chpt 4 progressive era. industrialization, urbanization and immigration had brought many benefits to...
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Chpt 4 Progressive Era
Industrialization, urbanization and immigration had brought many benefits to the US
But they also created many social problems What problems would they create? The idea of Progressivism emerged Progressives believed that new ideas, and
honest, efficient government could bring about social justice
Origins of Progressivism…
Progressives came from all walks of life – wealthy, poor, all religions, all political parties, all areas of the nation
Many of the leaders came from the growing middle class
They wanted change that would fix the problems that industrialization and urbanization had caused
All levels of government were petitioned to pass laws to help the poor and disenfranchised
Progressivism was set up to get rid of corruption, make gov’t more responsive to the peoples needs, put a stop to big business
A Variety of Problems….
Many wanted political reform Women wanted the right to vote Many want to stop corruption – shutting
down political machines Many lacked paved roads, safe drinking
water, decent housing and adequate municipal services
Bribery and shady deals were rampant
Middle class Americans wanted Gov’t to “bust the trusts” – big business had created locked up markets and small businesses were not surviving
Complained that the Sherman Anti-Trust Act of 1890 was not strong enough to stop big business
Many for religious reasons wanted to bridge the gap between rich and poor – wanted change for factory workers and miners – wanted change for those living in city slums – wanted to help children, workers and consumers
Muckrakers….
Socially conscientious journalists/writers dramatized the need for reform in magazines and newspapers
A muckrake is a tool used to clean manure out of an animals hooves – name coined by Teddy Roosevelt
What is the connection?
Lincoln Steffens… Editor of McClure’s Magazine –
know for uncovering social problems
1903 Shame of the Cities was published – articles on political corruption
Exposed Philadelphia city officials in their scam with the electric company
Exposed corruption – bribery, buying votes, threats, intimidation
Jacob Riis… Photographer for the NY
Evening Sun – took pictures of the unsafe, crowded, rat infested tenement buildings from 1890 - 1903
Published How the Other Half Lives – this book shocked the nation and led to many reforms
Ida Tarbell… Wrote The History of
Standard Oil - exposed John D. Rockefeller for using ruthless methods to get rid of his competitors, charging higher prices and reaping huge profits
Muckraking Novels…
The naturalist novel was developed – honestly portrayed human suffering and misery and the struggles of common people
Sister Carrie – written by Theodore Dreiser in 1900 – tells the story of a young girl from a small town who was drawn into the brutal world of Chicago and NYC
Upton Sinclair… The Jungle exposed the
despair of immigrants working in Chicago’s stockyards and meat packing plants – it also revealed the unsanitary conditions of that industry
http://www.powayusd.com/online/usonline/worddoc/jungle.htm
Jungle Video w/ video quiz
Social Gospel Guides Reform…
Many felt that Christianity should be the basis for social reform.
Walter Rauschenbusch – Baptist minister – wanted to fix society with a blend of Christianity and reform.
Wrote Christianity and the Social Crisis – discussed what he called the “social gospel” – by following the Bible (charity & justice) – society would be the “kingdom of God”
Many Protestant leaders followed Rauschenbusch program
They pushed for the end of child labor and shorter workweeks
They also pushed for the federal gov’t to limit the power of corporations and trusts
Does this fit with the Progressive’s goals?
Settlement House Workers…
Settlement house = community center that provided social services for the poor
Childcare classes to young mothers, English classes to immigrant workers
Nursery schools and Kindergarten classes were set up
Theater, art and dance classes were set up for adults
Jane Addams… 1889 Addams opened Hull
House in Chicago Hull House grew to include
13 buildings within a few years
Addams and Hull house became an inspiration to many college educated middle class women
By 1911 – 400 settlement houses in the US
Around 1900, child labor was often used in US factories and farms. At the turn of the century, nearly 1 million children under the age of 15 worked in US industries. Another million worked on farms. This led to abuses and serious safety issues. About a decade later, people began to protest for better child labor laws.
What are the child labor laws in your state today? Depending on their age, are children limited to certain kinds of jobs? Are the hours they can work each week limited Do you think that these laws are good? Write a clear paragraph explaining your answer.
Protecting Children… Atty. Florence Kelley helped to convince the
state of Illinois to ban child labor…soon other states followed suit
She worked to establish the National Child Labor Committee which lobbied the federal gov’t to set up the US Children’s Bureau in 1912 – this group studied any issue that affected children’s health and welfare
What modern day groups do the same?
1916 Congress passed the Keatings-Owens Act which banned all child labor
1918 – US Supreme Court declared the law unconstitutional
1938 would finally see the end of child labor for good
Education Reforms…
Many states passed laws that required children to attend school until a certain age
There were many heated debates about what and how a child should learn
Some wanted only work skills taught – others said literature and fine arts
Most believed that girls and boys should not learn the same things
John Dewey criticized US schools for having children memorize facts and not to think creatively
Dewey wanted schools to teach new subjects like history and geography as well as skills like cooking and carpentry
His ideas were discussed by many at that time but were not all adopted until many years later
Help for Industrial Workers…
Early 1900s – US had the highest rate of industrial accidents in the world
Long hours, poor ventilation, hazardous fumes & unsafe machinery
Yearly – 30,000 workers died on the job and over a half million were injured
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory…
March 1911 – NYC – 146 employees- mostly young Jewish women- were killed in a fire that ravaged the building
Doors were locked from the outside by management to prevent theft
Many jumped from windows to escape the fire – firefighters found skeletons hunched over sewing machines
Progressives were outraged – called for reforms
NYC passed laws to make workplaces safe – other states followed suit
Many states adopted workers compensation laws which set up funds to pay injured workers
Some states passed laws limiting the workday to 10 hours.
The Supreme Court however ruled that those laws were unconstitutional
Government Reforms…
The goals of the Progressive Party in reforming the government were…
To get rid of political bosses/political machines in the big cities, limit the control of powerful business interests, give the people more say in gov’t, make the gov’t more efficient and more effective
Reform Election Rules…
Traditionally party leaders picked candidates for state and local offices
Wisconsin Gov. Robert La Follette set up the direct primary – citizens vote to select nominees for upcoming elections
By 1916 all but 4 states had direct primaries Progressives pushed for four more
changes…
The Initiative…
This gave people the power to put a proposed new law directly on the ballot in the next election by collecting citizens signatures on a petition
This meant that voters themselves could pass laws rather then waiting for elected officials to act
The Referendum…
Allowed citizens to approve or reject laws passed by the legislature
The Recall…
This gave voters the power to remove a public official from office before their terms ended
17th Amendment…
This amendment set the direct election of Senators by voters not state legislators
Robert La Follette…
Governor of Wisconsin – became a leader of the Progressive Party – “Fighting Bob”
Made many reforms in his state – Railroads were forced to charge lower fees and to pay higher taxes
Education was improved, factories were made safer, and the direct primary was adopted
Others called Wisconsin the “Laboratory of democracy”
Other Progressive leaders…
Hiram Johnson- Gov. of CA – shattered the Southern Pacific Railroads stranglehold of the state gov’t, set up the direct primary, initiative, referendum, & recall - he also fought for the careful use of natural resources such as water, forests and wildlife
Theodore Roosevelt of NY worked to develop a fair system for hiring state workers and to make some big companies pay taxes
Woodrow Wilson of NJ also reduced the railroads power and pushed for a direct primary law
Progressive Women…
Women wanted to be more than wives and mothers – wanted a bigger role in their communities
Education helped – women’s colleges prepared them for teaching and nursing
Some colleges trained women to become leaders in the reform movement
Middle class white women began to fight the problems they saw in society
Working Women… Most women worked outside the home long hours in
dangerous conditions – and then hand over their paychecks to their fathers, brothers, or husbands
Mostly factory jobs or domestics in households – immigrants, African Americans, and women from rural areas filled these positions with little to no education
Many were cheated and bullied by their employers Without being able to vote – women had little chance to
change their lives
Reformers Champion Women… Laws were passed that limited the hours
women could work – 10 hours/day Supreme Court upheld the law saying that
women as mothers could be treated differently than men – Progressive Reforms hailed this as a major victory
Later this rationale would also be used as the justification to pay women less money
NCL…
National Consumer League – formed by Florence Kelley – focused on lowering prices of consumer goods so women could run their homes more economically
The NCL gave special labels to healthy safe foods and urged women to buy them
It backed laws called for meatpacking inspections, make workplaces safer and make payments to the unemployed
Change for Family Life…
Reformers pushed for laws that helped women keep their families healthy and safe
Temperance Movement – WCTU Women’s Christian Temperance Union - 1870 – promoted the idea of never drinking alcohol – alcohol caused men to spend their money, neglect their families and abuse their wives
Led to the passage of the 18th amendment
Carrie Nation Infamous WCTU member
who went in to bars with her hatchet and smashed wooden bars and hacked open kegs of alcohol/beer.
Margaret Sanger knew that women’s lives would be healthier if they had fewer children/pregnancies
Opened the first birth-control clinic in 1916 Sanger was arrested 8 times as a public
nuisance Eventually the gov’t allowed doctors to
discuss family planning with their patients 1921 Sanger founded the American Birth
Control League – later became Planned Parenthood
African American Reformers… Ida B. Wells – a black teacher – helped to set
up the NACW – National Association of Colored Women – helped AA families strive for success and helped those that were less fortunate
With $ raised from educated black women – day care centers were established to protect and educate black children while their parents worked
Suffrage…
Suffrage – the right to vote – women argued that voting was the only way to ensure the health of their children, support education and a strong family life
Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton had been fighting for suffrage since the 1860s with small victories coming in Wyoming and Colorado
Catt Takes Charge…
Carrie Chapman Catt – lawyer and 1st female school superintendent - President of NAWSA
A charismatic speaker who urged women to join the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA)
“Winning Plan” = Lobby Congress to pass a constitutional amendment for suffrage and use the referendum to get suffrage laws passed in individual states (NY, MI, OK)
“Society Plan” – recruit wealthy well-educated women to push for suffrage
She recruited women of all ranks and backgrounds – all of her recruits were called “suffragettes”
NAOWS – National Association Opposed to Women’s Suffrage worked in opposition because they believed that voting would take time from families and volunteerism that was so needed in the US at that time – eventually this group lost ground and faded away
Alice Paul – well educated Quaker – wanted radical tactics to win the right to vote
Nationals Women’s Party (NWP) used public protest marches – used picket signs outside the White House – many arrested – many went on hunger strikes
Many were shocked by NWP’s actions but the group itself made other groups look tame and helped them to be heard
NAWSA supported the US’s effort WWI – their actions made many legislators take note and support women’s suffrage
The 19th amendment became official in Aug. 1920 when Tennessee ratified the amendment by one vote
The right to vote “shall not be denied or abridged on account of sex”
The first election that all women were officially able to vote in was the Nov. 2, 1920 election of President Warren G. Harding
Progressive Contradictions…
While it supported women and white laborers – it did not fight as hard for immigrants and blacks
Most Progressives were white Anglo-Saxon Protestants who were hostile towards minorities
They wanted everyone in the US to follow the white middle-class way of life
Reform or Control? Americanization efforts were made in
settlement houses – how to speak English, how to dress, what to eat, how to celebrate holidays – more like WASPS – more likely to be loyal and moral citizens
Alcohol was a point of contention – alcohol with meals was customary in many European countries – drinking was immoral – support for the temperance movement grew because of prejudice against immigrants
Racism & Progressivism…
Many Americans shared this prejudice against non-whites
Believed scientific theories of the time that non-whites were less intelligent and could not be in leadership positions
This theory was also used in the South to keep non-whites from voting
Plessy v. Ferguson set the stage for segregation across the US
By 1914 – Gov’t offices in DC were segregated as per policy approved by Pres. Woodrow Wilson – a Progressive
Booker T. Washington told AA’s to take small steps towards racial equality
Work hard and be patient…. Through persistence….they would eventually
win the fight to exercise their right to vote and enjoy their citizens rights
WEB DuBois & William Monroe Trotter disagreed – both very well educated men – they believed AA’s should demand their constitutional rights NOW
Niagara Movement… Because no hotel would give them rooms in
NY – AA leadership met in Niagara Fall on the Canadian side in 1905
The Niagara Movement wanted action now….More AA men needed to be educated – taught higher math and science – literature and philosophy
The movement was about bold ideas but it never took hold and only had a few hundred followers
Springfield, Illinois…
1908 Springfield, Il – a white mob attempted to lynch 2 AA prisoners in the city jail – officials moved the AAs for their own safety
Rioters turned to punish the city’s black residents – burning 40 homes and killing 2 blacks and 5 whites - $200,000 in damages
Niagara Movement leaders were shocked that this could happen in Abe Lincolns birthplace
Something had to be done…AA’s needed protection, the right to vote and to secure their civil rights
White reformers joined with the Niagara Movement and formed the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
Their aim was to help AA’s “be physically free from “peonage”, mentally free from ignorance, politically free from disenfranchisement, and socially free from insult.”
Members of NAACP were black and white Progressives who had worked in other areas of reform
Included Ida B Wells, Jane Addams, Ray Stannard Baker, & Florence Kelley
Wells was the owner of a Tennessee Newspaper – she used her publication to show the horrors of lynching
She and others planned to use the courts to challenge unfair laws
They also focused on gaining access to decent housing and professional careers like teaching
Urban League… Migration from rural to urban areas Local black clubs & churches set up
employment agencies and relief efforts to get AA’s settled and find work
The groups joined together in 1911 and formed the Urban League
The NAACP helped middle class blacks with political and social justice – the Urban League focused on the poorer workers
Helped families buy clothes & books – helped to send children to school
Helped factory workers and maids find jobs
Anti-Defamation League…
Jews in NYC formed a group called B’nai B’rith in 1843 to provide religious education and to assist Jewish families
When the Anti-Defamation League was formed in 1913 – their goal became to defend Jews and others against verbal attacks and false statements and “to secure justice and fair treatment for all citizens…”
Mexican Americans…
Partido Liberal Mexicano (PLM) was set up to run similarly to the Urban League to help Mexican Americans in Arizona
Mutualistas were formed – set up to make loans and give legal assistance – insurance programs were available if members were too sick to work
Many MA’s were forced to sign unfair labor contracts with their employers – the Supreme Court finally struck down the law that enforced these contracts
Native Americans… Dawes Act of 1887 had divided reservation land into
plots for individual NA to farm But the Act also states that land not used by NA could
be sold to the general public By 1887 – nearly 2/3 of reservation land held by tribes
was owned by whites Carlos Montezuma – a NA doctor – set up the Society
of American Indians in 1911 to protest the land policy He urged NA to preserve their culture, build their lives
and avoid being dependent on the US Gov’t
Asian Americans… 1913 law said that only American citizens
could own land Japanese immigrants were not citizens – the
law forced them to sell their land Loop hole – Japanese families put their land
in their children's names because they were legally born in the US
Takao Ozawa fought the law that kept immigrants from becoming citizens in the Supreme Court – however his fight was soundly defeated in 1922
Theodore Roosevelt… TR became President in 1901- Republican/Progressive He was an asthmatic child born to wealthy parents –
hard physical exercise built him into a muscular stocky energetic man
Graduate of Harvard University – NY Congressman – NY Police Commissioner – Assistant Secretary of the Navy – Gov. of NY
Lead the Rough Riders in the Spanish American War – became a national hero
VP to McKinley – President (after his assassination) at the age of 42
Children begged for a “Teddy Bear” named after him
TR used the power of Presidency to make changes – called the Square Deal – keep the wealthy and powerful from taking advantage of small business owners and the poor
He did not fell that everyone should be rich or that the gov’t should take care of the lazy – gov’t should give fair, even opportunities for citizens to make their own choices
Trustbusting and Regulation… Mine workers in Pa went on strike asking for
higher wages and a shorter work day TR sympathized – went to the mine owners
to negotiate – owners refused – TR threatened federal takeover of the mines – Owners gave in with a small raise and a 9 hour work day
1st time the federal gov’t had helped in a labor dispute – and it would not be the last time that TR took control from big business
Department of Commerce and Labor was set up to monitor business and keep them from abusing their power
TR & the Railroads… Since the 1870s RR controlled the cost of shipping
freight – could charge any price Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) set up to
oversee RR charges that passed through more than one state
ICC was supposed to see that everyone was charged the same rate
The SC stripped away most of the ICCs power TR pushed the Congress to pass the Elkins Act of 1903
that imposed fines of RR if they gave special rates to privileged customers
Hepburn Act of 1906 – gave the ICC back its powers – to set and limit shipping costs – also set max prices for ferries, bridge tolls and oil pipelines
Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890… TR enforced the laws of the Sherman
Antitrust Act Northern Security Company – RR – illegal
trust – broke into smaller companies Also broke trusts in the beef and agriculture
industries TR did not believe that all big business was
bad – he knew that big businesses could be more efficient than small
“Big business was bad only if it bullied small business or cheated customers”
He supported big business as long as it ran fairly
He was referred to by some as a “trust-tamer” but wealthy Progressives hated his trustbusting tactics
Meat Inspection Act…
Upton Sinclair's book The Jungle revolted the public and infuriated TR
At TRs urging Congress passed the Meat Inspection Act of 1906 – providing for the inspection of all meat processing plants
Pure Food and Drug Act…
Placed the same controls on other foods and medicines
Also banned interstate shipping of impure foods and the mislabeling of foods & drugs
FDA – Food and Drug Administration – today enforces this law and others
Gov’t & the Environment…
TR loved nature – wrote many books on hunting and the West
Yellowstone was established as a national park in 1872 – Yosemite National Park – 1890 – pleased TR
Congress & TR set aside 100 million acres as federal forests – TR however believed that these forests held valuable resources
Gifford Pinchot – Director of Forestry – had a different view on our forests - they should be preserved for public use – trees should be allowed to mature not for a wildlife refuge but to be logged for the future building of homes for a growing America
This policy would shape future environmental policy for years to come
Water Policy…
Mining machinery and farming in the west used a lot of water – NA, MA, miners, farmers, and business owners fought over the use of existing waterbeds
Private irrigation companies came west and redirected the water flow for farmers
Fights developed over rights to water National Reclamation Act of 1902 – gave the gov’t the
power to say how and where the water should be distributed – build and manage dams, creating reservoirs, generating power, and directing water flow
EX// Roosevelt and Hoover Dams on the Colorado Rivers
Wm. Howard Taft…
TR left office after 2 terms – helping Sec. of War Taft to win the Presidency in 1908
TR expected Taft to following his footsteps supporting the same polices with big business and the environment
Taft had his own ideas… Payne-Aldrich Act of 1909 – did not lower
tariffs as much as TR had hoped Mann-Elkins Act of 1910 – Gov’t control over
telephone and telegraph lines
Taft encouraged Congress to propose an income tax He also saw no difference between good trusts and
bad – twice as many lawsuits were brought against bug businesses as in TR’s terms in office
Standard Oil Company – 1911 – the Supreme Court “busted” its monopoly
US Steel was then forced to sell a coal company - purchase that TR had approved
Taft fired Gifford Pinchot for criticizing Sec. of the Interior Robert Ballinger – Pinchot charged the Ballinger had worked to sell coal deposits in Alaska to private businesses
Roosevelt Strikes Back…
TR began traveling around the US speaking about New Nationalism – a program set up to restore the gov’ts trustbusting power
Declaring himself “as strong as a bull moose” vowed to tackle the trust in his third term as US President
The Taft-Roosevelt battle split the Republican party – Progressives left the R party and formed their own- Jane Addams nominated TR as their candidate for the election of 1912
Election of 1912… Because the R party was split – the Democrats
and Woodrow Wilson had an easy win over Taft and TR
Wilson was a college professor and then the Governor of New Jersey
New Freedom – very similar to New Nationalism – placing strict gov’t controls on big business
Wanted more freedom/opportunities to small business
Though he did not win the election with popular vote - he did win with 4x the electoral votes as the other two candidates
Tariffs and Taxes…
He attacked the “triple wall of privilege” – the tariffs, banks and trusts – saying that they blocked businesses from operating freely
Underwood Tariff Bill – cut tariffs on foreign goods so that there was competition for US businesses
16th amendment – Gave Congress the power to collect income taxes – a graduated income tax was set up – wealthy pay a higher % than the poor
Federal Reserve Act… No central authority to supervise and control
the banking industry – interest rate fluctuated wildly and a few really rich bankers had power of the local, state, and federal banks reserve funds – might not have access to $ when someone wanted to withdraw big $
Federal Reserve Act of 1913 – national banks were under the control of the Federal Reserve Board – set up regional banks to hold funds from commercial banks – sets the interest rates – this system is still in place today
Antitrust Regulations…
Wilson agreed with TR – not all trusts were bad
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) – set up to monitor business practices that might lead to monopolies – also watched out for false advertising or misleading labels
Clayton Antitrust Act…
1914 – strengthened the earlier Sherman antitrust laws by specifically stating what types of activities companies could not engage in
Workers Rights Protected…
Labor Unions were able to organize more freely after “Clayton” was passed – Unions were previously considered trusts
Workingman’s Compensation Act of 1916 – gave $ to temporarily disabled civil service employees
Adamson Act of 1916 – Limited RR employees workdays to 8 hours
Ludlow Massacre… 1913 – Coal miners demanded safer
conditions, higher pay and the right to form a union – Coal co. refused – workers walked
Workers and families were evicted from company housing – set up tent cities
April 20, 1914 – Colorado Nat’l Guard opened fire on the tent city & set the tents on fire – killing 26 men, women, and children
Wilson sent federal troops in to restore order – the miners were not able to form a union