United States History
Chapter 19: Progressive Politicians
Reforming Government
Government corruption was rampant in the late 1800s and Progressives
wanted to eliminate that corruption
The election process was fixed to eliminate the power of the bosses
Direct primaries were created for voters to choose candidates that run in the
general election later
17th Amendment: gave voters power to elect senators, not states choosing
Initiative and referendum: gives voters power to create laws and vote on laws
Recall: voters can remove elected officials from office
Reforms had mixed results, with business still heavily influencing
elections
Theodore Roosevelt
William McKinley won a second term in 1900 but was assassinated shortly after in 1901
Teddy Roosevelt, as his vice president, became president
He felt that the presidency was an office that needed to be more hands on and address vital
issues
One of the biggest accomplishments of his first term was brokering a deal with miners and coal
mines over a strike that almost crippled the country
Arbitrators, a third party outside of the mines, worked a deal out with workers and owners,
preventing a strike that would have cut off coal supplies in the winter of 1902-03
He called the compromise a “square deal”
His reelection in 1904 emphasized the Square Deal
He called for limited power of trusts, health and public safety and improved working conditions
Regulating Business
Roosevelt set out to make sure the Sherman Antitrust Act was enforced and helped
to establish the Interstate Commerce Commission
The ICC regulated railroad rates to prevent companies from giving rebates and charging
more for shorter runs
Laws were passed to regulate the safety of food and drugs
Pure Food and Drug Act: prevented the sale of bad or dangerous food and drugs
Meat Inspection Act: required meat to be inspected before being shipped
Brought about by muckraking author Upton Sinclair’s book The Jungle, which outlined the
atrocities of the Chicago meatpacking industry
Roosevelt also worked to protect the environment
He helped pass laws to manage public lands, reclaim damaged lands, and established the
National Park Service to protect areas of wonder, beauty, and fragility
William Howard Taft
Roosevelt gave his support to Taft in the election of 1908
Taft continued many of the policies implemented by Roosevelt, such as environmental protection, more
regulation of business, reforming of working conditions, including child labor, etc.
Mann-Elkins Act of 1910: extended the ICC jurisdiction to telephone and telegraph companies, not just railroads
16th Amendment: proposed in 1909, ratified in 1913, gave the gov’t power to levy income taxes
However, other actions taken by Taft angered Progressive politicians, especially Roosevelt
Payne-Aldrich Tariff: a high tax on imports that Progressives were against because of its role in raising consumer
prices of goods
Ballinger-Pinchot Affair: rift between Ballinger (Secretary of the Interior) and Pinchot (head of US Forest Service)
Pinchot was fired for criticizing Ballinger
The firing showed that Taft was weak when it come to environmental reform and cost Republicans many seats in
Congress in the elections of 1910
Roosevelt was angered greatly, and decided to run for president again in 1912
Election of 1912
Taft and Roosevelt were both Republicans running for president, but Republicans
nominated the incumbent Taft
Outraged, Roosevelt formed his own party, the Progressive Party, also known as the
“Bull Moose” Party
Woodrow Wilson was selected to run for president by the Democrats
The split in the Republican Party ensured a victory for the Democrats
Wilson believed in many Progressive reform measures, however, he felt that too much
control could limit individual freedoms
He was more moderate than Roosevelt in his ideas of reform, and much different from
another candidate, Socialist Eugene Debs, who called for public ownership of industries
In the end, he soundly defeated all other candidates, even gaining votes from Republicans
that were against Taft and Roosevelt
Election of 1912
Wilson’s Administration
After taking office, Wilson did many things to reform government
Lowered tariffs with the Underwood Tariff Act of 1913
Implemented a progressive income tax (the higher your income, the higher your
taxes)
Created the Federal Reserve System in 1913 to regulate money
Passed the Clayton Antitrust Act in 1914 by putting some meat on the bones of the
Sherman Antitrust Act, finally making it effective
Created the Federal Trade Commission in 1914 to oversee industry and trade practices
Wilson also addressed labor practices
Passed laws that shortened workdays and gave workers the right to strike
Federal Workmen’s Compensation Act created to give benefits to those injured on the
job
Tried to outlaw child labor, but was unsuccessful
Women’s Suffrage Movement
Women were not allowed to vote in any elections in most places around the nation
The National American Woman Suffrage Association, led by Susan B. Anthony and
Elizabeth Cady Stanton, was created in 1890 to fight for the right to vote
Another group, the National Woman’s Party, created in 1916, focused on passing an
amendment guaranteeing suffrage
Finally, after years of hard work at the state and national levels, the 19th Amendment
was ratified
Ratified in 1920
Guaranteed the right to vote to be protected regardless of sex
Presidents Roosevelt, Taft, &
Wilson