Unit 2 Chapter 11
The Progressive Reform Era (18901920)
Section One: The Origins of Progressivism
1. Who were the Progressives? 2. Why did the Progressive Era
evolve? 3. What were the goals of the Progressives?
• Progressives were people who wanted to see positive
reform/change in America. They didn’t all agree with each
other, but many did agree that problems such as poverty and
unsanitary living conditions called for more laws from the
government. They included all races of people, social classes,
gender, political parties, local and national levels.
• Cause of the Progressive movement: because of Gilded
Age/corruption. --and effects of rapid urbanization,
industrialization, and immigration.
• Goals: fought for political, social, and economic reform. They believed government should: be held accountable to
its citizens, regulate big business, improve life for citizens,
should be less corrupt.
4. List some of the earliest reformers?
5. How did writing play a huge role in the
Progressive Era
• Name
Accomplishment
• Henry George
•
•
• Edward Bellamy
•
•
•
•
•
•
Resistance/opposition
wrote Progress and Poverty
wanted single tax for value
of land
wrote Looking Backward
book was fiction about the
year 2000 being a better
America with government
controlling big businesses
influenced “nationalists” and
the “Populists”
6. List some of the “Muckrakers”—investigative reporters –term
means raking up poop! They wrote novels/articles that caught
people’s attention and exposed problems in America.
• Name
Accomplishments
Resistance/Opposition
• Upton Sinclair wrote The Jungle too much gov. involved
•
and succeeded in
•
reforming the meat
•
industry.
• Ida Tarbell
Wrote The History
•
of the Standard Oil
•
Company. Uncovered
•
corrupt business
• Lincoln Steffens uncovered political
•
corruption
Upton Sinclair, Ida Tarbell, and Lincoln
Steffens-----The “Muckrakers”
Raking out the Poop!
7. List some reform/progressive
organizations
• Labor movement/unions—wanted better rights for workers (government
usually sided with big business owners).
• Socialists-Socialists/Communists believed everyone gets “a piece of the
pizza.” Were against capitalism and big business and felt the government
should own business and distribute wealth more evenly. They included
men, women, industrial workers and unions, military men, etc. Most felt
they could make change through voting. However, most radical changes
such as these were not accepted by most Progressives—who wanted to
keep capitalism and democracy but just get rid of government corruption.
• Women’s groups—women played big role in Progressive reforms. Women
activists felt women needed the right to vote to influence things such as
conditions in the workplace, liquor/alcohol, corrupt commercialism,
child labor, and healthcare. Famous women—Florence Kelley, Jane
Addams, and Mother Jones—helped found organizations such as the
National Consumer’s League(NCL) and the International Workers of the
World (IWW).
• Why do hold “seals, bears, reindeer, fish, wild
game in national parks, buffalo” and
numerous other creatures as worthy of
government protection “but not the children
of our race and their mothers.” -Florence
Kelley
ACTIVITY 1!
• Look at the power point about Upton Sinclair’s
“The Jungle” and write 3 facts/your opinions
in complete sentences.
Section Two: Progressive Legislation
1. List some new reform/laws passed by the local and the
Federal Government as a result of the Progressive movement.
• social welfare programs/expanded role of most Progressives only
wanted government to control things like water, electricity and
social welfare programs (unemployment, disability benefits)
• Laws passed at the municipal (city/local) level-- reforms-many
activists/reformers/mayors fought at the city level for changes such
as safer building codes and didn’t want to be controlled by
state/federal limits. They tried to get rid of corrupt “political
machines/bosses” that ran most cities. Most didn’t succeed in
getting rid of these bosses, but did succeed in getting rid of
monopolies that ran electricity, gas, and water and established
welfare reforms such as homeless shelters and kindergarten.
Reasons why many thought the government needed to
play a bigger role passing new laws/reforms
• Fires- the Triangle Shirtwaist company fire in New York in 1911 (146 dead!)
• Natural Disasters-such as the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 (6000
dead!)
•
Laws/reforms passed at state level--activists/reformers/governors fought for
changes in things like handpicking candidates. In Wisconsin, they started the
direct primaries—people actually would get to vote for candidates. Wisconsin’s
governor, Robert La Follete –”fighting Bob” was a leading progressive governor.
Many states also adopted initiative (you could put an issue on the voting ballot
just by collecting a petition of signatures), referendum(citizens could
approve/reject a law passed by state legislature), and recall (allows voters to
remove public officials from office before next election.) By 1913, the 17th
amendment was passed allowing people to elect their state representatives. By
1912, most states had abolished child labor and had set a minimum wage.
•
Laws/reforms passed at national/Federal level—Theodore Roosevelt, William
Taft, and Woodrow Wilson were known as the “Progressive Presidents
New amendments: 16th (federal income tax), 17th(election of senators), 18th
(banned alcohol). 19th (women vote), Meat Inspection Act, Pure Food and Drug
Act.
•
“Fighting Bob” –progressive governor
of Wisconsin
Theodore Roosevelt was a conservationist. He
established the first national parks, and wildlife
preserves in the United States.
TR offered the country what he called the
Square Deal
meaning a fair and honest deal for all
Americans.
Section Three: The Progressive Presidents
1. Discuss the three Presidents, Theodore Roosevelt,
William Taft and Woodrow Wilson and the reforms
they made.
• Theodore Roosevelt (Republican): seek new anti-trust
laws to break up monopolies. He made the Interstate
Commerce Commission (ICC) stronger to regulate
railroads, and because of the reports by the “muckrakers”,
he passed the Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat
Inspection Act. Roosevelt and other presidents worked to
preserve national forests/parks such as Yellowstone.
During the Progressive Era, the first women ever elected to
a federal position headed the Department of Labor. New
amendments: 16th (federal income tax), 17th(election of
senators), 18th (banned alcohol). 19th (women vote)
• William Taft (Republican): Didn’t make many Progressive
Reforms, but did keep some already made. made many
Progressives angry when he compromised with big business.
His old friend, Roosevelt, ended up disliking him and running
against him under the Progressive “Bull Moose” party. They
both lost to Democrat Woodrow Wilson.
Woodrow Wilson (Democrat): he reduced tariffs, was a
trustbuster—attacked business trusts/big business, created
the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to regulate unfair
business practices, and created the Federal Reserve System
to regulate banks and prevent bank failures. He made loans
to farmers. Was even accused of being too radical.
Roosevelt’s “Bull Moose” Party
Both Roosevelt and Taft were known as “trust busters.”
Wilson was a
reformer and
trust buster too.
Progressive
Presidents:
• Roosevelt (l)
• Wilson (c)
• Taft (r)
Section Four: Suffrage at Last
1. More Progressives—list the key
progressives/activists of the women’s suffrage(voting)
movement
• Elizabeth Stanton
• Susan B. Anthony
• Another famous woman activist was Lucretia
Mott.
Susan B. Anthony
Elisabeth Cady Stanton Carrie Chapman Catt
The Nineteenth Amendment saw the ratification
of their long-held dream. (women could vote!
1920)
Suffragists-women’s political-action groups worked
together the secure the right to vote.
Some thought women had “no business” voting.
Activity # 2
ACTIVITY 3!
• Look at the chart on page 394. Write down
the one new federal Progressive reform that
was passed that you think had the biggest
impact on America and why.
10. Discuss how the Progressive Era did NOT fix
everything! 11. Discuss groups ignored by the
Progressive Era.
• Jim Crow laws were allowed to expand and
exist under the “Progressive Presidents”.
African Americans felt worsening race
relations.
Groups largely ignored by the Progressive
Movement:
• Native Americans (continued
to be assimilated).
• Mexican immigrants (found
refuge in barrios).
• European Jews (faced
anti-Semitism).
East Asian immigrants
African American civil rights groups argued over whether to seek
economic independence or civil equality.
Booker T. Washington
W.E.B. Du Bois
The NAACP
In 2005, The United States Senate formally apologized
campaigned for
for its failure
anti-lynching
to ever
laws.
enact a single anti-lynching law!*
Between 1882
and 1968, 200
anti-lynching
bills were
* Due to Southern
introduced in
Democratic opposition.
Congress…
12. Define and discuss Eugenics
• Eugenics is currently defined as the “applied
science or the bio-social movement which
advocates the use of practices aimed at
improving the genetic composition of a
population", usually referring to human
populations
Eugenics:
• segregation
• sterilization
• extermination
•
•
•
•
poverty
illiteracy
promiscuity
mental or physical characteristics of
“inferior races”
• “unfit,” (coming from economically and
socially poor backgrounds)
• non-white
.
Families were
recognized for
“marrying well” and
producing strong,
healthy breeding stock
to promote the future
welfare of the (white)
The pseudo-scientific rhetoric of the Eugenics Movement was in part born
race.
out of the concept of Social Darwinism. It promised a quick end to social
ills and became very popular in many of the industrial nations of the early
Twentieth century.
Eugenics would be
applied to those races
considered
“inferior.”
Eugenics will come to represent a cornerstone in Adolf
Hitler’s “Final
Solution.”
____
In the end, the Progressive Movement was
the most successful reform movement in the
history of the United States!
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•
•
•
•
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Bibliography:
Contemporary’s American History 2
America: Pathways to the Present
internet sources
AISD. Curriculum guide 2011-2012
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