Chapter 21: The Progressive Era: 1890-1920

  • Progressive Era (1890–1920): A period of significant social activism and political innovation aimed at addressing issues resulting from the urban-industrial revolution.

    • Progressives sought:

    • Social harmony

    • Moral uplift

    • Economic fairness

    • Government regulation of big businesses

    • Public welfare

  • Motivations and Concerns:

    • Rampant political corruption, particularly corporate influence on Congress.

    • The widening gap between rich and poor.

    • Urban squalor and inadequate social services. The United States had the highest rate of workplace accidents in the world, yet it was the only industrialized nation without insurance for on-the-job injuries.

THE PROGRESSIVE IMPULSE

  • Progressives were liberals seeking to reform capitalism, not destroy it.

  • They aimed to expand the government’s role in addressing urban and industrial growth problems.

  • Composed of diverse individuals, including men and women from various backgrounds and political affiliations.

  • Notably different from Populism, which was centered in farming regions.

THE VARIED SOURCES OF PROGRESSIVISM

  1. Economic Discontent and Populism

    • The depression of the 1890s spurred reform efforts.

    • Populist reforms, such as direct election of senators, were adopted by progressives.

  2. Mugwumps and Socialists

    • Mugwumps advocated for honest government and merit-based jobs.

    • Socialists sought to improve working conditions and reduce income inequality through progressive taxation.

  3. Muckraking Journalism

    • Investigative journalists who exposed corruption and social problems.

    • Theodore Roosevelt acknowledged their importance in shaping public opinion.

    • Key muckrakers: Lincoln Steffens, Ray Stannard Baker, and Ida Tarbell.

  4. Religious Activism and Social Responsibility

    • Emphasized social justice and the ethical obligation to help the vulnerable.

    • The Social Gospel movement aimed to bring about the “Kingdom of God” on earth through social reform.

    • Key figures: Washington Gladden and Walter Rauschenbusch.

  5. Settlement Houses

    • Community centers addressing the needs of the working poor, especially immigrants.

    • Hull House, founded by Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr, provided various services and advocated for political reform.

THE WOMEN’S SUFFRAGE MOVEMENT

  • Campaigned for voting rights and equal rights for women.

  • Key organizations: National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA) and American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA).

  • Faced opposition from anti-suffrage activists.

  • Achieved early successes in western states.

PROGRESSIVES’ AIMS AND ACHIEVEMENTS

  • Aimed to make the political process more open and transparent through:

    • Direct primary elections

    • Initiative and referendum

    • Recall elections

    • Direct election of senators (Seventeenth Amendment)

  • The Efficiency Movement

    • Championed by Frederick Winslow Taylor and his concept of Scientific Management

THE EFFICIENCY MOVEMENT IN BUSINESS AND GOVERNMENT

  1. Municipal Reform

    • Commission system and city-manager plan to make local governments more efficient.

  2. The Wisconsin Idea

    • Led by Governor Robert M. La Follette, promoting nonpartisan, expert-led government.

REGULATION OF BUSINESS

  • Sought to regulate giant corporations and address concerns over monopolies.

  • Sherman Anti-Trust Act (1890) proved ineffective.

JOHN DEWEY AND PROGRESSIVE EDUCATION

  • Educational reform focused on producing good citizens.

  • Advocated for practical, real-world learning and schools as centers for social reform.

PROMOTION OF SOCIAL JUSTICE

  • Aimed to improve conditions for the working poor and marginalized.

  • National Consumers’ League, led by Florence Kelley, promoted safer working environments.

  • Women’s clubs advocated for various social services and reforms.

THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST DRINKING

  • Women's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) sought to stop alcohol consumption to improve family life and reduce corruption.

LABOR LEGISLATION

  • Sought to improve working conditions and limit child labor.

  • The Triangle Fire:

    • The tragedy at the Triangle Shirtwaist factory spurred government regulation of dangerous workplaces.

    • Frances Perkins played a key role in advocating for reforms.

  • Regulating Child Labor and Working Conditions for Women

    • National Child Labor Committee campaigned for laws prohibiting child employment.

THE “PROGRESSIVE” INCOME TAX

  • Aimed to redistribute wealth through a graduated federal income tax.

  • Supported by Theodore Roosevelt and enabled by the Sixteenth Amendment (1913).

PROGRESSIVISM UNDER ROOSEVELT AND TAFT

  • Theodore Roosevelt

    • Used the presidency as a "bully pulpit" to advocate for progressive reforms.

    • Believed in a strong executive branch.

    • Three C’s: control of corporations, conservation of natural resources, and consumer protection.

TAMING BIG BUSINESS

  • Advocated a "Square Deal" featuring the "Three Cs". It featured greater government control of corporations, enhanced conservation of natural resources, and new regulations to protect consumers against contaminated food and medicines. Roosevelt believed in capitalism and wealth accumulation, but he wanted to ensure this growth would not cause a revolution. Advocated fair play and equal opportunity.

CURBING THE TRUSTS

  • Employed the Sherman Anti-Trust Act.

  • Filed about twenty-five anti-trust suits against oversized corporations.

  • Passed the Elkins Act (1903), the Hepburn Act (1906) and created a Bureau of Corporations.

THE 1902 COAL STRIKE

  • Intervened in the 1902 coal strike, securing better conditions for miners.

ROOSEVELT’S SECOND TERM

  • Championed the Hepburn Act, Meat Inspection Act, Pure Food and Drug Act to promote regulation and protect consumers.

  • Established numerous national parks and wildlife refugees.

ROOSEVELT AND RACE

  • Failed to address racism and shared prejudices of his time.

  • Controversies included the Brownsville Riot and his response to it.

THE TRANSITION FROM ROOSEVELT TO TAFT

  • William Howard Taft

    • Promised to continue Roosevelt’s policies but proved less energetic and innovative.

    • Taft attempted tariff reform, actually he preserved more federal land in four years than Roosevelt’s had in nearly eight, and it filed twice as many anti-trust suits, including one that led to the breakup of the Standard Oil Company in 1911.

A LIFE OF PUBLIC SERVICE

  • On paper, William Howard Taft was superbly qualified to be president and was more conservative than Roosevelt. He viewed himself as an administrator not an innovator.

TAFT AND THE TARIFF

  • Supported lower tariffs but struggled to achieve significant reform.

THE BALLINGER-PINCHOT CONTROVERSY

  • Widened the split between conservative and progressive Republicans.

THE TAFT-ROOSEVELT FEUD

  • Roosevelt challenged Taft for the Republican nomination in 1912, leading to a bitter split.

  • Roosevelt announced his new platform, called “New Nationalism.” Roosevelt explained that he wanted to go beyond ensuring a Square Deal in which corporations were forced to “play by the rules”; he now promised to “change the rules” to force large corporations to promote social welfare and serve the needs of working people. To save capitalism from the threat of a working-class revolution, Roosevelt called for tighter federal regulation of “arrogant” corporations that too often tried to “control and corrupt” politics; for a federal income tax (the Sixteenth Amendment had still not become law); and for federal laws regulating child labor. “What I have advocated,” he explained, “is not wild radicalism. It is the highest and wisest kind of conservatism.”

THE PROGRESSIVE PARTY

  • Roosevelt formed the Progressive Party (Bull Moose Party) to promote advanced progressive ideas.

  • Supported a minimum wage, eight-hour workday, women’s suffrage, and social security insurance.

  • Controversy arose of the role of Black Voters. Roosevelt took a position to only allow “lily white” delegations resulting in some publicly denouncing Roosevelt and his candidacy.

WOODROW WILSON: A PROGRESSIVE SOUTHERNER

  • Woodrow Wilson

    • As president, Wilson's closest adviser was “Colonel” Edward M. House of Texas who told Wilson that the theme of his presidency should be a form of Christian democracy. The “strong should help the weak, the fortunate should aid the unfortunate, and business should be conducted upon a higher and more humane plane.”

    • Elected president in 1912, advocating for progressive reforms and government regulation.

    • Displayed religious faith and deep-seated morals. He would prove to be a strong leader that would set in motion the modern presidency expanding the government at the expense of congress.

TO SERVE HUMANITY

  • Wilson’s major points include lowering tariff, create a new banking system, strengthen anti-trust laws and establish an administration “more concerned about human rights than about property rights.

  • Wilson's closest adviser held no government position instead it was Colonel house who he described as his independent self.

THE 1912 ELECTION

  • Included four strong candidates: Wilson, Taft, Roosevelt, and Eugene V. Debs (Socialist).
    Contest settled into a debate between Roosevelt’s New Nationalism and Wilson’s New Freedom.

EUGENE DEBS

  • Received considerable support for socialism that was flexible vs rigid, christian vs marxist etc.

A BURST OF REFORM BILLS

  • Enacted major reforms, including tariff reduction, the Federal Reserve Act, and antitrust actions.

COLONEL HOUSE

  • Wilson's closest advisor who held no government position. Wilson described House as “my second personality. He is my independent self. His thoughts and mine are one.”

THE TARIFF AND THE INCOME TAX

  • Lowered tariff rates with the Underwood-Simmons Tariff Act and created the first modern income tax.

THE FEDERAL RESERVE ACT

  • Established a national banking system with twelve regional districts to stabilize the economy.

ANTI-TRUST ACTIONS

  • Created the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to prevent monopolistic trusts.

  • Strengthened the Sherman Anti-Trust Act with the Clayton Anti-Trust Act.

PROGRESSIVES’ DISAPPOINTMENTS WITH WILSON

  • Many felt Wilson was not progressive enough and he was racist like most progressives at the time.

PROGRESSIVISM FOR WHITES ONLY

  • Wilson rarely consulted black leaders and largely avoided associating with them in public or expressing support for them.

  • Wilson also appointed white southerners to his cabinet.

THE VOTE FOR WOMEN

  • Wilson insisted that any voting rights issue should be left to the states.

  • He refused to create a National Race Commission and supported racial discrimination in various forms.

  • Activists used tactics such as picketing and protests, including Alice Paul. Paul also led protests and was arrested which shined light on the movement through a negative light that led to President Wilson to pardon the rest of activists and Paul.

PROGRESSIVE RESURGENCE

  • To better his winning political coalition for upcoming elections Wilson went back on the track for reform.

FARM LEGISLATION

  • Wilson passed the first farm legislation directed at assisting farmers (Federal Farm Loan Act) and the Warehouse Act of 1916 (federal loans to farmers), Farmers also benefited from the Smith-Lever Act and the Smith-Hughes Act.

LABOR LEGISLATION

  • Another landmark law was the eight-hour workday for railroad workers, a measure that the Supreme Court upheld as a legitimate use of federal power to regulate interstate commerce.