The 1900-1909Historical Information

Progressivism• What makes society reform (change)? • Progressivism - wide-ranging social reform

movement• A reaction against the rapid change due to

industrialization (factory life/ dirty city life)– They wanted strict laws and better education

• Theodore Roosevelt – President (1901) & leader of progressivism– Inspired Americans for the desire for social

change

A Summary of Theodore Roosevelt

• Dominant figure in U.S. during 1900s• Very strong president- used his political office to

create reforms (changes in society)• Supported Progressive ideas• Aggressive foreign policy which placed U.S. among

world powers (building of Panama Canal)• Concern for conservation and preservation of wilderness• Roosevelt created the first National Bird Preserve (the

beginning of the Wildlife Refuge system) -including the Grand Canyon

Muckrakers• Progressivism was aided by muckrakers

which were journalists (today we call them investigative journalists like “60 Minutes”) who documented social, political, and economic problems– Upton Sinclair’s, The Jungle, 1906– Exposed unsanitary meat packing

industry

Difficulties in the 1900s-Tenements

• Tenements – slum neighborhoods of cheaply constructed apartment buildings

• No standards for building safety and clean housing– Up to 4000 people squeezed

into a single block– Conditions “dirty and battered

walls and ceilings, dark cellars with water standing in them, alleys littered with garbage and filth, broken and leaking drain pipes…dark and bathrooms”

Fixing the Slums• Progressive reformers worked on legislation to

toughen housing standards, change building codes, penalties for owners that did not provide basic amenities

• Meat Inspection Act of June 30, 1906 is a U.S. law that provided for gov’t inspection of meat products. Protects whom?

• By 1910 many slumlords had improved conditions

Difficulties in the 1900s Ethnic Tensions

• Influx of immigrants created tension among ethnic groups

• Spoke little or no English, lived under poor conditions, worked difficult, unskilled jobs (factories, railroads)– The “Old” Immigrants- Were established in

America Irish, German, and Scandinavians – The “New” Immigrants- Italians, Slavs,

Greeks, Poles, and Jews

Difficulties in the 1900sEthnic Tensions

• Rise of Nativism- favoring American born over foreigners (prejudice)

• Xenophobia- unreasonable fear or hatred of foreigners or strangers

• Established Americans feared new customs and religions of the new immigrants

• Ellis Island, New York Harbor• Held millions of immigrants

Difficulties in the 1900s-Health Conditions

• In 1900, average life span:– Men: 46 years– Women: 48 years

• Shortened life span due to:– Poor sanitation and pollution

• Many people bathed only once a week and diseases were rampant or people were exposed to toxins from industrial areas

– Malnutrition– Germs and bacteria

Difficulties in the 1900sFood and Drugs

• In 1900, little protection from unsanitary or harmful foods and drugs– Food: Many dangerous

ingredients , produced in dirty conditions

– Drugs: Could say they treated anything, even if they didn’t work

More Patent Medicines of 1900

• Dr. Bell’s Pine Tar Honey

• Dr. Hammond’s Nerve and Brain Pills

• Dr. Rose’s Obesity Powder

• Mother’s Friend

• Kid-en-oids

• Wonderful Little Liver Pills

Pure Food and Drug Act

• In 1906, the Pure Food and Drug Act was passed– Law established strict

guidelines for the safe preparation of foods and medicines

Low Wages, Long Hours, Poor Working Conditions

• In 1900, there were no minimum wage laws or laws to guarantee workers can keep their jobs

• Cold, noisy, dirty, lacked proper rest rooms

• Widespread use of child labor – why is this a problem?

Child Labor 1900 and 2007

Difficulties in the 1900sTrusts and Trust-Busting

Carnegie (steel king) /Rockefeller (oil king)• Rise of trusts AKA monopolies = a single company

controls an area of business with no competitors – why is this bad?– Monopolies control price, make it difficult for competitors to

survive

• President Roosevelt started to use the Sherman Anti-Trust Act (1890)– Roosevelt was serious about trust-busting– Did not want big business to take advantage of people