The Progressive Movement
(1890-1920)
I. The Roots of Progressivism


The Rise of Progressivism
The era in American history from about
1890 to 1920 is known as the
Progressive Era
Progressivism was a collection of
different ideas and activities about how to
fix the problems within American society
I. The Roots of Progressivism
Who Were the Progressives?
 Belonged to both major political parties
 Usually were urban, educated middleclass Americans
 Many worked as journalists, social
workers, educators, politicians, and
members of the clergy
I. The Roots of Progressivism
What Did Progressives Believe?
 Generally agreed that industrialization and
urbanization had created many social
problems
 Most agreed that the government should
take a more active role in solving society’s
problems
I. The Roots of Progressivism
Why Did the Movement Begin?
 Began partly as a reaction against laissezfaire (“hands off”) economics, in which the
government stays completely out of the
business world
 They doubted that the government, in it’s
present form, could fix the problems of
poverty, crime, filth, disease, etc
I. The Roots of Progressivism

They concluded that the government had
to be fixed first before it could be used to
fix other problems
I. The Roots of Progressivism
The Muckrakers
 The muckrakers were a group of journalists
who investigated social conditions and
political corruption
 Muckrakers uncovered corruption in many
areas (government, unfair business
practices, social problems)
I. The Roots of Progressivism
Ida Tarbell:
 Published a series of articles critical of
Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Company
Lincoln Steffens:
 Reported on vote stealing and other corrupt
practices of urban political machines (The
Shame of the Cities)
I. The Roots of Progressivism
Jacob Riis
 Mostly though photography, described the
poverty, disease, and crime that affected
many immigrant neighborhoods in NYC
(How the Other Half Lives)
I. The Roots of Progressivism
Upton Sinclair
 Exposed the horrible conditions of the meat
packing industry in his book The Jungle
-Led to the passage of the Meat Inspection
Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act
I. The Roots of Progressivism

In spite of the phenomenal success of The
Jungle, Upton Sinclair lamented (expressed
grief) what he considered to be its failure
when he made his often-quoted
assessment:
“I aimed at the public’s heart, and by accident,
I hit it in the stomach.”
I. The Roots of Progressivism
What Was the Impact of the Muckrakers?

They put pressure on politicians to
introduce new reforms
I. The Roots of Progressivism
Progressive Presidents
 The Progressive Movement involved 3
Presidents:
1) Theodore Roosevelt
2) William Howard Taft
3) Woodrow Wilson
Political Corruption in the Cities
Problem
 In most cities the mayor chose the heads
of city departments
 These jobs often went to the mayor’s
political supporters and/or friends
-Many had very little knowledge or experience in
their appointed position

Sometimes offices were even sold to the
highest bidder
Political Corruption in the Cities
Solution
 Commission Plan: introduced by progressive
reformers
-divides a city’s government into several
departments each placed under the control
of an expert commissioner
Political Corruption in the Cities
1)
2)
Voters elect a Board of Commissioners
Board of Commissioners appoint…
-Police Commissioner
-Fire Commissioner
-Parks Commissioner
-Finance Commissioner
-Public Works Commissioner

Each of these appointees would be
considered “experts” in their fields
Political Corruption in the Cities
Impact
 1900: Galveston, TX was devastated by
one of the worst hurricanes on record
-6,000 people died
-The political machine in power was not able to
deal with the situation effectively, so the city
adopted the commission plan
-The city quickly recovered and other cities
across the nation adopted the plan
Political Corruption in State Gov’t
Problem
 State governments were often run by
corrupt governors and representatives
Solution
 Robert La Follette: “Battling Bob” –
Governor of Wisconsin – Most famous
progressive governor
-Wisconsin…“Laboratory of Democracy”
"Until that time, the candidates whose
names appeared on ballots were selected by
party leaders in private caucuses. Drawing
on the ideas of other reformers to make
politics more democratic, La Follette
successfully pushed the legislature to pass
measures instituting direct primary
elections, which gave voters the right to
choose their own candidates for office. He
supported measures that doubled the taxes
on the railroads, broke up monopolies,
preserved the state's forests, protected
workers' rights, defended small farmers, and
regulated lobbying to end patronage politics.
La Follette worked closely with professors
from the University of Wisconsin to help the
state become 'a laboratory of democracy.' By
the time he joined the U.S. Senate in 1906, La
Follette had become a national figure
Political Corruption in State Gov’t

Direct Primary: allows all party members
to vote for a candidate to run in the
general election
-In the past, political machines often controlled
which candidates were chosen to run in
elections (corruption)

Initiative: allowed a group of citizens to
propose new laws, by petition, and
required the state legislatures to vote on it
Political Corruption in State Gov’t
Referendum: allowed laws passed by the
state legislatures to be submitted to voters
for approval or rejection
 Recall: allowed voters to demand a
special-called election to remove an
elected official from office before his/her
term ends

Political Corruption in State Gov’t

17th Amendment (1912) provides for the
direct election of U.S. Senators
-In the past, U.S. Senators were chosen by the
state legislatures (corruption)
Impact
 These state reforms led to a more
democratic society (meaning, citizens had
more of a “voice” in politics)
Suffrage for Women
Problem
 After the Civil War, leaders of the woman
suffrage movement wanted the 14th and
15th Amendments to be applied to women
as well (didn’t happen)
Suffrage for Women
Solution
 The movement for women’s voting rights
became know as the suffrage movement
 This was an important issue for
progressives, though the movement began
well before the progressive movement
-Elizabeth Stanton and Susan B. Anthony were
important early leaders
Suffrage for Women

National American Woman Suffrage Association
(NAWSA)
-Formed in 1890
-Susan B. Anthony was the most recognized leader of
the movement
-Organized marches and protests, delivered speeches
and lobbied lawmakers
-1915: Carrie Chapman Catt became NAWSA’s
leader – wanted to mobilize the suffrage movement
nation-wide in one final push to gain voting rights (the
“Winning Plan”)
Suffrage for Women

19th Amendment: guarantees women the
right to vote
Health and Safety in the Workplace
Problem
 No health codes, no safety codes, no
workers’ compensation, etc.
-Factories, coal mines, and railroads were
especially dangerous

Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire: 1911 in
NYC – 150 women died mainly because
the doors were locked from the outside
Health and Safety in the Workplace
Solution
 Progressives pushed for workers’
compensation for those injured on the job
 Building codes set minimum standards for
lighting, air circulation, room sizes,
sanitation, and required fire escapes
 Health codes required restaurants to
maintain clean environments
Child Labor
Problem
 1900: Over 1.7 million under the age of 16
worked outside the home
 John Spargo: a muckraker who wrote the
book The Bitter Cry of the Children
presented detailed evidence on child labor
conditions
-EX: “breaker boys” in the coal mines were paid
60 cents for a 10-hour day – the work bent their
backs permanently
Child Labor
Solution
 Progressives established a National Child
Labor Committee in 1904 to work to
abolish child labor
 Reports by Spargo and others convinced
states to pass laws to limit the hours
children could work – age limits also put
into place
Child Labor

Some states began to pass compulsory
education laws, requiring children to be in
school and not at work
Impact
 By the early 1900s, the number of child
laborers had declined
 Women also began to work outside the
home because the children could not
Alcohol Abuse
Problem
 Alcohol abuse was considered by many to
be the cause of many of society’s
problems
Alcohol Abuse
Solution
 The Temperance Movement called for the
moderation or elimination of alcohol
-The movement was led by the Women’s
Christian Temperance Union

18th Amendment
Big Business and Monopolies
Problem
 Laws passed by the federal and state
governments to prevent monopolies were
not enforced
Big Business and Monopolies
Solution
 A group of progressives focused on
regulating big business, but they
disagreed on the solutions
-One side believed the government should break
up big companies to restore competition
-The other group wanted the creation of
government agencies to regulate big companies
and prevent them from abusing their power
Big Business and Monopolies

Socialism, the idea that the government
should own and operate industry for the
community as a whole, was an idea share
by a small minority of progressives
-Eugene Debs led the American Socialist Party
and was the party’s candidate for president in
1912
Big Business and Monopolies
Most progressives believed in the
American system of free enterprise
 Presidents during the Progressive Era
(esp. Teddy Roosevelt) often used their
authority to break up businesses that had
monopolies

-Roosevelt was sometimes called the “TrustBuster”
Big Business and Monopolies

During his second term, Theodore
Roosevelt’s reform program was known as
“Square Deal”
-felt gov’t should try to balance the needs of all
the groups in American society
Big Business and Monopolies

Coal Strike of 1902: United Mine Workers
called a strike to protest low wages
-T. Roosevelt. acted as a 3rd party between the
union and owners
-1st example of federal gov’t supporting labor
(i.e. workers)
Other Important Legislation
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Hepburn Act: required railroads to get
permission from the U.S. gov’t before
raising rates
16th Amendment: created a federal
income tax
National Park Service: protected and ran
the national parks
Federal Reserve Act: 1913 – regulates
the supply of money in the U.S.