The Progressive Reform Era
(1890-1920)
I. The Origins of Progressivism
• Stories like Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle
brought problems to the forefront of
society’s mind
– It talked about the tragic accidents, illnesses,
and deaths of workers
– It also sickened the reader by describing what
was called “meat” that people were eating
A. The Progressive Era
• Reform movements spread throughout American
society at the turn of the 20th century
• The U.S. prided itself on being a modern land of
progress and prosperity
1. The Roots of Twentieth-Century
Reform
• While Populism thrived mainly among western and
southern farmers, many of the 20th century
movements were in the NE, Midwest, and West
• New reformers were reacting to the effects of the
era’s rapid industrialization, immigration, and
urbanization
• Plans to bring progress to society were developed
– Progressive Era (1890-1920)
2. The Progressives: Their Goals and
Beliefs
• Progressivism was not a single, unified movement
• Goals could be grouped into 1 of 4 categories:
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Social
Moral
Political
Economic
• Most progressives were people of average wealth
who held at least 4 basic beliefs:
– Government should be more accountable to citizens,
– Should curb the power and influence of wealthy
interests,
– Should be given expanded powers so that it could
become more active in improving the lives of its
citizens,
– Should become more efficient and less corrupt so that
they could competently handle an expanded role
B. Igniting Reform: Writers and Their
Ideas
• The ideas of journalists and other writers
had enormous influence on public opinion
1. Two Early Reformers
• Henry George- author of Progress and Poverty
– Tried to explain why poverty continued to plague such an
advanced civilization
– Journalist and self-taught economist
– Claimed poverty existed b/c people bought land and held
on to it until its price went up (speculation prevented
others from using the land productively)
– Proposed a single tax on the land itself
• Edward Bellamy published Looking Backward
– The novel has a man from 1887 wake up in the year
2000 to a Utopian world where the government has
taken over the largest companies and focuses on
meeting human needs instead of making profit
– Phenomenal bestseller
– Reformers would try to get many of the issues that were
brought up in Looking Backward solved in a systematic
way (research, publish in papers, pressure legislators)
2. The Muckrakers
• Journalists such as Upton Sinclair played a key role
in alerting the public of wrongdoing in politics and
business
• Teddy Roosevelt called such writers muckrakers
– A muckrake is a rake/pitchfork used to clean manure and
hay out of stables
– Roosevelt approved of legitimate exposure of
wrongdoing, but condemned “scandalous falsehoods”
• Many muckrakers were respected writers
C. Progressive Reform Organizations
• Whether angered or sickened by the muckrakers’
novels and newspaper accounts, Americans were
inspired to take action
1. The Labor Movement
• The Union movement slowly grew during the 1890’s
• Employers would seek injunctions from the courts
– Court orders prohibiting a certain activity
– Courts often issued injunctions against striking
• Unions still were trying to gain better working
conditions through collective bargaining
2. Socialists
• A rise in Socialism occurred during the Progressive
era
– Socialism = a political and economic philosophy
favoring public or government control of property and
income
• Edward Bellamy and Upton Sinclair both promoted
Socialist ideas
• Progressives, however, did not support sweeping
economic and political changes
– Wanted to free the existing govt. of corruption
3. Women’s Groups
• Women played a key role in the Progressive
Era’s movements
• Women’s groups realized the need for
political rights (voting!!!!)
D. Two Women’s Reformers
• Women’s organizations took a special interest in
workplace reforms
• Florence Kelley
• Mary Harris “Mother” Jones
1. Florence Kelley
• A leader in the work for labor reform
• Joined Jane Addams’ Hull House in Chicago
• Investigated local labor conditions and was largely
responsible for Illinois passing a law prohibiting
child labor, limiting hours for women, and
regulating sweatshop conditions
2. Mother Jones
• Irish immigrant who suffered great tragedies by
losing her husband, 4 kids, and her dressmaking
business in different incidents
• Became a national speaker for both unions and
child labor laws
• Was a member of the Knights of Labor before
helping found the IWW
E. Progressive Reforms Meet
with Resistance
• Many people, even those who the
Progressives were trying to help, were
resisting their political ideas
– The poor families needed the wages of children,
yet the Progressives were trying to end child
labor
OGT Question
• Explain the goals and outcomes of the late 19th and
early 20th century reform movements of Populism
and Progressivism with emphasis on:
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Urban reforms
Conservation
Business regulation and antitrust legislation
The movement for public schooling
The regulation of child labor
II. Progressive Legislation
• Events and tragedies like the Triangle Shirtwaist
Fire brought about change in society
• 146 people died from a fire in NYC
• Public and private groups called on the city to
change working conditions
A. An Expanded Role for Government
• Many Progressive leaders sought more government
regulation for protection of workers’ rights and
business competition
• Progressives also believed in increasing social
welfare programs
– Programs that help ensure a minimum standard of living
– Ex.- unemployment benefits, accident and health
insurance, and social security
B. Municipal Reforms
• Many Progressive reforms were made at the
municipal (city) level of government
– Municipal leaders often pressed for “home rule”
• Home rule = a system that gives cities a limited
degree of self-rule
– It allowed cities to escape domination by state
governments controlled by political machines
1. Attacking the Bosses
• Municipal reformers opposed the influence of
political bosses
– (Boss Tweed and his Tammany Hall Tweed Ring)
• Sometimes, public support would actually make
political machines work with reformers to improve
city services
2. Cities Take Over Utilities
• Reformers made efforts to regulate or end the
monopolies that provided city utilities (water, gas,
electricity)
• By 1915, reformers had helped make it so 2/3
cities had some city-owned utilities
C. State Reforms
• Power for voters and reforms in the
workplace were the two most pursued
Progressive state reforms
1. More Power to Voters
• Voters gained more power through:
– Direct Primary- Voters select their party’s candidates
– Initiative- voters can put a proposed new law directly on
the ballot in the next election by collecting voters’
signatures on a petition
– Referendum- Voters can vote directly on bills
– Recall- Voters can remove elected officials from office
– 17th Amendment- U.S. senators are directly elected by
popular vote
2. Reforms in the Workplace
• Reformers achieved:
– An end to child labor in 2/3 of the states
– A limit to the hours women could work
– A minimum wage
• They achieved success in the courts by “proving”
the dangers of the previous practices
3. Wisconsin’s Reform Governor
• Robert La Follette- Wisconsin Governor (19011906) and Senator (1906-1925)
• “Fighting Bob”- Nickname for the Republican
Progressive who wanted to clean up the government
and produce social welfare reforms
• Ran for President as the Progressive candidate in
1924 but lost (Still, he had 1/6 of the votes)
D. Federal Reforms
• Teddy Roosevelt used his Presidency and
popularity to rally American support for moral,
worthy causes
1. TR’s “Square Deal”
• Roosevelt made striking coal miners go through
arbitration with their employers.
– The miners received a 10% raise and a decrease in
the workday from 10 hours to 9 hours
• Roosevelt said each side got a “square deal” and
the phrase became popular as the slogan for his
Presidential campaign
2. Antitrust Activation
• The Sherman Antitrust Act had been in place since
1890, but often was not enforced
• The Roosevelt administration filed 42 antitrust
actions to regulate or break up monopolies
– Roosevelt was not against business, but he was against
citizens being harmed by trusts
3. Railroad Regulation
• Strengthened the Interstate Commerce
Commission (ICC) to regulate the railroad
industry
• The ICC became the first truly federal regulatory
agency
– Set and monitored railroad rates
4. Protecting Public Health
• Disgusted by The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
• The result: the Pure Food and Drug Act and the
Meat Inspection Act in 1906 were passed requiring
accurate labels, strict sanitary conditions, and a
rating system for meats
5. A New Labor Department
• The Department of Labor was created to
support women and children
• Federal bureau was headed by Julia Lathrop
and Mary Anderson (became the first
women in such a federal position)
6. Protecting the Environment
• TR urged Congress to protect the nation’s
natural resources
– He set aside more than 200 million acres for
national forests, mineral reserves, and water
projects
7. New Constitutional Amendments
• 16th Amendment- Gave Congress the power to
levy income tax (A progressive tax that has the
wealthy pay more)
• 17th Amendment- Direct election of Senators
• 18th Amendment- Prohibited the manufacture and
sale of liquor (1919-1933)
– Many felt getting rid of alcohol would protect society
from the poverty and violence associated with drinking
III. Progressivism Under Taft and
Wilson
• Taft will serve “a fairly miserable four years as
President” after Teddy Roosevelt persuaded him
to run as the Republican candidate
• Taft’s true love was law and he was much
happier and successful as the nation’s highest
judge after he was finished being President
A. Taft’s Presidency
• Taft easily won his Presidential election in 1908
– He pledged to carry on TR’s progressive program
• Lacked the energy and personality to battle the
Republican congressman who opposed his
progressive reforms
• Rocky relationship from the start
1. Conflict over Tariffs
• Taft wanted to lower tariffs (taxes on imports)
• His efforts backfired when he compromised with
Republican Senators and agreed to the
Payne-Aldrich Tariff
– It was a protect measure that actually increased tariffs
on important goods
– The Progressives were furious with Taft
2. Taft Angers Conservationists
• Conservationists- people who favor the
protection of natural resources
– Most progressives believed in conservation
• Taft’s popularity slumped after an incident
over Alaskan public lands that were rich in
coal deposits
B. Turmoil in the Republican Party
• Angry Republican Progressives teamed up
with Democrats to attack opponents of
reform in the Republican Party
• The Republican Party bitterly splits
1. The Midterm elections of 1910
• TR returned home from an African Safari to great
cheers and protests against Taft
• Roosevelt campaigned for Progressive candidates
for the 1910 elections and called for business
regulation, welfare laws, workplace protection,
income taxes, and voting reform
– Collectively, he called his plan, “New Nationalism”
C. The Election of 1912
• T. Roosevelt challenged Taft for the Republican
nomination, but lost
• Roosevelt and the Progressives formed their own
political party- The Progressive Party aka
The Bull Moose Party
– Asked how physically ready he was for the campaign,
Teddy responded, “I feel as fit as a bull moose!”
1. The Bull Moose Party
• The Bull Moose Party platform included:
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Tariff reductions
Women’s suffrage
More business regulations
A child labor ban
An 8-hour workday
A federal workers’ compensation plan
Direct election of Senators
Bull Moose continued
• Many women joined as supporters
• Roosevelt ran a vigorous campaign
• TR was shot by a would-be assassin while
giving a speech, but spoke for another hour
and a half with a bullet lodged in his lung
before seeking medical help
Teddy Roosevelt- Bull Moose
Presidential Candidate
• “Friends, I shall ask you to be as quiet as
possible. I don’t know whether you fully
understand that I have just been shot; but it
takes more than that to kill a Bull Moose.”
He showed the crowd his bloodstained shirt,
then continued his speech.
2. Taft’s Record
• While not liked by many, Taft did
accomplish some progressive reforms:
– Reserved more public lands than TR
– Brought more antitrust suits than TR
– Supported the 16th and 17th Amendments
3. Wilson’s New Freedom
• The Democratic candidate in 1912 was Woodrow
Wilson
– He ran on a reform platform (like Roosevelt)
– He criticized both big business and big government
– His policy was known as the “New Freedom” policy
• Wilson wanted to enforce antitrust laws without
threatening economic competition
4. A Four-Way Election
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Taft (Republican)
Roosevelt (Bull Moose/Progressive)
Wilson (Democratic)
Eugene V. Debs (Socialist)
• Wilson and the Democrats won vote easily with
the Republican vote split between Taft and
Roosevelt
D. Wilson’s Policies as President
• Former college professor, President of Princeton,
and Governor of New Jersey
• Believed he should offer major legislation to
Congress, promote it publicly, and help guide it to
passage
– Worked very closely with Congress
1. Tariffs and Taxes
• First major victory was tariff reduction
• The Underwood Tariff Act (1913) reduced
average tariff rates from 40% to 25%
• Wilson signed the income tax into law to make up
for the loss of government revenue
2. Attacking the Trusts
• With Wilson’s guidance, the Clayton Antitrust Act
was passed
– It legalized labor unions
– It eliminated monopoly practices such as price cutting to
squeeze out competition
• The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) was set up to
enforce the Clayton Act and set up fair-trade laws
3. The Federal Reserve System
• Wilson sought a total overhaul of the American
banking system to:
– promote competition
– ease the frequent bank panics
• The Federal Reserve System was created by the
passing of the Federal Reserve Act (1913). It:
– Divides the U.S. into 12 districts (each with a Federal
Reserve bank owned by its member banks)
– Every national bank was required to become a
member of the Federal Reserve bank in its district
– Member banks could borrow from the Federal
Reserve
– Created Federal currency that it could control the
supply of according to economic needs
4. Brandeis to the Supreme Court
• Wilson nominated the Progressive lawyer
• Louis D. Brandeis known as “the People’s lawyer”
• Drew a storm of protests claiming Brandeis was too
radical
• Anti-Semitism also played a role in the protestsBrandeis was the first Jewish Supreme Court
Justice
– Served with distinction from 1916-1939
E. The Limits of Progressivism
• Progressives had made broad changes in society,
government, and business by the mid 1910’s
• Progressives redefined and enlarged the role of the
government, yet their success was limited
– Focused mainly on municipal problems
– Paid little attention to minorities (some supported
immigration limits and literacy tests)
– Primarily helped unionized workers
1. Social Justices and
Progressivism
• Progressives took little action to pursue
social justice reforms
– Allowed Jim Crow laws
– Some southern Progressives even favored
women’s suffrage because it would double the
white vote to help suppress African Americans
2. The End of Progressivism
• Calls to prepare for war (WWI) drowned out calls
for reform in America
• By the end of 1916, the reform spirit was all but
gone EXCEPT FOR WOMEN’S SUFFRAGE
IV. Suffrage at Last
• Women’s organizations actively campaigned for
roughly 70 years for the right to vote
• There were many opponents including men and
women from all social classes
– Many statistics showed a great majority of women were
not interested in voting
– Would women become too masculine? Would they be
easily persuaded by politicians? Would politics distract
them from their duties at home?
A. Anthony and Stanton: Preparing the
Way
• American women formally announced their demand
for suffrage at the Seneca Falls meeting in 1848
– Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton were made
famous
– Susan B. Anthony would join their cause a few years
later
• Susan B. Anthony & Elizabeth Stanton would take
the women’s suffrage movement into the 20th
century
Anthony and Stanton (cont.)
• Anthony- a tireless strategist and organizer
• Stanton- a skilled speaker and writer
• Founded the American Equal Rights Association and
created the newspaper, The Revolution
– Worked for women’s suffrage at the federal level
• The suffrage movement split:
– The National Woman Suffrage Association (federal)
– The American Woman Suffrage Association (state)
Anthony & Stanton (cont.)
• 1872, Anthony was arrested for taking a group of
women to the polls to vote
– This was an act of civil disobedience
• Civil disobedience is a nonviolent refusal to obey a
law in an effort to change it
– Was arrested and fined $100. She never paid the fine and
was let free because the judge and lawyers were fearful
she would appeal her case to higher courts
B. Suffragist Strategies
• Path 1- Press for a constitutional amendment giving
women the right to vote
– Susan B. Anthony’s bill failed in Congress in 1878,
1887-1896. It went away until 1913.
• Path 2- Get individual states to let women vote
– More successful approach at first (esp. in the West where
equality was more commonplace due to the combined
efforts to survive on the frontier)
C. Suffrage at the Turn of the Century
• The National American Woman Suffrage
Association (NAWSA)
– Susan B. Anthony served as President from 1892-1900.
– Veteran suffrage leaders joined with younger leaders to
form this successful organization
– Stanton and Anthony died in 1902 and 1906
– The younger generation of leaders would be responsible
for the fight for voting rights
D. A New Generation
• Carrie Chapman Catt- Took over as head of
NAWSA from 1900-1904, and again after 1915
– Preferred working precinct by precinct
• Alice Paul and Lucy Burns- Organized a women’s
suffrage march with 5,000 people the day before
Woodrow Wilson’s inauguration
– Founded the Congressional Union
1. A Split in the Movement
• Paul’s CU called for an aggressive, militant
campaign for the constitutional amendment
– Planned to bypass state suffrage organizations and set
up new ones
– Demonstrated in front of the White House
– Went on Hunger Strikes in prison after being arrested to
protest horrible prison conditions
• NAWSA opposed Paul’s plans in fear of losing
moderate supporters
– Continued to back state suffrage campaigns
• Catt, after coming back as President of NAWSA,
developed her “Winning Plan”
– Called for 6 years of “red-hot” campaining
– Attempts to get Congress to reintroduce the suffrage
amendment bill
• NAWSA grew into the nation’s largest volunteer
organization with 2 million members
– Won an important battle when NY voted for women’s
suffrage
2. Impact of World War I
• U.S. entered war in April 1917
• Women quickly volunteered to work in
medical positions and they filled jobs that
men left behind as they went to war
• Why is that significant?
E. Victory for Suffrage
• Congress proposed the suffrage amendment in 1918
– Recognized the strength of NAWSA and were “keenly
embarrassed and disturbed” by the treatment of the
Congressional Union prisoners
• August, 1920- Women gained the right to vote as
Tennessee became the 36th state necessary to ratify
the suffrage amendment
– 19th Amendment = women’s suffrage
– Marked the last major reform of the Progressive Era