The Progressive Era1900 - 1920

United States History

Progressive Movement Reaction to problems created during the Gilded

Age. Goals of Progressives: 1) Return control of the government to the people 2) Restore economic opportunities 3) Correct injustices in American life. Progressives reformers often lived in cities & had

a college education.

The “Muckrakers” Journalists who sought

to expose political corruption, poor working conditions, or other problems in American society.

Ida Tarbell Muckraker who

exposed John Rockefeller’s ruthless tactics to build his oil monopoly in The History of the Standard Oil Company.

Lincoln Steffens Muckraker who wrote

The Shame of the Cities. Exposed corrupt city politicians and unfair businesses practices.

Upton Sinclair Muckraker who wrote

the bestseller, The Jungle. Exposed horrible & unsanitary conditions of meatpacking industry.

Reform in Government

Reform in Government Progressives wanted to give common people a

greater voice and rid government of corruption.

Initiative Allowed citizens to initiate, or propose, a bill by

collecting the required number of signatures from voters.

Reform in Government Referendum Progressives wanted voters to have a direct say in

the lawmaking process. In a referendum, people could vote to approve or reject a proposed law.

Recall Allowed voters to remove elected officials from

office before their terms were complete. Voters sign a petition for a recall, then a special election takes place to vote a politician out of office.

Reform in Government

Direct Election of Senators Until 1913, state legislatures elected

senators to represent the states in U.S. Congress. Progressives complained that special interests could buy votes by bribing legislators.

17th amendment (1913) - required the direct election of U.S. Senators in all states.

Progressive Reform for States La Follette’s “Wisconsin Idea” Progressive Robert La Follette elected governor

of Wisconsin in 1900. Established direct primaries in state elections, an

income tax, protected natural resources, regulated & taxed big business, etc.

Wisconsin became a national model of progressive reform. Other states soon followed.

Social & Moral Reform

Ban on Child Labor Progressives used

photos & statistics to show plight of working children. Nearly all states banned child labor by 1920 and set maximum working hours.

Social & Moral Reform Temperance Movement (Ban on Alcohol) Some Progressive women felt alcohol was root of many

social problems. Pushed states to pass ban on alcohol. 18 amendment (1919)– Illegal to manufacture, sale,

transport alcohol in U.S.

Social & Moral Reform

Women’s Suffrage (right to vote)

President Woodrow Wilson did not support female suffrage.

Instead, states were pressured to grant women suffrage (pickets, parades, boycotts)

Famous suffragettes included Susan B. Anthony & Elizabeth Cady Stanton.

19th amendment - ratified in 1920 gave all women right to vote.

Health & Environmental Reform Meat Inspection Act (1906) President Theodore Roosevelt

read The Jungle. Ordered a federal investigation into meat industry.

Meat Inspection Act set sanitation standards for meat industry.

Pure Food & Drug Act (1906) Roosevelt & Congress to

passed Pure Food & Drug Act. Banned harmful additives in foods and false advertisements for drugs.

Laws led to creation of the Food and Drug Administration & improved food safety in America.

Health & Environmental Reform Progressives Promote

Conservation Wanted to protect America’s

natural resources from abuses by industries during the Gilded Age.

States & President Roosevelt created millions of acres of national forests & wilderness areas to preserve for future generations of Americans (Grand Canyon, Yosemite National Park, etc.)

Economic Reform Income Tax

Amendment President William Taft &

Progressives wanted to even out the disparities of wealth in American society & force rich to pay fair share.

16th Amendment (1913) – federal graduated income tax (tax rate rises as income increases).

Economic Reform “Trust-busting” Roosevelt & Taft went after large monopolies by filing

nearly 150 anti-trust lawsuits under the Sherman Antitrust Act.

Dismantled Standard Oil Company & others.

Clayton Antitrust Act (1914) President Woodrow Wilson & Progressives strengthened

Sherman Antitrust Act to allow government to regulate large companies & dismantle monopolies.

Economic Reform

Federal Trade Commission (1914)

Wilson & Progressives wanted to police actions of businesses to preserve fair competition.

FTC has power to order businesses to stop harmful practices & file lawsuits against monopolies.

Impact of Progressive Era Progressive Era reforms helped to “level

the playing field” between the rich and poor & made America more fair, honest, efficient.

Progressive energy eventually faded due to World War I and economic boom of 1920s.