Study Guide: The Progressive Era
Rabadan
Motivation for The Progressive Movement
Big Business: Monopolies/trusts
Sherman Antitrust (Roosevelt) Break up “Bad” Trusts
Corrupt Government: Political “rings” and Bosses
Poor working conditions: unsafe, long hours, low wages
Crowded living areas (tenements): living in poverty
Moral decline
Populism: The voice of the underprivileged and unrepresented people (specifically farmers)
Muckrakers: Exposing abuses and wrongdoings in society, government, and business
Jacob Riis: “How the Other Half Lives” – tenements in NYC
Ida Tarbell: “The History of Standard Oil” – Rockefeller
Upton Sinclair: “The Jungle” – meatpacking industry
The Goals of Progressivism: Correct injustices and restore economic opportunities by:
Protecting social welfare & Promoting moral development
Provide support to groups are in most need (i.e. children, women, poor)
Improve society by starting at home and at the level of the individual (i.e. promote religion, sobriety)
Social Welfare and Prohibition: WCTU, Anti-Saloon League, 18th Amendment
Health and Environment Reform: YMCA, Social Gospel and Settlement House, Salvation Army
Protect the working population with Labor Reform
Protect consumers from unfair practices of powerful companies
Promote civic involvement (i.e. women’s suffrage, Susan B. Anthony)
Creating economic reform
Limit the power of Big Business in order to “redistribute” wealth
Labor Reform
National Child Labor Committee, Keating-Owen Act
Muller v. Oregon, Bunting v. Oregon
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory
Fostering efficiency
Promote proper and fair practices in business and in government
Government Reform
Initiative, Recall, Referendum
Trust Busting & Regulation of Big Business
Protect workers and consumers, create competition, lower prices, innovation
Meat Inspection Act & Pure Food and Drug
Sherman Antitrust & Clayton Antitrust
Northern Securities
RR Regulation (ICC), Elkins Act, Hepburn Act
Federal Trade Act
Public Utilities
Election Reform: 17th amendment (Direct Election of Senators)
Conservation: Muir and Pinchot
Forest Reserve, Land Conservation, Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Parks
Progressive Presidents
Theodore Roosevelt: Becomes president after the assassination of McKinley
“Square Deal” All common people should receive fair chance
“Bully Pulpit” – Expanded the power of the presidency, taking issues to the people
Big Stick: Foreign Policy (build up military – especially navy)
Focused on Trust-Busting: Northern Securities – JP Morgan
Protecting American People: coal strike of 1902 – 1st time a president sided with labor
Health and the environment: Pure food and drug; Conservation
William Howard Taft: Hand-picked by Roosevelt
Was unpopular, despite 90 “busts” (twice as many as TR)
Payne-Aldrich Tariff (1909)- lost progressive loyalty
“Un-did” some of TR’s conservation work
Woodrow Wilson: Election of 1912
Taft (Republican), Roosevelt (Bull-Moose Party – New Nationalism, Wilson (Democrat)
Wilson Wins sees all trusts as bad (Clayton Anti-Trust Act)
“New Freedom”
Trusts should be broken up, not regulated
Gov’t shouldn’t get bigger, but business smaller
Attacked “triple wall of privilege”
Trusts, tariffs, high finance