Chapter 5 The Progressives Confront Industrial Capitalism 1900

Chapter 5 The Progressives Confront Industrial Capitalism (1900 -1920)

Progressivism Not meant as a means to overthrow the government, but instead to reform the system in order to ensure the survival of the American way of life

Progressivism Definition of a Progressive � Rejection of “Laissez Faire” a policy or attitude of letting things take their own course, without interfering. abstention by governments from interfering in the workings of the free market. A hands off approach to a free market economy Using the power of government to legislate some aspects of business and the economy � Using the power of government to make American society better � A commitment to promote social justice, to ensure equal opportunity, and to preserve democracy � A search for order and efficiency in a world complicated by rapid industrialization, immigration, and spectacular urban growth �

Progressivism Reasons for Progressivism � The “Muckrakers”- writers that exposed corruption and other social evils. Not all were reformers, some just wrote for the money Named coined by Teddy Roosevelt Progressive Journalists Upton Sinclair “The Jungle”- exposed the horrible conditions in the Chicago meatpacking industry Ida Tarbell “The History of the Standard Oil Company”- exposed Standard Oil for its business practices and working conditions Jacob Riis “How the Other Half Lives”- Exposed the lives of the poor working class Americans

The Muckrakers Upton Sinclair Ida Tarbell Jacob Riis

Progressivism Progressive Issues � Child Labor-nothing disturb the social justice progressives more than the sight of children, ages 8 -10, working long hours in dangerous and depressing factories The National Child Labor Committee- brainchild of Edgar Gardner Murphy, a Social Gospel clergyman from Alabama Florence Kelley One of the most important leaders in the effort to remove children from the workforce Federal Laws- boys under 14 and girls under 16 cannot work adult jobs Drew up a model state child labor law, encouraged state and city campaigns, and coordinated movement around the country Although 2/3 of states pass some child labor laws many had loopholes In 1912, congress established a Children’s Bureau in the Department of labor Laws proved incredibly difficult to pass, and even more difficult to enforce Not very effective Too many businesses profited from a child labor Many politicians and judges were hesitant to regulate businesses for child or adult labor Some parents, desperate for money, opposed the reformers and broke the law State Laws- Compulsory Education Better enforcement and did more to end child labor Required school attendance reduced the number of “working” children than the state and federal labor laws

Progressivism � Women in the Workforce Florence Kelley-also worked to limit the hours women worked on a daily basis Kelley and the National Consumers League led the campaign They argued that it was foolish and unpatriotic to allow the “mothers of future generations” to work long hours in dangerous industries Muller vs. Oregon (1908) Supreme court ruling upheld Oregon 10 -hour work rule for women. It was Kelley’s Brother-in-Law that wrote the brief arguing that women were exposed to disease when working long hours Unfortunately, most states found loopholes in the law and 10 hours was still too long for mothers who came home to childrearing and chores. The Birth Control Movement- Margaret Sanger was one of the founders of the Modern American Birth Control Movement Middle-class Americans had limited family size through abstinence, withdrawal, abortion, and primitive birth control devices. However, much ignorance remained Sanger wrote the pamphlet, Family Limitation, so that women could separate sex from procreation. She was indicted for violation of the postal code and fled to Europe to avoid arrest When she returned to the US in 1921, she founded The American Birth Control League, which later became The Planned Parenthood Federation in 1942

Progressivism � Working The Conditions- Triangle Fire (1911) Over 100 deaths, and most were women Franklin D. Roosevelt (young state senator) tours the burnt out factory First state safety laws were proposed after this disaster

Progressivism � The Crusade Against “Vices” Dealing with gambling and prostitution Creation of Vice Squads, or Vice Commissions, that attacked many kinds of people Racists, who wanted to restrict immigration, claimed that “inferior people” (blacks and immigrants) became prostitutes and pimps Creation of “Red Light” Districts Moving brothels and prostitute activities to certain areas § Progressives worried that prostitution would spread venereal diseases that would pass to unfaithful husbands, the wives, and then the children § Reformers wiped out a few red-light districts, closed some brothels, and managed to push a bill through congress (The Mann Act of 1910) that prohibited the interstate transfer of women for immoral purposes. § Age consent raised § Syphilis testing mandatory for a marriage license

Red Light Districts

Progressivism Movies q Many early movies (long versions) depicted premarital sex, adultery, violence, and racism. Unlike later films, many attacked authority (government) and had tragic endings. q q q The Birth of a Nation- blatantly racist and distorted epic black debauchery during the Reconstruction The Candidate- showed an upper-class reform candidate who gets dirt thrown at him when he tries to clean up the town Down with Women- well-dressed men denounce woman suffrage and the incompetence of “the weaker sex” Self Regulation- The Hays Codes, the informal name for the Motion Picture Production Code, adopted in 1930, but not seriously enforced until 1934, was a set of rules governing filmmaking that shaped, and in many ways stifled, American cinema for over three decades

The Birth of a Nation

The Hays Codes

Progressivism � Statehouse Progressivism Reforming Government Recalls, initiatives, and referendums In some states, especially in the West, progressive attempts to regulate railroads and utilities Most states passed laws to extend democracy and give authority to the people Allowed citizens or originate legislation and to overturn laws passed by legislation Recall laws allowed people a way to remove elected officials Most of the “democratic” laws worked better in theory than in practice, but they did represent a genuine effort to remove special privilege from government States with the most successful reform movements elected strong governors Robert La Follette, Governor of Wisconsin, the Model Progressive Governor Worked with the state legislature to pass a state primary law and an act regulating the railroad “Go back to the first principles of democracy, go back to the people” was his battle cry Journalists touted him as the “laboratory of Democracy” Became a national figure and was elected to the Senate in 1906

Progressivism � Temperance (abstinence from alcoholic drink. ) The Anti-Saloon League The leading organization lobbying for prohibition in the US early in the 20 th Century Carrie American women that was a radical member of the temperance movement The Nation 18 th Amendment Forbade the sale, manufacture, or consumption of alcohols inside the US

Progressivism Women’s Suffrage (a global crusade for woman's right to vote) American women meet with foreign counterparts at conventions of the International Suffrage Alliance The US lagged behind many nations in granting female suffrage New Zealand (1893) Australia (1902) Finland (1906) Norway (1913) Denmark & Iceland (1915) Canada & Great Britain (1918) In the US the battle was slowed by the difficulty to amend the constitution and the need to fight one battle at a time. The earliest successes came through states instead of federal law Wyoming (1869) Utah (1870) Colorado (1893) Idaho (1896) Washington (1910) California (1911) Arizona & Oregon (1912) Montana & Nevada (1914) *each state gave women the vote in some elections States in the East and Midwest were slower to create such laws, fearing that women would support prohibition Women countered that their vote would cancel the vote of immigrants

Progressivism National American Women Suffrage Association (NAWSA) Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony were still of leaders of the association, but both were getting very old Leadership eventually passed to younger more moderate women Formed in May 1890 as a unification of the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA) and the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA). The NAWSA continued the work of both associations by becoming the parent organization of hundreds of smaller local and state groups. Helped pass woman suffrage legislation at the state and local level. The NAWSA was the largest and most important suffrage organization in the United States

Progressivism Carrie Chapman Catt An American Women’s Suffrage leader who campaigned for the 19 th Amendment to the US Constitution Replaced Susan B. Anthony as President of the NAWSA Founder of the League of Women Voters Founder of the International Alliance of Women She led an army of vote-less women in 1919 to pressure Congress to pass the constitutional amendment giving them the right to vote “was one of the best-known women in the US in the first half on the 20 th Century and was on all lists of famous American women she posed a new argument as organizations began to focus on three specific points a. women need to vote to pass self-protection laws to guard against rapists and unsafe industrial work b. political enfranchisement would further women’s role in cleaning up immoral cities and corrupt politics c. Native-born/American women should get the vote to counteract the undesirable influence of male immigrants

Progressivism The 19 th Amendment Prohibits any United States citizen from being denied the right to vote on the basis of sex. It was ratified on August 18, 1920. The Constitution allows the states to determine the qualifications of voters, subject to limitations imposed by later amendments. Until the 1910 s, most states disenfranchised women. The amendment was the culmination of the woman’s suffrage movement in the United States, which fought at both state and national levels to achieve the vote.

The Progressive Presidents Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt (1901 -1909) many considered him the strongest president since Abraham Lincoln � The “Accidental” President Was Governor of New York in 1898 Passes many progressive laws Election of 1900 Nominated as Vice President for Mc. Kinley. Many seen this as a ploy to essentially end his political career Mc. Kinley’s Assassination Was shot and fatally wounded on September 6, 1901, inside the Temple of Music on the grounds of the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. Mc. Kinley was shaking hands with the public when he was shot by Leon Czolgosz, an anarchist. The President died on September 14 from gangrene caused by the bullet wounds. Mc. Kinley had been elected for a second term in 1900. He enjoyed meeting the public, and was reluctant to accept the security available to his office. The Secretary of the President, George B. Cortelyou, feared an assassination attempt would take place during a visit to the Temple of Music, and twice took it off the schedule. Mc. Kinley restored it each time. Czolgosz had lost his job during the economic Panic of 1893 and turned to anarchism, a political philosophy whose adherents had recently killed foreign leaders. Regarding Mc. Kinley as a symbol of oppression, Czolgosz felt it was his duty as an anarchist to kill him.

The Progressive Presidents � The First Term (1901 -1905) Becomes youngest President in US History (42 yrs. old) Loved being President, called the office a “bully pulpit” Had the “Teddy Bear” named after him The Coal Strike of 1902 Teddy intervenes Gives the mine owners an ultimatum The strike is peacefully resolved “Trust Busting” Controlling the large industrial corporations Between 1897 and 1904, roughly 4227 companies combined to form 257 large corporations US Steel, the first billion dollar corporation was formed in 1901 by joining Carnegie Steel and its main eight competitors § It controlled 2/3 of the market § J. P. Morgan made $7 million on the deal The Sherman Anti-Trust Act (1890) Originally was very unsuccessful New outcry from Muckrakers and progressives called for regulation Roosevelt orders his attorney general to file suit to dissolve the Northern Securities Company, a giant railroad monopoly put together by Morgan and railroad man James J. Hill Government won its case and proceeded to prosecute some of the largest corporations, including Standard Oil and the American Tobacco company Monopolies were broken

The Progressive Presidents Election of 1904 The “Square Deal” was President Roosevelt’s domestic program formed upon three basic ideas (the 3 C’s): Conservation of natural resources Control of corporations Consumer Protection § Thus, it aimed at helping middle class citizens and involved attacking bad trusts while simultaneously protecting businesses from the most extreme demands of organized labor § Roosevelt believed in government action to mitigate social evil, and denounced “the representatives of predatory wealth” as guilty of “all forms of iniquity from the oppression of wage workers to defrauding the public. ” § Equality for all Americans under the law Teddy Re-Elected Not an “accident” anymore Theodore Roosevelt won a landslide victory, taking every Northern and Western state. The nominee of the Democratic party was Alton B. Parker, Chief Justice of the New York Appeals Court.

The Progressive Presidents � The Second Term The Meat Inspection Act (1906) The Pure Food and Drug Act (1906) Enforced some federal inspection and mandatory sanitary conditions in all companies selling meat in interstate commerce The meatpackers defeated a provision that would have required the dating of all meat Some large companies supported the bill, as it gave them an advantage over smaller companies Helped increase public confidence in the meat industry, and sales begin to increase Was not perfect, but it corrected some of the worst abuses, including the elimination of cocaine from Coca-Cola. Muckrakers expose patent medicines § Major ingredients included alcohol, opium, and cocaine Creates the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) § Tests medicines for effectiveness and safety. Conservation One of the most important issues for Teddy Raised public awareness for saving natural resources Doubles the size of Yellowstone National Park Hires Gifford Pinchot as the first Chief Forester John Muir founded the Sierra Club, and the “back-to-nature” movement Boy Scouts (1910) Camp fire Girls (1912)

The Progressive Presidents Election of 1908 Teddy retires to go big game hunting in Africa Hand picks his successor William Howard Taft becomes the Republican nominee Taft wins due to Teddy’s endorsement Teddy takes an extended vacation (1909 -1910)

The Progressive Presidents Taft’s Presidency- defeats William Jennings Bryan, it was Bryan’s third loss in presidential elections � Even more progressive than Roosevelt Busts twice as many companies for monopoly violations than Roosevelt, in half the time Supported an eight-hour work day Legislation to make mining safer Supported The Mann-Elkins Act (1910) Was a 1910 US federal law that was among the progressive era reforms The act extended the authority of the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) to regulate the telecommunications industry, and designed telephone, telegraph and wireless companies as common carriers The federal government moved to strengthen its regulatory control over the railroad industry by the passage of the Mann-Elkins Act The law also expanded on the powers granted to the ICC in the 1906 Hepburn Act The ICC was authorized to investigate proposed railroad rate increases and suspend them if warranted The “long and short haul” clause of the original Interstate Commerce Act was strengthened to prohibit railroads from charging passengers more for a short distance trip, compared to a longer distance ride, over the same route, unless specifically approved by the ICC

The Progressive Presidents � Loses public support after election Not a popular or charismatic politician, weighed over 300 pounds, and very monotone speaker Makes a deal with the “Old Guard” Republicans in order to get their support Has to give up the issue of conservation � Appoints an “Old Guard” Republican (Ballinger) as Secretary of the Interior, who almost immediately gave away rich coal lands in Alaska to private mining interests Angers Pinchot and Roosevelt for giving away the land for abandoning the conservation efforts Election of 1912 Taft gets the Republican nomination Teddy creates his own party (the Progressive party) and runs again Wilson gets the Democratic nomination Republicans split their votes and Wilson wins

The Progressive Presidents Wilson’s Presidency Son and grandson of Presbyterian ministers � Grew up in comfortable and intellectual southern household � Graduated from Princeton � Received Ph. D. in 1879 � Published “Congressional Government” which established his reputation as a shrewd political analyst � Taught History and became a Princeton professor � Less flamboyant than Roosevelt, but a persuasive speaker � By 1912, he had established a reputation for being a progressive �

The Progressive Presidents Off to a progressive start � � Wilson moved faster than his predecessors in passing new legislation Four Constitutional Amendments 16 th Amendment (1913) 17 th Amendment (1913) th 18 19 th � Permanent federal income tax Attached to the Underwood Tariff of 1913 that lowered tariffs § Increase of 1% annually for households of income more than $4000 per year § Surtax of 6% on higher incomes to replace money lost by reduced tariffs Direct Election of Senators Amendment (1919) Prohibition Amendment (1920) Women’s Suffrage Federal Reserve Act (1913) Regulating the banking system, the Federal Reserve System, was the first reorganization of the banking system since the Civil War Gave the federal government some control over the banks Created flexibility in currency that could be expanded or contracted as need required

The Progressive Presidents � Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Originally the Clayton Act, prohibited trading practices, outlawed the interlocking directorate (refers to the practice of members of a corporate board of directors serving on the boards of multiple corporations. A person that sits on multiple boards is known as a multiple director) and forbade corporations to purchase stock in other corporations if the action tended to reduce competition A new and tougher legislative body aimed at moving against corporations accused of restricting competition � Other actions that were not progressive Failed to support a plan for long-term rural credit financed by the federal government He opposed a women suffrage amendment until pressured Refused to back an anti-child labor bill He ordered the segregation of blacks in several federal buildings

Conclusion In the end, neither Wilson nor Roosevelt satisfied advanced progressives, but their actions were far more progressive than any president since Lincoln � Both presidents spent time trying to regulate economic power rather than promote social justice � Their most important legacy was their attempts to strengthen the Office of the President and the Executive Branch of the government The Progressive Presidents reasserted authority, modernized the executive branch, and began the creation of the federal bureaucracy, which has had a major impact on the lives of Americans ever since