7.4 The Progressives

obj: compare the goals and effects of the progressive reform movement

define the progressive era

period from 1890 - 1920 whr ppl believed that in order to solve the social problems of the gilded age, the govt must take a more active role

what were some problems during the gilded age?

- growing pwr of businesses
- uncertainties in economy b/c of panic of 1893
- conflict between labor grps and their employers
- political corruption from political machines
- jim crow segregation
- lack of women’s suffrage
- alcohol

what were some key beliefs of the progressive era?

- govt should play more active role in society’s problems
- govt should be more efficient
- new inventions + cures (improvements in science) can help society
- ppl should have more say in govt (expansion of demoncracy)

who were muckrakers?

journalists who practiced investigative journalism to expose social problems

Jacob Riis, How the Other Half Lives

exposed unsanitary and cramped conditions of NYC tenements

Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle

highlighted plight of the poor + difficulty working in the meatpacking industry (eg. fingers could get cut off, repetitive motion injury) + unsanitary conditions of meatpacking industry

what were the effects of Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle?

meat inspection act + pure food and drug act

what was the Meat Inspection Act?

req fed inspection of meat and the agricultural dept (USDA) to set standards of cleanliness in meatpacking plants

pure food and drug act

banned sale of impure or falsely labeled food or drugs

Ida Tarbell, The History of Standard Oil

exposed monopolies, such as Rockefeller’s Standard Oil

initiative

allowed voters to propose laws or req legislature to consider bill they prev ignored

referendum

allowed voters to vote on proposed laws

recall

allowed voters to remove corrupt politicians before their term was complete

secret ballot

ppl could vote secretly (before, ppl had to vote in front of political bosses who expected votes in return for help)

what was the effect of the secret ballot

expanded democracy + cut off pwr of political machines (eg. Tweed)

17th Amendment

transferred responsibility of electing senators from state legislature to the people

what was the effect of the 17th amendment?

expanded democracy + wealth business owners could no longer bribe state legislature to vote for who business owners wanted as senator

18th amendment

forbade manufacture and sale of alcohol (prohibition)

what was the purpose of the 18th amendment?

ppl assumed it would correct societal ills

who fought for the 18th amendment?

women, anti-saloon league, american temperance society

19th amendment

gave women right to vote

what was Taylorism/scientific management?

management theory developed by Frederick Taylor that aimed to improve efficiency by breaking down complex tasks into simpler, repeatable parts in order to optimize workflow

what was the effect of Taylorism on progressives?

progressives began to wonder scientific managers such as Frederick Taylor could reduce wasted govt energy

how were african americans prevented from voting?

they were forced to pay poll tax or take literacy tests

what was the grandfather clause?

allowed those who were able to vote before civil war to bypass literacy tests → allowed poor white americans to vote while still preventing black americans from voting

what was redlining?

areas with high concentrations of black residents or other minorities were marked in red which indicated that they were risky investments, resulting in ppl in these areas being denied of mortgages or other financial services

how did roosevelt become president?

became president after mckinley was assassinated and then re-elected on his own term?

what was the square deal?

- policy roosevelt used during his re-election; tried to find a fair deal for both laborers and corporations → more progressive than many previous presidents

sherman anti-trust act (1890)

aimed to prevent monopolies from forming but was often used against labor unions

clayton anti-trust act (1914)

revised sherman anti-trust act under president Wilson

why was teddy roosevelt often known as a trust buster?

he enforced the sherman anti-trust act to break up businesses; distinguished between good trusts and abd trusts

northern security vs the us

roosevelt sued northern securities for violating sherman anti-trust act + won

what were the implications of the results of northern securities v. the US

- set precedent for declaring trusts against the law
- incr pwr of presidency
- showed the executive branch was more powerful than nations biggest businesses

coal strike of 1902

roosevelt felt responsible for stopping job conflicts between labor unions and corporations → intervened in strike to push union and owners toward mediation (! significant b/c prev presidents were often anti-union)

national park systems

roosevelt worked to preserve nation’s forests by declaring millions of acres of land as protected national forests (eg. grand canyon national park, mesa verde, etc.)

John Muir - preservationist

keeps things natural + pristine

Gifford Pinochot - conservationist

believed in reducing waste and using resources efficiently (foc on long term economic usefulness of the land)

hetch hetchy controversy

preservationists wanted to keep valley natural while conservationists wanted to build a dam through tghe valley to create a water supply

forest reserve act

roosevelt reserved 150M acres of land

What was the Niagara Movement?

- grp of black intellectuals org by DuBois to plan protests for equal rights for black ppl

what did the NAACP do?

worked to abolish segregation + expand education opportunities for black children