Progressivism

  • Progressivism: the belief that social and political reform should be furthered, that political corruption caused by political machines should be negated, and the limiting of the political influence of large corporations 

  • Antimonopoly: Progressives were against monopolies because they saw them as unfair, so they advocated for laws to be made for the regulation of trade and commerce 

  • Muckrakers: reform-minded journalists, writers, photographers (basically reform influencers) who claimed to be exposing the corruption and wrongdoing in institutions (usually through sensationalized works)

  • Settlement House Movement: addressed poverty and inequality, pioneering a community-based approach that recognized the interconnectedness of social problems and advocated for social justice (like suffrage)

    • Hull House: founded by Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr, was the first American settlement house that served as a community center, providing social, educational, and cultural services to poor immigrants. Hull House aimed to bridge the gap between the poor and the rich and advocated for reforms, social justice, and pubic policy changes 

  • General Federation of Women’s Clubs (GFWC): a federation of over 2,000 women's clubs that promoted civic improvements through volunteer work, founded in 1890 and still exists today 

  • Women’s Trade Union League (WTUL): advocated for the rights of female workers in the United States, founded in 1903 and still exists today 

  • National American Women’s Suffrage Association (NAWSA): the organization advocated for women’s voting rights, 1890-1920

    • 19th Amendment: women can vote yayy

  • New Forms of Governance 

    • Commission Plan: 

    • City Managers Plan: 

Robert La Follette: a state-level reformer who launched the National Progressive Republican League in 1911, led Wisconsin to win approval of direct primaries (elections), initiatives, and referendums. Allowed for the regulation of railroads, the passing of laws to regulate workplaces and provide worker compensation for injuries, institute graduated taxes for inheritances, and nearly doubled state levies on railroads and other corporate interests