The Progressive Era, 1890-1920

Flashcards about The Progressive Era, 1890-1920

Triangle Shirtwaist Company Fire

A tragic event where many workers died due to unsafe working conditions, highlighting the need for workplace safety regulations.

Issues leading to Progressive Reform

Issues such as industrialization, urbanization, immigration, and political corruption.

Goals of Progressive Reformers

To address problems caused by industrialization, urbanization, immigration, and political corruption through social, political, and economic reforms.

Pragmatism

A philosophical movement emphasizing practical consequences and experience, influencing progressive reformers to focus on achievable and realistic solutions.

Louis Brandeis

A lawyer and later a Supreme Court Justice who advocated for social justice and economic reform.

Muckrakers

Journalists who exposed corruption and social problems, raising public awareness and pushing for reforms.

Lincoln Steffans

A muckraker known for his work The Shame of the Cities, which exposed political corruption in urban areas.

Ida Tarbell

A muckraker known for her exposé of the Standard Oil Company, revealing its monopolistic practices.

Jacob Riis

A social reformer and photographer who documented the living conditions of the urban poor in his book How the Other Half Lives.

Expanded "Woman’s Sphere"

Women became more involved in social and political activism, advocating for reforms and expanding their roles beyond the home.

Margaret Sanger

A birth control activist who advocated for women's reproductive rights and access to contraception.

Reforms from Women’s Suffrage

Progressives hoped that women's suffrage would lead to reforms in areas such as child labor, education, and public health.

Carrie Chapman Catt

A leader in the women's suffrage movement and president of the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA).

Alice Paul

A suffragist and leader of the National Women's Party (NWP), advocating for a constitutional amendment for women's suffrage.

Nineteenth Amendment

Granted women the right to vote in 1920, a major victory for the women's suffrage movement.

Eugenics

Belief in improving the human race through selective breeding and sterilization, reflecting the era's discriminatory attitudes.

Mann Act

Legislation that prohibited the interstate transportation of women for immoral purposes, reflecting concerns about prostitution and morality.

W.E.B. Dubois

A civil rights activist and scholar who co-founded the NAACP and advocated for equal rights and opportunities for African Americans.

NAACP

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, an organization dedicated to fighting for civil rights for African Americans.

Progressive reform of City Politics

Progressives sought to eliminate corruption and make city governments more efficient and responsive to the needs of the people through reforms like city commissions.

Robert La Follette

A progressive politician who implemented reforms in Wisconsin, such as direct primaries, tax reform, and regulation of railroads.

17th Amendment

Provided for the direct election of senators, increasing democracy and reducing the influence of political machines.

Three political reforms put forth by the Progressives at the state level

Initiative, Referendum, and Recall

Theodore Roosevelt

Became president after William McKinley's assassination in 1901.

Roosevelt's Progressive Values as President

Promoted conservation of natural resources and regulation of businesses, reflecting his commitment to the public interest.

Square Deal

Roosevelt's agenda of protecting consumers, controlling corporations, and conserving natural resources.

Roosevelt and the Anthracite Coal Strike in 1902

Roosevelt intervened in the strike, threatening to seize the mines if owners didn't negotiate, a departure from previous presidents' hands-off approach.

Roosevelt and Trusts

Roosevelt used antitrust laws to break up monopolies and promote competition.

Northern Securities Company

A railroad trust that Roosevelt targeted for violating antitrust laws.

Elkins Act

Prohibited discriminatory railroad rates, promoting fair competition in the transportation industry.

Impact of Upton Sinclair’s book, The Jungle

The book exposed unsanitary conditions in the meatpacking industry, leading to the passage of food safety regulations.

First chief forester Appointed by Theodore Roosevelt

Gifford Pinchot.

Difference between conservation and preservation of natural resources

Conservation emphasizes the sustainable use of natural resources, while preservation seeks to protect natural resources from human use.

Reclamation Act of 1902

Provided federal funding for irrigation projects in the West, promoting conservation and development of water resources.

John Muir

A preservationist and founder of the Sierra Club who advocated for the protection of wilderness areas.

Hetch Hetchy dam Controversy

A conflict between conservationists and preservationists over the construction of a dam in Yosemite National Park, with conservationists ultimately winning.

Disappointment in President William Howard Taft

Taft was perceived as less progressive than Roosevelt, leading to disappointment among progressives.

16th Amendment

Authorized the federal government to collect income taxes, providing a new source of revenue for government programs.

Election of 1912 Candidates

The election featured Woodrow Wilson, Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and Eugene V. Debs.

New party established by Roosevelt

Progressive Party due to disagreements with Taft's policies.

New Freedom

Wilson's program of tariff reform, banking reform, and antitrust legislation differed from Roosevelt's emphasis on regulation and government intervention.

Significance of Woodrow Wilson’s major New Freedom reforms

Underwood Simmons Tariff, Federal Reserve Act, Federal Trade Commission, Clayton Antitrust Act.