APUSH - Topic 7.4 - The Progressives

“older stock” Americans

People from older élite families, some felt replaced by new titans of industry, pushed for reform, especially those who were native-born protestants.

Leaders of Progressivism within the Democratic Party?

William Jennings Bryan and Woodrow Wilson

Leaders of Progressivism within the Republican Party?

Theodore Roosevelt and Robert La Follette

Previous examples of Reform Tradition in America? (name three)

1. Jeffersonians in the early 1800s

2. Jacksonians in the 1830s

3. Populists in the 1890s.

Pragmatism

Argued that “truth” should be able to pass the public test of observable results in an open, democratic society

Challenged the prevailing philosophy of romantic transcendentalism.

William James and John Dewey

Two leading advocates of Pragmatism.

Scientific Management

By using a stopwatch to time the tasks performed by factory workers, people could be organized in the most efficient manner—the scientific management system, also known as Taylorism.

Frederick W. Taylor

Associated with the invention of the Scientific Management System, also known as Taylorism for that reason.

Henry Demarest Lloyd

One of the earliest muckrakers; Chicago reporter who in 1881 wrote a series of articles for the Atlantic Monthly attacking the practices of the Standard Oil Company and the railroads.

Muckrakers

Negative term for reporters who focused on negative stories, coined by Teddy Roosevelt.

Came to describe reporters who reported on corruption in business and politics; e.g. child labor, corrupt political bosses and monopolistic business practices.

Lincoln Steffens

Wrote a series of muckraking articles in 1902 called Tweed Days in St. Louis (Ran by Samuel Sidney McClure’s McClure’s Magazine)

Ida Tarbell

Wrote a series of muckraking articles in 1902 called The History of the Standard Oil Company (Ran by Samuel Sidney McClure’s McClure’s Magazine)

Jacob Riis

One of the first photojournalists; His articles on tenement life were published as a book titled How the Other Half Lives (1890).

Theodore Dreiser

Wrote two muckraking novels, The Financier and The Titan, both of which portrayed the avarice (greed) and ruthlessness of an industrialist.

Secret Ballot

Also known as the Australian Ballot, voters began to cast their votes secretly in voting booths, prevented corruption/intimidation at the polls.

Direct Primaries

Placed the nominating process for political parties directly in the hands of the voters.

Robert La Follette

Progressive governor of Wisconsin, introduced the Direct Primary.

17th Amendment

Required that all U.S. senators be elected by popular vote.

Commission Plan

Voters elected the heads of city departments (fire, police, and sanitation), not just the mayor.

Manager-Council Plan

An elected city council hires an expert manager to direct the work of the various departments of city government.

Charles Evans Hughes

Battled fraudulent insurance companies. (New York)

Hiram Johnson

Successfully fought against the economic and political power of the Southern Pacific Railroad. (California)

“Wisconsin Idea”

Series of Progressive measures that included a direct primary law, tax reform, and state regulatory commissions to monitor railroads, utilities, and businesses such as insurance.