Chapter 20 Reading Guide

Chapter 20: The Progressives

The Progressive Impulse

  • Idea of Progress: Belief that society can improve; continued growth and advancement is the nation’s destiny.

  • Objective to eliminate laissez-faire and Social Darwinism to enable Progressives to enact purposeful reforms in social and economic affairs for societal betterment.

Varieties of Progressivism

  • Antimonopoly: A focus on reducing the power of large corporations and monopolies.

  • Social Cohesion: Belief in collaborative work for the sake of the community.

  • Faith in Knowledge: Trust in expert opinions and scientific understanding to direct reform.

The Muckrakers

  • Ida Tarbell: Investigative journalist known for her work exposing Standard Oil.

  • Lincoln Steffens: Journalist who exposed corruption in city governments.

The Social Gospel

  • Emphasized social justice and moral responsibility.

  • Salvation Army: Provided social services and advocated for reform.

The Settlement House Movement

  • Jacob Riis: Journalist and social reformer who highlighted immigrant hardships.

  • Hull House (Jane Addams): Pioneered the settlement house movement in Chicago, focused on social work.

The Allure of Expertise

  • Emergence of new professions; establishment of organizations like the American Medical Association to increase standards and ethics in professionals.

New Middle Class

The emergence of a new middle class during the Progressive Era was marked by a shift in job roles and increased educational opportunities, with many professionals being women in traditionally female-dominated fields such as teaching, nursing, and social work.

American Medical Association

The American Medical Association (AMA), founded in the mid-19th century, played a pivotal role in establishing standards and ethics in the medical profession by uniting physicians, improving medical education, advocating for a scientific approach to medicine, and significantly impacting healthcare practices, thereby laying the groundwork for future advancements in women's involvement in medicine.

  • Other Professional Organizations During the Progressive Era, various professional organizations, such as the National Education Association (NEA) and the American Bar Association (ABA), emerged to promote standards and ethical practices across different fields, enhance educational and legal standards, and contribute to the inclusion of women and minorities in professional roles, furthering reform efforts and expanding opportunities within various professions. Women and the Professions: Women increasingly entered and reshaped various professions, such as education, nursing, and social work, asserting their presence and influence despite systemic barriers that often limited their opportunities and recognition.

Women and Reform

  • Women played a vital role in the Progressive Era despite lacking voting rights and power.

  • The “New Woman”: A changing societal role for women; involvement in various social and political reforms.

  • The Clubwomen: Organized under the General Federation of Women’s Clubs for the promotion of state and federal laws beneficial to women, these organizations played a crucial role in advancing women's rights and reform initiatives. The initiatives advocated by the Clubwomen were largely uncontroversial, garnering wide support for their contributions to societal reform.

Women Suffrage

  • The antisuffrage movement was a campaign against women's suffrage, opposing women's right to vote. It primarily consisted of individuals and groups who believed that women lacked the capacity for political decision-making or that their participation in elections would disrupt traditional social norms and family structures. The movement argued that women's roles were primarily as homemakers and that involvement in politics would lead to moral decline in society.

  • National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) led the campaign for the Nineteenth Amendment, granting women the right to vote in 1920.

The Assault on the Parties

  • Belief that government reform is essential to societal reform.

  • Early attacks on political systems during the Progressive Era emphasized the importance of implementing secret ballots to protect voter privacy and facilitate fairer elections, along with advocating for municipal reforms to improve the efficiency and integrity of local government operations.

  • Commission Plan: A form of city governance where a board of commissioners is elected to make policy decisions and provide services, combining executive and legislative functions.

  • City-Manager Plan: A governance structure where an elected city council appoints a city manager to oversee the day-to-day operations of the city government, ensuring professional management of municipal affairs.

Statehouse Progressivism

  • Initiative: A process allowing citizens to propose legislation or constitutional amendments, putting them directly on the ballot for voter approval.

  • Referendum: A direct vote in which an entire electorate is invited to vote on a particular proposal, often resulting in the adoption of new laws or policies.

  • Direct Primary: An election in which members of a political party nominate candidates directly, rather than through party leaders or conventions.

  • Recall: A political process through which voters can remove an elected official from office before the end of their term by voting in a special election.

  • Lobbying and Campaign Contributions: Efforts by individuals or groups to influence legislation or political decisions through contributions and direct interaction with lawmakers.

  • Robert La Follette: A prominent politician and reformer known for his advocacy of progressive policies and the establishment of the Wisconsin Idea, which aimed to expand direct democracy and political reform at the state level.

  • Influential figures include Robert La Follette.

  • Parties and Interest Groups refer to organized groups that seek to influence government policy and public opinion, often through political campaigns, lobbying, and advocacy.

Sources of Progressive Reform

  • Labor, the political machine, and social conditions led to the demand for reforms.

  • The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire, which occurred on March 25, 1911, was a devastating incident in which a fire broke out in a garment factory in New York City, leading to the deaths of 146 workers, primarily young immigrant women, largely due to inadequate safety measures, locked exits, and a lack of fire regulations, prompting widespread outrage and calls for reform in labor laws and workplace safety.

  • Tammany Hall was a powerful political organization in New York City that played a significant role in local and state politics, known for its influence on immigration and support for social welfare initiatives, but also notorious for corruption and patronage practices.

Western Progressives

  • Were reform-minded individuals and groups in the American West who aimed to address social, political, and economic issues, advocating for reforms such as women's suffrage, labor rights, and regulatory measures against corporate power.

African Americans and Reform

  • Booker T. Washington: An African American educator and leader who advocated for vocational training and economic self-reliance as a means for African Americans to improve their social status.

  • W.E.B. Du Bois: A civil rights activist and co-founder of the NAACP who argued for immediate equality and higher education for African Americans, promoting the idea of the "Talented Tenth."

  • Niagara Movement: A civil rights group organized in 1905 that opposed Booker T. Washington's accommodationist approach and demanded equal rights and political representation for African Americans.

  • NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People): Founded in 1909, this organization aimed to secure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights for all persons and eliminate racial hatred and discrimination.

  • Grandfather Clause: A legal provision that allowed individuals to bypass literacy tests and other voting requirements if their grandfathers had been eligible to vote before the Civil War, effectively disenfranchising many African Americans.

  • Lynching & Ida Wells: Lynching refers to the extrajudicial killing of individuals, primarily African Americans, often carried out by mobs; Ida Wells was a journalist and activist who highlighted the prevalence of lynching and campaigned against it.

  • Initiatives such as the Niagara Movement and the establishment of the NAACP emerged to combat injustices like lynching, highlighted by Ida Wells.

Crusade for Social Order and Reform

  • The Temperance Crusade: A significant movement leading to the Eighteenth Amendment prohibiting alcohol.

  • Immigration Restrictions: Influenced by eugenics and the Dillingham Report.

Challenging the Capitalist Order

  • Socialism gained traction with the Socialist Party of America and Eugene V. Debs.

  • Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), known as the “wobblies”, aimed to unite all workers under socialism.

The Theodore Roosevelt and the Modern Presidency

  • **Accidental President: Emerged due to McKinley's assassination, focusing on progressive reforms.

  • Government, Capital, and Labor: Established the Department of Commerce and Labor to mediate conflicts.

  • During the Progressive Era, women played a vital role in advocating for reforms and the passage of significant state and federal laws, such as the Nineteenth Amendment, which aimed to improve social conditions and expand women's rights.

Significant Legislation

  • Square Deal: Ensured fairness for labor, consumers, and businesses.

  • Hepburn Railroad Regulation Act (1906): Strengthened the Interstate Commerce Commission.

  • Pure Food and Drug Act: Protected consumers from unsafe products.

  • Meat Inspection Act: Established sanitary standards in the meat industry.

Roosevelt and Conservation

  • Gifford Pinchot: Advocated for conservation and sustainable use of natural resources through the National Forest Service.

  • Newlands Act: Facilitated irrigation projects in the west.

  • Hetch Hetchy Controversy: A major debate over environmental conservation versus urban development.

The Panic of 1907 & J.P. Morgan

  • Financial crisis that led to greater federal interest in regulating the economy.

The Troubled Succession

  • William Howard Taft: Roosevelt’s successor faced progressive dissatisfaction due to tariff and environmental policies.

  • Payne-Aldrich Tariff: Controversial tariff that angered progressives.

  • Ballinger-Pinchot Dispute: Highlighted conflicts between conservationists and big business interests.

The Return of Roosevelt

  • “New Nationalism”: Sought to further progressive reforms.

  • Progressive Party: Founded after Roosevelt split from Taft.

Woodrow Wilson and the New Freedom

  • New Freedom: Aimed at restoring economic competition and ensuring no monopolies.

  • Election of 1912: Marked a significant turning point with the clash of progressivism between Wilson, Roosevelt, and Taft.

Significant Legislation

  • Underwood-Simmons Tariff: Reduced tariffs and made provisions for income tax.

  • Sixteenth Amendment: Authorized federal income tax.

  • Federal Reserve Act: Established the modern banking system.

  • Federal Trade Commission Act: Regulated unfair business practices.

  • Clayton Anti-Trust Act: Broadened the scope of antitrust laws.