What caused the problems?
Who is to blame? • Laissez-faire; no gov’t regulation of
business or society. How do we fix the problems?
• Fix government • Use modern ideas, science, and technology to make gov’t more efficient
and effective Who were the muckrakers? • Ida Tarbell —criticized unfair business practices like trusts. Wrote “History of
Standard Oil” Lincoln Steffens
Shame of the Cities
• Exposed corruption in urban politics. Jacob Riis
How the Other Half Lives • Photographer, exposed poverty in NYC
immigrant neighborhoods. John Spargo
The Bitter Cry of the Children
• Child labor Upton Sinclair
The Jungle • Exposed unsanitary conditions in meat-packing industry Progressive Campaigns
• Government Commission Plan--new style of efficient
city gov’t. Modern cities need experts, not
politicians. City departments should be run by
professionals and led by a city manager. Galveston Hurricane 1900
leaves 6000 dead and city ruined Increased Democracy Wisconsin becomes the Laboratory of Democracy Felt party bosses and political machines had too much influence. a. Direct primaries—party members vote for their party’s candidates b. Initiative, Referendum, and Recall
1. Initiative: citizens introduce legislation for vote
2. Referendum: citizens vote on legislation
3. Recall: special election to remove an official 17th Amendment
Direct Election of Senators • citizens now vote for their Senators rather than state legislators appointing them. Removed influence of political machines
and big business. 19th Amendment
Women’s Suffrage
• Leaders:
• Susan B. Anthony
• Tactics: marches, speeches, picketing, hunger strikes Child Labor
• New laws passed that set minimum ages
and maximum hours • Children’s Bureau (Taft) investigated child
labor abuses • Education laws required children to go to
school Health and Safety Codes
• Called for new safety regulations and
workers compensation
• Set zoning laws and building codes • Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire in NYC 1911—150 women died trapped in
building Temperance movement leads to th the 18 Amendment
• Alcohol led to poverty and abuse • Progressives wanted to remove the
temptation. Regulating Big Business and
the Economy • Sherman Anti-Trust Act —to break up large companies to restore competition • Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) regulated big business • Federal Trade Commission (FTC) —a watchdog agency to monitor business to ensure fair trade practices • Clayton Anti-Trust Act —gave unions the right to exist Federal Reserve Act 1913
a central bank system for US • Allowed the government to direct and guide the economy by controlling the amount of money in circulation and setting
interest rates. Is Socialism the answer? • Some Progressives believed the gov’t should own and operate major industry for
the benefit of all Americans • Eugene Debs ran for Pres in 1912 as the American Socialist Party candidate.
Received almost 1 million votes! Consumer Safety
• 1906—in response to The Jungle,
Congress passes:
– Meat Inspection Act and
– Pure Food and Drug Act Environmental Conservation
• Managing our natural resources
• Newlands Reclamation Act 1902 –
large scale irrigation and development
Western US Gov’t regulation of timber, mining, and water
resources Established National Parks and wildlife
preserves. Presidents of the Progressive
Era
Promised a “Square Deal”
Known as the “Trustbuster” Believed in “Gentlemen’s Agreements”
His Legacy: Stronger executive branch, the modern Presidency William Howard Taft • Taft’s Progressive Reforms – more of a trust-buster than TR – est’d Children’s Bureau—to fight child labor – Conservation—Bureau of Mines, more nat’l forests HOW DID TAFT DIFFER FROM T.R.? TR—charismatic, well-liked, loved the spotlight, big ideas.
Taft—legalistic, less ambitious, less popular Woodrow Wilson • Underwood Tariff—cut tariffs in half th • 16 Amendment
• Federal Reserve • Federal Trade Commission
• 8-hr workday
• recognized unions Election of 1912
• Democrats: Woodrow Wilson
• Republicans: William Taft
• Progressives: Theodore Roosevelt
Legacy of Progressivism
What did it do? Increased the gov’t’s intervention in economic and social issues (also the public’s expectation of that intervention)
What did it not do? Did not address racial discrimination. African-Americans began that fight themselves. Formed NAACP. (Met in Niagara Falls)