Farmers Unrest
Problems 1. Distributors(middleman)
2. Railroads
3. Banks
4. Taxes
5. Deflation
6. Nature
7. Isolation
National Grange - Social and educational organization.
Farmers Alliance - Political organizations for farmers
( local and regional)
Populists --political party to aid farmers
Platform (goals of a political party)
1. Gov't ownership of communication and
transportation
2. Graduated Income Tax
3. Free and unlimited coinage of silver
(off the gold standard)
4. Subtreasury Plan
5. Direct Election of Senators
6. Secret Ballot
7. Single Term for President and Vice
President
8. Initiative -allow citizens to intro. legislation
by petition
9 Referendum - allow citizens to reverse legislation
platform was taken by major parties and eventually passed
Law of Supply & Demand
High Supply creates low demand and low prices
Low Supply creates high demand and high prices
- Seasons and Fads can also effect demand
- changes in technology can also effect prices
Gilded Age – Period of extravagance , irresponsibility and
Corruption in politics at turn of 20th century
- On the outside looked good but really wasn’t on inside
Party Machines – Corrupt city governments run by
Party Bosses (Boss Tweed – NY)
Spoils System(Patronage system) – giving jobs to friends
and supporters
- often led to corruption or people unqualified to do
the job
Merit System – Give jobs based on qualifications
- Pendleton Civil Service Act
-Classified Jobs(jobs which require a test)
Progressive Movement
Progressives – reformers from all works of life
Mugwumps – Republican reformers
- Social Darwinists –Survival of the fittest
- Laissez Faire – Government should stay out of
Economy
- Rule by an educated elite
- only interested in reforming corruption
Muckrakers – nicknamed by Theodore Roosevelt
- Writers who raked up the corruption in government
Business (Lincoln Steffens, Gustavus Myers,
Upton Sinclair, Ida Tarbell and others)
Reform Amendments and legislation
16th – graduated income tax
17th – Direct election of U.S. senators
18th – Prohibition (outlaw alcohol)
19th – Suffrage(right to vote) for women
Direct Primary – Citizens choose canidates
Recall – Voters can remove official from office
Initiative – Voters can propose legislation by petition
Referendum – Voters can overrule legislation
Progressive Politicians
Robert LaFollette – Wisconsin Governor
-helped reform state government
Theodore Roosevelt – Republican President after
McKinley’s assassination
- “Trust Buster” – Broke up monopolies and big
Business
- Conservation – preserving natural resources
- established national parks
- Square Deal – name for his plan of government
- Bull Moose Party – ran again for president after
Being dissatisfied with Taft
Woodrow Wilson - Elected president in 1912 after
Taft and Roosevelt split the Republican vote
-Clayton Antitrust Act – strengthened laws against
monopolies
-New Freedom – name for his plan of government
-Segregationist
Groups left out of progressive reform(left to fend for
Themselves)
1. African Americans
Booker T. Washington
-Tuskegee Institute – school set up to
Educate and teach trade
- criticized for not fighting discrimination and
segregation
W.E. B. Dubois
- founded NAACP(National Association for
The Advancement of Colored People)
2. Asians
3. Native Americans