PROGRESSIVE ERA

Overview of Economic Conditions During the Progressive Era

  • Field's Millions (Economic Disparity)
    • Average wages:
    • Cloth workers: $9 a week
    • Linen workers: $11 a week
    • Iron workers: $7 a week
    • Lumber workers: $56 a week (notable for discrepancy)
    • Paper workers: $6 a week
    • Notable wealthy individuals:
    • Gould, Vanderbilt: represented the extreme wealth contrasting workers' wages

Significant Figures and Contributions to Reform Movements

  • Jane Addams
    • Established Hull-House in Chicago, focused on social reform and assistance for immigrants and the poor
    • Prominent contributions include:
    • Advocacy for women's rights and labor reforms

Democratic Reforms of the Progressive Era

  • Key Amendments and Legislation:
    • 16th Amendment (1913): Allowed Congress to levy an income tax directly on individuals
    • 17th Amendment (1913): Established the direct election of U.S. Senators
    • Referendums and Recall Votes: Mechanisms for direct democracy allowing voters to approve or reject legislation or remove elected officials
    • Direct Primaries: Increased voter participation and reduced party control over nominations
    • Campaign Finance Reform: Addressed funding for campaigns to reduce corruption
    • Bureaucracy and Regulation Expansion: Increased governmental oversight of industries
    • Food and Drug Act (1906): Ensured the safety of food and pharmaceuticals
    • Federal Reserve (1913): Established central banking system to regulate monetary policy
    • Federal Trade Commission (1914): Prevented unfair business practices

Labor Reforms and Challenges

  • Child Labor Reform:
    • Progressives aimed to abolish child labor but encountered resistance leading to limited success
  • Women's Working Hours Limitation:
    • Efforts to restrict hours worked by women under the premise of maternalism, protecting women's health and family roles
  • Key Case:
    • Muller v. Oregon (1908): Supreme Court case that upheld the constitutionality of limiting women's work hours based on the state's interest in protecting women's health

Significant Labor Actions

  • Atlanta Washer Women Strike (1881):
    • A prominent labor strike addressing unfair wages and working conditions for washer women

Workplace Safety and Labor Rights

  • Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire (1911):
    • Catastrophic fire resulting in significant loss of life due to inadequate safety standards
    • Often depicted in political cartoons that critique factory owners’ neglect of workers' safety

Social Movements: Temperance

  • Temperance Movement:
    • Focused on reducing or eliminating alcohol consumption
  • Key Visuals:
    • 1893 Wet and Dry Map of the United States:
    • Illustrated territories across the U.S. in relation to alcohol prohibition, indicating areas with saloons (black sections) and prohibition (white sections)
    • 1910 Map Update:
    • Showed progress in prohibition advocacy, noting shifts in areas classified as 'dry' (white) versus those still allowing alcohol (black)
    • Associated organizations, such as the Anti-Saloon League, heavily lobbied for legislation to enforce temperance

Implications and Observations

  • The disparities in worker wages indicate significant inequality during the Progressive Era, highlighting the economic and social challenges faced by many individuals.
  • Jane Addams’s work illustrates the changing role of women in society and their involvement in social reforms.
  • The amendments and acts of the Progressive Era reflect the growing public demand for democratic reforms and accountability within government and industries.
  • The labor reforms, although crucial, often faced hurdles due to political opposition and societal attitudes toward labor, particularly concerning women's roles and child labor.