Unit 5
The Progressive Era 1900-1920
The Progressive Era
• Progressive Era: Time period from 1900-1920 marked by reform to solve problems largely caused by industrialization– Areas of focus:• Labor rights• Political reform• Consumer protection• Women’s rights• Business regulation• Moral reform
Progressive Era cont.
• Populist Party:– A US political party that sought to represent the interests of
farmers and laborers in the 1890s, advocating increased currency issue, free coinage of gold and silver, public ownership of railroads, and a graduated federal income tax.
– Roots of the progressive movement• Progressive Party
– political party that carried on many populist ideas. – Formed in 1912– they sought to bring many social and political changes.– Also called the Bull Moose Party.
Progressive Era cont.
• Progressives were not radical– They wanted capitalism and democracy preserved– Progressives did call for an end to laissez-faire
government in the U.S.• They asked for, and got, a new role for our government
Muckrakers
• Muckrakers were journalists who revealed corporate corruption and bring public attention to the problems caused by industrialization.
• Muckrakers urged people to fight for reforms
Muckrakers cont.
• Ida Tarbell– Wrote A History of Standard Oil– she made the public aware of the practices of the Big business
• Upton Sinclair– Author of The Jungle – Meat packing industry
• The Jungle (1906)– A book written by Upton Sinclair that exposed the horrendous
and downright gross conditions of the food-packaging industry of the time and inspired pro-consumer federal laws regulating meat, food, and drugs.
Political Reform• Direct Democracy: A form of democracy where the people make decisions
directly• William U'ren
– State representative from Oregon who fought for the direct election of senators, initiatives, recalls, and referendums.
– His ideas became known as the Oregon plan and were copied by other states.• Initiative
– Progressive proposal to allow voters to propose legislation themselves• Referendum
– A form of direct democracy that places proposed laws on ballots, allowing the people to vote on them directly.
• Recall– giving voters the ability to remove from office disloyal or incompetent officials
• 17th Amendment– Progressive Era Amendment passed in 1913 that allowed for the direct election of
senators instead of state legislatures selecting them.
Political reform cont.
• Robert M. La Follette– A republican and later progressive politician– He served as Governor, Senator and Representative for
Wisconsin. – He is the associated with the "Wisconsin Idea" for government. – His reforms include the direct primary, worker's compensation
and state regulation of railroads.• Direct primary– allowing voters to select a candidate for the general election
for their party instead of holding a convention of party officials to select one.
Politics: Economy• Underwood Tariff
– Pushed through Congress by Woodrow Wilson, this 1913 tariff reduced average tariff duties by almost 15% and established a graduated income tax.
– It was part of Wilson's progressive attacks on tariffs.• Federal Reserve Act
– a 1913 law that set up a system of federal banks and gave government the power to control the money supply.
– It made modern monetary policy possible.– By controlling the money supply, the government can limit inflation and
unemployment.• 16th Amendment
– passed in 1913 that provided for the federal income tax.– It provided a source of government revenue other than tariffs.
Politics: Women’s Suffrage• Suffrage
– The legal right to vote• Alice Paul
– Women's rights activist and suffragist who formed the National Women's Party to fight for suffrage.
• National American Women's Suffrage Association (NAWSA)– Founded by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony to gather
support for an amendment guaranteeing women's suffrage. – It was lead by Carrie Chapman Catt after 1910.
• 19th Amendment– Progressive Era Amendment passed in 1920 that granted suffrage to
American Women. – It was first called for in 1848 by the Seneca Falls convention.
Consumer Protection
• Meat Inspection Act (1906)– An act passed which allowed the Federal Government
to inspect and ensure the quality of meat products in the United States.
• Pure Food and Drug Inspection Act (1906)– An act which called for the regulation of consumer
products to prevent false advertising. It prohibited false statements on food labels.
• Both acts were passed in response to public pressure after the publication of The jungle
Moral Reform
• Temperance– A moral and reform movement that sought to end
social problems by limiting the use of alcohol.– Its ultimate victory was the 18th amendment.
• 18th Amendment– passed in 1919 that outlawed the distribution and
sale of alcohol.– It marked the beginning of prohibition in America.
Business Regulation• Trustbuster
– informal name given to T. Roosevelt and W. H. Taft for their devotion to dissolving corrupt, monopolistic trusts.
• Federal Trade Commission Act– authorized a presidentially-appointed commission to oversee industries engaged in interstate
commerce, such as the meatpackers. – The commissioners were expected to crush monopolies at the source.
• Clayton Anti-Trust Act– New antitrust legislation constructed to remedy deficiencies of the Sherman Antitrust Act, namely,
it's effectiveness against labor unions• Hepburn Act (1906)
– expanded the Interstate Commerce Commission to include in its powers the prosecution of express companies, sleeping-car companies, and pipelines.
– For the first time gave the ICC that ability to nullify existing rates and set maximum rates.• Northern Securities Co. v. United States
– 1904 Supreme court case that was a victory against trusts.– The supreme court ruled that the Northern Securities railroad trust had to break up.– It was the first major victory for the Sherman Anti-Trust Act.
Labor Rights
• Workingmen's Compensation Act– established an all-purpose protection program for Federal civilian
employees and their dependents in the event of injury or death• Anthracite coal strike
– marked a change in the way that Presidents dealt with business owners and labor.
– Teddy Roosevelt tried to have management and labor meet in Washington, when management refused, he punished them by threatening to use the National Guard to take their mines away.
– This was the first pro-labor presidential response in a strike.• Minimum Wage• Child Labor Laws
Election of 1912
• Three way contest between Democrat Woodrow Wilson, Republican William Howard Taft, and Progressive Theodore Roosevelt.
• Roosevelt split off of the Republican party and stole many votes from Taft which allowed Wilson to win by a large margin in the electoral college.
• William Howard Taft– President after Roosevelt; – Different views than Teddy– Still progressive– Republican nominee in 1912
Election of 1912 cont.• Theodore Roosevelt
– President of the United States from 1901-1909– first real progressive president.– He handled labor and big business differently than previous presidents. – He also sought environmental conservation.– Bull Moose Progressive candidate in 1912
• Square Deal– the stated policy of President Theodore Roosevelt, originally promising fairness
in all dealings with labor and management and later extended to include other groups.
• New Nationalism– Theodore Roosevelt's political belief in a strong government to regulate
industry, protect the middle and working classes, and carry on great national projects
– Campaign slogan for 1912
Election of 1912 cont.
• Woodrow Wilson– Democratic candidate for president in 1912. – He won the three-way election largely because of division
within the Republican party. – He was considered a progressive President. – He was the first liberal Democratic president.
• New Freedom– Woodrow Wilson's campaign slogan for his first term that
focused on limited government. – It also came to represent his progressive reforms during his
first term that focused on tariffs, banks, and business reform.