Chapter 8

The Progressive Era

progressivism

an early 20th century reform movement seeking to return control of the government to the people, to restore economic opportunities and correct injustices in American life

Upton Sinclair

author of The Jungle, a book that exposed the poor sanitary conditions of the meat-packing industry

William Howard Taft

succeeded Roosevelt as president and continued Roosevelt’s attack on trusts. He broke up twice as many trusts as Roosevelt

Susan B. Anthony

a leader of the women’s suffrage movement; she was president of the National American Women Suffrage Association 1n 1892

direct primary

voters, rather than party conventions, choose candidates to run for public office

muckraker

around 1900, a term for a journalist who exposed corruption in American society.

Ida Tarbell

a muckraker who exposed John D. Rockefeller’s company’s use of unfair business practices.

Sixteenth Amendment

an amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1913, that gave congress the power to create income taxes

estate tax

the tax that is charged against the value of the property of a person who has died; also known as the “death tax”

Jane Addams

a progressive female leader who built a settlement house in Chicago to provide assistance to residents in poor neighborhoods

Carry Nation

a controversial progressive leader who felt that alcohol should be made illegal; she was known to go into a saloon and smash it with a hatchet

Pendleton Civil Service Act

a law that was passed to get rid of the “spoils system”; it required people to take a test for certain government jobs

Sherman Antitrust Act

a law passed in 1890 that made it illegal for corporations to gain control of industries by forming trusts

Seventeenth Amendment

an amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1913, that provided for the direct election of U.S. senators

The Jungle

a novel which exposed the unsanitary conditions of the meat-packing industry; it revealed that dear rats were often ground up with the meat

Nineteenth Amendment

an amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1920, which gave women full voting rights

Theodore Roosevelt

• the first progressive president of the U.S. He was interested in trying to change society to make it fair for everyone, not just the privileged. He was known as a trust buster because he was responsible for breaking up many trusts. He was also concerned about America’s natural resources.

conservation

controlling how a nation’s natural resources are used; setting up national parks and wildlife refuges

Eighteenth Amendment

a law passed in 1919 that prohibited the manufacture and sale of alcohol. It was known as the Prohibition Amendment

recall

to vote an official out of office

Federal Reserve Act

a law passed in 1913 that “created” the nation’s banking system and instituted a flexible currency system

What kind of problems did progressives attempt to solve?

Progressives attempted to solve poverty, the spread of slums, poor working conditions in factories and the power of big corporations.

-or-

Progressives tried to improve society, the economy and government.

What were the major progressive accomplishments of Wilson’s presidency?

Some of Wilson’s major progressive accomplishments as president were: the Clayton Antitrust Act, The Federal Reserve Act and the Prohibition Amendment (18th Amendment).

How did World War I influence the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment?

Women argued that they should be given the right to vote since they were working to support the war effort.

What did Roosevelt mean by a “square deal”, and how did he try to achieve it?

When President Roosevelt spoke about a “square deal” he was talking about a fair situation for everyone. He tried to achieve this by breaking up trusts and regulating industries