1901-1909:
The Beginning of
Progressive
Presidencies
Theodore Roosevelt
A. Progressivism 1900-1917
1. Progressivism: A push for
reform in government,
economy, and society
2. Progressivism emerged in both
political parties and at all levels
of government
**TO MAKE PROGRESS**
3. Why was there a progressive
movement?
a. In the Late 1800’s and early 1900’s,
industrialization transformed America.
b. New inventions, science and technology,
transportation, abundance of raw materials,
new influx of immigrants, little government
influence, and the strong marketplace all led
to this fast and furious growth.
c. These factors began to help the middle class
grow- but it also widened the gap between
the rich and the poor and left many people
working in unsafe conditions and living in
overcrowded cities.
d. The late 1800’s had already begun to show
the working class Americans’ concern. The
Populist movement was a rural movement
that pushed for the government to begin
regulating unfair business practices
B. What did Progressive demand to
change?
1. They wanted to limit Corporate Power
2. Prohibit monopolies and help for smallbusiness owners to compete in the economy
3. 8 hour workday
4. minimum wage
5. safer working conditions
6. end child labor
7. reforms of local government, businesses, and
city life
4. Most progressives were:
i. Native born
ii. Middle or upper class
iii. College educated
iv. Women (although many men
were involved as well)
5. Political Goals of the Progressives –
State Level
i. Wisconsin Idea
a. Robert M. LaFollete – became
governor of Wisconsin in 1901
b. Campaigned against lumber and
railroad interests, fought against crooked
corporations, and returned power to the
people
c. City managers
4. Political Goals of Progressives at the
National Level
• Initiative – voters could directly propose
legislation themselves
• Referendum – would place laws on the
ballot for final approval by the people
• Recall – would enable voters to remove
elected officials (particularly those who had been
bribed by bosses or lobbyists)
• Australian Ballot
- allowed for the secret
ballot to be introduced (also was a way to battle
the bosses)
7. Social Goals of the Progressives
i. Reform list focused on slums, lives of
African-Americans, and patent
medicines that were heavy in the alcohol.
(13) Muckrakers – term coined by Theodore
Roosevelt for the journalists who “dug up
the dirt” on prominent members of
society (or businesses), exposing their
misconduct in the US… and the voice
of the Progressives
T.R. sweeping away some Muck
April 14, 1906
"The men with
the muck-rakes
are often
indispensable
to the wellbeing of
society; but
only if they
know when to
stop raking the
muck.“- T.R.
(13.a) Ida
Tarbell
She was a American teacher,
author and journalist. She was
known as one of the leading
"muckrakers" of her day, work
known in modern times as
"investigative journalism."
She wrote many notable
Magazine series and biographies.
She is best- known for her 1904
book The History of the Standard
Oil Company.
The inspiration for her book
came from her father being put
out of business by oil billionaire
John D. Rockefeller, Sr.
(13.b) Upton Sinclair
He gained particular fame for his 1906 muckraking
novel The Jungle, which dealt with conditions in
the U.S. meat packing industry and caused a
public uproar that partly contributed to the
passage of The Pure Food and Drug Act and the
Meat Inspection Act in 1906
(13.c) Lincoln Steffens
In The Shame of the Cities,
Steffens sought to bring about
political reform in urban
America by appealing to the
emotions of Americans. He
tried to make them feel very
outraged and "shamed" by
showing examples of corrupt
governments throughout the US
Who stole the People’s money? It
wasn’t me, it was him.
(14) 1906 Meat Inspection Act and Pure
Food & Drug Act
i.
Both laws were spurred by Upton Sinclair’s
novel The Jungle
ii. The Jungle was originally intended to focus
attention on the workers of the meat
industry but instead focused attention on
how the meat was produced.
i. Made companies responsible for
products they made available for
public consumption
iii. The laws were
designed to
prevent
adulteration and
mislabeling of
foods and
pharmaceuticals
1000s of questionable remedies, some containing only harmless and inept preparations but
many having narcotic drugs and alcohol, were sold everywhere and to everyone, without
restriction. They claimed to cure every disease and symptom. Most labels did not declare
ingredients, and warnings against misuse were unheard of. What info the public got about
these products came from the physician or pharmacist, from hearsay, or sometimes from
experience.
8. Progressive Presidents:
i. Teddy Roosevelt, 1901-1909
ii. William Howard Taft, 19091913
iii. Woodrow Wilson, 1913-1921
(11) Industrial Workers of the
World- IWW “Wobblies”
• The IWW was founded in Chicago in June 1905 at a
convention by two hundred socialists, anarchists,
and radical trade unionists from all over the United
States (mainly the Western Federation of Miners)
who were opposed to the policies of the American
Federation of Labor (AFL).
• The IWW's first organizers included Big Bill Haywood,
Eugene V. Debs, Lucy Parsons, Mary Harris Jones
(commonly known as "Mother Jones"), and many others.
• It is considered one of the most important
events in the history of industrial unionism and
of the American labor movement in general.
• The IWW's goal was to promote worker
solidarity in the revolutionary struggle to
overthrow the employing class; its motto was
"an injury to one is an injury to all,"
• Today it is actively organized and numbers about
2,000 members worldwide, of whom fewer than
half (approx 900) are in good standing (paid their
dues for the past two months).