The Progressive Era, 1901-1917
The Progressive Movement:
Definition and Character
 Goals
– Political - Revitalize American Democracy
• Make government responsive to people not
special interests or bosses
– Economic - Restore equity and opportunity to
American capitalism
– Social - Provide social justice to the poor
 Progressive Philosophy
– Did not believe in radical change (socialism)
– But wanted fair competition and worker
regulation
 Operated on all levels of government
 Included both democrats and republicans.
Composition
 Middle Class White Americans
 Farmers and Small Businessmen
 Social Reformers
 Professors & Lawyers
 Not included: Racial Minorities, new
immigrants, Labor Unions
Middle Class White
Americans
 Wanted to restore honesty and integrity to
government
– They wanted to end corruption at all levels.
• Elimination of political machines
• Institute civil service reforms
– End special interest lobbyist in legislative
bodies
Farmers and Small Business
 People who wanted to use the government to
regulate the abuses of corporations and trusts
– Wanted trusts eliminated
– Wanted government controlled railroads rates and
banks
– Currency reform
 Had some success – but not enforced
– Republicans embraced laissez-faire economics
– Interstate Commerce Act
– Sherman Anti-Trust Act
Social Reformers
 Government should alleviate social
problems
– Slums and tenements
 Unsafe working conditions & child labor
 Treatment of new immigrants
 Some small scale success
– Jane Addams (Hull House – Chicago)
Included Professors, Lawyers
and Social Gospel Advocates
 The industrial revolution brought on the need for
corporate lawyers
– Law was once a respected profession
– Paid well to defend the interests of their company
– Lawyers felt they were losing there identity
 Intellectuals
– Use University professors to make the society more
efficient
– Wealthy men – donate to Universities
• in return - donor had expectations for curriculum
– Many intellectuals were concerned about this
What Really Got
Progressivism Moving?
 Teddy Roosevelt’s Assumption of the
Presidency in 1901
– William McKinley is assassinated in Sept. 1901
– Youngest president at 43 years old
– Gradually provided a national focus on
Progressivism
 Rise of the ‘ Muckrakers”
Muckrakers
 “Investigative journalism”
 Sensationalized Exposes on corporation corruption
– Raised awareness
 Magazines – McClure’s, Cosmopolitan
 Ida Tarbell (1902) does and expose in McClure’s on Standard Oil
– Illegal Monopoly
 Novels
– The Octopus by Frank Norris
– The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
– How the Other Half Lives - Jacob Riis
 The Muckrakers formula is…
– Uncover a scandal
– Attack it using facts to back up arguments
– Has a tremendous impact on readers
Achievements of Progressivism
 Many political machines are overthrown
– The Shame of the Cities – Lincoln Steffens – said political machines serve
their own interests and that of corporations, not the people
– Thomas Nast
 Leader of Progressive reform is Wisconsin 1900-01 – Robert
LaFollette
– Reduce gov’t corruption: Institutes the referendum, recall, primaries
– Corrupt political practices acts passed – controls on campaign spending
and lobbying
– The universities must aid the state economists - come up with an effective
tax system, highway system.
– Child Labor Laws (one of the first states)
– Building codes & controlled hours
Thomas Nast & Harper’s
Weekly
Amendments to the
Constitution
 The 16th Amendment – 1913
– Constitutional for the government to impose a personal income tax.
 The 17th Amendment – 1913
– Senators must be directly elected in a popular election.
 The 18th Amendment – Jan 1919
– Prohibition – Illegal to buy, sell or distribute hard spirits in the US.
 The 19th Amendment – 1920
– Prohibited states from denying women the right to vote.
• Women did vote in certain states prior to this (In NJ in the late 1700s
for a short time.
• Also, some western states allowed women to vote)
Contradictions of
Progressivism
 Generally oppose political and social equality for racial minorities and
recent immigrants
 Many Progressives Oppose Women’s Suffrage
– Woodrow Wilson was one of these guys. He felt it was a state, not a
national issue.
 Many Progressives Oppose National Labor Unions
– Concerned about the plight of the working man, but at the same time
opposed unions
– Fear of Marxism – union leadership advocated changes that were too
radical
– Fear of radical uprisings
 Many Progressives Support Tighter Immigration Restrictions