Unit 6 Review:
Politics &
Progressivism
Part I. The Big Picture
1. Politics in the late 1800s was
dominated by the laissez-faire
philosophy. Describe this philosophy.
Laissez-faire
 Laissez-faire is the belief that the
government should be minimally involved
in the regulation of the economy. It’s a
hands-off approach to government that
allows capitalism to operate without
much restriction.
However…
2. The government actually actively
supported big business. Provide 2
examples of how the government sided
with the wealthy in the late 1800s.
Business-friendly Gov’t
 Land grants and loans to railroads
 Use of troops & injunctions to end strikes
2 Groups Challenges the
Status Quo: Populists &
Progressives
3. Who were the Populists?
Populism
 The populist
movement was made
up primarily of
farmers who wanted
the government to
help the average
American rather than
the economic elite.
Progressivism
4. Define progressivism
Progressivism
 Progressivism is the
belief that society’s
problems can be
solved through more
active government.
Who were the
Progressives?
5. If farmers made up most of the Populist
party, who were the progressives?
Progressives





Urban
Often Middle & Upper Class
Often protestant
Many female leaders
Note: different causes attracted different
people—the progressive movement was
diverse.
Progressive Report Card
What grade would you give in the following areas?
Environmental Protection
Racial Equality
Business Regulation
Temperance
Political Reform
Consumer Protection
Immigration
Women’s Rights
Municipal Reform (making cities better)
Workplace Reform
Part II. People
Who Am I?
Who Am I?
 I created the Hull
House in Chicago as
a way to help poor
immigrants. Later, I
became an anti-war
activist.
Who Am I?
 As the boss of
Tammany Hall, I
represented the
political corruption
that the progressives
wanted to end.
Who Am I?
 I was the Democratic
nominee for
President in 1896
and 1900, but I lost
both times. I
championed the free
silver issue and gave
the famous Cross of
Gold speech.
Who Are We?
 We are investigative
journalists who
uncovered problems
and corruption. We
helped point out the
need for reform. TR
called us:
Who Am I?
 I’m a muckraker
who wrote The
Jungle about the
horrors of the
Chicago meat
packing industry.
Who Am I?
 I’m a muckraker who
wrote about the
terrible conditions of
the slums in How the
Other Half Lives. He
blamed the
immigrants for most
of the problems.
Who Am I?
 I became a leading
advocate for access
to birth control and
founded Planned
Parenthood.
Who Am I?
 I was the first
president to embrace
progressivism. I also
ended an era of
weak “caretaker”
presidents. My vigor
got me on Mount
Rushmore.
Who Am I?
 I succeeded TR as
President. I was
more conservative,
but I was a strong
trust-buster.
 Oh, and I got stuck in
the White House
bathtub
Who Am I?
 I won the 3-way
election of 1912. In
my 8 years as
president, I helped
pass many
progressive reforms
and led the nation
through World War I.
Who Am I?
 I wasn’t president,
but I was a governor
of WI and a senator.
Remember, a lot of
the work of the
progressives was
done at the state
level.
Who Am I?
 I disagreed with Booker
T. Washington because
he was too patient. I
wanted equal rights
immediately. I helped
found the NAACP and
was the first black to
receive a PhD from
Harvard.
Who Am I?
 I am a public school
reformer who
encouraged schools to
allow children more
social and intellectual
freedom. Encouraged
learning through
experience.
Who Am I?
 I was the nations first
professional forester.
TR appointed me to
oversee the US
forest service. Later,
when I was fired
under Taft, TR got so
mad he ran for
President again.
Part III.
Government Action
Decisions, Laws & Agencies
Some good, some not so good…
Name the law
 This 1883 Act of
congress
encouraged civil
service reform
Name the Court Case
 Showing their
conservative
approach to Civil
Rights, this Supreme
Court case in 1883
established that the
14th amendment only
applied to
government.
Name the Court Case
 This 1896 decision gave official SC approval
to segregation (separate, but equal)
Name the law
 This Act of congress
created the FDA and
required the accurate
labeling of drugs
(1906)
Name the law
 This Act of congress,
passed in 1906,
addressed the
sanitary concerns
raised in The Jungle
Name the Agency
 This agency was
created by TR to
oversee the national
forests that he
seeking to preserve.
Name the Amendment
 This amendment prohibited the sale and
manufacturing of alcohol. Passed in 1919.
Name the Amendment
 This amendment
allowed the federal
government to collect
income taxes.
Name the Amendment
 This amendment
established that the
right to vote shall not
be abridged due to
sex (women’s
suffrage)
Name the Amendment
 This amendment
changed the process
of electing US
Senators from
appointment to
popular vote.
Name the Law
 This act of congress,
passed in 1914
strengthened the
Sherman-anti Trust
Law for the purpose
of decreasing
monopolistic
practices.
Name the Agency
 Created in 1914, this
“watch dog” agency
was created to
enforce federal
business regulations
(3 letter acronym)
Name the Law
 Passed in 1913, this
act created a new
federal banking
system. It created
the “fed” which today
can raise and lower
interest rates.
Part IV. Other Stuff
Terms, concepts, etc…
Name 3 Specific Political
Reforms the Progressives
Supported
Political Reforms







Direct Elections of Senators
Secret ballot
Direct primaries (instead of caucuses)
Referendum
Recall
Voter registration laws
Women’s suffrage
Name the Film
 This 1915 DW Griffith
film glorified the Ku
Klux Klan.
Wilson Campaign
 Name the Woodrow Wilson campaign
slogan that promised to break up trusts
and return America to a time of small
shops. How did this differ from
Roosevelt? Did Wilson achieve his goal?
Name the place
 This was the gateway through which
more than 12 million immigrants passed
between 1892 and 1954.
Learning from Mistakes
 This fire killed many
and prompted
workplace safety
reform.