Progressive_Era

Progressive Era Overview

  • Time Period: 1890s-1920

  • Key Features: Political and social reforms to address issues of industrialization, urbanization, and social injustice.

Essential Questions

  • Who were the Progressives?

  • What reforms did they seek?

  • How successful were Progressive Era reforms in terms of political and social changes?

Origins of Progressive Reform

Who were the Progressives?

  • Demographics: Mainly urban middle-class individuals, including managers, professionals, and women.

  • Reasons for Reform:

    • Industrialization (big business, labor strife)

    • Urbanization (slums, political machines, corruption)

    • Immigration (ethnic diversity)

    • Inequality & social injustice (women's rights, racial issues)

Goals of Progressivism

  • Democracy: Making government more accountable to the people.

  • Regulation of Corporations: Addressing monopolies and corporate abuses.

  • Social Justice: Advocating for workers, the poor, and minorities.

  • Environmental Protection: Ensuring sustainable use of natural resources.

Methods of Progressivism

  • Government Action: Creation of laws, regulations, and social programs.

  • Efficiency and Scientific Methods: Use of expert opinions and studies (Pragmatism influenced by William James and John Dewey).

Key Figures and Ideas

Muckrakers

  • Investigative journalists exposing social issues:

    • Jacob Riis: How the Other Half Lives (1890) exposed urban poverty.

    • Ida Tarbell: The History of the Standard Oil Co. (1902) critiqued monopolistic practices.

    • Lincoln Steffens: The Shame of the Cities (1904) highlighted government corruption.

Municipal and State Reforms

Municipal Reform Initiatives

  • Utilities: Regulation of water, gas, electricity, and public transport.

  • Council-Manager Plan (Dayton, 1913): Designed to increase efficiency in municipal governance.

State Political Reforms

  • Voting Improvements:

    • Secret ballots, direct primaries.

    • Initiative, referendum, and recall processes.

    • Advocate: Robert M. LaFollette (Governor of Wisconsin, 1900-06).

  • Seventeenth Amendment (1913): Direct election of senators.

  • Voter Participation Data (1876-1920): Trends in presidential election turnout.

State Social Reforms

  • Social Workers and Settlement Houses: Focus on education, culture, and childcare.

  • Labor Regulations:

    • Eight-hour workday, improved workplace safety, workers' compensation, and minimum wage laws.

    • Child labor laws established after events like the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire (1913).

Child Labor Issues

  • Documentation of harsh working conditions for children through images of child laborers across various states.

Settlement Houses

  • Hull House by Jane Addams: Prominent settlement house in Chicago focusing on social reform.

Temperance Movement

  • Crusade Targets: Alcohol consumption.

  • Key Organizations: Women's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU), Anti-Saloon League.

  • Frances Willard: Leader of the WCTU advocating for women's rights and social reform.

Prohibition Context

  • Eighteenth Amendment: Established nationwide prohibition. Map illustrating states with varying prohibition laws.

Socialism as an Alternative

  • Socialist Party: Led by figures like Eugene V. Debs.

  • Industrial Workers of the World (IWW): Radical labor organization advocating for workers’ rights.

Progressive Presidents: Roosevelt, Taft, and Wilson

Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909)

  • Known for his Square Deal policies, trust-busting, and conservation efforts.

  • Influences included labor strikes and consumer protection catalyzed by works like Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle.

William Howard Taft (1909-1913)

  • Continued trust-busting efforts but faced challenges leading to a split in the Republican Party.

  • Notable for the Payne-Aldrich Tariff controversy.

Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921)

  • Advocated for the “New Freedom” with reforms including the Underwood Simmons Tariff and the creation of the Federal Reserve.

Women's Suffrage Movement

Women’s Activism

  • Rise of women professionals and clubs aimed at educational and cultural improvements.

  • Key Organizations: National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) led by Carrie Chapman Catt.

Key Events and Legislation

  • Alice Paul and the National Woman’s Party pushed for the Nineteenth Amendment granting women the right to vote.

  • Varied progress across states regarding women’s suffrage rights.

Race Relations

Strategies for African American Advocacy

  • Booker T. Washington: Advocated for vocational education and economic self-reliance.

  • W.E.B. Du Bois: Promoted a more direct approach for civil rights through the NAACP and the Niagara Movement focusing on the "talented tenth."