The Progressive Movement What was the Progressive Movement

The Progressive Movement

What was the Progressive Movement? • first three decades of the 20 th century • Middle class reform movemnent • people looked to the federal government to correct problems in American society and the economy.

Causes of the Progressive Movement • Widespread poverty and harsh working conditions • creating social and economic problems in the United States • Muckrackers • five main issues included – child labor – outlawing the use of alcohol – women’s suffrage – fair treatment of workers – improving education.

The Progressive President: Theodore Roosevelt • Roosevelt sided with laborers instead of big business • Pushed the Pure Food and Drug and the Meat Inspection Act • Favorite project was conservation • Set aside millions of acres for national forests

Child Labor • cheap labor was very important to the growth and success of textile mills and coal mines • Children were a source of cheap labor • progressives questioned if it was morally right to make young children work the long hours in the mills and mines. • affected the health of these children. • Through their efforts, states began passing child labor laws in the late 1800 s. • The owners of textile mills in SC accused these child labor reformers of trying to destroy their companies.

Child Labor • The federal government passed a federal law protecting children in all states in 1920. • protected children under 16 - made it illegal to ship goods across state lines if they had been made with child labor. • 1922 - US Supreme Court ruled that child labor laws were the responsibility of the states. • 1903, SC passed a law making 12 the minimum working age for children in factories. • 1917 - age minimum was changed to 16 • Neither of these laws affected children who worked in family businesses. • By 1922, South Carolina passed a law limiting workers to 55 hour work weeks in factories and eventually lowered it to 40 hours per week in 1938.

Prohibition • The Progressives wanted it to be illegal to make, sell, or consume alcohol. • organized the Temperance movement to try to convince people to avoid alcoholic beverages. • Abuse of alcohol had been an issue in SC and the US since the late 1800 s. • In 1892, SC held a referendum for total prohibition. • Instead, the state government formed the State Dispensary so they could control the amount of alcohol available in the state.

State Dispensary • all liquor sold in SC had to be bottled and dispensed through state-run facilities • Very Corrupt • 1893 -1907 • Gov. Ben Tillman urged the creation of the dispensary • Opposition led to the Darlington Riot • Local officials allowed saloons to open • Tillman sent in the militia to investigate and several people were killed after an argument erupted • Darlington and Florence counties were placed under martial law

Prohibition • By 1915, South Carolina had statewide prohibition even before the 18 th Amendment was passed in the US Constitution in 1918. • The United States remained legally “dry” for 14 years until the 21 st Amendment was passed to end prohibition. • South Carolina ended its own prohibition in 1935. • Currently, the sale of alcohol is considered local option with one exception. Alcohol cannot be sold statewide on Sundays in grocery stores or retail outlets.

Women in the Progressive Movement • Had a leading role in progressive movement • Pushed for prohibition and education reform • African American women formed clubs that promoted better health and education in their communities • Anita Pollitzer of Charleston was president of the National Women’s Party. • 19 th Amendment -gave women the right to vote • SC did not ratify amendment until 1967

SC Internal Improvements • Roads • Built and paved roads • SC Highway Department est. 1917 • Improved economic growth • Hospitals • Tuberculosis treatment center built in Columbia • Education • Attendance law was passed • More funding • Public libraries built

African Americans in the Progressive Movement • Disenfranchising African Americans was seen as progressive to most white South Carolinians • 1900 -1919: over 200, 000 African Americans migrated North • Clubs and organizations formed to improve conditions for African Americans – NAACP

Roles of SC governors in the Progressive Movement • Duncan Clinch Heyward – supported education improvements, ending child labor, strict financial practices in state government, fair treatment for all citizens, and a law to end lynching. • Coleman L. Blease, • supported state aid for the Medical College of Charleston and creation of a tuberculosis sanitarium. • Richard I. Manning • reorganized the state mental hospital, opened a school for children with mental disabilities, opened a separate prison for females, created the Tax Commission and State Highway Department, increased the money spent on public education, adopted workers’ compensation insurance, and raised the minimum working age to 14.