Reform movement between 1900-1920
(approx.)
*an effort to address the political,
economic and social problems that
resulted from industrialization, and
intense urbanization.
I. Origins and Goals
A. Roots of the Progressive movement evolved from
the Populists movement.
1. Populist movement addressed rural
issues.
2. Progressives addressed urban issues.
B. Key Goals:
1. Wanted continued regulation of
the economy.
2. Elimination of political
corruption
3. Limit the power of big business.
4. Wanted government protection
of human welfare.
5. Help the poor.
II. Key groups pushing for reform
A. Labor movement worked to change:
1. work hours
2. wages
3. working conditions
B. Socialist:
1. wanted to end capitalism
2. more equal distribution of wealth.
3. governmental control of the economy
and political system.
C. Muckrakers: investigative journalists,
photographers, authors, etc., worked to expose
societies problems.
**Who coined the phrase, ‘muckrakers”? Why?**
1. Notable muckrakers:
a. Ida Tarbell: journalist-exposed Standard Oil
b. Frank Norris: author-RR corruption
c. Jacob Riis: photographer-exposed slum life
d. Lincoln Steffens: journalistpolitical corruption
e. Theodore Dreiser: author –
worker conditions.
f. Upton Sinclair: journalist/author – working
conditions/corporate greed
1. Wrote The Jungle –expose on the
meatpacking industry.
2. Resulted in immediate public/government
response:
a. Meat Inspection Act (1906)
b. Pure Food and Drug Act (1906)
1. Required ingredients be listed on containers
2. outlawed patent medicines
D. Temperance Movement
1. Pushed to outlaw alcohol
a. believed it to be the root of most of the
problems of society.
b. Historical achievement will be the
eventual passing of the 18th Amendment.
E. Suffragette Movement
1. Collective movement began in 1848, in
Seneca Falls.
a. worked to get women the right
vote.
b. Historical achievement will be the
passing of the 19th amendment.
F. NAACP-National Association for the Advancement
of Colored People.
1. Goal was/is to ensure social and political
equality and protection for Af. Americans.
2. NAACP fought via the court system.
FYI: Can you name one landmark case involving the NAACP?
G. Robert La Follete:
1. Trailblazing Governor of Wisconsin
a. One of the first to implement prog. reforms
1.direct primary
2. labor legislation
3. corporate regulation, etc.
FYI: Fast forward to today….what has happened to
Wisconsin under the governorship of Scott Walker?
III. MUNICIPAL, STATE AND FEDERAL REFORM:
A. Municipal/City Reform:
1. Commission System: voters elect experts
to head city departs, such as police, fire,
public works, etc.
FYI: Galveston, TX will be one of the first cities to implement this style of
government after the Hurricane of 1900.
2. City-Manager Plan: voters elect a city
council, which then appoints a city manager.
B. State Reforms (but some apply to Federal as
well/ “duo”):
1. Secret Ballots (duo), also called the
Australian ballot, voters elect candidates
anonymously.
.
2. Initiative: voters can start the ball rolling on
new laws
3. Referendum: allows voters to approve or repeal
an act of the Legislature.
(FYI: this is the most common form)
4. Recall: voters can remove elected officials.
FYI: Can the POTUS be recalled…Yes or No? Explain
5. 17th Amendment: direct election of U.S. Senators
(idea introduced by the Populist party)
FYI: Even though this was a change to the U.S. Constitution, why does it
fall under state reform?
6. Building & Fire Codes:
a. major push for codes came after the Triangle
Shirtwaist Factory fire in 1911.
1. fire broke out in the overcrowded
sweatshop.
2. only one fire escape, and exit doors to
the roof were locked.
3. 146 people died (many jumped to their deaths)
4. As a result sprinkler systems, safety doors, fire
extinguishers, etc. will soon be standard for buildings.
FYI: the two stairwells, and one elevator proved ineffective for mass
evacuation.
C. FEDERAL REFORMS:
1. Sixteenth Amendment: graduated
income tax (idea introduced by the
Populist party)
2. 18th Amendment: Abolition of Alcohol
(Prohibition)
3. 19th Amendment: Suffragettes won the right to
vote.
A. The Silent Sentinels picketed
the White House for 2.5
years to fight for voting
rights.
FYI: What global event helped breakdown the last of the male anti-suffragette resistance?
4. Hepburn Act:
a. The ICC was given the authority to SET RR rates.
b. It also gave the ICC authority to regulate
additional companies engaged in interstate
commerce:
1. such as pipelines and ferries.
IV. Progressive Era Presidents
A. President Roosevelt:
1. Elected VP on the McKinley-Roosevelt
ticket in the Election of 1900.
a. McKinley is assassinated,
and Roosevelt assumes
office.
2. T.R. reversed the role of a weak Pres. and a strong
Congress.
3. Broke up approx. 40+ trusts.
a. Recognized that all trusts weren’t bad
4. Conservation became a Presidential priority.
5. Able to help resolve a labor strike between Big
Coal and the coal minors in 1902.
a. First President to
work with unions.
b. Promised all
involved a square deal.
6. His “Square Deal” proved so popular that it
became his 1904 Campaign slogan!
B. William Howard Taft:
1. T.R. didn’t run in the 1908 election because
of tradition.
a. He “handpicked” his successor,
William Howard Taft.
b. Republicans trusted TR so they
ran Taft for President..and he
won!
2. It was assumed that Taft wouldn’t veer too far
from TR’s blueprint.
a. His critics believed TR would be
pulling the strings.
3. But Taft proved to be his own president.
a. Broke up twice as many trust as TR.
b. Added land to the national reserve.
c. Addressed child labor and work hours
d. gave even more power the ICC with
the Manns-Elkin act (telephone/telegraph)
etc, etc,…………………………..
4. However he ticked off TR and Republicans because he:
a. didn’t have the political skills to stop a
record high tariff from passing. (PayneAldrich Tariff)
Consumer
b. he fired a TR appointee who criticized the Taft
administration for selling timberland in Alaska
(Ballinger-Pinchot Affair).
“I’ll tell Teddy on you”
c. TR decided to run in the 1912 election
HERES TEDDY!!!!!
C. Election of 1912
1. Republicans stuck with Taft.
2. So TR and his
supporters created a
third party
a. Progressive Party
(Bull Moose Party)
“Suffering Snakes….How
Theodore Has Changed!
3.The election got
ugly and personal
between the two.
FYI: Sooooo, if Taft and TR are both Republicans, what do you think is going to
happen to their votes?
4. And the winner was………. Woodrow Wilson!!
a. Taft and Roosevelt split their votes,
which benefitted neither one.
D. Woodrow Wilson
1. Domestic Policy was New Freedom:
a. created Federal Reserve Act
(controls money supply and
inflation /deflation.)
b. Underwood Tariff reduced tariffs to the lowest
rate in 50 yrs.
Wilson taking on the Triple Wall of
Privilege.
C. Federal Trade Commission:
1. set up to encourage fair trade practices
among businesses
FYI: TR is known as the “Trustbuster”, but both Taft and Wilson broke up more than him.
D. Clayton Antitrust Act:
1. Strengthened antitrust laws.
2. Also established that antitrust laws did not apply
to labor unions.
E. Wilson wins the 1916 Election