Four Goals of Progressivism
1. Protecting Social Welfare – Deal with the harsh
conditions created by industrialization and rapid
urbanization. (YMCA, Salvation Army, soup kitchens)
2. Promoting Moral Improvement – The lives of poor people
would improve if they held higher moral standards.
(Temperance and Prohibition)
3. Creating Economic Reform – Remove corporate influence
from government and put restrictions on the market place.
(end Laissez-Faire policies, govt. regulation of business)
4. Fostering Efficiency – To use scientific study and
hypothesis to make the workplace much more efficient.
(Scientific Management, Assembly Line)
Local Government Progressive Reforms
•
Many cities elected mayors and other officials who ran on
reform (progressive) platforms.
•
Promised to shut down political machines and clean up
corruption in local government.
•
Converted public utilities to publicly owned companies.
•
New forms of local government were adopted
(Commission System in Galveston Texas and CouncilManager System in a variety of cities)
State Level Progressive Reforms
Progressive governors were elected in several states:
Robert M. La Follette in Wisconsin
James S. Hogg in Texas
Charles B. Aycock in North Carolina
Economic
•
Heavy regulation of corporations, especially railroads.
•
Keating – Owen Act (1916) ended child labor.
•
Limits on working hours for men and women; upheld by
Supreme Court Muller v. Oregon and Bunting v. Oregon.
•
Workers compensation laws for those injured or killed on
the job.
State Level Progressive Reforms
Elections
•
Initiative – a bill originated by the people through petition.
•
Referendum – a direct vote on an initiative by the people.
•
Recall – special election that allows voters to remove
elected officials from office before the end of their term.
•
17th Amendment – Voters in each state directly elect their
Senators.
Women as Progressives
•
Florence Kelley
•
Fought for laws limiting child
labor and setting a 10-hour
workday for women.
•
Success in Illinois led to similar
laws in other states.
Women as Progressives
•
Carry Nation
•
Advocate for
Temperance and
Prohibition of alcohol.
•
WCTU (Women’s
Christian Temperance
Union) was formed.
•
Many states began to
adopt “Blue Laws” that
limited the sell of
alcohol.
Women as Progressives
•
Susan B. Anthony
•
Suffragist
•
National American Woman
Suffrage Association
•
Three part strategy
1. Convince state legislatures to
grant women voting rights
2. Pursue court cases to defend
woman suffrage
3. Push for a Constitutional
Amendment granting women
the right to vote.
Progressive Era Presidents
•
Theodore Roosevelt
•
Republican (1901 – 1909)
•
Former Governor of New
York and Assistant
Secretary of the Navy
•
Self Proclaimed hero in
Spanish-American War
Theodore Roosevelt
•
Trustbusting – using the
Sherman Antitrust Act
to force monopolies to
follow the rules.
•
Used Arbitration to
mediate coal strike
•
Elkins and Hepburn Acts
regulated railroads.
Theodore Roosevelt
•
Meat Inspection Act
passes after TR reads The
Jungle.
•
Pure Food and Drug Act
calls for “truth in labeling”
•
Roosevelt supports
conservation by placing
millions of acres of public
land in new National
Parks.
William Howard Taft
•
Secretary of War under
Roosevelt.
•
Handpicked by Roosevelt
to run against William
Jennings Bryan in 1908
•
Won the election largely
due to Roosevelt’s
endorsement.
•
After leaving the
presidency (1909-1913)
served as 10th Chief
Justice of the Supreme
Court.
•
Got stuck in a bathtub.
William Howard Taft
•
Trustbusting – busted
over 90 trusts (more than
Roosevelt)
•
Angered progressives by
passing Payne-Aldrich
Tariff (high rates) and by
allowing one million acres
of land to be taken out of
the national parks and
returning it to public
lands.
•
Roosevelt was not
pleased.
Election of 1912
vs
vs
•
Taft
•
Wilson
•
Roosevelt
•
Republican
Incumbent
•
Democrat
Challenger
•
•
Angered
progressive
Republicans
•
Progressive
Governor of
New Jersey
Bull Moose
Party
(Progressive
Party)
•
He’s back and
he’s mad.
Election of 1912
Woodrow Wilson
•
Democrat
•
Former President of
Princeton University
•
Progressive Governor of
New Jersey
•
Won election of 1912
(thanks for the help
Teddy!)
Woodrow Wilson
•
Trustbusting – Clayton
Antitrust Act passed (still
used today)
•
Federal Trade Commission
– watchdog agency that
regulates corporations (still
used today)
•
Federal Reserve System
(The Fed) – The basis of the
nations banking system;
issues currency and controls
interest rates (still used
today)
Woodrow Wilson
•
16th Amendment –
Established federal
Income Tax. A graduated
tax in which those with
higher incomes pay a
higher percentage in
taxes.
•
18th Amendment –
Prohibition of Alcohol
•
19th Amendment –
Women’s Suffrage
The Limits of Progressivism
•
The Progressive Era lasted from 1901 – 1917. The U.S.
entrance into World War I brought it to an end.
•
None of the Progressive Era presidents dealt with the
issue of civil rights even though leaders such as W.E.B.
DuBois and the NAACP made requests for action to be
taken.
•
Wilson did not support a Federal Anti-lynching law.
•
Part of the reason there was a lack of support was politics
(presidents did not want to lose the support of southern
congressmen for their other progressive measures)