PROGRESSIVES
The urge to reform all the corruption, problems from change, and the inner city life.
REFORM- to make changes for the better; institute new laws or rules for improvement
MUCKRAKERS1. Who were they? Generally, white middle class, protestants, male(though not always), and well
educated.
2. Wrote for new mass produced magazines, newspapers
3. Associated with the Progressive Movement-reformers not revolutionaries-didn’t want to erase
their culture just change it
THOMAS NAST- the first Muckraker- cartoonist that took on “Boss Tweed” and Tammany Hall. Also did
cartoons on Chinese Immigrants, Native Americans, and Inner City Life.
JACOB RIIS- Published “How the Other Half Lives”. Made the public (particularly the rich) aware of the
life of a poor immigrant in the city. His photographs described graphically and undeniably these poor
lifestyles. It helped spread the Progressive movement to all.
LINCOLN STEFFENS- wrote “SHAME OF THE CITIES” (1902) the most famous reporter of the
Muckrakers. Took on corruption in urban politics. Especially in St. Louis and Minneapolis. Wrote that
America needed radical change.
Was a Marxist!!! What is that?
A Marxist was someone who believed in the system of Communism. Karl Marx invented the concept of
Communism.
IDA TARBELL- wrote “The History of Standard Oil”
Took on the company and Rockefeller who ruined her fathers oil company with unfair business practices.
Praised Rockefeller for his love of efficiency and innovative business ideas. Criticized him for his cutthroat
tactics. All her argument s were backed up with facts. Did not resort to wild accusations, but researched the
company for 4 years. Her work eventually led to the forced break-up of Standard Oil in 1911
DAVID GRAHAM PHILLIPS- wrote “Treason of the Senate” What does Treason mean? Give an
example.
Treason- to betray a country or sworn oath.
What do you think the book was about judging from the title?
The most inflammatory muckraker of them all; attacked big name senators and other politicians; it was his
article that led Teddy Roosevelt to first use the term Muckraker when referring to the investigative
journalists. He was criticized by muckrakers for trying to grab the spotlight.
His articles led to the 17th amendment, the direct election of senators.
UPTON SINCLAIR- wanted to write a novel exposing the exploitation of workers (how they were
taken advantage of) in Chicago’s meat packaging industry. It would be best known for its section on
food preparation.
“I aimed at the publics heart and by accident I hit it in the stomach”
Helped contribute to the passage of the Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act of 1906
Impact of the Muckrakers
1. important catalyst for reform; brought corruption, shady business
practices, and unsafe consumer goods to the public’s attention; helped
Americans become comfortable with government taking an active role in
society
2. proved you could complain about the powers of industry and government
AND sell lots of newspapers profitable
3. instituted a precedent for journalism to be investigative, to look at
problems no one knows about and inform the public
4. they did fail to address the issues of race successfully. The country just
didn’t respond to the issues of racism at the time
Why did Muckraking end?
- big business led advertising campaigns against muckrakers saying that it
would lead to a DEPRESSION what is a Depression?
- also used government pressure--create legislation to prevent magazines
and newspapers to publish everything a muckraker found out as LIBEL.
What is Libel?
- The advent or coming of World War I and then the Roaring TwentiesWar and then a great economic boom shifted attention away from the
reforms of the Progressive Era.
PRESIDENTS.
Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt
Became President with assassination of McKinley.
Domestic Policy: The Square Deal
1. Coal Strike of 1902
When labor and owners could not agree -TR threatened to operate the mines with Federal Troops. This was Government
intervention in a labor disputes
2. Roosevelt the Trust Buster passed laws to bust the trust
Expedition Act of 1903
Est. Dept. of Commerce and Labor
1904 -- 44 suits against trust using the law to their advantage, trust were
maintain
while TR was Pres., BUT his actions allowed Taft to destroy Trust
3. Good Trust / Bad Trust
1911 -- Supreme Court developed Rule of Reason
Example -- Public Service Commission
4. Railroad Legislation
Elkins Act 1903 -- Disallowed rebates
Hepburn Act of 1906 -- Regulated Railroads
Mann-Elkins Act of 1910 -- telephone under government control
5. Public Health
Meat Inspection Act 1906
Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906
Roosevelts Goals in Foreign Policy
William Howard Taft
TR hand selected Taft to carry out his policies
Obese -- could not compete with TR
Very Conservative
Major goal -- Supreme Court Judge not President
Tafts problems….
Faced 3 major problems:
Payne-Aldrich Tariff of 1909
Taft campaigned to lower tariffs
Called Special Session of Congress.
The bill passed both houses actually increasing tariffs to protect each s senators district.
Taft signed the bill anyway
Ballinger-Pinchot Controversy
Sec. of Interior Ballinger, tried to sell National Park Lands for mineral resources
Pinchot (Div. of Forestry) charged Ballinger was receiving kickbacks
Taft fired Pinchot-- Public was outraged Taft fired Ballinger
These incidents created a rift in the Republican party
______________________________________________________________
Election of 1912
Candidate
Wilson
Roosevelt
Taft
Party
Democrat
Progressive
Republican
Popular Vote
6,293,454
4,119,538
3,484,980
Electoral Vote
435
88
8
Taft was the incumbent
TRs third party split the vote
Taft, TR, and Wilson were more alike than different
This is a great example of the impact of a third party
Would Taft have won if Roosevelt had not run?
Woodrow Wilson
Although he was a Democrat. . . . Wilson was also a Progressive
Often considered naive
Very idealistic
Son of a Methodist minister
His domestic policy….called New Freedom
Where Taft had failed, Woodrow Wilson was determined to succeed. His success was most
obvious in four areas.
1. Underwood-Simmons Tariff
Lowered tariff through special secession of Congress.
Trade off -- First Graduated Income Tax
2. Federal Reserve Act or 1913
Result of the Bank Panic of 1907
Divided the nation into 12 Federal Districts
Allowed Government to control interest rates
Made it easier for investors to obtain credit
3. FTC and Anti-Trust
Used legislation to beat the trust
Federal Trade Commission Act -- stopped unfair business practices
Clayton Anti-Trust Act -- stopped prosecution of Labor Unions (made them legal)
Made interlocking directorates illegal -- (removed conflict of interest)
4. Social Reforms
Workingmens Compensation Act
Child Labor Act -- banned goods produced by children from being transported by
interstate commerce
Farm Loan Act -- helped farmers get loans
Other Progressive Successes:
Settlement houses--Jane Addams and others established group homes in city slums to aid poor
urban residents.
1. Promoted public health reform in cities, chlorinating water and tightening sanitary
regulations
2. Developed education and craft programs for residents
3. Created neighborhood health clinics and dispensaries
Women's rights
1. While the number of employed women stayed constant from 1900-1920 (20%), the type of
work switched from domestic labor (servants, cooks, launderesses) to clerical work (clerks,
typists, bookkeepers), factory work, and professionals.
a. Carrie Chapman Catt was a speaker who was a school principal and news
reporter. She became the head of the National American Women’s Suffrage
Association (NAWSA). Her passion was followed across the country and many
suffrage groups were formed. Slowly more and more western and mid-west states
gave the right to vote to women.
b. “We will come in with our women”. Wyoming in 1890 wanted to enter
with women having the right to vote. They said they would wait 100 years before
entering as state without their women. Wyoming’s statehood barely passed.
2. Most women still held the lowest paying and least opportune jobs
3. Significant Progressive feminists called for greater reform
a) Charlotte Perkins Gilman attacked the male monopoly on opportunity and declared
that domesticity was an obsolete value for American women
b) Margaret Sanger led the movement to provide birth control to prevent unwanted
pregnancies among poor women
c) Suffragists urged that women be given the franchise, which came on the national
level with the 19th Amendment (1919).
Temperance—
Anti-Saloon League and Women's Christian Temperance Union fought alcoholism on the state level
through blue laws and on the national level with the 18th Amendment which prohibited the manufacture,
sale, and transportation of liquor.
CARRY NATION- her husband died from heavy drinking and she vowed to fight the evils of
“demon rum”. She took her fight to saloons, where she charged in swinging a hatchet and
smashing beer kegs and liquor bottles.
EVENTs….Triangle Shirt Waist Fire.
The fire at the Triangle Waist Company in New York City, which claimed the lives of
146 young immigrant workers, is one of the worst disasters since the beginning of the
Industrial Revolution. This incident has had great significance to this day because it
highlights the inhumane working conditions to which industrial workers can be subjected.
To many, its horrors epitomize the extremes of industrialism. The tragedy still dwells in the
collective memory of the nation and of the international labor movement. The victims of the
tragedy are still celebrated as martyrs at the hands of industrial greed.
Evaluation of Progressivism
A. Weaknesses of Progressive reform
1. Material progress of Americans weakened zeal of reformers
2. Myriad of Progressive goals were often confusing and contradictory
3. Opposition to Progressivism apparent as initiatives failed and courts struck down
Progressive legislation
4. Government remained mainly under the influence of business and industry
5. Outbreak of World War I dampened enthusiasm of attempts to use governments to create
just societies on earth
B. Progressive accomplishments
1. Trustbusting forced industrialists to notice public opinion
2. Legislation gave federal and state governments the tools to protect consumers.
3. Income tax helped build government revenues and redistribute wealth
4. Progressives successfully challenged traditional institutions and approaches to domestic
problems.