UNIT 2 – THE PROGRESSIVE ERA
THE BIG QUESTIONS:
 How
did farmers respond to the
problems they faced in the late 19th
Century?
 How did muckrakers and other
Progressives reform American Society?
 What has been the legacy of the
Progressive Presidents?
 How was the move toward realism
reflected in American art and
literature?
THE AGRARIAN MOVEMENT
 In
the 19th Century, the majority of
Americans still lived on farms
 The extension of farming to the
Great Plains and the greater use of
machinery and fertilizer led to an
abundance of crops
 Farmers faced more difficulties as
food prices dropped (supply and
demand) but expenses stayed high
THE GRANGE MOVEMENT Founded
in 1867
Purpose was to serve as a social
club for farmers, help overcome
isolation, and spread
technological information
1.5 million members in 10 years
Began urging economic and
political reform
CONTINUED…
Formed
cooperatives and tried to
eliminate the “middle man”
 bought machinery, fertilizer,
and manufactured goods in
large numbers for a discount
 Sold directly to city markets
 Many failed due to lack of
business experience
CONTINUED…
 The
Granger Laws
 Farmers blamed railroads for difficulties
(overcharged)
 Some states elected Grangers to reform laws
(regulating railroad and grain storage rates)
Munn v. Illinois (1877) – Supreme Court
upheld the right of a state to regulate
businesses that affect public interest within
the state
Reversed in 1886 – said only Congress could
regulate
Interstate Commerce Act (1897) regulated
railroads
USE OPTIC TO
ANALYZE THE PHOTO:
Observe (look carefully at
the photo)
 Parts (what things do you
see in the photo?)
 Title (what would you title
this photo?)
 Infer (what can you infer
from this photo?)
 Conclusion (What are
your thoughts about this
photos?)

ASSIGNMENT:

Use the following slides to create a storyboard
about The Populist Party. Use the following
subtopics:
Background of the Populist Party
 Election of 1892
 Election of 1896
 Election of 1900

Make sure you include a paragraph describing each
topic in detail.
 Add a picture (drawn or “googled”) for each.
 Add a well-developed question for each.

THE POPULIST PARTY (PEOPLE’S PARTY):
1891-1896
 New
political party representing the “common
man” (farmers, industrial workers, miners)
 Battled against banking and railroad interests
 Women played a prominent role as speakers
and organizers
 Wanted government to take a larger role in
ending oppression, injustice, and poverty
 In 1892, chose a presidential candidate and
drew up a party platform
ELECTION CAMPAIGNS
 1892
– Populists elected 5 senators
and got over a million votes for their
presidential candidate.
Soon after, economy collapsed in the
Depression of 1893
 Populists blamed the Depression on
scarcity of currency
 Demanded unlimited coinage of silver to
raise prices

CONTINUED…
 1896
– Democrats nominated William
Jennings Bryan for President
he delivered a “cross of gold” speech
praising farmers and denouncing bankers
 The Populists Party supported him instead
of running another candidate
 Bryan’s sense of moral outrage scared many
voters
 He was narrowly defeated by William
McKinley (pro business)
 South & West supported Bryan. North and
Midwest supported McKinley.

CONTINUED…
 1900
– Bryan again ran against
McKinley
 When McKinley won a second time,
it virtually brought an end to the
Populist Party
 New gold discoveries, higher farm
prices, and rural migration to the
cities weakened national interest in
a separate farmer’s party
LEGACY OF POPULISM
 Third
parties often have an impact
on the political process
 Provide an outlet for minorities to
voice grievances and generate new
ideas
 Many of its ideas were adopted by
one of the larger parties and
eventually passed into law.
THE PROGRESSIVE MOVEMENT:
1900-1920
BACKGROUND ON PROGRESSIVES:
 Took
their name from their belief in progress
 Borrowed ideas from the Populists and the labor
movement
 Mainly middle-class city dwellers (not farmers or
workers)
 Reflected the rising influence of the middle class
(writers, lawyers, ministers, and college
professors provided leadership)
 Primary goal was to protect the political and
economic injustices resulting from
industrialization
 Wanted government reform to stop corruption
ROOTS OF THE PROGRESSIVE
MOVEMENT
 Arose
from a combination of the actions of
Protestant evangelicalism, journalists,
Populists, and educated middle class to abuses
in industry and government
 Felt threatened by the rise of big business,
large labor unions, and political bosses
 Exalted science and placed great confidence in
the ability of using a scientific approach to
solve social problems
 Refused to accept corruption and poverty
THE SOCIAL GOSPEL MOVEMENT
 Spearheaded
by Protestant clergymen
 Called for social reforms
 Abolition of child labor
 Safer working conditions
 Hated unregulated free enterprise
 Emphasized the Christian duty to help the
less fortunate (Salvation Army)
 Believed Christians were called upon by God
to perform acts of charity and goodness
 Supported the Temperance Movement, which
aimed to ban alcoholic beverages
SOCIALISM & COMMUNISM VS PROGRESSIVES
 Demanded
an end to free enterprise or
capitalism
 Believed government should take over basic
industries
 Communists believed that workers should
seize control by force and abolish private
property
 Progressives rejected these extremes, but
argued reform was necessary if social
revolution was to be avoided
MUCKRAKERS
 Newspapers
and magazines reached larger
audiences
 Investigative reporters, writers and social
scientists exposed the abuses of industrial
society and government corruption
 These writers were known as muckrakers
because the raked up “muck” or dirt on
American life
 Examined abuses leading to large fortunes of
businessmen
 Examined business practices affecting
consumers and the poor
 Probably the first Progressives
ASSIGNMENT
Research the following Muckrakers:
 Jacob Riis
 Ida Tarbell
 Lincoln Steffens
 Frank Norris
 Upton Sinclair
And political reformer
 Robert LaFollette
Tell who they were, what they did, when they
wrote, where they lived, why they wrote about the
topics they wrote about, how their work influenced
American society
REFORM DURING THE
PROGRESSIVE ERA
ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF EARLY PROGRESSIVES
 Provided
one of the best examples of
Americans attempting to overcome
problems through reform
 Identified political and social
problems
 Made individual or local efforts to
stop them
 Social Reformers sought to stop
abuses of industrial society
 Political Reformers wanted to fix
abuses in the government
SOCIAL REFORMERS
Research the following social reformers
 Jane Addams
 Ida B. Wells
 W.E.B. DuBois
 Booker T. Washington
And the following groups
 NAACP
 Anti-Defamation League
Tell “Who, What, When, Where, Why and How” as
you did for the Muckrakers
POLITICAL REFORMS
 Municipal
(local) – To prevent corruption,
Progressives replaced the rule of “bosses” with
public-minded mayors
 State – Progressives introduced reforms such
as initiative, referendum, and recall in order to
end corruption and make state government
accountable to the people
 Social Legislation – regulated urban housing
and abolished child labor, and safety and
health conditions in factories
 Civil Service – The Pendleton Act created a
Civil Service Commission and placement in
government jobs based on a merit system
ASSIGNMENT
Research the following Progressive Reforms
 Secret Ballot
 Initiative
 Referendum
 Recall
 Direct Party Primaries
 Direct Election of Senators (17th Amendment)
Tell when each one was proposed and passed, what
it proposed, and how it affected the political process
CREATING A MOBILE FOR THE
PROGRESSIVE ERA
Each group will use the information from their research
to create a mobile for the Progressive Era.
 You will have 3 topics – Muckrakers, Social Reform,
and Political Reform (pick a card in class).
 Create “cards” for your mobile with the person, group,
or reform on one side and what they did and how it
impacted American society on the back.
 Use a hanger to create your mobile.
 Put a title “jacket” –The Progressive Era - over your
hanger, then attach each card to the mobile using
string, yarn, or ribbon
 Be prepared to share your information with the class
VISUAL OF MOBILE
THE PROGRESSIVE
ERA
6
Total
Muckraker
Political
Reform
Social
Reform
Jacob Riis
Secret
Ballot
W.E.B.
DuBois
6
Total