Unit 20: Progressivism

Who were the Progressives?

  • Middle Class: neither rich nor poor, industrialization boosted MC population.

  • Progressives are a backlash to industrialization. Populism feeds into this.

  • What do they want?

    • Put the government in the hands of the people- instead of money, may the power be in people’s hands.

    • Use gov. as a tool to stop industrial abuses. big big big gov.

    • Use government as a tool to help society. (socialist, redistribution of wealth)

“Muckrakers”

  • Authors who find bad information and bring it to the top to expose.

Consumer Protection

  • The Jungle by Upton Sinclair: muckraker who advocated for immigrant’s rights and their working conditions in a meat factory.

  • Meat Inspection Act of 1906: bc of ^, gov fixes and creates the USDA

    • USDA

  • Pure Food and Drug Act: creation of FDA,

    • Food Labeling: Labeling required; businesses must have FDA approve.

Progressiveness in Politics

  • Direct primaries: First, party bosses choose, now the people do

  • Initiative: put a law into th statehouse

  • Referendum: ballot of the people, higher wins

  • Limits on contributions: keep away political machines

  • Recall: if a group of people don’t like someone in office, forces him to run for recall

  • 17th Amendment: senators elected by the people

  • 19th amendment: gives women’s suffrage

Progressive Reforms In Industry and Social Life

  • Reformers vs. Saloons

    • Temperance debate

  • New Temperance Organizations

    • Anti-Saloon League: go into schools and give anti-alcoholism propaganda. they then push for income tax, so they don’t need to rely on excise taxes

  • Dry Laws

    • Rural vs Urban (Catholic vs. Protestant, Immigrant vs. non-Immigrant)

    • 1914 50% of U.S dry

    • 18th Amendment (1919)

Failure of Progressiveness

  • Plessy vs. Ferguson (1896): Creates legality of segregation,

  • Booker T. Washington: From Alabama,

    • South

    • Education- Trades: Americans should learn trades (and get an education),

    • Tuskegee Institute

      • George Carver: one of the people u study,

    • “Accommodationist” (Dubois calls Washington an Accommodationist),

  • W.E.B Dubois: starts NAACP, African Americans should gain their rights their future or rn

    • North

    • Politics: does this claim thru politics

    • NAACP: follows dubois’s claim

T.R.’s Square Deal

  • ‘‘Square Deal”: Fair Deal on both sides

  • Three C’s

  • Control of

    • Corporations:

      • Anthracite Coal Strike: go on strike in late fall, Roosevelt threatens to put the U.S military involved, first time U.S gov isn’t supporting big businesses

      • Hepburn Act: puts regulations on rate fares for railroads

      • “Good Trusts” vs “Bad Trusts”: Good trusts benefit the consumer, Bad trusts are bad for the consumer.

    • Consumer Protection: active during Pure Food and Drug Act

    • Conservation of Natural Resources: they want to conserve natural resources, (if we kill everything then there’s nth to eat)

T.R Bows Out

  • Roosevelt’s Decision

    • Two Terms??: He took over after McKinley, then he gets elected. He is going to not run again.

  • Taft as President: TR pushes Taft into the presidency

    • The real “trustbuster”- he busts more trusts in his 4 years than Roosevelt does in his 8 years

Election of 1912:

  • Republican Convention: TR goes to convention

    • Roosevelt/Taft: Taft is chosen as the republican

    • Roosevelt - Joins Progressive Party: he joins this party

      • “Bull Moose” Party: TR finishes the speech after getting shot

  • Candidates

  • Wilson- Democrats (winner !!)

  • Taft- Republican

  • Roosevelt - Progressiveness (splits the votes bc he was once Republican)

  • Debs- Socialist

First Wall: Tariffs

  • Tariff background: Republicans want raise tariffs so they can protect American businesses, Democrats lower.

  • Underwood Tariff: lowers the tariff

    • Effects: It is going to stimulate business because it increases competition.

    • Income Tax: needs money because tariff money is lowered.

      • Populism anyone??: The People’s party pushed for this earlier in time. yay populists !!!!

      • 16th Amendment: ban of alcohol

      • Prohibition

Second Wall: Banking

  • Problems with the banking industry

    • Remember Jackson???: Andrew Jackson killed the National Bank

    • Bank Runs: when a bank goes bankrupt

    • Lack of Elasticity: people will take their money out because they’re worried the banks are using their money

  • Federal Reserve Act: creates 12 Federal Reserve Banks

  • Federal Reserve Notes: allows the banks to not go bankrupt on bank runs

  • Effects: Protects it from the time being, but during the Great Depression, these Federal Reserve Banks have a run of themselves.

Third Wall: Trusts

  • Federal Trade Commission Act: They oversee the merging of companies

  • Clayton Anti-Trust Act:

    • Illegal Acts: interlocking directories, made some actions illegal, puts cases to the front of the line (ends stall tactics)

    • Union Exempt: This makes Union exempt from Anti-Trust legislation.