Unit 4: The Progressives

muchas cosas

Muckrakers

journalists who wrote about corruption and social injustices during the Progressive Era, aiming to expose problems and promote reform

Scientific management

studies to see how quickly each task could be performed to improve efficiency in the workplace, “taylorism,” breaking manufacturing into simpler parts

Henry Ford

champion efficiency, cars, assembly lines, largest automobile manufacturer in the world, eg of scientific management

4 goals of the progressive era

1 protect social welfare, 2 promoting moral improvement, 3 create economic reform, 4 fostering efficiency

WCTU (women’s Christian temperance union

worked to stop saloon keepers from selling alcohol, largest women’s group in nations history, have women public roles,

florence kelley

focus on working poor and poor immigrants

illinois factory act

1893, prohibit child labor and limit working hours for women and children

prohibition

ban alcoholic beverages

antisaloon league

“church in action against saloon,” pushed to illegalize alcohol, back any politician against alcohol, conflict with immigrant customs, more aggressive than wtcu

Settlement houses

Jane Adams, hull House, community centers to offer support for the poor/immigrants

Tenements

new York, poorly built, overcrowded housing, poor sanitation, lack basic comforts, fire hazards, moral indecencies,

tenement house act

in tiny unit must have: improve lighting (electricity), ventilation (windows), indoor toilets, and courtyards

Jacob Riis

muckraker, photography to expose terrible living conditions/ on the streets and in the tenements, book How the Other Half Lives,

Steffens

muckraker, expose government corruption (bribes etc), writer

Initiative

(start), citizens vote on proposed state laws

referendum

citizens vote on existing laws

recall

vote to remove an elected official to stop corrupt gov officials and give voters political power

National Consumer League

Florence Kelly, run by women, gospel of wealth, pushed for fair and humane manufacturing of consumer products, “white label program” uses power of the purse to make change, advocate minimum wage and maximum work hour laws

Muller V Oregon

1908, rule women and children need special protection in the world place and lower hours, mandatory school/work permits come out of it

sweatshops

specific factory, worst working conditions, lowest wages, longest hours, garment/cigar industries, recent immigrants, mostly women and some children

Louis Hine

Muckraker, photographer, focus on child labor and labor workers

Mother Jones

Mary Harris Jones, radical progressive reformer who focused on workers/labor rights, childrens crusade (March to washington)

National Child labor Committe

1904, new child labor laws in northern states, US childrens Bureau

US childrens bureau

make sure child labor laws are being enforced

Ida B Wells

crusade against racial violence (expose lynchings) and discrimination, reporter, helped form NAACP—one of the most important groups from African American people in the US

poll tax

tax had to be paid to enter voting booth, kept African Americans and people in poverty from voting

eg of jim crow law

grandfather clause

you cant vote if your gpa/dad was a slave before 1867, take voting power from black males

eg of Jim Crow law

segretation

separating people on the basis of race

Jim Crow Laws

legalize different treatment of black people than white people in US, legalize southern customs, separate whites/blacks in private and public places

if you didn’t go along with them then you got lynched

not just in south

disenfranchisement

disenfranchisement

to take away ones political, social, and economic power

Plessy V Ferguson

ruled that separating races in public places was legal, established idea that “separate but equal”

debt peonage

land owners force Mexican people to work and repay debts

supreme court ruled against it in 1911

NACW (national association of colored women)

helped improve educational opportunities for black African American women

suffrage

the right to vote,

Seneca falls convention of 1848 start suffrage fight for women (movement was split over 14/15 amendment, race)

NAWSA (National American Womens Suffrage Association)

Susan B Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton,

tried to convince state legislation, went to court over 14th, pushed form national constitutional amendment

worked in several states before the amendment

Niagra Movement

Du Bois, argue that black people aren’t as equal to whites because they aren’t getting education, pushed more blacks to get education

Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute

helped prepare black people for many different types of jobs

19th amendment

1919, gave women the right to vote across the whole country

Teddy Roosevelt

wealthy background, republican (but progressive),

dislike big business and laizzes-faire gov, dislike corporate power and dislike violence by working class, believe in gospel of wealth, wants to increase federal government role in regulation of big businesses,

became very popular, big game hunter, love new tech

The Square Deal

consumers, workers, big business owners, stockholders/investors

give workers the right to organize, 8 hour day, pure food/drug laws, increase inheritance taxes on the wealthy, increase gov regulation of buisness

trust busting

control and stop abuses of big businesses, establish department of commerce and bureau of corporations

Sherman AntiTrust Act

breaks up monopolies deemed harmful to public good (Teddy use to target railroads)

The Hepburn Act

set max rates railroads could charge to haul freight (goods)

Meat Inspection Act

dictate cleanliness requirements for meat packers, create program of federal meat Inspection, continue until 1990s, left gov paying for meat inspections

Pure Food and Drug Act

1906, stop sale of contaminated food, call for Truth in labeling, reflect progressive belief that if given correct info ppl will act wisely, reflect changing relationship between gov and private business

John Muir

convince Roosevelt to set aside forest, want complete preservation of wilderness

Gifford Pinchot

head of US forest service under Roosevelt, professional conservationist,

exempt federal land from private sale, believe that wilderness areas could be scientifically managed for public enjoyment and also private development

Conservation

according to Pinchot and Roosevelt: some wilderness is protected/preserved and other is developed for the common good

National reclamation Act of 1902

aka New lands act, establish precedent that federal gov would manage water resources for the west, sale of public lands fund large scale irrigation projects

Taft

president after Roosevelt, weak leadership, second election breaks up the Republican party

Payne-Aldrich Tariff

compromise, only moderate high rates of Aldrich bill, not as low as payne

progressives believe taft abandon progressivism

in the later election voters blamed it for raising the cost of living

Bull Moose Party

aka The Progressive Party, support Roosevelt in second election

support womens suffrage, workmen compensation, 8hr day, women minimum wage, federal law against child labor, federal trade commission

call for states to adopt initiative, referendum, and recall

woodrow wilson

democrat who won election, previous reform governor in new jersey, endorse progressive platform New Freedom

stronger antitrust legislation, baking reform, reduced tariffs, support small businesses and free market competition (monopolies are evil), expand gov role in social reform