chapter17 telescoping the times the progressive era 17 summaries.pdf · ... chapter 17 teddy...

The Progressive Era 33

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The Origins of ProgressivismMAIN IDEA Political, economic, and social change inlate 19th century America led to broad progressivereforms.

As the 1900s opened, reformers pushed for arange of changes to society in a movement

called Progressivism, which had four major goals: • Protecting social welfare by easing the ills of

urban society. The YMCA built libraries andexercise facilities while the Salvation Armyoffered the urban poor food and nursery care.

• Promoting moral improvement, especially by working to ban alcoholic beverages.Prohibitionists—many of whom were membersof the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union(WCTU)—often came into conflict with immi-grant groups. The saloons the reformersattacked served vital functions such as offeringcheap meals in immigrant communities.

• Reforming the economy. Some criticized thevast wealth amassed by industrialists and thetreatment of workers. Journalists called “muck-rakers” published stories about business cor-ruption and unfair practices.

• Making businesses more efficient and prof-itable. Scientific management and the adoptionof the assembly line for the manufacture ofgoods enabled factories to increase production.

Progressives also reformed politics at the localand state levels. Reform mayors routed corruptionout of Detroit and Cleveland, among other cities.Wisconsin Governor Robert M. La Follette tooksteps to regulate businesses in his state. Reformersmanaged to pass laws in almost every state to banchild labor and limited the number of hourswomen could work. Reform-ers passed laws requir-ing the use of secret ballots in elections and allow-ing voters to remove elected officials from office.The Seventeenth Amendment allowed for voters toelect senators directly.

Women in Public LifeMAIN IDEA Women won new opportunities in labor andeducation that are enjoyed today.

On the nation’s farms, women continued to playthe vital roles they had filled earlier. They

helped with the farm’s crops and animals as well ascooking, cleaning, sewing, and child rearing. Manyurban women who lacked education joined theworkforce by becoming servants. African-Americanand unmarried immigrant women often used thisroute to employment. At the turn of the century,one in five American women held jobs outside thehome; 25 percent worked in manufacturing. Half ofthem toiled in the garment industry. With thegrowth of business, more and more women workedin offices as stenographers and typists. As a result,more women sought high school educations to trainfor these jobs.

Many middle- and upper-class women joinedgroups aiming to promote culture. The number ofwomen’s colleges grew, and many who graduatedfrom these colleges joined the reform movements.Major goals of these movements were makingworkplace and home safer. The National Assoc-iation of Colored Women helped African Amer-icans by creating nurseries, reading rooms, andkindergartens.

Many women joined in the effort to seek theright to vote, or suffrage. Spearheading the effortwas the National American Woman SuffrageAssociation. Wyoming, in 1869, became the firststate to grant this right to women. Some otherwestern states followed suit. Another effort failedwhen the Supreme Court ruled that theConstitution did not guarantee women the right tovote. Women pushed for an amendment to theConstitution granting suffrage, but for the first twodecades of the 1900s, it did not pass.

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TELESCOPING THE TIMES The Progressive EraCHAPTER OVERVIEW In the first two decades of the 1900s, Americans embracethe Progressive movement and many of its reforms.

Summary

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34 Unit 5, Chapter 17

Teddy Roosevelt’sSquare Deal

MAIN IDEA As president, Theodore Roosevelt worked togive citizens a Square Deal through progressive reforms.

When President William McKinley was killedin 1901, Theodore Roosevelt became presi-

dent. He showed great energy and bold decisionmaking and won publicity. He launched a programof reforms called the “Square Deal.” With his vig-orous leadership, he changed the presidency.

Roosevelt thought that a more complex Americansociety needed a powerful federal government. Heintervened in a bitter 1902 coal strike to lead bothsides to an agreement. He had the government suebusiness trusts to improve competition. He pushedthrough laws increasing the government’s power toregulate railroads. His actions during a Pennsylvaniacoal strike set a precedent of government interven-tion when a strike threatened public welfare. Afterreading a book, The Jungle, that exposed poor sani-tary practices in the meatpacking industry, Rooseveltgained passage of the Meat Inspection Act. The PureFood and Drug Act banned food processors fromadding dangerous chemicals to food or from makingfalse claims regarding medicines. Roosevelt also tooksteps to preserve the nation’s wild natural areas.

Roosevelt, though, did not back civil rights forAfrican Americans. So black leaders, plus somewhite reformers, formed the National Associationfor the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)in 1909 to push for full racial equality.

Progressivism Under TaftMAIN IDEA Taft's ambivalent approach to progressivereform led to a split in the Republican Party and the lossof the presidency to the Democrats

William Howard Taft became president in1909. He pursued many Progressive policies

but more cautiously—and with less publicity—thanRoosevelt. And he divided his own party.

One issue was the tariff. Taft wished to lowerthe tariffs. When conservatives in the Senatepassed a weakened version of the measure, Taftsigned it anyway and Progressives complained. Healso angered conservationists by appointing officialswho favored development of wild lands rather thanpreservation of them.

With the Republican Party split betweenreformers and conservatives, Democrats won con-trol of the House for the first time in almost twodecades. In 1912, Roosevelt tried to regain the

Republican nomination for president. Failing that,Roosevelt formed a third party—the Bull Mooseparty—and ran on a platform of reform.

The Democrats nominated reformer WoodrowWilson, the governor of New Jersey. As Taft andRoosevelt bitterly denounced each other, Wilsonwon the election—and a Democratic majority inCongress. About three-quarters of the vote went tocandidates in favor of economic reform.

Wilson’s New FreedomMAIN IDEA Woodrow Wilson established a strongreform agenda as a progressive leader.

Areligious and scholarly man, Wilson stayed inde-pendent of party bosses and pursued his policies

of reform called the “New Freedom.” With theClayton Anti-Trust Act of 1914, the governmentstrengthened laws against business trusts and work-ers’ rights. The Federal Trade Act created theFederal Trade Commission to investigate unfair busi-ness practices. Another law lowered tariffs. Withdecreased tariff revenues, the government began col-lecting taxes on workers’ income. Wilson also securedpassage of a law creating the Federal Reserve Systemto improve the nation’s banking practices.

Meanwhile, women continued in their drive towin the right to vote. As of 1910, women’s suffragewas approved in five states. Defeats in other states,though, led some women to try more militant tac-tics. Alice Paul organized a group that picketed theWhite House and the Democratic Party. Finally,the Nineteenth Amendment, ratified in 1920, gavewomen the right to vote.

Wilson did not push social reform ideas. He didlittle to support women’s suffrage, nor did he helpAfrican Americans. In fact, he appointed southern-ers who took steps to extend segregation. Blackswho had voted for Wilson felt betrayed, and ameeting between Wilson and African-Americanleaders ended in anger.

Review1. Describe the four areas of Progressive reform.2. How did women’s lives change in the early twen-

tieth century?3. What policies did Teddy Roosevelt pursue?4. Why did the Republican Party split, and what

was the result?5. What progressive reforms did Woodrow Wilson

advance, and which did he do little or nothing toachieve?

Name The Progressive Era continued

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CHAPTER 17 THE PROGRESSIVE ERA 169

Name ______________________________________________________________ Date ______________________

CHAPTER 17 Section 1 (pages 512–518)

BEFORE YOU READIn the last section, you read about popular culture at theturn of the century.

In this section, you will learn about the social reforms thatmade up the progressive movement.

AS YOU READUse this web diagram to take notes. Fill it in with names ofthe organizations and people who campaigned for thefour types of reform. The notes will help you rememberwhat you learned about the progressive movement.

TERMS AND NAMES progressive movement Social reformmovement in the early 20th centuryFlorence Kelley Social reformer prohibition Making the sale or use ofalcohol illegalmuckraker Writer who exposeswrongdoingscientific management Usingscientific ideas to make work moreefficientRobert M. LaFollette ProgressiveWisconsin governor and senator initiative A way for people topropose laws directlyreferendum A way for people toapprove changes in laws by a voterecall A vote on whether to removea public official from officeSeventeenth AmendmentAmendment providing for senators tobe elected directly

The Origins ofProgressivism

Four Goals of Progressivism(pages 512–515)

What did reformers want?As the 1900s opened, reformers pushed for a num-ber of changes. Together their efforts built the pro-gressive movement. The progressive movementhad four major goals: (1) to protect social welfare,(2) to promote moral improvement, (3) to createeconomic reform, and (4) to foster efficiency.

Reformers tried to promote social welfare byeasing the problems of city life. The YMCA builtlibraries and exercise rooms. The Salvation Army

fed poor people in the cities and cared for childrenin nurseries. Settlement houses helped families.One reformer, Florence Kelley, helped to win thepassage of the Illinois Factory Act in 1893. The lawprohibited child labor and limited women’s workinghours. The law became a model for other states.

Reformers promoted moral reform by workingfor prohibition—the banning of alcoholic drinks.Many of these reformers, called prohibitionists,were members of the Woman’s ChristianTemperance Union (WCTU). The well-organizedunion became the largest women’s group the coun-try had ever seen.

Social WelfareYMCA

Moral

EconomicPolitical

ProgressiveReforms

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170 CHAPTER 17 SECTION 1

Reformers tried to make economic changes bypointing out the great inequality between the richand the poor. They pushed for better treatment ofworkers. Journalists called muckrakers wrote storiesabout corruption and unfair practices in business.

To help make businesses more efficient andprofitable, some reformers promoted the idea ofscientific management. The idea was to applyscientific ideas to make each task simpler. One out-come was the assembly line.

1. How did reformers try to make businesses more efficient and profitable?

Cleaning Up Local Government(pages 515–516)

How did progressives change city governments?Progressives also reformed politics. City govern-ments were sometimes corrupt. For instance, theymight be run by party bosses who gave jobs to theirfriends and bribed people to vote for them. Oneanswer to this problem was a new system of citygovernment called the commission system.

In the commission system a group of expertsruns the city. Each expert takes charge of a differ-ent city department. By 1917, about 500 cities hadcommission forms of city government.

Another reform idea was the council-managerform of government. By 1925, nearly 250 cities hadmanagers. These managers were appointed bycouncils elected by the people.

Some cities had progressive mayors. Theyimproved cities without changing their system ofgovernment. They put in such reforms as fairer taxsystems and lower public transportation fares.

2. How did the commission system help clean up city government?

Reform at the State Level(pages 516–518)

How did state laws change?Reformers also worked at the state level. Manystates had progressive governors. These states

passed laws to regulate railroads, mines, telephonecompanies, and other large businesses.

Robert M. La Follette, as governor ofWisconsin, led the way in regulating big business.His reforms of the railway industry taxed railroadproperty at the same rate as other business prop-erty. He set up a commission to regulate rates andforbade railroads to issue free passes to state officials.

Progressives also worked to improve conditionsin the workplace and to end the employment ofchildren. Factories hired children because childrencould do the same unskilled work as adults for lessmoney. Often wages were so low that every mem-ber of the family needed to work.

Progressive reformers did not get a federal lawto ban child labor. They did, however, get state leg-islatures to ban child labor. States also set maxi-mum hours for all workers.

Progressives also won some reforms from theSupreme Court. In the case of Muller v. Oregon, theCourt decided that a state could legally limit theworking hours of women. In 1917, the SupremeCourt upheld a ten-hour workday for men.

Electoral reforms at the state level gave votersmore power. Oregon was the first to adopt the secretballot, giving voters privacy. Three other reformswere important: (1) initiative gives voters them-selves the right to propose a law, (2) voters couldaccept or reject the initiative by a direct vote on theinitiative, called a referendum, and (3), voters gotthe right of recall, which meant they could force agovernment official to face another election.

Minnesota became the first state to use a manda-tory statewide direct primary system. This meantthat voters, instead of political machines, wouldchoose candidates for public office through a specialpopular election. The direct primary led to thepassage of the Seventeenth Amendment to theConstitution. This amendment called for senators tobe elected directly by the people instead of by statelawmakers.

3. What are three ways progressive reforms helped ordinary people?

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BEFORE YOU READIn the last section, you read about the progressivemovement.

In this section, you will learn about the new, active roleswomen were taking in the workplace and in politics.

AS YOU READUse this diagram to take notes. Fill it in with details aboutwomen and their work in the four settings shown. Thenotes will help you remember what you learned aboutwomen’s work in the late 1800s.

TERMS AND NAMES NACW National Association ofColored Women; founded in 1896 toimprove living and working conditionsfor African-American womensuffrage The right to vote; a majorgoal of women reformers Susan B. Anthony Leader of thewoman suffrage movement, whohelped to define the movement’sgoals and beliefs and to lead itsactions NAWSA National American WomanSuffrage Association; founded in 1890to help women win the right to vote

Women in Public Life

Women in the Work Force(pages 519–520)

What jobs did women do?Before the Civil War, most married women workedat home. They cared for their families and did nothave paid jobs. By the end of the 19th century,however, many women had to work outside thehome in order to earn money.

Farm women continued to work as theyalways had. They did the cooking, cleaning,sewing, and child rearing. They helped with thecrops and animals.

As better-paying opportunities in towns andcities became available, more women began work-

ing outside the home. By 1900, one in fiveAmerican women held jobs; 25 percent of themworked in manufacturing. About half of the womenworking in manufacturing were employed in thegarment trades. They typically held the least skilledpositions and were paid only half as much as men.Women also began filling new jobs in offices, stores,and classrooms. Women went to new businessschools to learn to become stenographers and typ-ists. These jobs required a high school education.Women without a formal education took jobs asdomestic workers, cleaning, and taking care of chil-dren of other families. Almost two million African-American workers—forced by economic neces-sity—worked on farms and in cities as domestic

Farmscooking

Homes

OfficesFactories

WomenWorkers

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SkillbuilderUse the photograph to answer these questions.

1. Name the two sides confronting each other.

2. Cite one example of what you think workers might strike over.

workers, laundresses, scrubwomen, and maids.Unmarried immigrant women did domestic labor,took in piecework, or cared for boarders at home.

1. What are three jobs that women without a formaleducation often held?

Women Lead Reform(pages 520–522)

What reforms did women want?Dangerous conditions, long hours, and low wagescaused working women to fight for reforms. TheTriangle Shirtwaist fire in New York City in 1911killed 146 young workers, mostly women, andspurred the cause for reform.

Women who became active in public lifeattended college. New women’s colleges such asVassar, Smith, and Wellesley opened. By the late19th century, marriage was no longer a woman’sonly alternative.

In 1896, African-American women founded theNational Association of Colored Women (NACW).

This organization created nurseries, reading rooms,and kindergartens.

Women’s crusade for suffrage, or the right tovote, began at the Seneca Falls Convention in1848. The women’s movement split over whetheror not to support the Fourteenth and FifteenthAmendments which granted the vote to African-American men, but not to women of any race.Susan B. Anthony led the opposition. By 1890,suffragists had united in the National AmericanWoman Suffrage Association (NAWSA).

Women tried three approaches to win the vote:(1) they tried to convince state legislatures; (2) theywent to court to clarify whether the provisions ofthe Fourteenth Amendment meant women shouldbe allowed to vote, and (3) they pushed for anational constitutional amendment. This was voteddown several times.

2. What are three ways in which women tried to win the vote?

Angry crowds confront the militia at the Lawrence mill workers’ strike in 1912. Credit: Corbis-Bettmann

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BEFORE YOU READIn the last section, you read about women who worked forreforms in their communities and for the right to vote.

In this section, you will learn about President TheodoreRoosevelt’s success in promoting reforms at the nationallevel.

AS YOU READUse this diagram to take notes. Read the list of problemareas on the left and fill in the columns to give examplesof how these problems were solved.

PROBLEM AREAS EXAMPLES SOLUT IONS

Strikes1902, Pennsylvania coal miners

Trusts

Meat processing

The environment

TERMS AND NAMES Theodore Roosevelt President from1901 to 1909Square Deal President Roosevelt’sprogram of progressive reformsUpton Sinclair Novelist whoexposed social problemsThe Jungle Novel by Upton Sinclairdescribing meatpackingMeat Inspection Act Law reformingmeatpacking conditions, 1906Pure Food and Drug Act Law to stopthe sale of unclean food and drugs,1906conservation The plannedmanagement of natural resourcesNAACP National Association for theAdvancement of Colored People,founded in 1909 to work for racialequality

Teddy Roosevelt’sSquare Deal

A Rough-Riding President(pages 523–525)

What was Roosevelt like?Theodore Roosevelt became president in 1901.He was bold, ambitious, and full of energy. He hadbeen active in sports and politics. In theSpanish–American War he led a fighting unit calledthe Rough Riders. His personality made him apopular president.

Roosevelt used his popularity to get his pro-grams passed. He wanted to see that the common

people received what he called a Square Deal.This term referred to a program of progressivereforms sponsored by his administration.

1. How did Roosevelt’s personality shape his presidency?

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Using Federal Power (pages 525–526)

How did Roosevelt handle big business? President Roosevelt used the power of the govern-ment to help solve the nation’s problems.

Roosevelt also used the power of his governmentto deal with the problem of trusts. Trusts were largecompanies that had control over their markets.Trusts, or monopolies, first drove smaller companiesout by lowering their own prices. Then when thesmaller companies were gone, the trusts could raisetheir prices. They no longer had any competition.

By 1900, trusts controlled about 80 percent ofU.S. industries. Roosevelt supported big business,but he also wanted to stop trusts that harmed people.He had the government sue harmful trusts under theSherman Antitrust Act of 1890. In all, Roosevelt filed44 antitrust suits. He was called a trustbuster.

In 1902, about 140,000 coal miners inPennsylvania went on strike. The mine ownersrefused to negotiate with them. PresidentRoosevelt called both sides to the White House totalk. He threatened to have the government takeover the mines. The two sides agreed to have anarbitration commission help settle their differ-ences. The commission succeeded in reaching acompromise. From then on, the federal govern-ment would often step in to help settle a strike.

In 1887, the Interstate Commerce Commission(ICC) had been set up to regulate the railroad indus-try. It had not been effective. Roosevelt pushedthrough laws such as the Hepburn Act of 1906,which strictly limited the distribution of free rail-road passes, a common form of bribery. Roosevelt’sefforts resulted in fairer shipping rates and lesscorruption in the railroad industry.

2. How did Roosevelt use the power of the federal government to change business practices?

Health and the Environment(pages 526–530)

What did Roosevelt do for publichealth and the environment? After reading The Jungle by Upton Sinclairwhich described filthy conditions in the meatpack-

ing industry, Roosevelt pushed for passage of theMeat Inspection Act. This law, passed in 1906,called for strict cleanliness requirements for meat-packers. It created a program of federal meatinspection.

Also in 1906, Congress passed the Pure Foodand Drug Act which halted the sale of contami-nated foods and medicines and called for truth inlabeling.

Before Roosevelt became president, the fed-eral government had paid little attention to thenation’s natural resources. John Muir, a naturalistand writer, persuaded Roosevelt to set aside 148million acres of forest reserves and other land forwaterpower sites and mineral and water resources.Roosevelt appointed Gifford Pinchot as head of the U.S. Forest Service. Roosevelt and Pinchotbelieved in the conservation of land, meaningsome land should be preserved as wilderness whileother areas would be developed for the commongood. Roosevelt and Pinchot were opposed byMuir, who believed in complete preservation of thewilderness. Indeed, Roosevelt signed the NewlandsAct which funded irrigation projects thattransformed dry wilderness into land suitable foragriculture.

3. What are two ways that Roosevelt helped to makepeople’s lives safer and healthier?

Roosevelt and Civil Rights(pages 530–531)

What did Roosevelt do for African Americans?Roosevelt supported individual African Americanslike Booker T. Washington. But he did not helpAfrican Americans in general. In 1909, black lead-ers, including W. E. B. Du Bois, founded theNational Association for the Advancement ofColored People (NAACP). The organizationpushed for civil rights and racial equality. The pro-gressive movement, however, continued to focuson the needs of middle-class whites.

4. What action did the NAACP take?

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BEFORE YOU READIn the last section, you read about the reforms of TeddyRoosevelt’s presidency.

In this section, you will learn about the reforms and politi-cal problems of the next president, William Howard Taft.

AS YOU READUse this diagram to take notes. Fill in the boxes with causes of Taft’s problems in office. The notes will help youremember what you learned about Taft’s presidency.

TERMS AND NAMES William Howard Taft President from1909 to 1913, successor to RooseveltPayne-Aldrich Tariff Bill meant tolower tariffs on imported goodsGifford Pinchot Head of the U.S.Forest Service under Roosevelt, whobelieved that it was possible to makeuse of natural resources whileconserving themBull Moose Party Nickname for thenew Progressive Party, which wasformed to support Roosevelt in theelection of 1912Woodrow Wilson Winner of the 1912presidential election

Progressivism Under Taft

Taft Becomes President (pages 534–535)

Why did Taft have problems?President Roosevelt promised not to run for anoth-er term. Instead, he wanted William HowardTaft to become president. Taft had beenRoosevelt’s secretary of war, and Roosevelt felt Taftwould carry out his policies. Taft was elected in1909, and he did continue many of the progressiveprograms. In fact, he busted more than twice asmany trusts as Roosevelt had. However, Taft wasnot as effective as Roosevelt had been. He hadmany problems in office.

His first problem came over tariffs. Taft want-ed to lower tariffs. He supported the Payne bill,which was passed in the House. However, theSenate passed a weakened version of the bill, thePayne-Aldrich Tariff. The revised bill did not

lower tariffs much at all. The progressives in Taft’sown Republican Party were annoyed.

Another problem for Taft arose over conserva-tion. Conservationists like Gifford Pinchot, thehead of the U.S. Forest Service, believed thatwilderness areas could be managed for public enjoy-ment as well as private development. This meant,for instance, that someone could make a profit bylogging land that belonged to the federal govern-ment. This was called a multi-use land program.

Taft appointed Richard A. Ballinger as secretaryof the interior. Ballinger did not want to keep somuch federal land in reserve. He wanted to free upland for forestry and mining. He wanted to sellsome land for private uses. When he did thesethings, Pinchot complained. Pinchot accused himof misusing the natural resources for commercial

Result: Taft’s Problems in Office

Cause: Cause: Cause: Cause:

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interests. As a result of Pinchot’s criticism, Taft felthe had to fire him from the U.S. Forest Service.

1. In what two areas did Taft have problems?

The Republican Party Splits(pages 535–536)

Why did the Republican Party split?The Republican Party had two wings: (1) the pro-gressives, who wanted change and (2) the conserv-atives, who did not want reform. Taft was not ableto hold the two wings of his party together.

The two groups disagreed over Taft’s support ofpolitical boss Joseph Cannon. Cannon was Speakerof the House of Representatives, and he ran theHouse his own way. He appointed people to com-mittee positions who weren’t the next in line. Heeven made himself the head of the Committee onRules. This gave him the power to control whatbills Congress would take up. As a result, underCannon, the House often did not even vote on pro-gressive bills.

The Republican party split over how to handleCannon. This gave the Democrats a chance to takeover the House in the 1910 midterm elections.Democrats had control of the House for the firsttime in almost 20 years.

By 1912, Teddy Roosevelt had decided to runfor a third term as president, after all. Taft had anadvantage because he was already in office. TheRepublican Party nominated Taft, but Roosevelt’ssupporters broke off and formed the ProgressiveParty. This third party was also called the BullMoose Party. It ran on a platform of reform. TheDemocrats were in a stronger position now that theRepublicans were split. They nominated thereform governor of New Jersey, Woodrow Wilson.

2. Who formed the Bull Moose Party?

Democrats Win in 1912(pages 536–537)

Who won the election of 1912?The 1912 election offered Americans four mainchoices: Wilson, Taft, Roosevelt, and the socialistEugene V. Debs.

Wilson campaigned on a progressive platform,called the New Freedom. He wanted strongerantitrust legislation, banking reform, and lowertariffs.

Both Roosevelt and Wilson wanted to give thegovernment a stronger role in the economy. Butthey differed over strategies, that is, how to do that.Roosevelt supported government supervision ofbig business. Wilson opposed all business monopo-lies, or trusts. Debs went even further. He wantedthe government to distribute national wealth moreequally among the people.

Wilson won the 1912 election. He also broughtin a Democratic majority in Congress. In all, about75 percent of the vote went to the candidates whofavored economic reform—Wilson, Roosevelt, andDebs. Because so many people supported reform,Wilson had more power to carry out his reformsonce in office.

3. What did Wilson have in common with Roosevelt?With Debs?

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BEFORE YOU READIn the last section, you read about the problems Taft facedas president.

In this section, you will learn how Woodrow Wilson managed to get some parts of his progressive platformpassed but had to give up others.

AS YOU READUse this time line to take notes. Fill in the boxes with keyevents during Wilson’s first term.

TERMS AND NAMES Clayton Antitrust Act Law thatweakened monopolies and upheldthe rights of unions and farmorganizationsFederal Trade Commission (FTC) Afederal agency set up in 1914 toinvestigate businesses to helpenforce the lawsFederal Reserve System Nationalbanking system begun in 1913Carrie Chapman Catt President ofNAWSA, who led the campaign forwoman suffrage during Wilson’sadministrationNineteenth Amendment Amendmentto the Constitution giving women theright to vote

Wilson’s New Freedom

Wilson Wins Financial Reforms(pages 538–540)

What reforms did Wilson support?Woodrow Wilson grew up in a religious family inthe South. He began his career as a lawyer and thenbecame a college professor, university president,and finally state governor. As governor of NewJersey, he worked for many progressive causes.When he was elected president, he pushed for areform program called the New Freedom.

Under Wilson, Congress passed two antitrustmeasures. The first was the Clayton Antitrust Actof 1914. This law had several important effects.The law (1) made it more difficult for monopoliesto form, (2) said that the people who ran a compa-ny could be held personally responsible if the com-pany violated the law, and (3) ruled that labor

unions and farm organizations were not themselvesto be considered trusts. This made strikes, peacefulpicketing, and boycotts legal.

The second antitrust measure was the FederalTrade Act of 1914, which set up the FederalTrade Commission (FTC). This agency had thepower to investigate businesses for the govern-ment. The FTC became very active duringWilson’s administration. It issued nearly 400 orderstelling companies to stop breaking the law.

Wilson also worked to lower tariffs. He believedthat high tariffs encouraged monopolies. By raisingthe cost of imported goods, they cut competitionagainst American goods. He supported theUnderwood Tariff of 1913, which lowered tariffsfor the first time since the Civil War.

1916

1913Sixteenth Amendment added to theConstitution, gave Federal government

authority to collect income tax.

1915

1914

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With less money coming in from tariffs, how-ever, the government needed another source ofmoney. It turned to an income tax. This tax on peo-ple’s earnings was created by the SixteenthAmendment to the Constitution, which was ratifiedby the states in 1913. The tax gave to the federalgovernment a small percentage of all workers’income and business profits.

After reforming tariffs, Wilson turned his atten-tion to the banking system. It was difficult for peo-ple far from banking centers to obtain credit. Thenew Federal Reserve System solved this prob-lem by dividing the country into 12 districts, eachwith a federal reserve bank. This system controlledthe money supply and made credit more easilyavailable. Setting up the federal reserve was one ofWilson’s most important reforms.

1. What were three areas that Wilson reformed?

Women Win Suffrage(pages 540–541)

How did women get the vote?At the same time Wilson was pushing for reforms,women continued to push for voting rights. By1912, only five states had given suffrage to women.But several things were happening that gave thesuffrage movement hope.

Local suffrage organizations used door-to-doorcampaigns to win support. College-educatedwomen joined in reaching out to working-classwomen. Women who had visited Europe adoptedthe more bold tactics of British suffragists such asheckling government officials.

Carrie Chapman Catt succeeded Susan B.Anthony as president of NAWSA. Catt believed incontinuing the cautious tactics of the past. LucyBurns and Alice Paul formed the NationalWoman’s Party and adopted more radical tacticssuch as around-the-clock picketing of the WhiteHouse.

Some of the picketers went to jail and evenstarted a hunger strike. But it took World War I tobring women the vote. A great number of womenbecame active in supporting the war effort.

Women ran committees, rolled bandages, and soldliberty bonds in order to raise funds for the war.Once they were active in public life, women feltmore strongly than ever that they should have theright to vote. At last, in 1919 Congress passed theNineteenth Amendment. This amendment giv-ing women the vote was ratified by the states thenext year.

2. How did World War I help women get the right to vote?

The Limits of Progressivism(pages 541–543)

Did Wilson support civil rights?Like Roosevelt and Taft, Wilson backed away fromcivil rights. During the 1912 campaign he won thesupport of the NAACP by promising to treat blacksequally. He also promised to speak out againstlynching, that is, mob killings of blacks. However,once he was president Wilson opposed federal lawsagainst lynching. This was because he felt thatstates, rather than the federal government, had theright to make such laws.

Another blow for those who wanted integrationof blacks and whites was Wilson’s appointment ofhis cabinet. Wilson chose cabinet members whoextended segregation, or separate facilities forblacks and whites. Wilson’s angry meeting with anAfrican-American delegation led by a Boston news-paper editor brought African Americans’ feeling ofbetrayal to a head.

Even before the U.S. entered World War I, thewar became a factor in dimming the reform spiritas legislators had less interest in reform.

3. Why did African Americans feel betrayed byPresident Wilson?

antitrust Against monopoliesarbitration Process of having athird party make a decision whentwo sides can’t settle an argumentassembly line An efficient way ofputting together a product in whicheach worker does a differentspecific taskboarders People who pay to liveand eat at another person’s houseboycott Protest in which peoplerefuse to buy a certain productcommercial Aimed at making aprofitconservationist Person who favorsusing natural resources carefully

efficient Done with the leastpossible effort and expenseinequality Unfair difference in theway people are treatedintegration Mixing racial groupsjournalist News writer midterm The election halfwaybetween two presidential electionsnegotiate To try to reach anagreement by talking party boss Person who controls apolitical partypiecework Work, such as sewing,that is paid for by the piece ratherthan by the hour

platform Official statement ofpolitical beliefsprofitable Earning a profit, forinstance, selling something for morethan it costs to makeregulate To set rules forsettlement house A center wherepoor people can get helpstenographer Office worker whotakes notes in shorthandtariff Tax charged on goods cominginto the countryterm Length of time an official iselected to serve

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Name ______________________________________________________________ Date ______________________

Glossary CHAPTER 17 The Progressive Era

Terms and NamesA. Write the letter of the choice that best completes the sentence.

_____ 1. Recall isa. a bill initiated by citizens. c. a vote to remove a public official.b. a vote on an initiative. d. a law making alcohol illegal.

_____ 2. Suffrage means thea. separation of races. c. illegal sale of alcohol.b. denial of the right to vote. d. right to vote.

_____ 3. The Clayton Antitrust Lawa. stopped the sale of spoiled foods. c. weakened monopolies.b. created federal meat inspection. d. preserved wilderness areas.

_____ 4. The Nineteenth Amendmenta. established the FTC. c. made monopolies illegal.b. recognized woman’s suffrage. d. decentralized private banking.

B. Write the letter of the name or term that matches the description.

AFTER YOU READ

_____ 1. A cause taken up by the Women’s Christian Temperance Union

_____ 2. An organization of African American women

_____ 3. An organization started by prominent African-American and white

reformers to promote civil rights for African Americans

_____ 4. Weakened bill that got Taft in trouble with the progressives

_____ 5. Supporters of Roosevelt who broke away from the Republican Party

a. NAACPb. Bull Moose Partyc. Payne-Aldrich Tariffd. prohibitione. NACW

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180 CHAPTER 17 AFTER YOU READ

Name ______________________________________________________________ Date ______________________

AFTER YOU READ (continued) CHAPTER 17 The Progressive Era

Main Ideas1. What were the four major goals of the progressive movement?

2. Name two women’s organizations and describe their mission.

3. How did the novel The Jungle lead to changes in American laws governing meatpacking?

4. Why was Roosevelt’s handling of the 1902 coal strike important?

5. How did the Clayton Antitrust Act benefit labor?

Thinking CriticallyAnswer the following questions on a separate sheet of paper.

1. How did Theodore Roosevelt expand the role of the Federal government?

2. How might you characterize most African Americans’ view of the progressive era? Why?

chapter17 telescoping the times the progressive era 17 summaries.pdf · ... chapter 17 teddy...

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