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Progressivism

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Title: Progressivism


1
Progressivism
  • A change in Government

2
  • Falling on the heels of American Imperialism, the
    Progressive movement was to reform the American
    government to a more efficient, smoother
    operating machine.
  • A complete departure from the corrupt Gilded
    Age. Improvements in the government, society,
    economy, etc.
  • The rise of Theodore Roosevelt his policies,
    contributions lasting effects of the US.
  • Many compared progressivism with a dressed up
    form of populism.

3
  • Populism definitely had an effect on
    progressivism. The Mugwumps pushed for the
    reform the concept of an honest government.
  • The increase in socialism in the US its ideals
    for the working middle class also played into
    the progressive movement.
  • Social reformers had a great deal of influence on
    the Progressive movement. They were bringing the
    plight of urban decay to the nations attention.
    Social critics advocated for this reform, in all
    aspects of society.

4
  • The media increased its role as the social
    watchdog. Reporting on everything that was
    wrong with society. Some of the key issues were
    child labor, working conditions, monopolies, etc.
  • These writers earned the name Muckrakers by T.R.,
    because they stirred up trouble among the
    population.
  • Henry Demarest Lloyd was called the 1st
    muckraker, Jacob Riis, Lincoln Steffens were
    some of the most prominent. Women were also in
    this category, since they were the most active in
    the issues of social change.

5
Democracy
  • The changes to our democratic process are
    important today
  • Direct Primary nomination of candidates by the
    vote of party members.
  • Initiative voters petition to have an issue
    placed on the ballot.
  • Referendum the issue is presented to the voting
    public for their vote.
  • Recall public referendum to remove an existing
    law, statute or elected official.

6
Efficiency
  • This was the gospel of the Progressive era.
  • Scientific studies were done to improve time
    management, reduce waste increase production.
    This was in every aspect of American society.
    Frederick W. Taylor, the efficiency expert,
    whose book, The Principles of Scientific
    Management, highlighted his research. Scientific
    management would be called Taylorism due to his
    contributions to the movement.

7
  • The government started re-organizing its
    agencies to prevent the overlapping of services,
    established distinct lines authority who was in
    charge who was to blame.
  • The formation of efficient, municipal government
    styles were being developed.
  • Commission System authority placed on a board
    of elected officials of city departments.
  • City-Manager System a professional
    administrator runs the city by the policies
    established by the city council mayor.

8
Regulation
  • Monopolies big business were also a major
    concern in the Progressive Era.
  • Sherman Anti-Trust Act of 1890 was established
    to keep check on monopolies, but it never really
    worked. It had no real authority yet.
  • Many city governments began using socialist
    ideas, i.e. public utilities gas, water,
    transportation.
  • It would not be until later on that true
    regulation would take place. The monopolies were
    able to work their way out of most situations,
    with money, threats or out maneuver the
    government.

9
Social Justice
  • The growth of social workers, charities, reform
    campaigns were extremely abundant. This fell in
    line with the settlement house reformers of the
    late 1800s.
  • The most important social reform of the period
    was labor legislation. Started at the state
    level slowly worked its way up.
  • National Child Labor Committee 1904 pushed
    for the ban on the employment of young children.
    Which was a major problem of the time.

10
  • It would take 10 years before most states banned
    the use of under age children. The definition
    for under age varied from state to state 12
    to 16 yrs. old. Also, it limited the hours older
    children were eligible to work. This only
    applied to factories, mills, mines, etc. Farms
    were generally not effected by the new Child
    Labor Laws.
  • The issue of women in the work place went side by
    side the child labor movement. Florence Kelley,
    head of the National Consumers League, pushed for
    better working hours for working mothers wives.
    Many states banned women from working at night
    or on dangerous jobs (this applied to children
    also).

11
  • The Supreme Court varied on its rulings
    concerning work hours. Hours ranged from 8-10-12
    hours a day, depending on the job what part of
    the country the worker is in.
  • A major push to improve working conditions in
    factories, mills, mines (?). A contributing
    factor to this, was the fire at the Triangle
    Shirtwaist Co. in NY. In 1911 about 146 workers,
    mostly women, were killed. There were not enough
    exits, most of the doors windows were barred
    (so they would not try to sneak out when they
    should be working), no way to escape from the
    10 story building (most were on the top 3 floors).

12
  • Accident compensation that happened while at work
    was also a target for reform.
  • Before, there really was no compensation.
    Working conditions were very hazardous, exposed
    machinery, belts, pulleys, furnaces, etc. It was
    not uncommon for most of the workers to be
    missing body parts from the machinery they worked
    around.
  • Legislation changed so that the worker would
    receive compensation if injured at work.
  • Women were the main contributing force behind
    most of these changes.

13
Prohibition
  • The push for the banning of alcohol has a long
    history in the US. Since the early 1800s, it
    had been growing steadily. Several groups were
    formed for the sole issue of prohibition.
  • The Womens Christian Temperance Union The
    Anti-Saloon League were 2 of the most prominent.
    They began to get politically active amass a
    large following. These were single-issue groups,
    there were many other prohibitionist groups, but
    they also had other issues they worked for.

14
Roosevelt Progressivism
  • He became President in 1901, promised to keep
    some of McKinleys polices in tact.
  • T.R. wanted a Square Deal for all. He was
    going to enforce the existing Anti-Trust Big
    Business laws, instead of developing new ones.
  • He tried to re-establish small businesses, to
    little success.
  • Started to give laws like the Sherman Anti-trust
    act more teeth to work with.
  • 1902 he ordered the Supreme Court to break-up
    the RR monopoly of the Northern Securities Co.
    J.P. Morgan owned part of this.

15
  • T.R. increased the enforcement of the Sherman
    Anti-trust act, but did not introduce new
    legislation. But, during his term, he brought up
    over 25 anti-trust lawsuits, increased federal
    regulation over interstate commerce.
  • 1903 Elkins Act made it illegal for the RR to
    give or receive secret rebates to favored
    customers, everyone had to be charged the same
    price. T.R.s square deal policy. He gave
    trusts a chance to cooperate, and many did. But
    those that didnt were broken up by the
    government.

16
  • T.R. elected President again in 1904, voters
    approved of his Progressive Conservative
    issues.
  • Once again, he focused on regulation control
    over businesses.
  • The Hepburn Act of 1906 gave the Interstate
    Commerce Commission more authority, allowed it to
    control freight rates of the RR set the maximum
    rate they could charge.
  • The meat packing industry, food processing, drug
    patent medicine makers all fell under Federal
    regulation. This would set the ground work for
    the Pure Food Drug Act, an earlier version of
    the Food Drug Administration.

17
  • Conservation was one of T.R. lasting legacies.
    Protecting the environment, wilderness areas,
    woodlands, etc., were very important to
    Roosevelt.
  • The National Park Service was established in
    1916, after several areas were set aside as
    public reserves. Yellowstone Park was
    established in 1872, many were added on to the
    public reserves status thus forming the NPS.
  • The Department of Agriculture was given the
    authority to govern forested areas. 1881,
    Congress created the Division of Forestry within
    the Dept. of Ag. Roosevelt appointed Gifford
    Pinchot as Chief Forester. He was very
    scientific a very good administrator.

18
  • Forest Reserve Act of 1891 set aside about 172
    million acres of timberland forests from
    settlement, logging, creating wildlife refuges,
    parks recreation sites, naturalist areas,
    national parks landmark areas.
  • States soon followed suit established their own
    conservation departments commissions.

19
William Howard Taft
  • Elected President in 1908, he was hand-picked
    by Roosevelt to be his successor carry on his
    plans.
  • The other candidates were William Jennings Bryan
    (Dem) Eugene V. Debs (Socialist)
  • Taft won easily Roosevelt celebrated by going
    on an African Safari.
  • Taft served as the Sec. Of War under T.R. and had
    a pretty distinguished political career. (Even
    though he did not like politics)
  • Had the distinction of being the heaviest Pres.
    (over 300lbs.)

20
  • Once in office, he went against the Rep. Party
    tradition he lowered tariffs on coal, iron ore,
    oil, cotton, etc., he increased duty-free
    items.
  • Dollar Diplomacy the use of diplomacy to secure
    promote US economic/financial interests in the
    Orient. It began with China followed the Open
    Door Policy, and would spread throughout US
    politics of the period.
  • Taft caused many of the Rep. to jump ship
    join the Dem.

21
  • Ballinger Pinchot Controversy of 1910
  • Chief Forester Gifford Pinchot discovered corrupt
    dealings by the Sec. Of the Interior Richard
    Ballinger. He had supposedly sold land that was
    set aside as part of the Forest Reserve Act for
    commercial use.
  • Pinchot informed Taft of the situation, but Taft
    did nothing. Pinchot went public with the
    information Taft fired him for insubordination.
    Also, Ballinger was cleared of all charges.
  • When T.R. returned heard of Tafts betrayal of
    his policies, he set out to get even. This
    situation increased the growing rift between
    T.R., Taft the Republicans.

22
  • By the time of the Pres. Election of 1912, Taft
    (Rep), Roosevelt (Bull Moose Party or
    Progressive), Debs (Socialist), Wilson (Dem)
  • Taft took advantage of his last year in office
    had a flurry of activity. He established the
    Appalachian Forest Reserve Act (1911), gave the
    ICC more power, Fed. Childrens Bureau (1912),
    16th Amendment federal income tax, 17th
    Amendment popular election of senators.
  • T.R. was still very formidable spiteful, he
    called Taft a traitor hopeless Fathead.
    While campaigning he was shot, but still gave his
    speech, refusing to let the Dr. operate until he
    was through.

23
Woodrow Wilson
  • The division with the Rep. Party, plus all the
    scandals associated with Republican rule, caused
    the Democrats to win the election.
  • Wilson would be the high point for Progressivism.
    His New Nationalism focused on social reform,
    social justice, taxes, workers compensation,
    labor regulation for women children.
  • He also brought the South into National politics
    and international affairs. Many Southerners were
    part of Wilsons Cabinet William Jennings Bryan
    was appointed as Sec. Of State.

24
Wilson Progressivism
  • Wilson relied more on Party loyalty politics
    than he did popular support. Inter-party
    rivalries were settled, and everyone focused on
    what would be good for the nation.
  • Underwood-Simmons Tariff 1913 lowered the
    average import duty by 1/5 over 300 items were
    exempted from tariff duties. Lost revenue was
    made up by the 1st use of the 16th Amendment, 1
    on incomes of 3,000 (4,000 for couples).

25
  • Federal Reserve Act1913also called the
    Glass-Owens Act, created a new banking system
    with regional reserve banks that were supervised
    by a central Board of Directors. Made money
    bank credit apply to more areas, lessened the
    concentration of banks reserves in NYC.
  • Federal Trade Commission1914-created as a
    watchdog of trade commerce. They would define
    unfair trade practices issue orders to stop the
    practice. This was the cornerstone of Wilsons
    anti-trust program.

26
  • Clayton Anti-trust Act-1914- outlawed price
    discrimination, tying agreements (dealers could
    not have products of competing manufacturers),
    interlocking directorates connecting businesses
    with more than 1million, limited corporations
    from buying up stock of other companies to gain
    control of the market.
  • Wilson did little to address the racial problems
    of the day. Jim Crow Laws were rampant, the
    disenfranchisement of the blacks, the growth of
    the KKK. He basically considered this, as well
    as child labor, a state issue.

27
  • Federal Farm Loan Act-1916-it worked along side
    the Federal Reserve Banks, gave farmers low
    interest, long term loans.
  • Smith-Lever Act 1914 the Smith-Hughes Act 1917
    both addressed education for rural farming
    areas by establishing grant-in-aid schools, land
    grant colleges, AM, Vo-Tech, etc.
  • Federal Highways Act-1916- Federal government
    would match dollar for dollar to any state that
    had highway departments that met federal
    standards. Thus, increasing the highway
    infrastructure laid the ground work for an
    interstate highway system in the 1950s.

28
  • Keating-Owen Act 1916, called the Child Labor
    Act, basically excluded any consumer goods that
    were made by children under the age of 14 from
    interstate commerce.
  • Adamson Act 1916 established an 8 hour work
    day for RR workers. This would later spread into
    other areas of labor.
  • Under Wilsonian Progressivism, the US government
    became seen in a positive light. As was most of
    the first 20 years of the 20th century.
  • Patriotism, Isolationism Anti-Immigration were
    the main feelings of the period.
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