{Chapter 22

The Progressive Era

fix a range of social ills made by industrialism redeeming traditional American values as

democracy, Christian ethics, individual opportunity, and the spirit of voluntary public service.

Pragmatism- looking to what worked and relying on modern techniques of research, analysis, diagnosis, and prescription.

Protecting Social Welfare Promoting moral improvement Creating economic reform Fostering efficiency

controlling environment impartial experts began to investigate and

regulate society.

Why did it start?

Social Welfare YMCA, Salvation Army Florence Kelly: improve lives of women and children.

Illinois Factory Act 1893- limit women’s working hours and prohibited child labor.

poverty as the social consequence of deprivation, not the consequence of personal failure or immorality.

Settlement houses helped to produce a new profession, social work, which applied scientific approaches to helping the poor and troubled.

Women became leaders Birth control, housing reform, child labor, consumer

issues: All were promoted by women and other reformers as matters of social welfare and social justice. For many progressives, woman suffrage promised to help clean up society and, just as important, politics as well.

Moral Reform Improve personal behavior pressed for immigration restriction,

prohibition of alcohol, and an end to urban vice.

Prohibition: ban alcoholic beverages Women’s Christian temperance union-

promoted temperance. Suffrage, setting up kindergartens, visiting

prisons Concentrated on closing saloons

Economic reform Criticize laissez-faire into socialism Muckrakers- journalists writing about corrupt

business.

Fostering Efficiency Scientific management- easier and simple tasks Assembly line- Ford Motor Company Increase in production High worker turn over- injuries and exhaustion

Initiative- bill originated by citizens

Referendum- voters instead of legislature accepted or rejected it.

Recall enabled voters to remove public officials by forcing them to face another election.

WI- first for direct primary. 17th amendment- direct election

for senators

Local and State Reform

Increase power of Federal Government

1902 Coal Strike- arbitration

Square Deal-big government ensure fair results Busting “Bad” Trusts-

regulating Conservation- Gifford

Pinchot Preservation- 17 mil.

Acres of national forest Pure Food and drug act Meat inspection act

(Muckraking) US vs ED Knight- Sherman Antitrust

act applied only to commerce not manufacturing

Teddy Roosevelt1901-1909

Picked by TR Angered conservationists

Hired Richard Ballinger Fired Pinchot

Biggest trust buster Child labor laws Pushed for 16th Amendment- graduated income

tax Republican party splits from Progressives Progressive party – called “Bull Moose Party”

Teddy Roosevelt “New Nationalism” For: direct election of senators, women’s suffrage,

workers comp., 8hr day, min. wage for women, federal law against child labor and regulation of business

Taft 1909-1913

New Freedom Triple wall

1- Trusts 2- tariffs 3- high finance

Lower tariffs-they weakened competition Underwood-Simmons Tariff resulted in 16th Amendment passed 1913 (only

affected those who made more $4000) 17th Amendment direct election of senators Federal Reserve Act-12 national banks, regulate credit and money supply be

setting interest rates, buying or selling govt. bonds, issue paper currency= stabilization for credit and money supply

Transfer funds and protect consumers from closing banks Federal Trade Commission

Enforce orderly competition- oversee business activity Investigate violations

Clayton Antitrust Act no monopolies!

Legal to strike, picket, and boycott Illegal to

Price discrimination Holding companies Interlocking directorates

Woodrow Wilson 1913-1921

Denied equality for minorities Voting restrictions: poll tax, grandfather

clause, literacy tests Discrimination (Plessy v. Ferguson)

Cripples some industry by the regulations

Govt. agencies captured by industry

Limitations