Progressive Era: Muckrakers, Reforms, and Key Figures

New journalists during the Progressive Era.
Coined "muckrakers" by President Teddy Roosevelt.
Notable Muckrakers and their works:
- Ida Tarbell: Exposed the monopolistic practices of the Standard Oil Company.
- Lincoln Steffens: Documented political corruption in American cities, notably in "The Shame of the Cities."
- Upton Sinclair: Revealed unsanitary conditions in the meatpacking industry with his novel "The Jungle."

During the Progressive Era, a significant number of new voluntary organizations were created.
These organizations brought together progressives who aimed to solve various social problems.
Examples of organizations:
- Women's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU): Advocated for prohibition.
- National Child Labor Committee: Campaigned against child labor.
- Various women's clubs: Focused on civic improvement and social reform.

Margaret Sanger was a controversial figure of the Progressive Era.
Her primary goal was to free women from chronic pregnancy.
She faced imprisonment multiple times for her activities related to birth control advocacy.
Her efforts brought a significant spotlight to the issue of birth control.
Key actions:
- Opened the first birth control clinic in the United States in 1916.
- Founded the American Birth Control League in 1921, which later became Planned Parenthood.
Controversy: A key controversial aspect of Sanger, identified through reading her letters and comments, is that many of her birth control efforts appeared to be geared towards racist eugenics, advocating for birth control among certain populations to improve the "racial stock."

Woman's suffrage refers to the right to vote for women.
Efforts to gain women the right to vote had been building for some time, with some Western states beginning to grant voting rights as early as the 1880s.
During the Progressive Era, the woman's suffrage movement gained substantial momentum, becoming a national movement.
Key Figures and Organizations:
- Alice Paul: President of the National Woman's Party (NWP), known for more militant tactics like picketing the White House.
- Carrie Chapman Catt: Leader of the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA), advocating for a state-by-state approach and a federal amendment.
Strategies: Included parades, public demonstrations, lobbying, and civil disobedience.
In 1920, the 19th Amendment was ratified, granting women the right to vote nationwide.

The early 20th century, around the Progressive Era, was a time when eugenics was a prevalent idea.
Definition: Eugenics is the belief and practice of improving the genetic quality of the human population through selective breeding and sterilization.
Practices: Led to forced sterilization laws in many states, targeting individuals deemed "unfit" due to mental illness, disability, or poverty.
Often intertwined with racist and classist ideologies.

The prohibition movement, advocating for the banning of alcohol, continued throughout this period.
A significant number of big businessmen, including Henry Ford, supported the idea of prohibition, believing it would improve worker productivity and reduce social problems.
In 1920, prohibition officially went into effect with the 18th Amendment, which prohibited the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors.
The Volstead Act was passed to enforce the 18th Amendment.
Exemptions to Prohibition:
- Prior Production: Alcohol produced before prohibition, such as a bottle of wine from 1890, was technically exempt and could still be possessed.
- Religious and Medicinal Use: Alcohol for sacramental purposes (religious) or prescribed by doctors (medicinal) was allowed.
- Industrial Alcohol: There was an exemption for industrial alcohol needed for machinery in certain industries.
- "Twist" on Industrial Alcohol: This exemption for industrial alcohol had a loophole that allowed for a black market or illicit use of chemically altered industrial alcohol, often leading to dangerous concoctions.
Consequences: Led to the rise of speakeasies, bootlegging, and organized crime, while also seeing a decrease in per capita alcohol consumption in some areas.

This term refers to the idea of municipal ownership or control (socialism) over essential public services like gas and water utilities.
Rationale: Aimed to prevent private monopolies from exploiting citizens with high prices or poor service, ensuring these necessities were affordable and accessible to all.
Implementation: Many cities took over the operation of their gas, water, and electricity systems during this era.

Initiative: A proposed law that citizens can put on the ballot by gathering enough signatures from registered voters.
- Once enough signatures are collected, the proposal is placed on the state-wide ballot for all voters to decide.
Referendum: A process where a proposed or existing law is referred to the voters for a direct vote.
- Allows citizens to approve or reject laws passed by the legislature