The Progressive Era

In your own words, describe the Progressive Era.

- The Progressive Era (1890-1920) was a time when many people believed the government should take a more active role in addressing social issues.

You were given 5 key characteristics of the Progressive Era. Describe 3.

a. The government should play an active role in solving societal problems—People believed that the government needed to take charge of addressing social issues (poverty and working conditions).

B. new inventions and new cures (improvements in science) can help society – Scientific advancements and new technologies were seen as tools to help address societal challenges and improve life’s quality.

c. Women should have the right to vote—The era included the push for women’s suffrage, which argued that women should have equal political rights and be able to participate in elections.

What is a Muckraker?

- Muckrakers were journalists who practiced what today is called “investigative journalism” to spotlight corruption in society.

Name 3 Muckrackers and describe what they are known for

a. Jacob Riis – Journalist knew for the book “How the Other Half Lives”, which exposed the poor living of New York City’s tenement slums

b. Upton Sinclair – Wrote “The Jungle” to reveal the harsh conditions in the meatpacking industry, leading to food safety regulations

c. Ida Tarbell – One of the leading Muckrackers of her day, best known for the “History of the Standard Oil Company”, which exposed the corrupt practices of the oil industry

Who was Robert Lafollete? What is a Direct Primary? And How is he connected to it?

a. Robert Lafolette was a Wisconsin Governer and a Progressive leader who pushed for political reforms to empower citizens

b. A Direct Primary is an election where voters directly select candidates for the general election.

c. Lafolette support the Direct Primary to reduce party leader control and increase voter power, earning Wisconsin the title “Laboratory of Democracy”.

Define Initiative.

Initiative – allows groups of citizens to introduce a law in their state government and require the legislature to vote on it.

Define Referendum

Referendum – allows proposed laws to be voted on directly by the people instead of just its state legislature.

What is the 17^th Amendment?

“Senators” were now to be chosen by a direct election of the people of a state, not by the state governments.

Explain Teddy Roosevelt’s “Square Deal”.

a. Break up big business monopolies (trust)

b. Protect the environment and public health

c. Improve working conditions for factory workers

Northern Securitires-V-The US. What was this court case about? What was the ruling?

Roosevelt and the government sued Northern Securities (a trust made up of two large railroads). The Supreme Court ruled that Northern Securities was a monopoly and in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act.

Roosevelt put his stamp on the presidency most clearly in the area of environmental conservation. He declared millions of acres of land as protected national forests and urged Americans to conserve natural resources.

The Newlands Reclamation Act authorized federal construction of dams and reservations in the West.

Coal Strike of 1902. When the United Mineworkers went on strike in 1902, Roosevelt intervened in the strike and got the union and the owners to agree to arbitration.

Hepburn Act of 1906. Roosevelt wanted the government to regulate railroad rates to ensure fairness. The Hepburn Act gave the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) the power to set railroad rates to make sure that companies did not compete unfairly with each other.

Teddy Roosevelt did not run for president in 1908. Instead, he hand-picked his successor William Howard Taft.

Problems with Taft. Although hand-picked by Roosevelt, Taft was not popular with Progressives. 1) Taft lacked the energy and personal magnetism of his mentor. 2) He fired the popular Gifford Pincho as Chief of the U.S. Forest Service. 3) Taft signed the Payne-Aldrich Tariff into law.

Payne-Aldrich Tariff Act was the law that called for lower tariffs (taxes on imports).

Roosevelt Challenges Taft. Because Taft had not followed through with many progressive reforms, in 1912 Roosevelt challenged Taft for the Republic nomination. This caused a split in the Republican party.

Election of 1912. The split between the Republicans opened the door for the Democratic candidate, Woodrow Wilson, to win the election.

TR. and the Bull Moose Party. Upset with the direction that Taft had taken the country, in 1912, Roosevelt ran for an unprecedented third term as President. When it became clear that the Republican Party was not going to nominate him, TR left the convention and formed the Progressive Party, also known as the Bull Moose Party.

Underwood Tariff. The first major reduction in tariffs. The average tariff was decreased from 41 percent to 27 percent.

16^th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution created a national income tax. It gave the federal government the power to directly tax its citizens.

Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Wilson also wanted to restore competition in the economy. He wanted to break up monopolies. However, he realized it would be unrealistic to break up large companies. In 1914, Wilson asked Congress to create the Federal Trade Commission to regulate American business. However; it did not have the power to order companies to stop unfair trade practices.

Clayton Antitrust Act. To strengthen the federal government’s ability to break up trust, the Clayton Antitrust Act was passed. The law gave workers’ unions significantly more power because it legalized unions, strikes, boycotts, and pickets.

The Birth of the N.A.A.C.P. One issue the Progressive Movement did not address was the issue of equal rights for African Americans. In response, W.E.B. Dubois helped to form the NAACP in 1909.

Temperance Movement. Some progressives believed that a lot of the nation’s problems were tied in with the consumption and sale of alcohol. The movement to rid the nation of alcohol was known as the Temperance Movement. Three groups led the call for temperance: women’s groups, business owners, and Christians.

Temperance Movement. Women led the call for temperance because alcoholism led to abusive men and the loss of jobs. The leader of the movement was a hatchet-wielding woman by the name of Carrie Nation.

18^th Amendment made the sale or consumption of alcohol illegal throughout the United States.