The Progressive Era, 1901-1917

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The Progressive Era, 1901-1917
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The Progressive Movement Definition and Character

• Goals
• Political - Revitalize American Democracy
• Make government responsive to people not special
  interests or bosses
• Economic - Restore equity and opportunity to
  American capitalism
• Social - Provide social justice to the poor
• Progressive Philosophy
• Did not believe in radical change (socialism)
• But wanted fair competition and worker regulation
  
• Operated on all levels of government
• Included both democrats and republicans.

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Composition

• Middle Class White Americans
• Farmers and Small Businessmen
• Social Reformers
• Professors Lawyers
• Not included Racial Minorities, new immigrants,
  Labor Unions

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Middle Class White Americans

• Wanted to restore honesty and integrity to
  government
• They wanted to end corruption at all levels.
• Elimination of political machines
• Institute civil service reforms
• End special interest lobbyist in legislative
  bodies

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Farmers and Small Business

• People who wanted to use the government to
  regulate the abuses of corporations and trusts
• Wanted trusts eliminated
• Wanted government controlled railroads rates and
  banks
• Currency reform
• Had some success but not enforced
• Republicans embraced laissez-faire economics
• Interstate Commerce Act
• Sherman Anti-Trust Act

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Social Reformers

• Government should alleviate social problems
• Slums and tenements
• Unsafe working conditions child labor
• Treatment of new immigrants
• Some small scale success
• Jane Addams (Hull House Chicago)

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Included Professors, Lawyers and Social Gospel
Advocates

• The industrial revolution brought on the need for
  corporate lawyers
• Law was once a respected profession
• Paid well to defend the interests of their
  company
• Lawyers felt they were losing there identity
• Intellectuals
• Use University professors to make the society
  more efficient
• Wealthy men donate to Universities
• in return - donor had expectations for curriculum
  
• Many intellectuals were concerned about this

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What Really Got Progressivism Moving?

• Teddy Roosevelts Assumption of the Presidency in
  1901
• William McKinley is assassinated in Sept. 1901
• Youngest president at 43 years old
• Gradually provided a national focus on
  Progressivism
• Rise of the Muckrakers

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Muckrakers

• Investigative journalism
• Sensationalized Exposes on corporation corruption
• Raised awareness
• Magazines McClures, Cosmopolitan
• Ida Tarbell (1902) does and expose in McClures
  on Standard Oil
• Illegal Monopoly
• Novels
• The Octopus by Frank Norris
• The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
• How the Other Half Lives - Jacob Riis
• The Muckrakers formula is
• Uncover a scandal
• Attack it using facts to back up arguments
• Has a tremendous impact on readers

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Achievements of Progressivism

• Many political machines are overthrown
• The Shame of the Cities Lincoln Steffens said
  political machines serve their own interests and
  that of corporations, not the people
• Thomas Nast
• Leader of Progressive reform is Wisconsin 1900-01
  Robert LaFollette
• Reduce govt corruption Institutes the
  referendum, recall, primaries
• Corrupt political practices acts passed
  controls on campaign spending and lobbying
• The universities must aid the state economists -
  come up with an effective tax system, highway
  system.
• Child Labor Laws (one of the first states)
• Building codes controlled hours

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Thomas Nast Harpers Weekly
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Amendments to the Constitution

• The 16th Amendment 1913
• Constitutional for the government to impose a
  personal income tax.
• The 17th Amendment 1913
• Senators must be directly elected in a popular
  election.
• The 18th Amendment Jan 1919
• Prohibition Illegal to buy, sell or distribute
  hard spirits in the US.
• The 19th Amendment 1920
• Prohibited states from denying women the right to
  vote.
• Women did vote in certain states prior to this
  (In NJ in the late 1700s for a short time.
• Also, some western states allowed women to vote)

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Contradictions of Progressivism

• Generally oppose political and social equality
  for racial minorities and recent immigrants
• Many Progressives Oppose Womens Suffrage
• Woodrow Wilson was one of these guys. He felt it
  was a state, not a national issue.
• Many Progressives Oppose National Labor Unions
• Concerned about the plight of the working man,
  but at the same time opposed unions
• Fear of Marxism union leadership advocated
  changes that were too radical
• Fear of radical uprisings
• Many Progressives Support Tighter Immigration
  Restrictions