People

Progressive Presidents

  • Theodore Roosevelt

    • Known as a "trust-buster" for breaking up monopolies under the Sherman Antitrust Act.

    • Square Deal: Focused on conservation of natural resources, control of corporations, and consumer protection.

    • Created the Pure Food and Drug Act and Meat Inspection Act (1906).

    • Supported labor reforms like arbitration in the 1902 Coal Strike.

    • Conservation efforts: Established national parks and wildlife refuges.

  • William Howard Taft

    • Continued trust-busting but emphasized a more conservative approach.

    • Broke more trusts than Roosevelt but alienated progressives by supporting the Payne-Aldrich Tariff, which raised tariffs.

    • Promoted Dollar Diplomacy, using economic investments to advance U.S. influence abroad.

    • Lost Progressive support, leading to the Republican split in the 1912 election.

  • Woodrow Wilson

    • New Freedom platform: Focused on attacking the “Triple Wall of Privilege” — tariffs, banks, and trusts.

    • Underwood Tariff Act (1913): Reduced tariffs and reformed the tax system with the 16th Amendment (federal income tax).

    • Federal Reserve Act (1913): Reformed the banking system.

    • Clayton Antitrust Act: Strengthened laws against monopolies.

    • Keating-Owen Act: Restricted child labor (later declared unconstitutional).

    • Progressive Amendments: Oversaw the 17th (direct election of senators), 18th (prohibition), and 19th (women's suffrage).

Other Key Figures

  • Robert La Follette

    • Wisconsin governor and senator; leader of the Progressive movement.

    • Advocated for the “Wisconsin Idea” — reforms like direct primaries, initiatives, and recalls to increase democracy.

    • Pushed for regulation of railroads and corporate power.

  • “Uncle Joe” Cannon

    • Speaker of the House known for his conservative control over Congress.

    • Opposed many progressive reforms, sparking efforts to limit his power.

  • Louis Brandeis

    • Progressive lawyer and first Jewish Supreme Court Justice.

    • Advocated for workers’ rights and defended labor laws in Muller v. Oregon.

    • “Brandeis Brief”: Legal strategy using data and social science to support arguments in court.

  • W. E. B. Du Bois

    • Co-founder of the NAACP; advocated for immediate equality for African Americans.

    • Opposed Booker T. Washington’s “Atlanta Compromise,” pushing instead for civil rights and higher education.

    • The Souls of Black Folk (1903): Criticized racial inequality and the “double consciousness” of Black Americans.

  • Charles Beard

    • Influential historian who applied economic analysis to American history.

    • Argued the Constitution was crafted by elites to protect economic interests.

Progressive Reformers

  • Jane Addams

    • Founder of Hull House, a settlement house in Chicago providing social services to immigrants and the poor.

    • Pioneer of social work and advocate for women’s suffrage and labor reforms.

  • Walter Rauschenbusch

    • Leading figure in the Social Gospel movement.

    • Believed Christianity should address social injustices like poverty and inequality.

  • John A. Ryan

    • Catholic priest who advocated for social reform, particularly labor rights.

    • Supported living wages and fair labor standards.

  • Thorstein Veblen

    • Economist and social critic; author of The Theory of the Leisure Class (1899).

    • Criticized the wealthy for “conspicuous consumption” — spending for status, not necessity.

  • Anne Shaw

    • Activist for women’s suffrage and social reform.

  • Carrie Catt

    • President of the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA).

    • “Winning Plan” secured state-by-state and federal victories for the 19th Amendment.

  • Walter Lippmann

    • Journalist and social commentator who criticized government corruption.

    • Early advocate for pragmatic solutions to social problems.

  • Charlotte Perkins Gilman

    • Feminist writer and social reformer; author of Women and Economics (1898).

    • Argued for economic independence of women and criticized gender roles.

Muckrakers

  • Helen Hunt Jackson

    • Wrote A Century of Dishonor, highlighting injustices against Native Americans.

  • Henry Demarest Lloyd

    • Author of Wealth Against Commonwealth (1894), exposing Standard Oil’s monopolistic practices.

  • Frank Norris

    • Wrote The Octopus, which criticized railroad monopolies and their exploitation of farmers.

  • Lincoln Steffens

    • Wrote The Shame of the Cities, exposing corruption in urban politics.

  • Upton Sinclair

    • Author of The Jungle (1906), exposing unsanitary conditions in the meatpacking industry.

    • His work led to the passage of the Pure Food and Drug Act and Meat Inspection Act.

  • Jacob Riis

    • Photojournalist and author of How the Other Half Lives, documenting the poor conditions in urban tenements.

  • Oscar Handlin

    • Historian and reformer known for studies on immigration and social change.

  • Herbert Croly

    • Author of The Promise of American Life (1909), which influenced Theodore Roosevelt’s New Nationalism.

  • Edward Sheldon

    • Playwright whose works exposed social injustices and human struggles.

  • Ida Tarbell

    • Investigative journalist who exposed Standard Oil’s monopolistic practices in McClure’s Magazine.

    • Her work was key to breaking up Standard Oil through antitrust lawsuits.

Additional Figures

  • “Big Bill” Haywood

    • Leader of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW).

    • Advocated for radical labor reforms and direct action for workers' rights.