US History 1 - Chapter 17 (The Americans)

Progressive movement

A reform movement aimed at returning control of the government to the people, restoring economic opportunity, and correcting social injustices.

Four goals of Progressivism

Protect social welfare, promote moral improvement, create economic reform, foster efficiency.

Social Gospel movement

Reform effort that emphasized charity and justice through churches and community outreach.

Florence Kelley

Advocate for women and children; led the National Consumers’ League and pushed for labor reforms like the Illinois Factory Act.

Prohibition

Ban on alcohol meant to improve morals and reduce social problems.

Muckraker

Investigative journalists who exposed corruption in business and politics.

Ida Tarbell

Muckraker who exposed Standard Oil Company’s unfair practices.

Upton Sinclair

Author of The Jungle; exposed unsanitary conditions in the meatpacking industry.

The Jungle

1906 novel that prompted federal regulation of food safety.

Meat Inspection Act (1906)

Law requiring cleanliness in meatpacking and federal inspection of meat.

Pure Food and Drug Act (1906)

Banned sale of contaminated foods and required truth in labeling.

Scientific management

Strategy to improve workplace efficiency by breaking tasks into simpler parts.

Henry Ford

Applied scientific management by using the assembly line and offering $5 workdays.

Robert M. La Follette

Progressive Wisconsin governor who fought corporate power, especially in railroads.

Initiative

A process allowing citizens to propose laws directly.

Referendum

A vote on a proposed initiative by the people.

Recall

A way for voters to remove elected officials from office before the end of their terms.

17th Amendment

Allowed direct election of U.S. senators by the people.

Child labor reform

Movement led by the National Child Labor Committee to end child labor and promote education.

Keating-Owen Act (1916)

Prohibited transport of goods made by children, later ruled unconstitutional.

Camella Teoli

Mill worker whose injury and testimony highlighted the dangers of child labor.

Susan B. Anthony

Leader in the women’s suffrage movement; co-founded the NWSA.

Suffrage

The right to vote; a major focus of Progressive reform, especially for women.

NAWSA (National American Woman Suffrage Association)

Organization that fought for women’s voting rights.

19th Amendment (1920)

Gave women the right to vote.

Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt

Progressive president known for trust-busting and environmental conservation.

Square Deal

Roosevelt’s domestic program focused on consumer protection, control of corporations, and conservation.

Trust-busting

Government activities aimed at breaking up monopolies and trusts.

Northern Securities Case (1902)

Supreme Court decision that broke up the Northern Securities Company, a railroad monopoly; solidified Roosevelt's reputation as a "trustbuster

1902 Coal Strike

Roosevelt intervened, siding with labor and helping to end the strike fairly.

Conservation

Roosevelt’s policy to protect natural resources through federal management.

Gifford Pinchot

Head of the U.S. Forest Service; supported managed use of natural resources.

John Muir

Naturalist who advocated complete preservation of wilderness areas.

Booker T. Washington

Advocated gradual equality and vocational training for African Americans.

W.E.B. Du Bois

Called for immediate civil rights and co-founded the NAACP.

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP; 1909)

Organization aimed at full equality for African Americans.

William Howard Taft

Roosevelt’s successor who disappointed progressives; later became Chief Justice.

Richard Ballinger

Taft’s appointee accused of allowing illegal land sales; hurt conservation efforts.

“Old Guard”

Conservative Republicans who opposed progressive reforms.

Cannon controversy

Taft’s support of House Speaker Joseph Cannon alienated reformers.

Bull Moose Party

Progressive Party founded by Roosevelt in 1912 after splitting from Republicans.

Election of 1912

Four-way race won by Woodrow Wilson due to split in Republican vote.

Woodrow Wilson

Democratic president who implemented progressive reforms; focusing on trusts, tariffs, and banking.

New Freedom

Wilson’s program to break up monopolies and increase competition.

Clayton Antitrust Act (1914)

Strengthened antitrust laws and protected labor unions.

Federal Trade Commission (FTC)

Investigated unfair business practices.

Federal Reserve System (1913)

Reformed banking by creating 12 regional banks and stabilizing the economy.

18th Amendment (1919)

Prohibited manufacture and sale of alcohol.

Progressive mayors (Pingree & Johnson)

Improved city services, utilities, and promoted public ownership.

Council-manager system

Local reform where elected council appoints a manager to run city departments.

Galveston and Dayton reforms

Natural disasters led to new, more efficient city governments.

James S. Hogg

Texas governor who fought railroad abuses and promoted state regulation.

Hazel Pingree

Mayor of Detroit who reformed taxes and created public works.

Tom Johnson

Cleveland mayor who pushed for public control of utilities and held public town halls.

Frances Willard

Leader of WCTU who expanded its focus beyond prohibition.

Alice Paul & Lucy Burns

Organizers of 1913 women’s suffrage parade; led radical wing of suffrage movement.

Wilson and civil rights

Disappointed African Americans by failing to support anti-lynching laws and allowing segregation in federal offices.

William Monroe Trotter

Criticized Wilson’s failure to support Black civil rights during a White House confrontation.

Jane Addams

Settlement house leader who opposed WWI for undermining reform spirit.

Twilight of Progressivism

WWI shifted focus away from reform, ending the Progressive Era.

Eugene V. Debs

Socialist candidate in 1912; supported labor rights and end of capitalism.

Differences

Roosevelt vs. Wilson

Progressivism and African Americans

Largely excluded from benefits of reforms due to racial bias and limited federal action.

Why did the Republican Party split in 1912?

Progressives opposed Taft’s conservatism, especially on tariffs and conservation.

What did the Progressive Era achieve?

Labor laws, women’s suffrage, food safety, business regulation, and increased democratic participation.

Why did Progressivism decline?

Focus shifted to WWI; reformers lost momentum and political support.

What problems did progressivism aim to fix?

Problems caused by industrialization, urbanization, immigration, and corruption.

WCTU (Women’s Christian Temperance Union)

Largest women’s union group that pushed for prohibition and helped pass the 18th Amendment.

Anti-Saloon League

Prohibition-focused league that aggressively lobbied for alcohol bans and supported the 18th Amendment.

14th Amendment strategy (suffrage)

Legal approach arguing that women were citizens and thus entitled to vote under the 14th Amendment.

Three-part strategy for suffrage

Focused on state campaigns, court challenges using the 14th Amendment, and pushing for a national amendment.

Three C’s of the Square Deal

Roosevelt’s reform plan emphasizing Control of Corporations, Consumer Protection, and Conservation.

Northern Securities Company

A major railroad trust broken up by Roosevelt to show federal power over monopolies.

National/Newlands Reclamation Act (1902)

Funded Western irrigation projects with federal land sale proceeds; advanced conservation and agriculture.

Elkins Act

Made it illegal for railroads to offer rebates and required public posting of rates.

Hepburn Act

Strengthened the ICC by allowing it to set maximum railroad rates and limit free passes.

Ballinger-Pinchot Affair

Controversy where Taft’s firing of conservationist Pinchot angered progressives and conservation advocates.

Republican Party split (1912)

Progressive Republicans broke from Taft, leading Roosevelt to form the Bull Moose Party.

Underwood Tariff

Lowered tariffs significantly under Wilson and included a graduated income tax to offset lost revenue.

16th Amendment

Allowed the federal government to collect income taxes directly from citizens.

Carrie Chapman Catt

NAWSA president who led the final campaign that resulted in the 19th Amendment.

Payne-Aldrich Tariff

Tariff signed by Taft that barely lowered rates and disappointed progressives.

NACW (National Association of Colored Women)

Organization of African American women focused on moral reform, child care, and education.

Scientific Management

Frederick Taylor’s method of improving workplace efficiency by breaking tasks into simpler, timed steps.