The Progressive Movement
Pg. 610-614
The Progressive Era
1900-1920
•Pressure to make reforms in response to: industrialization,
urbanization, population growth, immigration.
Chicago’s Dearborn Street, 1910.
N.Y.C. Street Peddlers.
Fighting Corruption- Management is key theme of
progressivism.
Some progressives found
motion pictures threatening.
Mulberry Street, NYC, 1900.
Political Machines-
•
These were powerful organizations linked
to political parties. They controlled local
government in many cities.
Political Boss- was the head of the political
machine, who controlled the cities jobs and
services.
–
1.
2.
3.
Gained votes for their parties by:
offering turkey dinners,
offering jobs (especially to the immigrants),
Offering help for needy families.
Corrupt politicians made money by:
1. Accepting bribes
2. Accepted campaign contributions
(money & favors)
3. Took kickbacks-when the political boss
gave a contract to a company they
charged the city more money than the
job required and gave the profit “back”
Achieving Optimal
to the political boss.
Fines for Political
Bribery: A Suggested
Political Reform
Boss TweedOne of the most corrupt city bosses, headed
New York City’s political machine, he was
convicted and sentenced to prison.
Spoils System-where a political machine
and boss run the city badly, thus spoiling it.
(making it rot)
• Called patronage
• Presidents tried for 2 terms to change the spoils
system. These were
-
Rutherford B. Hayes
– James Garfield.
• Civil Service Commission set up competitive exams for
federal jobs so the best qualified worker got the job.
1. Stop the corruption and clean-up
the cities.
Improve living standards
Housing
Health issues
Close saloons & theaters
Stop prostitution & gambling
Prison Reform
2. Create Positive Places & Features.
Education Reform
City parks
Reform Insane Asylums
City zoos
Libraries
Museums
Gardens & Arboretums
Symphonies
Amusement Parks
Preserve Wild Places
Examples of city sanitation issues,
orphan children and housing problems.
Young miners take a rare break.
Men working at a
clothing sweatshop.
The obvious exploitation of workers
changed stereotypes on the need for
organized labor.
IV. Progressive Era: Accomplishments
Journalist,
socialist, author,
Upton Sinclair
Chicago Stockyards, Turn of Century.
The Progressive Era 1898-1914-a time
when forward thinking people made
positive changes in America with the
government’s help.
•
•
•
Best for the public interest.
Inspired by religion – teaches you to do the right thing,
science – every problem has a solution.
Reform means to change.
1. Journalists exposed injustice and corruption by writing
stories.
2. These journalists were called Muckrakers because they
raked the muck back so the problems were exposed, and
the city could begin to grow.