Origins Of Progressivism Essay, Research Paper
I. The Origins of Progressivism
A. A Spirit of Reform in the late 1800?s
1. Henry George believed that poverty could be
eliminated by using land productively by everyone. Also
taxing the nonproductive more than the productive.
2. Edward Bellamy believed that the government should
create a trust to take care of the needs of the people rather
than profit.
3. Many groups wanted change for the majority of people
such as the socialist, the union members and members
of municipal or city government levels.
4. Municipal reforms in the late 1800?s and early 1900?s
that gave cities limited self-rule rather than state rule
are known as Home Rule.
B. Progressivism Takes Hold
1. Progressivism aspects of reform from many programs
and other movements.
2. Because they were afraid of losing their high standard
of living, progressives? were afraid of revolution.
3. Progressives believed that the government should play
a bigger role in regulating transportation and utilities.
4. Develop better social welfare programs.
5. The suffrage movement became a big issue among
women.
6. Child labor laws as well as many other things were
brought about by government regulations.
C. Progressive Methods
1. Journalist also helped create support by alerting the
public to wrong doing or muckrakers.
2. Investigating the issue then publicizing the results
putting pressure on legislators to take action is known
as Systematic manner.
D. Florence Kelley
1. Kelley was recommended for investigating the labor
conditions around Chicago.
2. Kelley earned a law degree so that she could prosecute
violators of child labor laws as well as regulations in
sweatshops.
3. Kelley believed in municipal reforms after a political
favor placed another inspector in her place.
4. 1899 National Consumers League was organized (NCL)
II. Progressivism: Its Legislative Impacts
A. Urban Reform
1. Reform began mostly at the city level
2. Some machine politicians worked with reformers to
improve voter registration, city services, established
health programs and enforced tenant codes.
3. By 1915 two out of three cities owned utilities.
4. Welfare services were put into effect.
5. Hazen Pingree put in parks, baths, and put into effect a
work-relief program.
B. Reforms at the State Level
1. Progressive governors also got involved with the
movement.
2. LaFollette brought about a direct primary in which
voters elect nominees for upcoming elections.
3. Employers and employees negotiating differences as
well as workers accident insurance became major
reforms in the work place.
4. The Supreme Court said that it was illegal to set
maximum hours for workers because it violated the
individuals right to make a contract with the
employer – 1905 Lochner vs. New York.
5. The Supreme Court upheld a decision that limited
women?s work hours to 10 hours per day – 1905 Muller
vs. Oregon.
6. The National Child Labor Committee convinced
about 30 states to abolish Child Labor by 1907 .
7. In 1912 minimum wage for women and children was put
into effect in Massachusetts.
8. Women were replaced with men because they would
work longer for less wages
9. Women?s push for voting rights was stifled by the belief
that females are physically weaker.
D. Reforms at the Federal Level
1. The United Mine Workers called a strike
lasting until Teddy Roosevelt insisted that both sides
submit to arbitration – May, 1902.
2. A process in which an impartial third party decides on a
legally binding solution is known as arbitration.
3. Teddy Roosevelt threatened to use the army to take
over the mines if the owners didn?t accept the
agreement.
4. ?Square Deal? reduced miner?s hours from 10 to 9 and
gave the miners a 10% raise while not officially
recognizing the minor?s union.
5. The Hepburn Act authorized the IEC to limit rates
if the shippers complained them unfair – 1906.
6. The Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat
Inspection Act required accurate labeling of
ingredients, strict sanitary conditions, and a rating
system for meats – 1906.
7. Holding companies are corporations that hold the
stocks and bonds of numerous companies thus
achieving a monopoly.
8. John Muir and John Wesley Powell urged congress, in
1872, to establish Yellow Stone as the United States
first national park.
9. Yosemite in California became a national park in 1890.
10. A National Reclamation Act (1902) aimed at planning
and developing irrigation projects aroused controversy
between city residents and farmers over use or water.
11. 1912 the United States government set up a Children?s
Bureau within the Department of Labor.
12. Women?s Bureau was also established in 1920.
13. Mary Anderson and Julia Lathrop were the first women
Bureau heads in the federal government.
14. Prohibition was thought to protect society from poverty
and violence associated with drinking.
15. Women?s support for prohibition caused brewery and
liquor interests to oppose women?s suffrage.
16. Prohibition became the 18th amendment in 1919 until
its repeal in 1933.
III. Progressivism: Its Impact on National Politics
A. The Presidency After Roosevelt
1. Teddy Roosevelt hand picked William Howard Taft as
the next Republican presidential nominee.
2. On the Democratic Side William Jennings Bryan also
ran (for the third time)
3. Taft won the election and promised to carry on the
progressive movement.
4. A rebel movement arose because Taft wouldn?t lower
the tariffs on imports.
5. Gifford Pinchot opposed Taft?s agreement to allow
several million acres of Alaskan public lands that had
rich deposits of coal be sold by Richard A. Ballinger.
Pinchot was fired.
6. Upset House Republicans rebelled against Taft and
joined Democrats in initiating an investigation into
Ballinger?s actions-he eventually resigned.
7. Rebels took action against the Republican old guard
who blocked much reform legislation.
8. Rebels changed the committee?s membership by
making it elective and excluding the powerful. House
Speaker, Joseph Cannon, a republican reform
opponent.
9. Teddy Roosevelt began speaking out about the need for
more federal regulations of business, welfare
legislation, and progressive reforms such as stronger
work place protections for women and children, income
and inheritance taxes, direct primaries, and the
initiative , referendum, and recall. This was called New
Nationalism.
10. Taft supported the Mahn-Elkins Act(1910) that placed
telephone and telegraph rates under control of the
Interstate Commerce Commission rather than big
business.
B. The Election of 1912
1. The progressive party was formed after Teddy
Roosevelt?s supporters walked out of the RNC when
Taft accused Teddy Roosevelt of fraud. They became
known as the Bull Moose Party.
2. Bull Moose Party?s platform included tariff reduction,
women suffrage, more regulation of business, an end to
child labor, an eight-hour work day, a federal worker?s
compensation system, and the popular election of
senators.
3. Teddy Roosevelt and Hiram Johnson ran a vigorous
campaign.
4. A four way election
5. Four men sought presidency in 1912.
Wilson-Democrats, Taft-Republicans, Eugene
Debs-Socialist, and Roosevelt-Bull Moose Party.
6. Wilson ran on a reform platform too, but unlike
Roosevelt, he criticized both big business and big
government.
7. Wilson, calling this policy New Freedom, promised to
enforce antitrust laws without threatening free
economic competition.
8. The Democrats won over both Houses of Congress.
9. Wilson created a Federal Trade Commission in 1914 to
be sure business complied with federal trade
regulations.
10. Also in 1914 the Clayton Antitrust Act spelled out
specific activities big businesses couldn?t do in
restraint of trade-strengthening United States antitrust
laws.
11. The Clayton Antitrust Act exempted union?s activities
from antitrust lawsuits unless they led to ?irreparable
injury to property.?
12. Wilson lowered tariffs and instituted major financial
reforms.
13. 1913 Wilson helped establish the Federal Reserve
System.
14. The Federal Reserve System let banks borrow money to
meet short-term demands, helping to prevent bank
failures.
15. Wilson also established the Federal Farm Loan Board
(1916).
16. Wilson opposed women?s suffrage because his platform
had not approved it.
17. A Controversial Appointment
18. Wilson nominated a progressive lawyer named Louis D.
Brandeis to the Supreme Court in 1916.
19. Named ?the peoples? lawyer? Brandeis had fought for
many public causes without pay.
20. Brandeis, being Jewish caused many problems as well
as his ?radical? approach to reform.
21. Brandeis? appointment to the Supreme Court marked
the peak of progressive reform at the federal level.
22. Wilson was reelected in 1916.
C. The Legacy of Progressive Reform
1. A Limited View of Progress
2. The African Americans of this era felt that progressives
weren?t doing enough to concern themselves with race
relations during this time.
3. 1912 Roosevelt refused to seat the southern African
American delegates for fear of alienating white
southern progressives.
4. Some supporters of women?s suffrage did so only to
double the ?white vote? in the United States and
exclude the African Americans.
5. African Americans fell further behind because of their
smaller population and the effectiveness of voting
restrictions in the South.
6. Progressives also focused on cities leaving out tenant
and migrant farmers and non-unionized workers in
general.
7. Some progressives supported immigration restrictions
and literacy test.
8. Progressives also supported the imperialistic
adventures of the day.
9. They believed in ?civilizing? under-developed nations,
no matter what the residents of those nations wanted.
10. The End of the Progressive Coalition
11. August 1914, a war broke out in Europe
12. Americans worried how long they could stay
uninvolved in the conflict.
13. By 1916, the reform spirit had ended whit the exception
of women?s suffrage.
IV. Suffrage at Last: A Turning Point in History
A. Suffrage at the Turn of the Century
1. In August 1920, Tennessee had to make a huge
decision, whether or not to ratify the 19th amendment.
2. Carrie Chapman Catt directed the lobbying effort for
the ?suffs?.
3. The National American Women Suffrage Association
(NAWSA) was established.
4. Women?s Rights
5. Women had won many rights. Married women could
buy, sell and will property.
6. Myra Bradwell of Chicago was denied a state license to
practice law in 1869. She appealed to the Supreme
Court where her denial was upheld. (Bradwell vs.
Illinois 1873).
7. By 1900?s women were becoming more involved in
unions, picketing, voluntary organizations, and getting
arrested.
8. The Opposition Mobilizes
9. Anti-suffragists made two arguments:
a. women were powerful enough without voting
b. giving women the vote would blur the distinction
between the sexes and make women seem more
masculine.
10. Anti-suffragists said that women would quickly
establish prohibition.
B. Suffragist Strategies
1. Suffragists followed two paths toward their goals:
a. pressing for a constitutional amendment
b. encouraging states to approve women?s suffrage.
2. In 1878 Congress adopted the wording of suffrage
leader Susan B. Anthony in the ?Anthony Amendment?.
3. The Anthony Amendment didn?t resurface until 1913.
4. The movement heats up in the 1910?s
5. The suffrage movement was becoming more widely
accepted in the 1900?s.
6. Carrie Chapman Catt- Systematized NAWSA techniques.
7. Alice Paul formed the Congressional Union (CU).
8. A collision over strategy
9. Different strategies caused the suffrage movement to
be torn into two.
10. The CU wanted an all-out national campaign for the
constitutional amendment.
11. The NAWSA felt that the CU was premature in some of
their actions.
12. Catt?s ?winning plan? was to work full time to get
congress to propose the federal amendment.
13. By 1917 NAWSA had over 2 million members.
14. In the fall of 1917 New York finally passed the
amendment.
15. Impact of the war
16. The United states entered WWI in April 1917
17. Women took over jobs that men left behind as well as
volunteering for other jobs.
18. Congress adopted the 18th amendment.
C. The Final Victory for Suffrage
1. 1918 Congress proposed the suffrage amendment.
2. Ratification
3. Harry Burn of Tennessee was the tie breaking vote in
Tennessee?s legislature.
4. Burn voted ?yes? because his mother had written to
them saying to vote ?yes? for her.
5. The speaker tried to stall the bill by reconsidering it.
6. On August 24, Tennessee?s governor signed the
suffrage bill.
7. On August 26, the 19th amendment was ratified.
8. A hard-won victory
9. Women?s suffrage wasn?t totally given to them. They
fought for their right to vote.
10. The ratification of the 19th amendment marked the last
major reform of the progressive era and was the turning
point in American History.