Progressives

The Roots of Progressivism

Can politics fix social problems?

Unit 3 Learning Targets: LT #2: I can explain the Progressive Era and analyze its causes, its relationship to the Gilded Age, and its impact on American politics & society. (Based on Iowa SS.9-12.13. Analyze Progressive Era.)

• Progressivism’s relationship to populism & socialism

• Awareness of inc. risks to life (fire, injury, disease)

• Women’s Reform Movements & Suffrage

• Child Labor

• Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire

• "Muckrakers"

The Rise of Progressivism

Progressivism was a collection of different ideas and activities, not a tightly organized political movement with a specific set of goals. It was a series of responses to problems in American society which had emerged from the growth of industry.

Who Were the Progressives?

• A reaction against laissez-faire economics and the unregulated market

• Generally believed that industrialization and urbanization had created many social problems.

• Belonged to both major political parties

• Included urban, educated, middle-class Americans

• Thought the government should fix social problems, but the government also needed to be fixed first

• Could improve society through science and technology - such as the telephone, lightbulb, and automobile

Multiple Select

Who might have been a progressive?

• Journalist

• Teacher

• Politician

• Ministers and other Clergy

Muckrakers

Read this section about the Muckrakers.

Multiple Choice

Who coined the term "muckrakers"?

• Jacob Riis

• Franklin Roosevelt

• Theodore Roosevelt

• Ira Tarbell

Multiple Choice

A muckraker is a person who is involved in what occupation?

• Ministry

• Journalism

• Education

• Industry

Multiple Select

What type of corruption did the muckrakers uncover?

• Unfair practices in large corporations

• Vote Stealing

• Political practices of political machines

• Crime and disease in immigrant neighborhoods

Reforming the Government - Efficiency

• Frederick W. Taylor wrote The Principles of Scientific Management telling how companies should manage time, breaking tasks into smaller parts, and using standardized tools.

• Reform city governments by using a commission plan which divides city government into several departments with an expert in control.

• Utilize a council-manager system which has an expert who is hired by the council to do the work.

• Having elections city-wide rather than by neighborhoods also weakened political machines.

Multiple Choice

Political bosses usually hired their friends and family which increased efficiency.

• True

• False

Reforming the Government - Democratic Reforms

• Purpose - make elected officials more responsive and accountable to voters.

• Wisconsin became the "laboratory of democracy" led by Governor Robert M. La Follette.

• He pressured the legislature to pass a law requiring parties to hold direct primaries, in which all party members could vote for a candidate to run in a general election.

• Initiative - allowed a group of citizens to introduce legislation and required the legislature to vote on it.

• Referendum - allowed citizens to vote on proposed laws directly without going to the legislature.

• Recall - provided voters an option to demand a special election to remove an elected official from office before the term is up.

Multiple Choice

Which reform allowed the people to remove an elected official before the term was up?

• Initiative

• Referendum

• Recall

• Direct Primary

Multiple Choice

Who wanted to reform government by eliminating the power of political bosses?

• Robert M. LaFollette

• Theodore Roosevelt

• Jacob Riis

• Frederick W. Taylor

The 17th Amendment

• Progressives also wanted to focus on the U.S. Senate

• Political machines often influenced the election of senators.

• Once senators are elected, they gave jobs and federal contracts.

• Reformers wanted direct election of senators by the voters.

• In 1913, the 17th Amendment was ratified which was the direct-election of senators.

Multiple Choice

By passing the 17th Amendment, it helped eliminate the power of political machines and business interests.

• True

• False

Women's Suffrage - Early Challenges

• First women's rights convention was held in Seneca Falls, NY in 1848.

• One priority of this group is winning suffrage.

• Before the Civil War, many were both suffragists and abolitionists.

• After the 14th and 15th Amendments, women too wanted the right to vote.

• Two groups formed with different views on voting.

• National Woman Suffrage Association wanted an amendment; the American Woman Suffrage Association wanted states to grant the right to vote.

Woman Suffrage - Building Support

• In 1890, the two groups formed the National American Woman Suffrage Association.

• As the Progressive movement gained momentum, women realized they needed to vote to promote reform and pass labor laws.

• Women soon lobbied lawmakers, organized marches, and delivered speeches.

• Alice Paul founded the National Women's Party who then picketed, blocked sidewalks, chained themselves to lampposts, and went on hunger strikes.

• Many were arrested and jailed for their actions.

• More politicians saw women voters as a new voting block, they pushed for a Constitutional Amendment.

• In 1919, the bill was passed, and on August 26, 1920, the 19th Amendment was ratified.

Multiple Choice

What progressive goals did suffragists believe they could achieve if women had the right to vote?

• labor laws

• eliminate direct primaries

• support of political bosses

Reforming Society: Child Labor

Many progressives focused on social problems including crime, illiteracy, alcohol abuse, child labor, and health and safety.

While children often worked on farms, they also worked in dangerous conditions in factories and mines. In one book by John Spargo called The Bitter Cry of the Children, he told of 9 and 10-year olds working in the coal mines picking slag out of the coal for 60 cents for a ten hour day. This work permanently crippled these children. New laws were passed which set a minimum age to work and a maximum number of hours they could work. In addition, many states passed compulsory education laws requiring children to be in school rather than work.

Reforming Society: Health and Safety Codes

• Working conditions were very dangerous especially in factories, coal mines, and railroads.

• There was little compensation if a worker was injured or killed on the job.

• One progressive change was worker compensation laws which provided insurance funds to help injured workers.

• Lochner v. New York (1905) - The court ruled a NY law requiring bankers to work a 10 hour day was unconstitutional.

• Muller v. Oregon (1908) - This case dealt with women working in laundries; the court upheld their decision that that state could limit hours. This was based on gender, not equality.

• In 1891 in NYC, a fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Co. killed nearly 150 workers. This led to new laws and codes to protect workers.

• Last, zoning laws regulated how buildings could be used, building codes protected homes and businesses, and health codes required clean restaurants and other facilities.

Open Ended

What was the difference between the Lochner case and the Muller case?

Reforming Society: The Prohibition Movement

• Many progressives blamed alcohol for society's problems.

• Some believed workers often spent their little wage on alcohol and that drunkenness led to physical abuse and illness.

• The temperance movement advocated people stop or moderate their consumption of alcohol.

• In 1874, the Woman's Christian Temperance Union was created, and by 1911, it had over 250,000 members.

• The WCTU not only encourage limiting alcohol consumption, they fought for equal pay for women and suffrage.

• As time went on, these temperance groups pushed for prohibition - laws banning the manufacture, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages.

Multiple Select

Why did the temperance movement push for the prohibition of alcohol?

• Help workers save money

• Eliminate illness

• Improve worker efficiency

• Eliminate physical abuse

Progressives versus Big Business

• Progressives believed that the government should break up big business which led to the passage of the Anti-Sherman Act in 1890.

• Regulating big business and preventing them from abusing their power was another goal of the progressives.

• The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) was created in 1887 to regulate the railroads.

• Some even pushed for socialism - the idea that the government should own and operate industry for the community such as the railroads and utilities.

• At the height of socialism, Eugene V. Debs won nearly a million votes as the American Socialist Party candidate for president in 1912.

Multiple Choice

Socialists wanted the government to purchase all large companies to help out all Americans.

• True

• False