The Progressive Era
1900-1920
CHAPTER 18
Progressive Movement
 Progressivism was an ideological movement of the
early 20th century which favored achieving political
and social reforms through
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
education,
wider political participation by all classes of society,
and
direct government action.
Progressive Movement
 Progressivism had its roots in
 Populism
 Half-breeds (favored the spoils system) & Mugwumps
(opposed the spoils system)
 Those shocked by
abuses of industrialists
corruption in government
the plight of the poor

Progressive Movement
 Who were these “Progressives?”
 Those
who wanted justice for all.
 Reform
Darwinists who wanted society to
advance & evolve.
 Christians
who saw an opportunity to do good.
Progressive Movement
 Just how did the Progressives choose to further
reform?
 1. By promoting direct democracy
 2. By increasing government efficiency
 3. By advocating government intervention
Direct Democracy
 Secret Ballot – Votes could not be “bought” as
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easily.
Direct Primaries – Party candidates to be
nominated directly by popular vote.
Initiative – Voters initiate laws by presenting
petitions.
Referendum – People vote directly on an issue in a
regular election.
Recall – People can vote to remove an elected
official from office.
Direct Democracy
 National government adopted secret ballot only.
 Many state and local governments adopted
some or all of the other reforms.
Government Efficiency
 City Commission form of government – Duties of
mayor and city council are combined and placed in
the hands of 5 city commissioners (executive &
legislative function) Galveston, Texas
 City Manager – City council would hire a
professional city manager to administer the
government. Staunton, Virginia
Government Intervention
 “Trust-Busting” – breaking up the monopolies to
restore competition.
 Trust regulation – leaving monopolies, but allow
government to regulate them
 Socialism – government ownership of business
Full government ownership vs. limited government ownership
 “Gas & Water Socialism” – government control of utilities

Government Intervention: Support for Labor
 Allow labor unions to organize & make
businesses negotiate with them.
 Establish minimum wage.
 Prohibit child labor.
 Limit hours in a work day.
 Mandate safety standards in the workplace.
Constitutional Progressivism
 Sixteenth Amendment – provided for a
federal income tax. (1913) (See p. 627)
 Two
Reasons:
More revenue for government to spend on
reforms
Wealth would be redistributed because
people earning more income would pay
more.
Constitutional Progressivism
 Seventeenth Amendment (1913) –
provided for direct election of U.S.
Senators (instead of state legislatures
choosing them).
Constitutional Progressivism
 Eighteenth Amendment (1919) –
prohibited the manufacture, sale, or
transportation of alcoholic beverages.
Known as PROHIBITION.
Constitutional Progressivism
 Nineteenth Amendment (1920) –
provides the right to vote for women.
Known as Women’s Suffrage.
Personalities
 Muckrakers – writers who exposed abuse and
corruption in books and magazines.
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Lincoln Steffens – exposed municipal corruption in St.
Louis
Ida Tarbell – exposed some unscrupulous tactics of Standard
Oil.
Upton Sinclair – exposed filthy conditions in Chicago’s
meat-packing industry
Laws were changed because people became aware of these
problems.
Personalities
 Political Progressives
 William
Jennings Bryan – leading Democrat
progressive
 Robert La Folette – leading Republican
progressive
 Eugene Debs – Socialist and union
organizer/leader
Progressive Presidents
 Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909)
 William Howard Taft (1909-1913)
 Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921)
Roosevelt & the Square Deal
 “Square Deal” – T. Roosevelt’s name for his
philosophy that every man and woman should
receive fair treatment and equal opportunity.
Roosevelt & the Square Deal
 Trust-Busting – T. Roosevelt used the
Sherman Anti-trust Act to expand federal
power over businesses, particularly trusts &
monopolies.
Roosevelt & the Square Deal

Regulation – He wanted to regulate the conduct of businesses.
Hepburn Act (1906) – gave ICC more power to regulate railroads
& shifted the burden of proof to the railroads (Guilty until proven
innocent!)
 Pure Food & Drug Act (1906) – outlawed impure food across state
lines & required honest labels.
 Meat Inspection Act (1906) – required Dept. of Agriculture to
oversee meat packing and food animal health

Roosevelt & the Square Deal
 Coal Strike – T. Roosevelt intervened in a coal
miners’ strike in 1902 when management refused to
negotiate. He threatened to use federal troops to
keep the mine open.
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Federal force used against business (rather than labor)
Federal government acted as mediator in labor dispute
Roosevelt & the Square Deal
 Conservation – T. Roosevelt managed to set aside
more than 100 million acres of western land for
national parks and national forests.
 He established the National Conservation
Commission to help conserve nature and
America’s natural treasures.
Roosevelt & the Square Deal
 Race Relations – one of the failures of the
Progressives.
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Jim Crow laws expanded
Reasons race relations got worse
1. Racists politicians came into power.
 2. Some Democrats disenfranchised the blacks because some
had allied with Populists & reform groups.
 3. The federal government and northern states lost interest in civil
rights for blacks.

Roosevelt & the Square Deal
 Two reactions of blacks to racism:

1. Booker T. Washington said blacks should work hard and
bring themselves up economically, then political equality
would follow. (ECONOMIC SOLUTION)

2. W.E.B. DuBois said blacks had to have political equality
before they COULD improve themselves economically.
(POLITICAL SOLUTION). Started the NAACP (National
Association for the Advancement of Colored People, 1909)
“Sympathy” by Paul Laurence Dunbar
I KNOW what the caged bird feels, alas!
When the sun is bright on the upland slopes;
When the wind stirs soft through the springing
grass,
And the river flows like a stream of glass;
When the first bird sings and the first bud opes,
And the faint perfume from its chalice steals —
I know what the caged bird feels!
“Sympathy” by Paul Laurence Dunbar

I know why the caged bird beats his wing
Till its blood is red on the cruel bars;
For he must fly back to his perch and cling
When he fain would be on the bough a-swing;
And a pain still throbs in the old, old scars
And they pulse again with a keener sting —
I know why he beats his wing!
“Sympathy” by Paul Laurence Dunbar
I know why the caged bird sings, ah me,
When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore,—
When he beats his bars and he would be free;
It is not a carol of joy or glee,
But a prayer that he sends from his heart's deep
core,
But a plea, that upward to Heaven he flings —
I know why the caged bird sings!
Paul Laurence Dunbar
Roosevelt and the Big Stick
 Roosevelt’s Foreign Policy was characterized by his
favorite saying:

“Speak softly and carry a big stick.”

He pursued a vigorous, expansive foreign policy in contrast to
the mostly isolationist policies the U.S. had tended to follow up
to this time.
 Roosevelt believed that the U.S. was a “civilized
power” and was taking the “blessings of civilization”
to “uncivilized” nations.
 His idea was to export our laws, order, and
righteousness.
 The problem was that not everyone welcomed the
U.S. brand of “civilization.”
 The Declaration of Independence says,
“…governments are instituted among men, deriving
their just powers from the consent of the governed.”
Philippines
 In the Philippines, we helped them achieve their
freedom from Spain, then we paid Spain to purchase
the Philippines from the country we had just
declared had no right to “own” the country.
 Then we proceeded to send our own governors and
military to govern the Philippines.
Philippines
 The Filipinos weren’t happy about this because they
wanted their own INDEPENDENCE, so they
mounted an independence movement, called by U.S.
historians “an insurrection.”
 It took the U.S. two years to subdue the Philippines,
then we possessed the island nation for over 30
years, finally granting them independence after
WWII in 1946.
Philippines
 Why did we want the Philippines?
Panama Canal
 A canal built through the isthmus of Panama in
Central America, this Panama Canal provided a
much shorter route for merchant and military
vessels between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
Panama Canal
 Land originally owned by Columbia.
 France first tried to build a canal, but failed, mostly
due to malaria and disease.
 France wanted out and offer to sell the project to the
U.S., but the U.S. had to get permission from the
Columbian government and pay for the rights.
 Columbia refused the price ($10 million up front &
$250,000 yearly thereafter.)
Panama Canal
 The U.S. helped create a little revolution in Panama,
and Panama became independent from Columbia,
then sold us the rights to the Canal Zone for the price
Roosevelt wanted to pay.
 This kind of action caused Latin American countries
to become quite suspicious and resentful of U.S.
intervention in Central & South America.
Panama Canal
 It took 10 years to build the canal.
 It cost about $400,000 million to build.
 It provided great economic benefit to shipping
industry because of shortening travel distance and
time, cutting transportation costs.
 The Panama Canal opened in 1914, just days after
WWI broke out in Europe.
Roosevelt Corollary
 President Theodore Roosevelt viewed the U.S. as the
leader of the Western Hemisphere.
 He expanded the Monroe Doctrine to allow the U.S.
to act as a “policeman” to keep European powers out
of Latin America and to keep Latin America in line.
 This led to numerous military interventions in Haiti,
Honduras, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic
over the next decade.
Roosevelt Corollary
 As you can imagine, Latin American resentment
grew as a result.
Japan
 President Roosevelt intervened in a war between
Japan and Russia over a territorial dispute.
 He won a Nobel Peace Price for helping to negotiate
a solution (Treaty of Portsmouth 1905).
Japan
 Roosevelt also negotiated with the Japanese for
better treatment of Japanese immigrants on the
West Coast. The Japanese agreed to refuse passports
to Japanese laborers trying to come to the U.S.
 This effort served to stop immigration from Japan to
the U.S.
Taft & the Presidency
 William Howard Taft was Theodore Roosevelt’s
hand-picked successor.
Taft & the Presidency
 Taft soon ran into conflict with the Progressives.
 He refused to veto a bill that was supposed to lower tariffs
but didn’t really lower them.
 He refused to support the ouster of the dictatorial
Speaker of the House, Joseph Cannon.
 He adhered strictly to the law when it came to
withdrawing land for conservation.
 He fired Gifford Pinchot, head of the forestry service, for
publicly opposing him on conservation issues.
 He reversed a decision by Roosevelt to allow U.S. Steel to
purchase another company.
Taft & the Presidency
 Dollar Diplomacy – the policy of attempting to
influence foreign affairs through the investment of
U.S. dollars in foreign countries.
 The policy was mostly unsuccessful in Latin America
because people didn’t want to risk money in areas
they perceived as risky.
 The policy was not successful in China where
investors figured the U.S. was unlikely to intervene
to protect their interests beyond a verbal protest.
Election of 1912
 William Howard Taft ran for re-election as a
Republican.
 Woodrow Wilson ran for president as a Democrat.
 Theodore Roosevelt, unsatisfied with Taft, ran as a
third-party candidate on the Progressive Party ticket.
Election of 1912
 Taft & Roosevelt split the Republican vote, and
Woodrow Wilson was elected.
The Income Tax
 Under Wilson the Underwood Tariff Act of 1913 was
passed. The bill cut tariffs but adopted the first
income tax.
The Income Tax
 The first income tax was
 1% of all annual income over $3000
 6% of all annual income over $500,000
 Most Americans paid no taxes because the average
income was much less than $3000.
The Income Tax
Tax Rate Schedule 2010 projected
Most Single Filers
10% Not over $8,375
15% $8,375 - $34,000
25% $34,000 - $82,400
28% $82,400 -$171,850
33% $171,850 - $373,650
35% Over $373,650
The Income Tax: A Disincentive
 A graduated income tax decreases the motivation
for investment under the capitalistic system:
 A potential investor will NOT risk his capital if his
profit after taxes will not be worth the risk.
The Income Tax: Unjust
 The tax falls most heavily on the middle class; the
poor are hardly taxed at all, and the rich are able to
avoid taxes through “loopholes.”
The Income Tax: Hurts the Economy
 The wealthy, whose investments are the key to
production and resultant prosperity, are encouraged
to funnel their wealth into nontaxable enterprises,
such as foundations, that do not encourage the
type of production that stimulates the
economy.
The Income Tax
 Which of these objections do you think are valid?
 Can steps be taken to offset the negative effects of
the income tax?
The Federal Reserve Act
 The Federal Reserve Act of 1913 established 12
banking districts, with each district having a private
Federal Reserve Bank.
 A Federal Reserve Board, appointed by the
President, oversees these banks.
 The Act created a new currency: the Federal Reserve
Note.
 The Federal Reserve Board controls almost all
aspects of banking and finance in the U.S.
 www.federalreserve.gov
 www.dallasfed.org
Ben Bernanke
Federal
Reserve Board
Chairman
Houston Branch of the Dallas
Federal Reserve Bank
Federal Reserve
Board Building
Progressive Society
 Transportation
 Automobiles – Henry Ford
 Ford Motor Company founded 1903
 Model T – 1908
 Perfected Assembly line method of production
Henry Ford
1908 Model T Ford
Ford Assembly Line 1924
 Model T
 In 1908 – over $800
 In 1916 - $360
 In 1926 - $260

The assembly line helped reduce the cost of manufacturing.
 Transportation
 Airplanes
 Orville & Wilbur Wright
 Bicycle sales & repair
 The profits from the bicycle co. helped them pursue their
dream of flight.
 Kitty Hawk, North Carolina - 1903
Orville & Wilbur Wright
Original Wright Bicycle
Wright Flyer @ Kitty Hawk, NC 1903
Agriculture
 George Washington Carver – born a slave but
became a professor at the Tuskegee Institute.
 Needed a crop to alternate with cotton because of
depleted soil conditions and an infestation of the boll
weevil.
 Carver developed numerous used for the peanut to
encourage farmers to plant peanuts: dyes, milk
substitute, ice cream, livestock feed, fertilizer, flour,
et al.
George Washington Carver
Agriculture
 “Golden Age of Agriculture” – 1898-1914
 Population shifted to cities (away from farms).
 Farm technology improved:
Tractor
 Veterinary science
 Lower transportation costs

Medicine
 Mayo Clinic developed the idea of bringing doctors
together for research and practice.
Medicine
 Johns Hopkins pioneered the modern medical
school.
 The cause of malaria/yellow fever was discovered
and efforts to prevent it were very successful.
Education
 John Dewey was a “progressive educator” who
believed that education should
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Relate learning to the child’s interest.
Be more experiential than memorization.
Prepare students for a vocation or work.
Education
 Progressive education was limited because
its philosophical basis was secular
humanism.
 Secular humanism denies the existence of
God and affirms the goodness and
perfectibility of man.
Religion
 Modernism – applied Darwinian evolution to
Christianity resulting in a belief system that is antiChristian.
 Modernists believed that Christian teachings
(doctrine) came about through ideas from within the
church rather than being revealed from God.
 Modernists reject the deity of Christ, His virgin birth,
atonement for sin through His blood, and the
inspiration of the Bible.
Religion
 Social Gospel Movement – applied progressive
notions of social reform to Christianity.
 Instead of believing in people individually being
saved by grace through faith in Christ, these social
gospel proponents believed they could save society
through social reform.
Religion
Walter Rauschenbusch
was a social gospel
reformer who denied that
man has a sinful nature.
He reached out to help the
poor and hungry, but saw
no need to introduce the
lost to Christ.
Religion: Orthodox Response
 Princeton Theological Seminary theologians
responded to these attacks on the traditional
understanding of Christianity.
Religion: Orthodox Response
 Princeton Professor Benjamin Warfield was one of
the greatest defenders of the faith.
Religion: Orthodox Response
 Christians established Bible colleges and institutes,
such as Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, to help
educate Christians against the attacks on the Church.
Religion: Orthodox Response
 Another response was to hold Bible conferences and
camp meetings to reach people who couldn’t attend
the colleges and institutes.
Progressivism Summary
 Benefits of the progressive
movement:
Purer food and drugs
Better service from gas and water
utilities
Greater participation in the
political process.
Progressivism Summary
 Costs of Progressivism
 An expanding government with expanding powers.
 Less accountability because bureaucrats are not
accountable to voters.
 False solutions to man’s problems due to a faulty view of
the nature of man. (basically good instead of having a sin
nature).
 “A government big enough to give you everything
you want is strong enough to take everything you
have.” –Paul Harvey