progressivism in politics us history. urban issues drive local reform rapid urbanization created a...
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Progressivism in Politics
US History
Urban Issues Drive Local Reform
• Rapid urbanization created a lack of basic services.
• Reformers wanted:– Govt ownership of public utilities
• Electricity• Gas• Telegraph• Telephone
– Why? To make them affordable to everyone?• Only the rich could afford them.
Local and State Reforms• Progressive anti-
corruption campaign:– Civil Service Reform– End to Political Bosses– Creation of City
commissions and city managers.
• Ex. Police Commissioner
Who is he?
State Reform Issues
• Governors were key here.
• Issues differed depending on the region:– North: political corruption
& labor conditions.– South: anti-big business– West: railroad deregulation
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State Reform• Case Study: Wisconsin
– Robert LaFollette (1855-1925)• “Fighting Bob”
• Governor from 1900-1905
• Became US Senator for WI (1905-1925)
• Direct primary
• Fair tax system
• Railroad regulation
• Commissioners put in place who reported directly to governor.
• Scientific approach to reform: do survey, gather data, base report on data collected.
State Reform
• Case Study: New York–Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919)
• Governor of New York• Focused on social legislation:
–Improving conditions in urban tenements
–Taxing public corporations
State Reform• States started to regulate
health and safety:– Factory inspections– Insurance to cover job
accidents– Minimum employment age– Maximum hours for child
labor (8-10 per day)– Limit on hours for women– Old-age pensions.
State Reforms• Political Reforms in States
– Initiative: voters suggest new laws and amendments in state constitutions
– Referendum: voters vote on legislation directly.
– Recall: voters remove officials from govt jobs before term ends.
– Secret Ballot: voters vote in private.
National Reform
• Theodore Roosevelt, again.– Vice-President in 1900 election.
• President when McKinley was shot.
– 1904 he proposed “Square Deal” platform:• Give consumers a break!
– Created an economic role for the presidency…
Square Deal
• TR’s economic role known as “New Nationalism”:– Trusts are necessary evil.– Controls needed to rein in monopolies.– The President is “steward of the people”
• He controlled power in the best interest of the people.
– Main goal for a president: the public good.
TR’s Progressive Legislation• Commerce Department
(1903)– Set up to collect information
needed to enforce anti-trust legislation already on the books.
• Elkins act (1903), Hepburn Act (1906)– Expanded the Interstate
Commerce Commission
– Gave the ICC regulation powers.
TR: “Trust Buster”• Roosevelt went after JP
Morgan’s railroad monopolies in the Pacific Northwest.– 1904 Supreme Court ordered the
breakup of Northern Securities. (Northern Securities v. US).
• “Rule of Reason”: trusts can’t automatically be broken up; you have to look at how it affects trade.
Square Deal and Labor
• Under TR, govt played a bigger role in mediation between workers and management.– 1902 coal miners strike.
• Strikers wanted higher pay, shorter work hours, and a union.
– When winter approached, TR brought union and mine owners together.
– Discussions broke down. • TR threatened to use troops to
get the mines moving.• Mine owners agreed to
arbitration.
– Union got some demands; mines got working again.
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Square Deal and Environment
• Added 150 million acres to national forests and preserves.
• Created a plan for resource management.
• Created national forest service• Grand Canyon and Niagara
Falls placed under protection• Controlled and improved river
systems.
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