United States History

Chapter 19: Progressive Politicians

Reforming GovernmentGovernment corruption was rampant in the late 1800s and Progressives wanted to eliminate that corruption

The election process was fixed to eliminate the power of the bosses

Direct primaries were created for voters to choose candidates that run in the general election later17th Amendment: gave voters power to elect senators, not states choosingInitiative and referendum: gives voters power to create laws and vote on laws Recall: voters can remove elected officials from office

Reforms had mixed results, with business still heavily influencing elections

Theodore RooseveltWilliam McKinley won a second term in 1900 but was assassinated shortly after in 1901

Teddy Roosevelt, as his vice president, became president

He felt that the presidency was an office that needed to be more hands on and address vital issues

One of the biggest accomplishments of his first term was brokering a deal with miners and coal mines over a strike that almost crippled the country

Arbitrators, a third party outside of the mines, worked a deal out with workers and owners, preventing a strike that would have cut off coal supplies in the winter of 1902-03He called the compromise a “square deal”

His reelection in 1904 emphasized the Square DealHe called for limited power of trusts, health and public safety and improved working conditions

Regulating BusinessRoosevelt set out to make sure the Sherman Antitrust Act was enforced and helped to establish the Interstate Commerce Commission

The ICC regulated railroad rates to prevent companies from giving rebates and charging more for shorter runs

Laws were passed to regulate the safety of food and drugsPure Food and Drug Act: prevented the sale of bad or dangerous food and drugsMeat Inspection Act: required meat to be inspected before being shipped

Brought about by muckraking author Upton Sinclair’s book The Jungle, which outlined the atrocities of the Chicago meatpacking industry

Roosevelt also worked to protect the environmentHe helped pass laws to manage public lands, reclaim damaged lands, and established the National Park Service to protect areas of wonder, beauty, and fragility

Theodore Roosevelt 1901-1909

William Howard TaftRoosevelt gave his support to Taft in the election of 1908

Taft continued many of the policies implemented by Roosevelt, such as environmental protection, more regulation of business, reforming of working conditions, including child labor, etc.

Mann-Elkins Act of 1910: extended the ICC jurisdiction to telephone and telegraph companies, not just railroads16th Amendment: proposed in 1909, ratified in 1913, gave the gov’t power to levy income taxes

However, other actions taken by Taft angered Progressive politicians, especially Roosevelt

Payne-Aldrich Tariff: a high tax on imports that Progressives were against because of its role in raising consumer prices of goodsBallinger-Pinchot Affair: rift between Ballinger (Secretary of the Interior) and Pinchot (head of US Forest Service)

Pinchot was fired for criticizing BallingerThe firing showed that Taft was weak when it come to environmental reform and cost Republicans many seats in Congress in the elections of 1910Roosevelt was angered greatly, and decided to run for president again in 1912

William Howard Taft 1909-1913

Election of 1912Taft and Roosevelt were both Republicans running for president, but Republicans nominated the incumbent Taft

Outraged, Roosevelt formed his own party, the Progressive Party, also known as the “Bull Moose” Party

Woodrow Wilson was selected to run for president by the Democrats

The split in the Republican Party ensured a victory for the Democrats

Wilson believed in many Progressive reform measures, however, he felt that too much control could limit individual freedomsHe was more moderate than Roosevelt in his ideas of reform, and much different from another candidate, Socialist Eugene Debs, who called for public ownership of industries In the end, he soundly defeated all other candidates, even gaining votes from Republicans that were against Taft and Roosevelt

Election of 1912

Wilson’s AdministrationAfter taking office, Wilson did many things to reform government

Lowered tariffs with the Underwood Tariff Act of 1913Implemented a progressive income tax (the higher your income, the higher your taxes)Created the Federal Reserve System in 1913 to regulate money Passed the Clayton Antitrust Act in 1914 by putting some meat on the bones of the Sherman Antitrust Act, finally making it effectiveCreated the Federal Trade Commission in 1914 to oversee industry and trade practices

Wilson also addressed labor practicesPassed laws that shortened workdays and gave workers the right to strikeFederal Workmen’s Compensation Act created to give benefits to those injured on the jobTried to outlaw child labor, but was unsuccessful

Women’s Suffrage MovementWomen were not allowed to vote in any elections in most places

around the nation

The National American Woman Suffrage Association, led by Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, was created in 1890 to fight for the right to vote

Another group, the National Woman’s Party, created in 1916, focused on passing an amendment guaranteeing suffrage

Finally, after years of hard work at the state and national levels, the 19th Amendment was ratified

Ratified in 1920Guaranteed the right to vote to be protected regardless of sex

Woodrow Wilson 1913-1921