Key Terms - Populism and Progressive Era

Margret Sanger

American leader of the movement to legalize birth control during the early 1900's. Founded the first birth control clinic in the U.S. and Planned Parenthood.

Jacob Riis

A muckraker who photographed tenements in cities and created a collection of them called "How the Other Half Lives".

Robert La Folette

The Progressive Governor of Wisconsin who developed Direct Primary as well as the "Wisconsin Idea".

Upton Sinclair

Muckraker who shocked the nation when he published The Jungle, a novel that revealed gruesome details about the meat packing industry in Chicago.

Lincoln Steffens

Early muckraker who exposed the political corruption and criticized the trend of urbanization through his book Shame of the Cities.

Dr. Harvey Wiley

Chief chemist of the Department of Agriculture who was a pioneering advocate for food safety in the United States. He is known as the father of the Pure Food and Drugs Act

Ida Tarbell

Muckraker who exposed the corruption of the oil industry with her 1904 work A History of Standard Oil.

Alice Paul

Head of the National Woman's party who opposed legislation protecting women workers because such laws implied women's inferiority.

Carrie Chapman Catt

President of the NAWSA, and founder of the International Woman Suffrage Alliance who was instrumental in passing the 19th amendment.

William Howard Taft

27th president of the U.S who angered progressives by moving cautiously toward reforms. However he pursued many anti-trust lawsuits.

Woodrow Wilson

28th president of the United States with the New Freedom Platform. He created the Federal Reserve and passed the Clayton Antitrust Act.

Theodore Roosevelt

26th President of the US who introduced trust-busting, created national parks, and pursued consumer protections. He was known for the "Square Deal".

Gifford Pinchot

Head of the U.S. Forest Service under Roosevelt, who believed that it was possible to make use of natural resources while conserving them

William Jennings Bryan

Democratic candidate for president in 1896 under the banner of "free silver coinage", which was shown in his speech the Cross of Gold which won him support of the Populist Party.

Eugene V. Debs

American labor leader who fought for workers’ rights and socialism. He was the leader of the American Railway Union, and he voted to aid workers in the Pullman strike.

Frederick W. Taylor

A prominent inventor and engineer who developed "scientific management," a system that stressed efficient, highly supervised labor management and production methods.

Thorstein Veblen

Prominent economic leader who criticized mass consumption in his book "The Theory of the Leisure Class"

Jacob S. Coxey

Led a march on Washington during the Panic of 1893, where he demanded that the federal government provide the unemployed with meaningful work and was arrested.

Mary Lease

A speaker for the Populist Party and the Farmer's Alliance who urged farmers to "raise less corn and more hell".

William R. Hearst

A powerful American newspaper publisher who built the largest media empire of his time. He used “yellow journalism” to influence public opinion and help stir support for the Spanish-American War.

16th Amendment

The 16th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1913, gave Congress the power to collect a graduated income tax

17th Amendment

The 17th Amendment, ratified in 1913, established the direct election of U.S. Senators by the people instead of being chosen by state legislatures.

18th Amendment

The 18th Amendment, ratified in 1919, banned the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcoholic beverages in the United States.

19th Amendment

The 19th Amendment, ratified in 1920, granted women the right to vote in the United States.

Equal Rights Amendment

A proposed constitutional amendment passed by Congress that was never ratified, it would have banned discrimination on the basis of gender

Progressive Movement

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

Pragmatism

An idea developed by William James and John Dewey which argued that people should take a practical approach to morals, ideals, and knowledge instead of having theories.

National Parks (Yellowstone,Yosemite, Sequoia)

Protected recreational areas for the public, established by Theodore Roosevelt. Yellowstone was the first national park, created in Wyoming in 1872. Yosemite and Sequoia in California were created in the 1890s.

Muckrakers

Investigative journalists who used publicity to expose the abuses of big business and the corruption of urban politics.

Half Breeds

Republican party faction led by James Blaine that favored civil service reform and were against party patronage

Stalwarts

Republican party faction led by Roscoe Conkling that opposed all attempts at civil-service reform and supported political machines and patronage.

Social Welfare

Government programs and reforms designed to improve living conditions, provide help for the poor, and protect workers, aiming to address problems caused by industrialization and urbanization.

Initiative, referendum; recall

• Initiative: A process that allows citizens to propose and vote on new laws directly, bypassing the legislature.

• Referendum: A way for voters to approve or reject laws already passed by the government.

• Recall: A procedure that lets voters remove an elected official from office before their term is over.

TR Square Deal

President Theodore Roosevelt's domestic program of the 1900s focused on fairness for workers, businesses, and consumers. It aimed to regulate big companies, protect the environment, and improve public health and safety.

The Shame of the Cities (1904)

Book by Lincoln Steffens that exposes the widespread corruption and collusion between big business and local politicians in American cities during the early 20th century.

Henry Street Settlement

Famous NYC settlement house founded by Lillian Wald, which provided social services, art programs, and health care services to all New Yorkers.

National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA)

Major organization for women’s suffrage which was founded in 1890 by Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton which contributed heavily to the passing of the 19th amendment.

National Women's Party

Women suffrage organization led by Alice Paul which fought for women's voting rights and pushed for the 19th and equal rights amendments.

Munn v. Illinois (1877)

Supreme Court case dealing with corporate rates and agriculture, which ultimately allowed states to regulate privately owned businesses within their borders, including railroads.

Muller v. Oregon (1908)

Supreme Court case that upheld a law limiting women’s working hours to protect their health. The decision used social science evidence to justify special labor protections for women.

Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire 1912

A tragic industrial disaster in New York City that killed 146 workers due to unsafe working conditions. The fire led to widespread public outrage and helped spark stronger workplace safety laws and labor reforms.

Lochner v. New York (1905)

Supreme Court case which ruled that a law enforcing a 10-hour work day for bakers was unconstitutional because it interfered with the protection of liberty guaranteed by the 14th Amendment.

Populist Party

U.S. political party formed in 1891, representing mainly farmers. It favored the free coinage of silver, a national income tax, and government control of railroads and monopolies

Direct Primary

Election reform allowing voters to choose candidates. Increased public power in politics and helped fight party patronage.

Municipal Reform

Reform movement to have city municipalities owned by the government instead of being privately owned by corrupt companies. Made cities more efficient and citizen-focused.

Trust Busting

Government efforts to break up large business monopolies that limit competition. Aims to promote fair trade and prevent any one company from having too much control over an industry.

Pure Food Drug Act/Meat Inspection Act

Act which regulated mislabeled food products and established strict cleanliness requirements for meat-packers, which later led to the creation of the FDA.

The Grangers

An alliance of farmers who demanded government regulation of railroads and worked to increase the political and economic power of farmers.

Federal Reserve Act (1886)

passed in 1913, created the Federal Reserve System to serve as the central bank of the United States. Its purpose was to regulate the money supply, stabilize the economy, and provide a safer, more flexible banking system.

Interstate Commerce Act (1887)

Law that was designed to regulate the railroad industry, and created the Interstate Commerce Commission to ensure that railroads complied with the new regulations.

Sherman Antitrust Act (1890)

First federal action to prevent monopolies, which was signed into law by Harrison and was used by Roosevelt for trust-busting.

Wilson-Gorman Tariff (1894)

Protective tariff that slightly lowered the McKinley tariff on imports into the US and imposed a 2% income tax. The income tax portion of the tariff later became unconstitutional.

Free Silver Election 1896

An election mainly focused on bimetallism vs. the gold standard. It was between William Jennings Bryan (Democrat/populist) and William McKinley (Republican). McKinley would win through big money advertising.

Pendleton Act (1883)

Legislation which created the Civil Service Commission to ensure that hiring of federal employees was based on examinations and merit rather than party patronage.

Farmers Alliance

National organization of farmers, who fought against the dominance of the railroads and manufacturers and worked for lower railroad freight rates. It later led to the creation of the Populist party.

New Nationalism Platform

Political philosophy of Theodore Roosevelt which called for reform in every area of American life to promote social justice.

New Freedom Platform

Proposed by Woodrow Wilson, aimed to restore economic opportunity and individual liberty by breaking up monopolies, reducing tariffs, and reforming banking.