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Despite all the reforms during the Progressive Reform
Era, racial reform and social justice were largely
overlooked.
Wilson allowed his Cabinet officers to extend the Jim
Crow practice of separating the races in federal offices.
No federal overruling of Southern Jim Crow Laws.
End of Progressivism

As WWI began, Americans turned their
attention to the war, and calls for reform faded.
 One reform movement grew bolder: women’s
suffrage.
Section 4: Women’s Suffrage
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Suffrage: the right to vote
Although women campaigned for the right to vote for over
70 years, only during the Progressive Era did women
finally gain suffrage.
Arguments against Women’s
Suffrage
 Why
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women shouldn’t vote?
Might become “too masculine”
Easily manipulated
Politics might distract them from duties at
home
Women don’t care to vote
“separate spheres” – women and men
naturally operate in separate spheres,
• men: public sphere, women: private sphere
Quote:
“This is the negative reason why woman does not wish the
ballot: she does not wish to engage in that conflict of
wills which is the essence of politics; she does not wish
to assume the responsibility for protecting person and
property which is the essence of government. The
affirmative reason is that she has other, and in some
sense, more important work to do.”
-Lyman Abott, “Why Women Do Not Wish the Suffrage”
Seneca Falls Convention
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In 1848, women activists met at the Seneca Falls
Convention in New York.
First group of women to formerly demand suffrage.
Famous leaders were Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady
Stanton, soon joined by Susan B. Anthony.
Susan B. Anthony
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Quaker from Massachusetts
Early abolitionist, one who advocated
the abolition of slavery
Campaigned for…
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school admission for women and
former slaves

equal pay and an eight-hour
workday for women

woman’s suffrage
Spent 40 years appealing to
Congress for women’s suffrage.
Never married and died in 1906,
fourteen years before women were
granted suffrage.
Anthony and Stanton
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Susan B. Anthony, a political
organizer, and Elizabeth Cady
Stanton, a skilled speaker and
writer, formed a dynamic
partnership .
Founded the American Equal
Rights Association, which
published a newspaper, The
Revolution.
Their motto, “…men, their rights
and nothing more; women, their
rights and nothing less.”
Suffrage Associations

Suffrage movement took
two different directions.


National Woman Suffrage
Association- fought for a
constitutional amendment
for suffrage.
American Woman
Suffrage Associationworked on the state level
to win voting rights.
Civil Disobedience
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In 1872, Anthony led a group of women to the polls in
Rochester, NY, where she insisted on voting.
She was arrested for civil disobedience.
Civil disobedience- nonviolent refusal to obey a law in
effort to change it.
Used her arrest as a public platform to call attention to
the suffrage issue
Suffragist Strategies
 Some
women worked for a constitutional
amendment...

Amending the Constitution required two thirds
of each house of Congress to pass a
measure, then ratification by state
representatives.
 Other
women worked for individual states
to let women vote.

This path proved more effective early on.
Anthony Amendment

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Suffragists introduced a new amendment that adopted
Susan B. Anthony’s wording, that granted suffrage.
The amendment was denied in 1878
The amendment was reintroduced each year from 18871896; it was defeated every year.
Turn of Century

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The National American Woman Suffrage Association
(NAWSA) merged the two separate organizations.
Dejected from earlier efforts, the suffrage movement faded
at the turn of the century.
Leaders Stanton and Anthony died in 1902 and 1906,
respectively, without realizing their life’s work.
A New Generation


Carrie Chapman Catt
became the new leader
of NAWSA from 19001904, and again after
1915.
Alice Paul learned
tactics from the
aggressive English
suffrage movement
while a student in
England.
Catt: above
Paul: right
Paul & the Congressional Union

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Alice Paul and Lucy Burns
organized a parade of 5,000
women in Washington, D.C.
Parade took place the day
before Woodrow Wilson’s
inauguration and drew
enormous attention.
Paul’s rally was so successful
she transformed her
committee into a new
organization, the
Congressional Union (CU).
A Split in the Movement
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Paul’s CU called for an aggressive, militant campaign for the
constitutional amendment.
The NAWSA leaders expelled the CU from the organization in
1914.
Upset, the CU grew more militant in their protests, burning a life
sized dummy of Wilson in front of the White House before being
thrown in prison.
Carrie Chapman Catt

Catt was reinstated as the president of the NAWSA in
1915.
 Shifted focus back to winning state suffrage campaigns.
 Focused on four eastern states: New York, Pennsylvania,
Massachusetts, and New Jersey.
WWI

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U.S. entered WWI in 1917
Woman across the country hastened to volunteer and
fill jobs left by men.
The war united the country and arguments of
“separate spheres” were dulled or forgotten.
Victory for Suffrage:
19th Amendment

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In 1919, Congress formally proposed the suffrage amendment and it
was ratified by in August, 1920.
The Nineteenth Amendment marked a huge victory for those who
had devoted their life to the cause, and the last major reform of the
Progressive Era.