The Roots of Progressivism
Ch 5.1
Monday, February 27, 2012
• Daily goal:
• Understand what is a muckraker, who was
Jacob Riis and what book he wrote.
• Understand how direct primary, initiative,
referendum and recall changed gov’t.
• Think About it…
• Do you think it is the government’s
responsibility to aid the poor?
WHAT WAS PROGRESSIVISM?
 MANY HISTORIANS BELIEVE IT WAS THE URBAN COUNTERPART TO
RURAL POPULISM
 IT CAN ALSO BE DEFINED AS THE BEGINNING OF MODERN
“LIBERALISM”
 LIBERALS/PROGRESSIVES BELIEVED:
 THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD BE MORE ACTIVE
 SOCIAL PROBLEMS SHOULD BE ADDRESSED THROUGH
GOVERNMENT LEGISLATION
 PUBLIC FUNDS SHOULD BE USED TO ADDRESS SOCIAL
PROBLEMS
3
ORIGINS OF THE PROGRESSIVE MOVEMENT
MOVEMENTS THAT LED TO PROGRESSIVISM
NEW INTEREST IN
THE POOR
WOMEN’S SUFFRAGE
CHARITY
SOCIAL GOSPEL
GOOD GOVERNMENT
SETTLEMENT HOUSES
4
Immigration
restrictions
Political
reform
Prohibition
End to white
slavery,
prostitution,
and sweat
shops
End of
child
labor
PROGRESSIVISM
Americanization
of
immigrants
Anti-trust
legislation
End of
urban
political
machines
Women’s
suffrage
Rate
regulation
of private
utilities
5
Progressivism
• Not a tightly organized movement, but it had
many ideas to fix the problems which faced
America.
JACOB RIIS: DOCUMENTED POVERTY AND HOPELESSNESS
Jacob Riis
7
8
9
10
11
Evicted
12
13
Muckrakers
• Journalists who investigated to expose social
conditions and political corruption.
• Jacob Riis wrote How the Other Half Lives
which described disease, poverty and crime in
NY immigrant neighborhoods.
The corruption was breathtaking in its breadth and boldness. A
carpenter was paid $360,751 ($4.9 million in 2004 dollars) for one
month's labor in a building with very little woodwork. A furniture
contractor received $179,729 ($2.5 million) for three tables and 40
chairs. And the plasterer, A Tammany functionary, Andrew J. Garvey,
got $133,187 ($1.82 million) for two days' work; his business
acumen earned him the sobriquet "The Prince of Plasterers." Tweed
personally profited from a financial interest in a Massachusetts
quarry which provided the courthouse's marble. When a committee
investigated why it took so long to build the courthouse, it spent
$7,718 (roughly $105,000 today) to print its report. The printing
company was owned by Tweed.
15
Commission Plan
• Divided city gov’t into several depts. Helped
stop corruption.
PROGRESSIVE REFORMS ON THE STATE LEVEL
ROBERT La FOLLETTE AND THE
WISCONSIN IDEA
17
Robert La Follette
• Progressive Governor of Wisconsin nicknamed
the “laboratory of democracy” for all its new
ideas.
Power to the People!
• Direct primary- voters, not politicians would
select which candidate would run in the
election.
• Initiative- voters can propose laws.
• Referendum-proposed laws submitted to
voters for approval.
• Recall- voters can remove elected officials
from office.
ALICE PAUL AND LUCY BURNS ORGANIZED A PROTEST PARADE TO COINCIDE WITH
PRESIDENT WILSON’S INAUGURATION IN MARCH 1913
21
Women’s Suffrage
• Alice Paul led the Women’s Suffrage
movement.
• The 19th amendment gave women the right
to vote.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lysWbzQyi
Ww&feature=related