Chapter 18 Section 1
THE ORIGINS OF
PROGRESSIVISM
Progressive Era
 Period from about
1890 to 1920
 During this time a
variety of reforms were
enacted at the local,
state and federal levels
What were some of the historical
roots of the Progressive Era?
 Nativism
 Prohibition
 Purity crusades
 Charity reform
 Social gospel
philosophy
 Settlement houses
What beliefs did most
progressives share?
 They wanted to rid the
government of
corruption and expand
its role to regulate
economic activity and
enhance human
welfare
How did Henry George and Edward
Bellamy influence the rise of
Progressivism?
 Henry George
 Combat poverty by
charging a single tax to
landowners based on
the value of the land
itself
 Discouraging
speculation
 Decreasing poverty
 Edward Bellamy
 Government should
take over the largest
companies and
reorganize them to
focus more on human
needs than of profits
Muckraker
 Journalists that
uncovered wrongdoing
in politics or business
What key role did the muckrakers
play in the Progressive Movement?
 They alerted the public
to wrongdoing in
politics and business
Name 3 muckrakers, the name of their
book, and what they were attempting to
expose.
Upton Sinclair
 Wrote The Jungle
 Exposed filthy
conditions in America’s
meatpacking industry
Lincoln Steffens
 Wrote the Shame of
the Cities
 Exposed political
corruption
Ida Tarbell
 Wrote The History of
the Standard Oil
Company
 Revealed the abuses
committed by the
Standard Oil Trust
How did Roosevelt both criticize
and praise muckrakers?
 While Roosevelt
approved of the
legitimate exposure of
wrongdoing, he
condemned those who
“earn their livelihood
by telling…scandalous
falsehoods about
honest men…”
Socialism
 A political and
economic philosophy
favoring public
(government) control
of property and income
 Many wanted to end
capitalism, distribute
wealth more equally,
and have government
ownership of all
industries
How were the Progressives
different than the socialists?
 Unlike socialists and
some more radical
reformers, most
Progressives did not
support huge economic
and political changes.
 They did not want to lose
their high standard of
living and personal
liberties that democracy
and the free market had
given them.
 Progressives desired to
clean up government
and business
Injunction
 Court orders that
prohibit a certain
activity
How did injunctions affect the
growth of labor unions?
 Courts often issued
injunctions preventing
workers from going on
strike
Identify some Progressive Women’s
groups and their causes.
 International Ladies
Garment Workers
Union- to organize the
garment industry
 National Women’s
Trade Union Leaguefought for labor laws
 National Consumers’
League fought to
outlaw child labor and
protect workers