Study Guide: The Progressive Era (1890–1920)

I. Causes of the Progressive Movement

1. What was the main goal of the Progressive movement?

   To address social, political and economic injustices caused by industrialization, urbanization, and corruption, advocating for government intervention to improve society.

2. Which social class was most involved in Progressivism?

   The middle class, particularly professionals, journalists, and social reformers, were most active, seeking to regulate big business and improve living condition.

3. What previous movement was most similar to Progressivism?

   The Populist movement (focused on farmers and economic reforms), as both sought to challenge corporate power and advocate for political and economic reforms, though Progressivism was more urban and middle-class focused.

II. Political Reforms

4. What are three major political reforms Progressives achieved?

   • Initiative:

     Allowed citizens to propose laws directly on the ballot.

   • Referendum:

     Enabled voters/citizens to directly approve or reject laws passed by legislature.

   • Recall:

     Gave voters/citizens the power to remove elected officials from office before their term ended.

5. What was the purpose of the 17th Amendment (1913)?
   It allowed for the direct election of U.S. senators by the people, reducing corruption and increasing democratic participation.
   

6. What was the goal of the 19th Amendment (1920)?
   It granted women the right to vote, marking a significant step toward gender equality in the political sphere.
   

III. Economic & Business Reforms

7. What was Theodore Roosevelt’s domestic policy called?

   The square deal, which focused on consumer protection, regulating corporations and conservation.

8. Which law was passed in response to Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle?

   The Meat Inspection Act (1906) and the Pure Food and Drug Act (1906), both aimed at ensuring food safety and preventing false labeling.

9. What was the goal of the Sherman Antitrust Act (1890)?

   To break up monopolies and prevent anti-competitive business practices.

10. How did the Clayton Antitrust Act (1914) strengthen the Sherman Antitrust Act?

    It clarified and expanded antitrust laws by prohibiting specific monopolistic practices and protecting labor unions from being prosecuted as monopolies.

IV. Social Reforms

11. Who founded the Hull House and what was its purpose?
    Jane Addams founded Hull House to provide education, childcare, and social services to immigrants and the poor in urban areas.
    

12. What was the purpose of settlement houses?
    They aimed to assist immigrants and the working class by offering education, healthcare, and social services in urban neighborhoods,
    

13. What was the Temperance Movement?
    A social movement aimed at reducing or banning alcohol consumption, leading to Prohibition (18th amendment).
    

14. Who were muckrakers, and what did they do?
    Investigative journalists who exposed corruption, poor working conditions, and social injustices in order to spur reforms.
    

15. Match the muckraker to their work:

• Upton Sinclair → The Jungle (exposed the meatpacking industry)

• Jacob Riis → How The Other Half Lives (revealed urban poverty and tenement housing conditions)

• Ida Tarbell → The History of the Standard Oil Company (exposed Rockefeller’s monopolistic practices)

• Lincoln Steffens → The Shame of the Cities (uncovered political corruption in cities)

V. Labor & Workers’ Rights

16. What was the main goal of labor unions during the Progressive Era?

    To improve wages, safer/better working conditions, and labor rights, including reducing child labor and securing an 8-hour workday.

17. What did the Supreme Court case Muller v. Oregon (1908) decide?

    It upheld laws limiting women’s work hours, arguing that women’s health needed special protection.

18. Which fire led to workplace safety reforms

    The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire (1911), which resulted in new fire safety and labor laws.

VI. Conservation & Environmentalism

19. What was the difference between conservation and preservation?

• Conservation: Advocated for the responsible use of natural resources (supported by Roosevelt and Gifford Pinchot)

• Preservation: Sought to protect nature from any human interference (promoted by John Muir)

20. What was the Hetch Hetchy controversy?

A debate over wether to build a dam in Yosemite’s Hetch Hetchy Valley; conservationists supported it for water supply, while preservationists opposed it to protect nature.

VII. Key Progressive Presidents

21. Who were the three Progressive Era Presidents?

    Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and Woodrow Wilson

22. What was Woodrow Wilson’s reform program called?

    The New Freedom, which focused on banking reform, tariff reduction and stronger antitrust laws or business regulation.

23. What major financial reform did Wilson pass?

    The Federal Reserve Act (1913), which created the Federal Reserve System to stabilize the economy and regulate banks.

VIII. Key Exam Topics to Review

24. What were the goals of Progressivism?

    To promote social justice, regulate big business, expand democracy, and improve public welfare.

25. Which amendments were passed during the Progressive Era?

• 16th Amendment:

  Allowed the federal government to impose an income tax.

• 17th Amendment:

  Establish the direct election of senators.

• 18th Amendment:

  Prohibited the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol (Prohibition).

• 19th Amendment:

  Granted women the right to vote.