History standard 15-18

Conflict: more democracy, or more efficiency?

Expansion of federal government power got a boost with the 16th amendment. Ratified in 1913, this gave the Fed. Gov. the power to establish a separate personal income tax to raise revenue for government activities.

17th amendment: changed how US senators would now be directly elected through popular elections in their states. they used to be selected by the state legislatures

Initiatives, Referendums, and recalls: attempts to put greater control over political processes in the hands of voters during the progressive era

Initiative: 24 states currently have this. Allows voters to bypass their state’s legislature and vote directly on measures included in their ballots. No two states handle this the same, but they generally have petition requirements

Referendum: 24 states Have these. very similar to initiatives, allows citizens to place questions directly on the ballot. A referendum also allows voters to approve/disapprove of legislative action before it can be carried out

Recall: 18 states have this. Allows voters to recall and replace publicly elected officials outside of the impeachment process

Robert follette, governor of Wisconsin from 1901-1906.

Progressive state governor, used his “Wisconsin idea” fro progressive reform in state politics.

Created a “brain trust”, a panel of experts in various field to help him create an effective and efficient government.

 Believed that state schools, the university of Wisconsin, should improve the lives of people beyond its campus.

 Regularly used University professors to help him develop progressive policies.

 Established the direct primary, where voters chose the candidates who ran for office directly.

Temperance movement, long history going back to the 1830s, wanted to limit the consumption of alcohol as a social benefit. Gradually it became the prohibition movement, a movement to ban the sale, consumption, and production of alcohol.

1917, the 18th amendment was introduced, and ratified by 1919. This banned the sale, production, and consumption of Alcohol. Seen as a major victory for social progressives, Social Gospel Reformers.

Compulsory school attendance; by 1918, all states had passed laws mandating that children attend school, prohibiting child labor before 14 year old (exceptions made for family businesses)

Lochner v. New York (1905) SC ruled against a New York State law limiting workers to a ten hour workday.

Court ruled that this law violated 14th amendment protections for businesses and their rights to sign contracts with their workers

Muller v. Oregon (1908) SC ruled that health of women needed special protection from long hours

 although this ruling set a 10 hr day max for women (positive reform) it was rooted in sexist beliefs of the weakness of women, which now as ironically a setback for women’s rights activist

Triangle shirtwaist fire (1911), took 146 lives, mostly women, sparked greater women’s activist, pushed states to pass laws to improve safety

Theodore Roosevelt: previous presidents supported owners over labor, TR supported both - square deal, believed that owners and labor could find a middle ground that benefitted both

penn coal mine strike; Roosevelt threatened to nationalize the mines if the owners did not bargain in good faith with labor organizers;

 trust busting- good v bad trusts, northern securities and standard oil; harmed the public safety and stifled competition;

Elkins act (1903) strengthened interstate commerce commission, prohibited railroads from giving rebates to favored customers;

Hepburn act (1906) ICC could fix “just and reasonable rates for RR; pure food and drug act (1907), meat inspection act (1906) - the jungle; conservation, protect nation’s natural resources

Conservation legacy of Theodore Roosevelt,

established: 150 national forests, 51 federal bird reserves, four national game poreserves, five national parks and 18n national monuments on over 230 million acres of public land

William Howard Taft ordered twice as many prosecutions of trust over TR, including US steel (which TR organized the merger of) Taft went against his word of lowering tariffs, signed the Payne Aldrich tariff (1909) which raised them

Rise of socialist party - Eugene V. Debs called for policies that uplifted and protected labor and called for government reform that reigned in monopolies and provided protections for workers and consumers

Election of 1912: New Nationalism (Roosevelt) v New freedom (Wilson). Roosevelt “bull moose” party

Woodrow Wilson: tariff reduction, underwood tariff (1913) substantially lowered tariffs first time in 50 years; banking reform, Clayton Anti-trust act (strengthened SAA) Sherman Anti-trust act

Federal reserve act of 1913, this act created the central banking system of the United States, the federal reserve system. It is their job to set American monetary policy, manage interest rates, and monitor inflation.

National Park service 1916, Wilson signed the law that created this division of the department of the interior to manage the nations parks, historical monuments and nature reserves

Progressives were divided on these issues, but for the most part supported the following:

not opposed to segregation, largely ignored it,

supported racial science of the day - false science that attempted to rove that whites of European ancestry were superior and that all other races fell into some descending racial category (This was built off of social Darwinist beliefs of the period),

supported Eugenics (belief that races were made stronger through racial breeding , supported policies that encouraged white women to have as many white babies as possible),

supported policies that discourages non-whites from reproducing,

1913-1940, 30 of 48 states passed an anti-interracial marriage laws,

believed all immigrants should assimilate completely to American culture,

opposed immigration from regions deemed inferior- east and southern, Asia, Africa

African Americans in the progressive era

Booker T. Washington v WEB Dubois: economic progress to confront racism contrasted with more confrontational demands for equal civil rights;

 national association for the advancement of colored people: ,mission to abolish all forms of segregation and increase educational opportunities for African American; founded in 1909;

national urban league: formed in 1911 helping people migrating from the South to adjust to Northern cities

Women and the progressive movement: time of new opportunity and optima for a new generation;

national American women’s suffrage association, Carrie Chapman Catt, president in1900; militant suffragists, national woman’s party,

Anne Dallas Dudley, from TN, served as Vice President of NAWSA first women to give an open air speech in TN (1914), hugely influential in the national movement for women’s suffrage, and in TN’s effort to ratify the 19th amendment;

19th amendment in 1920; Tennessee was the perfect 36, 36th state to ratify the 19th amendment, the final one needed;

League of Women Voters; other issues 1. Educational equality 2. Liberalizing marriage and divorce laws 3. Reducing discrimination in business and professions 4. Recognizing women’s rights to own property

Alice Paul, influential leader of the women’s suffrage movement

1917, led 1,000 women on an 18th month picketing campaign of the White House;

also met with president Wilson to advocate for womens suffrage;

she was sentenced for 7 months in prison for her activities, where she went on a hunger strike. Doctors sent her to an insane asylum where she was force fed- her abuse there garnered public support for the suffragettes

2 years, 36 states later, the 19th amendment was adopted

19th amendment= the right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridges by the united state or by any state on account of sex