Chapter 29 Notes
•1900-76 million Americans-1/7 foreign born-until 1914 13 million
more came
•Reform movement-Progressives-war on monopoly, corruption,
inefficiency, social injustice-”Use government as an agency of
human welfare”
Progressive Roots
• Groundswell went back to Greenback Labor Party-”More and
more power in fewer and fewer hands”
• Social & Economic problems too big for Jeffersonian
government
• Many argued government could no longer be laissez-faire
• For many years politicians had been choosing targets for
Progressives
• Literary works emerged: Many works focused on various
causes(Jacob Riis and others)
• Socialist grew in political power-immigrants who had
experienced movement for state socialism in Old World(Social
Gospel) Religion to demand more for poor-feminists joined the
cause as well
Muckrakers
• 1902-exposing evil became an industry for publishersmagazines surged(McClure’s, Cosmo, Collier’s)Competition
• Lincoln Steffens-Shame of the Cities-big business and city
government
• Ida Tarbell-investigation of Standard Oil Company
• Various books and investigations went after corruption-tariff
lobbies, beef trust, RR etc
• David G. Phillips-”Treason of the Senate”-75/90 were pawns of
the RR & trusts
• White Slaves, African Americans, Child Labor, medicine
• Muckrakers signified much about the nature of Progressive
Reform-wanted things right and counted on public and publicity
to arouse public conscience-did not desire political changeCleanse Capitalism-More Democracy!!
Political Progressivism
• Progressive Reformers were middle class who felt squeezed
from above and below
• 2 Goals” 1.) Use the state power to curb trusts & stem socialist
threat by improving common person’s condition 2.) Regain
power that had slipped from the people to those of the
“interests” and return it to the people
• Examples: Direct primary, Initiative, Referendum, Recall
• Root out the graft-limit $ to spend on elections-restrict $ from
corporations-secret Australian ballot emerged-bribery less
feasible
• Direct election of Senators(17th in 1913)
• Women’s Suffrage also received support from ProgressivesWomen’s vote would elevate political tone, foes of saloon
thought they would help with Prohibition-19th in 1920
Progressivism in the City/States
• Big gains in cities-Galveston, TX-1901-developed a
Commission System & City Manager System-control of civic
affairs removed
• Attacked slumlords, juvenile delinquency, prostitution, & corrupt
sales of franchises-utilities, public transport
• Wisconsin-Bob LaFollette-challenged crooked corporations
• Growing movement in states to regulate RR and other trusts
through public utility commissions (Charles Evans Hughes)
Progressive Women
• Settlement Houses provided women an avenue for social
activism-exposed middle class women to problems of citiespolitical corruption, poverty, poor working and living conditions
• Provided a civic entryway(skills and confidence)
• “Separate Spheres” were fine-moral and maternal issues-child
labor, rights and pensions for working mothers, safe products
for dinner-various organizations grew to help gain access to
government
• Unsafe and unsanitary workplaces attracted women-long hours
for low wages (Florence Kelley)
• Muller v Oregon (1908)-Louis Brandeis persuaded the Supreme
Court by presenting evidence of harmful effects of factory labor
on women’s bodies-Success?
• Lochner v NY - invalidated a 10 hour work day-later upheld a
10 hour day for factory workers
• Factory Laws had to be enforced-1911 Triangle Shirtwaist
Company-146 killed-NY legislature passed stricter laws-By
1917 30 states had put forth worker’s compensation
• Alcohol was also under attack-Red Light Districts
• Women’s Christian Temperance Union-led by Francis Willardhelped by Anti Saloon League-some passed-”Dry Laws”- by
1914 1/2 of the population lived in “dry areas”-18th in 1919
Sqaure Deal
• TR touched by Progressive Wave-3 C’s: Control of
Corporations, Consumer Protection, Conservation of Natural
Resources
• Coal Strike of 1902 in Pennsylvania-20% pay increase-9 hour
workdays-owners refused to negotiate
• Shut down hospitals, schools, etc.-TR brought in leaders &
was annoyed by owners-TR threatened to bring in troops of
run mines-owners caved-10% pay increase/9 hour workday
• TR urged Congress to pass Department of Commerce and
Labor(1903)
TR and Corporations
• ICC was ineffective-RR problems remained
• Elkins Act of 1903 inflicted fines for rebates
• Hepburn Act of 1906 restricted free passes
• ICC given greater strength
• “Good and Bad Trusts”-1901 attack on Northern Securities
Company-1904 Supreme Court upheld NSC be dissolved
• 40 legal proceedings over trusts-TR’s reputation inflated
• He wanted to make sure government ran the country and not
big business (Taft was a greater trust buster)
Caring for the Consumer
• Big meatpackers shut out of European market-unsanitary meatbanned US meat
• Upton Sinclair-The Jungle-results: Meat Inspection Act of 1906Meat shipped over state lines would be subject to federal
inspection-opportunity to drive smaller packers out & receive
federal approval
• Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906-protected mislabeling of food
and drugs
Earth Control
• Wasteful Americans were assuming minerals would last
• Western ranchers & timbermen were eager-visionary leaders
knew trouble was ahead
• Desert Land Act of 1877-Federal govmnt sold desert land
cheaply on condition owner would irrigate in 3 yrs
• Forest Reserve Act of 1891-Harrison set aside public forests as
national parks-46 million acres rescued
• Carey Act of 1894-federal land to states on condition it be
irrigated & settled
• TR was rugged outdoorsman-energy for a cause
• Congress passed the Newlands Act of 1902-Collect $ from sale
of public lands in West & use for irrigation projects
• Dams were developed
• By 1900 1/4 of nation’s forests remained-loggers ruled!
• TR set aside 125 million acres-3 times the acreage of his
predecessors
• Banned Christmas trees from the White House
• May have been TR’s greatest achievement-strengthened by
growth of Boy Scouts and Sierra Club in 1892
• Preservationists lost battle in 1913 when Feds allowed San
Francisco to build a dam for municipal water and power in
Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite-Use not Abuse!
• TR-”multiple-use resource management”
• Many westerners resisted federal management of natural
resources and learned to take advantage of new agencies-Big
Business and Industry typically won the day
Roosevelt Panic of 1907
• Easily elected in 1904-called for more regulation, taxing
incomes, protecting workers-announced he would not run again
• Short panic-”Runs” on banks, criminal indictments vs.
speculators
• Financial world blames TR/TR blamed wealthy
• Aldrich-Vreeland Act-authorized national banks to issue
currency(emergency) backed by collateral
Rough Rider
• TR wanted a successor-WH Taft vs WJ Bryan
• Easy win for Taft (Socialist Debs won 420,000 votes)
• Inflated reputation for TR-a friend of business-tamed business,
protected capitalism-Moderate-conservationist-enlarged the
power/prestige of the presidency
• Helped shape progressive movement and led to the New Deal
• Could not escape the world scene
Taft & Dollar Diplomacy
• Capable yet no dashing politician
• Encourage Wall Street to put surplus $ into foreign markets in
Far East and Panama areas-$ replaced the Big Stick
• Proposal to buy RR in Manchuria-denied by Japan and Russia
• Also encouraged to pump $ into Honduras and Haiti-various
disorders brought US forces to Cuba, Honduras, and
Dominican Republic to restore order & protect US interestsproblems in Nicaragua led to 2,500 US troops in 1912
Trustbuster
• 4 yrs-90 suits vs. trusts for Taft
• 1911 Supreme Court ordered dissolution of Standard Oil
Company-handed down a ruling that declared “only trusts that
“unreasonably” restrained trade were illegal”
• Taft brought suit vs. US Steel in 1911-TR very upset
Republican Party Splits
• Lowering tariffs high on the progressive list-Taft called a special
session in 1909 to lower-Payne-Aldrich signed by Taft forced
another high tariff-progressive furious
• Established the Bureau of Mines, rescued western landsBallinger-Pinchot quarrel in 1910
• Secretary of Interior Ballinger opened public land in WY, MA,
AL-Pinchot criticized and dismissed
• TR returns and Party splits-1910 Off Year Elections
Taft/Roosevelt Rupture
• 1911 National Progressive Party formed-Lafollette leading the
ticket
• TR asked Republican governors for nomination-1912
Republican Convention in Chicago Taft received the
nomination-TR wanted a 3rd Party