Unit 3: Modern America Emerges
1890-1920
Chapter 9 p. 320
The Progressive Era
Essential Question: How did the progressive movement try to bring
about social change?
This unit describes how the modern US begins taking shape in the
first 2 decades of the 20th c. Americans embrace the progressive
movement, which leads to greater government involvement in
many aspects of life. Starting with the move to gain colonies
overseas and ending with participation in WWI, America also plays
a greater role in world affairs than ever before.
Section 1 p. 322
Origins of Progressivism
• Main Idea: Political, economic, and social change in late 19th
century America led to broad progressive reforms.
• Why it matters today: Progressive reforms in areas such as
labor and voting rights reinforced democratic principles that
continue to exist today.
• OBJ: Explain progressive efforts to clean up government
At the dawn of the new century, middle-class reformers
addressed many of the problems that had contributed to the
social upheavals on the 1890s. Journalists and writers
exposed the unsafe conditions of factory workers – including
women and children. The role of large dominate
corporations in American society was questioned. Political
reformers struggled to make government more responsive
to the people. Together, these reform efforts formed the
progressive movement.
One of the keys to the success of the reform movement was
the growth of a national media.
1. Progressive Movement- It was an early 20th c.
reform movement seeking to return control of the
government to the people. Its aim was to restore
economic opportunities and correct injustices in
American life. There are 4 goals:
• Protecting social welfare
• Promoting moral improvement
• Creating economic reform
• Fostering efficiency
(How would prohibition fit into the reform movement?)
• Protecting social welfare: Many social welfare reformers worked to
soften some of the harsh conditions of industrialization. Settlement
houses aimed to help the poor through community centers, churches,
and social services – this continues through the progressive era – and
even more reform activities.
• YMCA (young men’s Christian association) opened libraries,
sponsored classes, built pools, handball courts.
• Salvation Army: fed poor in soup kitchens, cared for children in
nurseries, and sent :slum brigades: to instruct poor immigrants of
middle class values of hard work and temperance.
• Temperance – reframing from alcohol consumption
• 2. Florence Kelley- an advocate for improving the lives of women and
children. Helped prohibit child labor and limited women’s working
hours in Illinois – became model for other states.
• Promoting Moral improvement: Other reformers felt that morality,
not the workplace, help the key to improving the lives of poor people.
They wanted immigrants and poor city dwellers to uplift themselves
by improving their “personal behavior.”
3. Prohibition: the banning of alcoholic beverages.
Prohibitionists groups feared that alcohol was undermining American
morals. WCTU (woman’s Christian temperance union) spearheaded
the crusade for prohibition. These members (women) would enter
saloons singing , praying and urging the owners to stop sell alcohol.
Cary Nation would use her hatchet and destroy liquor bottles. They
began opening kindergartens for immigrants, visited inmates, asylums
and worked for suffrage.
Some efforts for prohibition led to trouble with immigrant groups, They
filled a number of roles within the immigrant community – cashing
paychecks, serving inexpensive meals.
• Creating economic reform: As moral reformers sought to change
individual behavior, a severe economic panic in 1893 prompted some
Americans to question the capitalist economic system. Result: many
workers embraced socialism.. Eugene V. Debs helped organize the
American Socialist Party in 1901, commented on the uneven balance
among big business, government, and ordinary people under the
free-market system of capitalism. Progressive reformers distanced
themselves from socialism.
4. muckrakers: are journalists who wrote about the corrupt side of
business and public life in mass circulation magazines during the early
20th c. Ida M. Tarbell exposed Rockefeller’s business practices of
cutthroat methods of eliminating competition.
10. What contribution did the muckrakers make to the reform
movement? They exposed dangers and corruption of industrial life to
the public.
• Fostering Efficiency: Many progressive leaders used experts
and scientific principles to make society and the workplace
more efficient. Factory workers and laundry workers laws
limited the workday to 10 hours in Oregon. Scientific
management measured how quickly each task could be
performed. Assembly lines sped up production. Sometimes
this caused fatigue and therefore injuries and a high
turnover.
• Scientific management reformers worked to improve
efficiency and productivity while other reformers aimed at
improving behavior or addressing economic inequality.
• Cleaning Up Local Government: obvious social problems of new
industrial age: political bosses rewarded supporters with jobs and
kickbacks – openly bought votes with favors and bribes. Reform
stemmed from a desire to make government more efficient and
responsive to its constituents. But those efforts also grew from
distrust of immigrants’ participation in politics.
• Reforming local government: natural disasters played a role in
prompting reform of city government. 1900 Galveston (TX) Hurricane
– tidal surge demolished the city. City council botched relief and
rebuilding – TX had to appoint commission of experts to take over
rebuilding Galveston. This success prompted the city to adopt the
commission idea of government. By 1917 500 cities followed this
example of government
• Reform mayors: How did city government change during the
Progressive Era? The commission system and council-manager system
were introduced; some reform mayors made citizens more active in
managing cities.
• Reform at the State Level: Progressive governors in many states
passed laws to regulate railroads, mines, mills, telephone co. And
other large businesses.
5. Robert M. La Follette: Progressive Republican Wisconsin governor –
“fighting Bob” led the way in regulating big business. He wanted to
drive corporations out of politics and treat them the same as everyone
else. RR Industry: taxed at the same rate as other businesses,
regulated rates.
• Why did reformers seek to end child labor? Businesses exploited
children, paying them low wages and forcing them to work long hours
in dangerous conditions. Children were viewed as part of the family
economy. However, children were more prone to accidents caused by
fatigue and developed health problems and stunted growth.
• 1904 National Child Labor Committee gathered the harsh evidence of
working conditions. Labor unions felt that child labor lowered wages
for all. These groups pressure national politicians to pass the
Keating-Owen Act in 1916 – it prohibits the transportation across
state lines of goods produced with child labor – later declared
unconstitutional. It set in motion legislature banning child labor and
setting maximum hours.
• Reforming elections: What was the impact of the direct election of
senators? Members of the Senate were no longer appointed by state
legislatures, over whom special interests had influence. Instead
senators were elected by popular vote.
6. initiative: citizens could petition to place an “initiative” – a bill
originated by the people rather than lawmakers – on a ballot. Then
voters, instead of the legislature, accepted or rejected the initiative by
7. Referendum – a vote on the initiative. The 8. recall enabled voters
to remove public officials from elected positions by forcing them to
face another election before the end of their term if enough voters
asked for it.
9. 17th Amendment: 1912 – ratified in 1913. made direct election of
senators the law.
Section 2 p. 329
Women in Public Life
• Main idea: as a result of social and economic change, many women
entered public life as workers and reformers
• Why it matters now: Women won new opportunities in labor and
education that are enjoyed today.
• OBJ: How was women’s suffrage achieved?
11. suffrage: right to vote.
12. Susan B. Anthony: leader of the woman’s suffrage movement. She
and Elizabeth Cady Stanton founded the National Women Suffrage
Association.
• 3 part strategy:
• Convince state legislature to grant women the right to vote
• Women pursued court cases to test the 14th amendment. 1875 the
Supreme Court said women were citizens but still denied them the
right to vote.
• They pushed for a national constitutional amendment -
Section 3 p. 333
Teddy Roosevelt’s Square Deal
• Main idea: As president, Theodore Roosevelt worked to give citizens a
Square Deal through progressive reforms.
• Why it matters now: As part of his Square Deal, Roosevelt’s
conservation efforts made a permanent impact on environmental
resources.
• OBJ: How did Roosevelt use his power to regulate business and
protect the public and environment?
13. Upton Sinclair: a muckraking journalist. His research novel exposed
the sickening conditions of the meatpacking industry.
14. The Jungle: a novel written in 1906 by Upton Sinclair exposing the
unsanitary conditions of the meatpacking industry.
15. Theodore Roosevelt: became president in 1901. He modernized the
presidency through his leadership and public campaigns. . He was
an avid outsdoorsman. Lead the “Rough Riders” up San Juan Hill in
Cuba during the Spanish-American War. He say the presidency as a
“bully pulpit” from which he could influence the news media and
shape legislation. He was a Trust Buster. He expanded the
responsibilities of the presidency. If Big Business victimized workers,
he would see to it that the common people received what he called
a16. Square Deal:This term was used to describe the various progressive
reforms sponsored by the Roosevelt administration.
What actions and characteristics of Teddy Roosevelt contributed to
his reputation as the first modern president? Roosevelt was an active,
forceful, and energetic executive; he used his position to shape
legislation and influence the media.
17. Meat Inspection: After Roosevelt read The Jungle by Upton Sinclair,
he responded to the public’s clamor for action. He appointed a
commission of experts to investigate the meatpacking industry. The
commission’ report was scathing. In 1906 he pushed for passage of the
Meat Inspection Act – which dictated strict cleanliness requirements
for meatpackers and created the program of federal meat inspection
that was in use until it was replaced by more sophisticated techniques
in the 1990s.
18. Pure Food and Drug Act: 1906 congress pass this act which halted
the sale of contaminated foods and medicines and called for TRUTH
in LABELING. It didn’t necessarily ban harmful products BUT
required truthful labeling. The progressive’s believed that given
accurate information, people would act wisely.
19. Conservation: the planned management of natural resources,
involving the protection of some wilderness areas and the
development of others for the common good.
20. NAACP: 1909 National Association for the Advancement of Colored
People. A civil rights organization who’s aim was for nothing less
than full equality among races. It found little support in the
progressive movement – which was focused on the needs of
middle-class whites. Carter Woodson encouraged Afr/Am to take
pride in their history and founded the Association for the Study of
Negro Life and History and later established Negro History Week –
celebrated today as Black History Month.
21. Collude: to act together secretly to achieve an illegal or deceitful
purpose.
Accommodation: adapting or making adjustments in order to satisfy
someone else.
Section 4 p. 344
Progressivism Under Taft
• Main Idea: Taft’s ambivalent approach to progressive reform led to a
split in the Republican Party and the loss of the presidency to the
Democrats.
• Why it matters today: Third-party candidates continue to wrestle with
how to become viable candidates.
• OBJ: Describe events of the Taft presidency
22. William Howard Taft: hand picked by Roosevelt to run
against William Jennings Bryan for the presidency in 1908. He
cautiously pursued progressive reforms. Served only 1 term as
president. Didn’t like it – in 1921 became chief justice of the
Supreme Court considering it his highest achievement.
23. Bull Moose Party: when Teddy Roosevelt decided to run
for president again, he lost the Republican nomination – he
formed a 3rd party – the Bull Moose Party – a Progressive
party. It split the Republican party and gave the Democrats
the presidential election – New Jersey governor Woodrow
Wilson becomes president in 1912.
24. Woodrow Wilson: this reform Democrat governor of New
Jersey became the president in 1912 with the split in the
Republican Party. Was president for 2 terms.
Section 5
Wilson’s New Freedom
• Main idea: Woodrow Wilson established a strong reform agenda as a
progressive leader
• Why it matters now: The passage of the 19th Amendment during
Wilson’s administration granted women the right to vote.
• OBJ: Summarize Wilson’s presidency and women’s suffrage
25. Injunction: a court order prohibiting a party from a specific course
of action.
26. Carrie Chapman Catt: the president of the NAWSA (National
American Woman Suffrage Association) who saw the victory for
women’s right to vote. The passage of the suffrage amendment
became the capstone of the progressive movement.
27. Clayton Antitrust Act: law, enacted in 1914, that made certain
monopolistic business practices illegal and protected the rights of labor
unions and farm organizations. It prohibited corporations from
acquiring the stock of another if doing so would create a monopoly.
Unions and farm organizations had the right to exist and were no
longer subject to antitrust laws. Strikes, picketing, boycotts were legal.
Samuel Gompers called it a Magna Carta for labor.
28. Federal Trade Commission (FTC): the second major antitrust
measure. This act was set up in 1914. It is a “watchdog” agency that
was given the power to investigate possible violations of regulatory
statutes, to require periodic reports from corporations, and to put an
end to a number of unfair business practices. Under Wilson almost 400
cease-and-desist orders were issued to companies engaged in illegal
activities.
29. Federal Reserve System: by 1923 about 70% of the nation’s
banking resources were part of the federal reserve system. It still
serves as the basis of the nation’s banking system.
30. 19th Amendment: in 1919 Congress passed the 19th amendment to
the constitution – ratified in 1920 giving women the right to vote – 72
years after women had first convened and demanded the vote at
Seneca Falls Convention in 1848.
31. Appease: pacify by granting concession.
Why does the progressive movement come to and end?
WWI. America becomes involved in the War in Europe.
WOODROW WILSON:
STUDY!