The Gilded Age and
Progressive Era
Into the Twentieth Century
Terms to Know:

17th Amendment:


19th Amendment:


An amendment to the United States Constitution that
allowed citizens to directly elect their United States
Senators (ratified in 1913)
An amendment to the United States Constitution that
allowed women’s suffrage (ratified in 1920)
American Federation of Labor (AFL):

An alliance of trade and craft unions, formed in 1886
Terms to Know:

American Railway Union:
 A labor union that consisted of skilled and unskilled
industrial workers, founded by Eugene V. Debs

Antitrust:
 Laws and regulations designed to protect trade and
commerce from unfair business practices, typically
designed to prevent or destroy industry monopolies

Clayton Anti-Trust Act:
 A law, enacted in 1914, that made certain monopolistic
business practices illegal and protected the rights of labor
unions and farm organizations
Terms to Know:

Initiative:
 A procedure by which a legislative measure can be
originated by the people rather than by lawmakers

International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union:
 A labor union, founded in 1909 by Pauline Newman,
for women working in the garment industry

Knights of Labor:
 One of the earliest labor unions in the United States, it
was an organization for all workers, regardless of race,
gender, degree, or skill
Terms to Know:

Muckraking:
 Journalism that exposed the corrupt side of business and
public life in the early 1900s

Primary Elections:
 An election held at the local level, as a part of the process
to chose a presidential candidate

Progressive Movement:
 An early-20th-century reform movement seeking to return
control of the government to the people, to restore
economic opportunities, and to correct injustices in
American life
Terms to Know:

Recall:
 A procedure for removing a public official from office
by a vote of the people

Referendum:
 A procedure by which a proposed legislative measure
can be submitted to a vote of the people

Sherman Anti-Trust Act:
 A law, enacted in 1890, that was intended to prevent
the creation of monopolies by making it illegal to
establish trusts that interfered with free trade
The Progressive Era
What caused the Progressive Era?

Progressive Era was a reform movement aimed at correcting the
problems created by industrialization such as:
o
Dangerous working conditions
o
Child Labor
o
Long Hours, low pay, no job security, no benefits
o
Company Towns
o
Equal employment of women
What were the goals of the
Progressive Movement?

Government controlled by the people

Guaranteed economic success and opportunity
through government regulation

Elimination of social injustices; looking out for
social welfare

Moral improvements


Prohibition: banning alcoholic beverages
Organizations to help the poor (i.e. YMCA)
Local Government Reforms

Early cities were run by powerful
corrupt city “bosses” or mayors
who catered to business and
industry.

During the progressive era, new
forms of government were created
that allowed the people to have
more control over their cities and
meet the needs of increasing
urbanization.

Commissions

Council manager
William “Boss” Tweed
Congressman for New York City
State Government
Reforms

Powers shifts to the People in elections

Initiative - a bill created by the people rather than
lawmakers

Referendum - people vote on the initiative

Recall - allowed voters to remove public officials from
elected positions by forcing them to face another
election before the end of their term in the voters
asked for it
National Government Reforms

Direct Primary Elections: Voters chose candidates
running for the presidential office

17th Amendment: United States senators elected by the
people (ratified in 1912)

Secret ballot voting: Attempted to end voter intimidation
at the polls

Each of these reforms increased the level of control
citizens had in the election of their leaders at the national
level
Child Labor

Muckraking
literature exposed
the abuses of child
labor influencing the
passage of child
labor laws.
Muckraking Literature

Investigative reporters of the early
20th century exposed social and
economic injustices to the public
through their literature. Their
journalism helped to bring about
needed reforms government
regulation.

Ida M. Tarbell wrote, The History
of Standard Oil Company which
exposed the ruthless business
practices of John D. Rockefeller.
Muckraking Literature

Upton Sinclair wrote
The Jungle
 exposed the
unsanitary conditions
of the Meat Packing
Industry.
 In 1906 the
government passed
the Meat Inspection
Act.
Impact of Labor Unions

In 1869 the Noble Order of the Knights
of Labor was formed.

Terence Powderly joined and eventually
became an influential leader as -grand
master workman.

The Knights of Labor supported an
eight hour workday and equal pay for
equal work.

Membership was open to all workers.
They advocated arbitration
(negotiations) using strikes as a last
resort.
Impact of Labor Unions

American Workers unite in
the form of labor unions

American Federation of
Labor (AFL)

Craft union led by Samuel
Gompers which used
strikes as a major tactic to
gain higher wages and
shorter work weeks.
Impact of Labor Unions

American Railway Union
 Union included skilled and
unskilled workers.
 Eugene V. Debs created the
union and favored socialism
 Socialism: an economic
system based on
government control of
business and property and a
more equal distribution of
wealth.
Eugene V. Debs
Impact of Labor Unions
Industrial
Ladies’
Garment
Workers Union
Women being arrested at a strike.
The Haymarket Stike

In May of 1886 people
gathered at Chicago’s
Haymarket Square to protest
police brutality at the
McCormick Harvester Plant
Strike the day before.

A bomb was tossed into the
police line. Police fired --seven
officers and several workers
were killed.

This incident caused the
public to turn against the labor
movement.
The Homestead Strike

Carnegie Steel- Pennsylvania
1892

Steelworkers strike after an
announcement of a cut in pay.

The Pennsylvania National
Guard was called in. Union
eventually lost most of its
support.

As a result, it would take
steelworkers another 45 years
to effectively unite again.
The Pullman Strike

Workers at the Pullman
Railroad car Company went
on strike in 1894.

Eugene V. Debs helped to led
the strike calling on all
railroads to refuse to pull
trains with Pullman cars.

President Grover Cleveland
sent federal troops to halt the
strike saying it interrupted
delivery of the mail.
People Demand Improvements
to Social Injustices

Workers begin to unite against
big business and industry and
demand:
 More fair railroad rates
 Better working conditions
 Eight hour work day
 End unfair business
practices such as
monopolies and trusts
 Eliminate company towns
Anti-Trust Laws
(“Trust Busters”)

The Progressives supported the passage of anti-trust laws
which ban business practices that were harmful to the
public interest.

The Sherman Anti-Trust Act passed in 1890 made it
illegal to form trusts/monopolies that interfered with
free trade between states and other countries.

The Clayton Anti-Trust Act passed in 1914,expanded
the Sherman Anti-Trust Act; outlawed price fixing,
exempts unions from Sherman Act
Women’s Suffrage

The early women’s suffrage movement
led by Susan B. Anthony and
Elizabeth Cady Stanton was a
forerunner of the modern protest
movement which eventually won
women the right to vote.

During WWI many women entered the
workforce making the women’s suffrage
movement even stronger.

Finally with the passage of the 19th
Amendment in 1920 women gained the
right to vote.
Progressive Presidents

Theodore Roosevelt became
president upon William
McKinley’s assassination and ran
again in 1904 winning the
election promising Americans a
Square Deal, supporting antitrust
legislation.

He ran again in 1912 leading his
progressive party known as the
“Bull Moose” party advocating
an eight hour workday, child
labor laws, and women’s suffrage.
Progressive Presidents

Woodrow Wilson won the
election in 1912.

His progressive program
called “New Freedom”
supported small business
and free market
competition.

He believed that monopolies
were a threat to the
American economy.