The Progressive EraThe Progressive Era

Chapter 17Section 1

The progressive movement was a series of reform efforts which aimed to

return control of the gov’t to the people, restore

economic opportunities, and correct social

injustices.

Every progressive reform movement had at least one of

the following goals:

1. Protecting Social Welfare1. Protecting Social Welfare• Purpose of these reforms was to

relieve urban problems–YMCA

–Salvation Army

–settlement houses

–Jane Addams’s Hull House

–Florence Kelley

http://www.history.com/shows/america-the-story-of-us/videos/playlists/exclusive-video#jacob-riis

2. Promoting Moral Reform2. Promoting Moral Reform• Some reformers felt that morality

held the key to improving the lives of the poor–Prohibition

–WCTU

–“demon rum”

–Anti-Saloon League (1895)

3. Creating Economic Reform3. Creating Economic Reform• Panic of 1893 causes some to

question capitalism

• many criticize laissez-faire policy

• many workers embrace socialism–Eugene V. Debs

–American Socialist Party (1900)

–muckrakers

–Ida Tarbell

4. Fostering Efficiency4. Fostering Efficiency

•Some reformers tried to increase the efficiency of American society–scientific management

–Ford assembly line (1913)

http://www.history.com/shows/america-the-story-of-us/videos/playlists/exclusive-video#henry-ford-and-the-model-t

5. Reforming Government5. Reforming Government• Natural disasters lead to local

government reform–Galveston, TX (1900)

–Dayton, OH (1913)

• Council-managers and commissions take over the jobs of the city council

• Robert La Follette (WI) led the way in regulating big business

6. Protecting Workers6. Protecting Workers• Movement to end child labor

successful at state level

• Reformers are successful in limiting the workday to 10 hours for women

• Soon afterward, men’s workday also limited to 10 hours

7. Reforming Elections7. Reforming Elections• In some cases, ordinary citizens, rather

than legislators or governors, won state reforms–initiative, referendum, recall

• Wisconsin first state to use the direct primary–paved the way for the 17th Amendment,

which calls for the direct election of senators (1913)

The progressive movement came to an end when the US entered World War I

in 1917.

Teddy Roosevelt’s Teddy Roosevelt’s Square DealSquare DealChapter 17, Section 3

The Life of Theodore The Life of Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt“Teddy” Roosevelt

• 1858: born into wealthy family in New York

• Served 3 terms in the New York State Assembly

• Became New York City’s police commissioner

• Became assistant secretary of the US Navy

Life of Teddy (cont’d)Life of Teddy (cont’d)

• Teddy grabbed national attention during the war with Spain in 1898 (we will discuss this further in Ch. 18)

• Returned a hero and became Governor of New York

• Chosen as William McKinley’s vice president

Life of Teddy (cont’d)Life of Teddy (cont’d)• Became President in 1901 after

McKinley is assassinated–he is 42, the youngest ever to be

president

• As president, Teddy’s leadership and publicity campaigns help create the modern presidency

Life of Teddy (cont’d)Life of Teddy (cont’d)• Teddy used his dynamic personality

and popularity to advance his programs (“bully pulpit”)

• Teddy saw to it that the common people received what he called a Square Deal, a term used to describe the various progressive reforms of his presidency

Life of Teddy (cont’d)Life of Teddy (cont’d)• Teddy used the power of the federal gov’t

to break up the “bad” trusts that caused a “restraint of trade”

• Teddy set the precedent of the federal government sending a commission to negotiate labor disputes (Coal Miner’s Strike of 1902)

• Teddy regulated Big Business, especially the railroads

Life of Teddy (cont’d)Life of Teddy (cont’d)• Teddy was a celebrated conservationist,

setting aside federal lands that could not be developed

• True to his pledge not to seek re-election in 1908, Teddy picked William Howard Taft as his successor, who won the election

• Teddy goes to Africa to hunt big game

Life of Teddy (cont’d)Life of Teddy (cont’d)• Returns to US to run once again for

president, this time as a 3rd party candidate (the Progressive or Bull Moose Party)

• A split in the Republican Party allowed Woodrow Wilson (Dem.) to win the election of 1912

• Teddy retreats from public life and dies in his sleep in 1919

Progressivism Under TaftProgressivism Under Taft

Chapter 17, Section 4

• Taft continued many of Roosevelt’s progressive policies, but because of his dull personality, was often criticized.

• During Teddy’s 7 years in office, he busted 44 trusts. During Taft’s 4 years in office, he busted 90 trusts.

• Taft gave in to the “old” guard that resisted many progressive programs.

• One such issue was tariff reduction, a favorite cause of the progressives because tariffs helped big business and hurt consumers.

• Taft’s failure to reduce the tariff angered many in his own party.

• It was during Taft’s administration that the 16th Amendment was passed, which permitted the imposition of a graduated income tax.

• The 16th Amendment was not ratified until 1913, during Wilson’s administration.

Wilson’s New FreedomWilson’s New Freedom

Chapter 17, Section 5

• Woodrow Wilson was raised in the South during the Civil War and Reconstruction.

• Before becoming president, he was President of Princeton University and the governor of New Jersey.

• As President, Wilson didn’t think that trusts should be regulated, he thought that they should be broken up.

• He didn’t think that gov’t should get bigger; he thought that business should get smaller.

• Wilson attacked large concentrations of power in an effort to give greater freedom to average citizens.

• Wilson helped pass the Clayton Antitrust Act, which declared certain business practices illegal and declared for the first time that labor unions had the legal right to exist.

• This made strikes, picketing, and boycotts legal.

• The Federal Trade Act (1914) set up a 5-member “watchdog” agency called the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

• The commission was authorized to advise and regulate industries engaged in interstate and foreign trade.

• The FTC handed down almost 400 “cease and desist” orders to corporations engaged in illegal activities.

• Wilson helped secure passage of the Underwood Tariff of 1913, which decreased tariff rates for the 1st time since the Civil War.

• While this meant lower prices for consumers, it also meant that the gov’t now had less money.

• To make up the difference, the gov’t took advantage of the powers granted to it by the 16th Amendment and began collecting income taxes.

• Wilson then tackled financial reform by creating the Federal Reserve System, which overhauled the banking system by creating 12 Federal Reserve districts, each with a Federal Reserve Bank.

• Under this banking system, weak banks can be helped in time of need and the money supply can be controlled.