Unit 3 Progressivism
The Progressive Era was a period of widespread social activism and political reform across the United States, from the 1890s to the 1920s. Its primary goals were to address problems caused by industrialization, urbanization, immigration, and political corruption. Progressives aimed to purify government, end child labor, improve working conditions and wages, ensure safety in factories, and guarantee a sanitary food supply, among other reforms. They believed that government could be an agent of change to improve society.
Key Terms and Figures of the Progressive Era
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire Incident: A tragic fire in 1911 at a garment factory in New York City that killed 146 workers, mostly young immigrant women. This event highlighted dangerous working conditions in factories and spurred significant workplace safety reforms and growth of labor unions.
Muckrakers: Journalists who exposed corruption and problems in society during the Progressive Era. They used investigative reporting to uncover scandals in business and government, aiming to provoke public outrage and reform.
Ida Tarbell - targeting Rockefeller's Standard Oil: A prominent muckraker known for her investigative series, "The History of the Standard Oil Company" (1902-1904). Her exposé revealed John D. Rockefeller's ruthless business practices and contributed to the eventual breakup of the Standard Oil monopoly.
Jane Addams and Hull House: A leading figure in the settlement house movement and a social reformer. In 1889, she co-founded Hull House in Chicago, one of the first and most influential settlement houses in the U.S., offering social services and educational opportunities to immigrants and the poor.
Upton Sinclair's The Jungle: A 1906 novel by muckraker Upton Sinclair, which graphically depicted the unsanitary conditions and shocking practices of the meatpacking industry in Chicago. The book sparked public outrage and directly led to the passage of the Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act.
Jacob Riis - Photojournalist Muckraker: A Danish-American social reformer and photojournalist who documented the squalid living conditions in New York City slums in his book "How the Other Half Lives" (1890). His photographs and writings greatly influenced public perception of poverty and spurred urban reform efforts.
Lincoln Steffens Shame of the Cities: A muckraker known for his 1904 book, a collection of articles exposing municipal corruption and the failures of urban governments in various American cities. His work highlighted the influence of political machines and their detrimental effects on democracy.
Helen Hunt Jackson's A Century of Dishonor: An activist for Native American rights, her 1881 book documented the injustices and broken treaties committed by the U.S. government against Native American tribes. Her work brought public attention to the plight of Native Americans and advocated for reform.
Suffrage Movement: The decades-long struggle for women's right to vote in the United States. It involved various organizations, protests, and lobbying efforts, culminating in the passage of the 19th Amendment.
19th Amendment - Right to Vote for Women: Ratified in 1920, this amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibits states and the federal government from denying the right to vote to citizens of the United States on the basis of sex, effectively granting women the right to vote.
Alice Paul: A prominent leader of the women's suffrage movement. A more radical suffragist, she founded the National Woman's Party (NWP) and employed aggressive tactics like picketing the White House and hunger strikes to advocate for women's voting rights.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton: A leading figure in the early women's rights movement. She was a primary organizer of the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848 and co-authored the Declaration of Sentiments, advocating for women's suffrage and other rights.
Carrie Chapman Catt: A prominent leader of the women's suffrage movement who served as president of the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA). She advocated for a state-by-state approach to achieve women's suffrage, alongside federal amendments.
National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA): Formed in 1890 by the merger of two existing suffrage organizations, NAWSA was a major women's suffrage organization that advocated for women's right to vote through various strategies, including lobbying, education, and peaceful protest.
National Woman's Party (NWP): Founded by Alice Paul and Lucy Burns in 1916, this suffrage organization adopted more assertive and confrontational tactics, such as parades, picketing, and civil disobedience, to pressure for the passage of a federal suffrage amendment.
Recall: A Progressive-era political reform that allows citizens to remove an elected official from office before their term has expired through a direct vote.
Initiative: A Progressive-era political reform that allows citizens to propose new laws or constitutional amendments directly by gathering a sufficient number of signatures on a petition.
Referendum: A Progressive-era political reform that allows citizens to approve or reject laws passed by the legislature through a direct popular vote.
Commission Government: A form of municipal government where a group of elected commissioners is responsible for both legislative and executive functions, with each commissioner typically overseeing a specific department (e.g., public works, finance).
17th Amendment - direct election of senators: Ratified in 1913, this amendment changed the method of electing U.S. Senators from selection by state legislatures to direct popular vote by the people of each state.
1900 Galveston Hurricane: A devastating natural disaster that hit Galveston, Texas, causing immense destruction and loss of life. It led to the adoption of the commission government in Galveston to rebuild the city, an innovation that spread to other cities.
Teddy Roosevelt Trustbuster: President Theodore Roosevelt earned this nickname for his vigorous efforts to break up industrial monopolies and trusts that he believed were harmful to the public interest. His administration used the Sherman Anti-Trust Act more actively than previous administrations.
Primary goal of the Progressive Movement: To address and reform the social, economic, and political problems arising from industrialization, urbanization, and unchecked capitalism. This included fighting corruption, improving living and working conditions, and promoting social justice.
Square Deal (fair deal): President Theodore Roosevelt's domestic program, based on three basic ideas: conservation of natural resources, control of corporations, and consumer protection. It aimed to provide a "square deal" for all Americans, favoring neither business nor labor.
Roosevelt and Conservation: Theodore Roosevelt was a passionate conservationist. He established numerous national parks, forests, and wildlife refuges, created the U.S. Forest Service, and advocated for the sustainable use of natural resources.
16th Amendment - Income Tax: Ratified in 1913, this amendment to the U.S. Constitution allows the federal government to levy an income tax on all Americans.
President Taft's Reforms: William Howard Taft, Roosevelt's successor, continued many Progressive reforms, including further trust-busting (even more than Roosevelt), supporting direct election of senators, and strengthening the Interstate Commerce Commission. He also established the Children's Bureau.
Federal Reserve System: Established in 1913 by the Federal Reserve Act, it is the central banking system of the United States. It was created to provide a more stable and flexible financial system, control the money supply, and regulate banks.
Temperance Movement and Prohibition: The Temperance Movement was a social movement against the consumption of alcoholic beverages. It culminated in Prohibition (1920-1933) with the 18th Amendment, which banned the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol in the U.S.
Pure Food and Drug Act: Passed in 1906, this act prevented the manufacture, sale, or transportation of adulterated or misbranded or poisonous or deleterious foods, drugs, medicines, and liquors, laying the foundation for the modern FDA.
Meat Inspection Act: Passed in 1906, this law mandated federal inspection of meat destined for interstate commerce and set standards for cleanliness in meatpacking plants. It was largely a response to Upton Sinclair's The Jungle.
Sherman Anti-trust Act: Enacted in 1890, this was the first federal law to prohibit industrial combinations (trusts) that restrained trade. While initially weak, it was later used more effectively during the Progressive Era to break up monopolies.
Robert LaFollette - Progressive Governor of Wisconsin: A key Progressive leader, often called "Fighting Bob." As Governor and later Senator from Wisconsin, he championed many Progressive reforms, including direct primaries, railroad regulation, and conservation, making Wisconsin a model of progressive government.
Hiram Johnson - Progressive Governor of California: A prominent Progressive politician who served as Governor of California and later as a U.S. Senator. He fought against the Southern Pacific Railroad's monopoly in California and supported many progressive reforms, including the initiative, referendum, and recall.
Laissez-faire: An economic principle that argues for minimal government intervention in the economy. Progressive reformers often opposed strict laissez-faire policies, believing government intervention was necessary to address social and economic problems.
William "Boss" Tweed and Tammany Hall: William M. Tweed was the notorious leader of Tammany Hall, the Democratic Party political machine that controlled New York City politics in the late 19th century. Tweed and his cronies engaged in widespread corruption and graft, stealing millions from the city.
Political Machines: Unofficial political organizations that sought to gain and maintain power through patronage, control over elections, and sometimes corruption. They were a target of Progressive reformers who aimed to clean up government.
Children's Bureau and Julia Lathrop: Established in 1912 within the Department of Commerce and Labor, the Children's Bureau was the first federal agency to focus exclusively on the welfare of children. Julia Lathrop was its first chief and a leading social reformer, advocating for child labor laws and infant mortality reduction.
Chinese Tongs: Fraternal organizations or secret societies within Chinese immigrant communities in the U.S., particularly during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Some tongs were involved in criminal activities like gambling and opium, which were often sensationalized.
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU): Founded in 1920, the ACLU is a non-profit organization dedicated to defending and preserving the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States.
Anti-Saloon League: A powerful political organization in the late 19th and early 20th centuries that advocated for the prohibition of alcohol in the United States. It played a major role in achieving the passage of the 18th Amendment.
Direct Primary: A Progressive reform that allows voters to directly choose candidates for political office through a primary election, rather than having them selected by party bosses or conventions.
Mergers: The combination of two or more companies into a single new entity. During the Progressive Era, large-scale industrial mergers led to the formation of powerful trusts and monopolies, which became a target of anti-trust reformers.
Federal Trade Commission (FTC): Created in 1914 by the Federal Trade Commission Act, this independent agency of the U.S. government is tasked with protecting consumers and ensuring fair competition by preventing anti-competitive practices, such as monopolies.
Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC): Established in 1887 by the Interstate Commerce Act, the ICC was the first federal regulatory agency in the U.S. It was created to regulate railroads and their monopolistic practices, ensuring fair rates and preventing discriminatory practices.
Clayton Anti-Trust Act: Passed in 1914, this act strengthened the Sherman Anti-Trust Act by specifying certain illegal business practices, such as price discrimination, tying agreements, and exclusive dealing. It also exempted labor unions from anti-trust prosecution.
Lucy Burns: A prominent American suffragist and women's rights advocate. She co-founded the National Woman's Party (NWP) with Alice Paul and was known for her militant tactics and frequent arrests for protesting for women's suffrage.
Margaret Culbertson: While many historical figures named Margaret Culbertson exist, if this refers to a Progressive Era figure, it might be related to social work or reform, though she's not as widely recognized as others on this list. Further context would be needed to identify a specific role.
Donaldina Cameron (often misspelled Mackenzie): A prominent social reformer and missionary who fought against the trafficking of Chinese immigrant girls and women in San Francisco's Chinatown in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She ran the Occidental Mission Home, providing sanctuary and education.
Joseph Mayer Rice: An early educational reformer and journalist known for his critical studies of American education in the late 19th century. His work, particularly "The Public-School System of the United States" (1893), exposed inefficiencies and advocated for child-centered, scientific approaches to education.
Areas of Progressivism: The movement covered a broad range of reforms:
Business reform: Breaking up monopolies and trusts (trust-busting), regulating industries (e.g., railroads), and promoting fair competition.
Ending child labor: Campaigns and legislation to restrict or ban the employment of children in factories and mines.
Improving working conditions: Advocating for shorter workdays, safer factory environments, and workers' compensation.
Higher wages: Pushing for minimum wage laws and better pay for industrial workers.
Improving safety in factories: Enacting regulations to prevent industrial accidents, spurred by events like the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire.
Ending political corruption: Fighting political machines, promoting direct democracy (initiative, referendum, recall, direct primary, 17th Amendment), and civil service reform.
Sanitary food supply: Passing legislation like the Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act to ensure the safety and quality of food and medicines.
Social justice: Advocating for the rights of women (suffrage), Native Americans, and immigrants, and addressing urban poverty through settlement houses.
Conservation: Protecting natural resources and establishing national parks and forests.