Progressivism Four Goals Caused by social upheavals Progressive

Progressivism

Four Goals Caused by social upheavals Progressive Movement -> aimed to restore economic opportunities and correct injustices in American Life 1) protecting social welfare 2) promoting moral improvement 3) creating economic reform 4) fostering efficiency

Protecting Social Welfare Soften harsh conditions of industrialization Aimed to help the poor through community centers, churches, and social services YMCA -> opened libraries, sponsored classes, and built swimming pools and handball courts Salvation Army -> fed people Florence Kelly -> improve lives of women and children

Promoting Moral Improvement Morality held the key to improving the lives of poor people Improve social behavior Prohibition Banning of alcoholic beverages Undermining American morals Clash with immigrants -> customs, cash checks, serving meals

Economic Reform Began to question capitalist economic system Looking at socialism Created uneven balance between business, gov’t, and ordinary people Big business often received favorable treament from gov’t officials and politicians Muckrakers -> wrote about the corrupt side of business and public life

Fostering Efficiency Put faith in experts and scientific principles to make society and the workplace more efficient Time and motion studies by Frederick Winslow Taylor “Taylorism” was applied to scientific management studies to see how quickly each task could be performed Caused high turnover due to injuries suffered

Cleaning Up Local Government Political bosses rewarded their supporters with jobs and kickbacks and openly bought votes with favors and bribes Natural disasters play huge role Hurricane in Galveston, TX – horrible relief reforms Flood in Dayton, OH – lead to city council management Reform mayors Lowered transportation costs Eliminate greedy private business owners Citizens should play more active role

Reform at State Level States passed laws to regulate railroads, mines, mills, telephone companies, and other large business Reform Governors Regulate big business Drive them out of politics Protecting Children End child labor Low skilled jobs = less skilled worker Smaller tools Keating – Owen Act = prohibited transportation of goods over state lines that was produced by child labor

Limit Working Hours Muller vs. Oregon Said that women required the state’s protection against powerful employers Reduced women’s work hours Progressives also succeeded in winning workers’ compensation to aid the families of workers who were hurt or killed on the job

Women During the Progressive Era

The Work Force Women not wealthy enough to fill “stereotype” roll Began to work for wages Southern women began to work on the farm Started to work in industry Least skilled positions Domestic jobs Cleaning, babysitting, etc.

Reform Pushed for changes due to dangerous conditions, long hours, and low wages Began to attend women colleges Education > marriage

Wanting Suffrage National Association of Colored Women (NACW) Susan B. Anthony Managed nurseries, reading rooms, and kindergartens Leading role in women’s suffrage Men become worried of the woman’s vote Prohibition and child labor laws

3 Part Strategy for Suffrage 3 different approaches Convince legislator to grant suffrage Worked in Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, and Idaho Pursued court cases to test the 14 th amendment Denying men the right to vote = loss of representation Tested this by trying to vote Supreme Court said women are citizens but not all citizens have this right Pushed for Constitutional amendment Introduced but not successful in California Continuously voted down

Teddy Roosevelt and the Square Deal

Teddy Roosevelt President Mc. Kinley assassinated Helps negotiate peace between Russia and Japan Wants to control political and economic aspects of East Asia Wanted to build canal to cut Central America in half for shorter route Panama Agrees Very gains independence from Colombia to allow U. S. to build canal dangerous work (many people die)

The Roosevelt Corollary Financial matters drew U. S. further into Latin American affairs Latin America borrows money from Europe to build roads and railroads Afraid that a loan default would cause Europeans to intervene Monroe Doctrine (1823) -> Europeans were to stay out of Latin American affairs Roosevelt Corollary -> U. S. would use force to protect it’s interests

Square Deal “It is the duty of the president to act upon theory that he is steward of the people, and … to assume that he has the legal right to do whatever the needs of the people demand, unless the Constitution or the laws explicitly forbid him to do it. ” Square Deal -> described the various progressive reforms sponsored by the Roosevelt Administration

Using Federal Power Thought the U. S. required strong federal gov’t Trusts -> legal body that would control stocks of a particular company (Standard Oil) Controlled about 4/5 of U. S. industries Lower prices to drive out competition then raise them after competition was gone Roosevelt attacks Northern Securities Company (controlled northwestern railroads) Had Justice Department sue this company leading to it dissolving.

1902 Coal Strike 140 k + coal miners in Penn. strike for 20% raise, 9 hr. workday, right to form union Roosevelt invites both parties to White House Got 10% raise, 9 hr. workday Had to give up right to form union and the ability to strike for 3 years Federal gov’t now expected to intervene in future strikes

Railroad Regulation Roosevelt passes the Elkins Act Made it illegal for railroad officials to give, and shippers to receive, rebates for using particular railroads Hepburn Act 1906 Limited the distribution of free railroad passes (used as bribery) Gave commission the right to set max. railroad prices

Health + Environment Food and Drugs “The Jungle” leads to Meat Inspection Act Dictated strict cleanliness requirements and the inspection of meat by the federal gov’t Pure Food and Drug Act Halted the sale of contaminated foods and medicines Called for truth in labeling (accurate labels)

Natural Resource Conservation Overuse of natural resources Deforestation, excessive coal mines, overgrazing plains Measures were taken Kept large pieces of federal land from being sold privately Mediation between conserved land exploited land Funded large scale irrigation projects in the West

Roosevelt on Civil Rights Failed to support civil rights for African-Americans Did appoint African-American to head of custom house in Charleston, S. C. When Mississippi refused to acknowledge this, Roosevelt shut their office down Dismissed African-American regiment from army on suspicions of protecting someone in a murder case Fired back by inviting Booker T. Washington to White House

W. E. B. Du Bois shows opposition Attacks Washington Says he accommodates segregationists Blames blacks for their poverty Urges them to accept discrimination Quote pg. 325 Du Bois holds rally in Niagara Falls and forms the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) 6, 000+ members by 1914 Progressive ideals focused on middle class whites

Taft and Progressivism

Becoming President Was Roosevelt’s Secretary of War Picked to run against William Jennings Bryan Easily beat Bryan who was running for the 3 rd consecutive time

Early Stumbles Wanted to consolidate previous reforms Not very popular in the beginning Had trouble with members of his own party Tariffs and conservation become main focus

Tariffs and Conservation Payne Bill (H. O. R. ) Lowered rates on imported manufactured goods Aldrich Bill (Senate) Made fewer cuts and increased many rates Payne-Aldrich Tariff A compromise that only moderated the high rates of the Aldrich Bill Believed that Taft was straying from Progressivism Taft calls it the “best tariff bill the Republicans had ever passed” Taft appoints Richard A. Ballinger as secretary of the interior Removed 1 mil. Acre of forest and mining lands from the reserved list and returned it to the public domain

Split of the Republicans Two types of Republicans Progressives who wanted change and those who didn’t Joseph Cannon (Uncle Joe) -> Speaker of House Chairman of House Rules Committee (decides which bills Congress will consider) Often ignored progressive bills With help from Dem. Progressive Rep. called for the entire House to elect the Committee on Rules and excluded the Speaker from membership in the committee

Bull-Moose Party Roosevelt leaves office, goes to Africa to hunt, comes back to people wanting him back in office Decides to run for 3 rd term Taft has advantage because he is incumbent His supporters relocate to areas where Roosevelt had supporters Progressive Republicans refuse to vote and create 3 rd party (Bull Moose Party) Wanted direct election of senators and the adoption in all states of the initiative, referendum, and recall Agreed with women’s suffrage , workmen’s compensation, 8 hr. workday, min. wage for women, no child labor, federal commission to regulate business Democrats get great chance to regain White House Nominate Woodrow Wilson as their candidate

1912 Election Wilson runs on “New Freedom” idea Demanded stronger antitrust legislation, banking reform, and reduced tariffs Roosevelt and Taft fighting each other “Don’t’ interfere when your enemy is destroying himself” Race between Roosevelt’s progressivism, Taft’s conservatism, and Wilson’s “New Freedom” Wilson wins election and Roosevelt defeats Taft as 3 rd party candidate

Wilson’s New freedom

Wilson and the Tariffs Called for assault on “triple wall of privilege”: tariffs, banks, and trusts Focused first on tariffs Called Congress to a special session Passed the Underwood Tariff -> provided reduction of rates (especially import fees) Enacted a graduated income tax

Battling the Bankers with the Federal Reserve System Still lagging behind post Civil War Banks located in big cities such as New York -> difficult to mobilize to smaller areas who were in financial stress Federal Reserve Act -> nationwide banking system of 12 regional banks with their own central bank Issue paper money in emergency situations Could create money to make loans Could transfer money to member banks to “bail them out”

Wilson and Trusts Federal Trade Commission -> created commission to investigate industries engaged in interstate commerce Wanted to “kill” unfair trade, unlawful competition, false advertisement, mislabeling, and bribery Clayton Anti-Trust Act -> lengthened the Sherman Anti. Trust Act targeting price discrimination and ending holding companies

More Reforms for Wilson Federal Farm Loan Act Workingmen’s Compensation Act Available credit for farmers at low interest rates Granted assistance to federal civil-service employees during periods of disability Adamson Act 8 hr work day for all employees on trains in interstate commerce with extra pay for overtime

Women Win Suffrage Many different organizations begin to campaign for suffrage (some successful / some not) Campaigning and WWI lead to the passage of the 19 th Amendment in 1919 and ratification in 1920