1. The Progressive Era

2. The Populist Party
Represented laborers, farmers, and industrial workers vs. bankers and railroads
Agenda
Unlimited coinage of silver
to make farm prices ; loan repayment easier
Direct election of senators
Term limits—President hold a single term
Graduated income tax—tax wealthy at higher rate
Immigration quotas
Shorter work days—to 8 hours instead of 10-14

3. William Jennings Bryan
1896, Democrats nominated
Democratic Party adopted many Populist ideas
“Cross of Gold” speech
Denounced bankers for “crucifying mankind on a cross of gold”
Defeated in 1896 & 1900 by McKinley

7. Populist Party
The Populist illustrate a role often played by third parties—they provide an outlet for disadvantaged groups to voice grievances and generate new ideas.
Populist reforms were later enacted by other political parties.

8. The Progressive Movement
Mainly middle-class city dwellers, rather than farmers and workers
Believed government should increase its responsibility for human welfare by taking an active rile in protecting workers and consumers

9. Muckrakers exposed government corruption & the abuses of industry
Jacob Riis
He photographed and described the appalling conditions of the urban poor in How the Other Half Lives.

15. Muckrakers exposed government corruption & the abuses of industry
Ida Tarbell
Her book, History of the Standard Oil Company (1902), showed how Rockefeller’s rise was based on ruthless business practices.

17. Muckrakers exposed government corruption & the abuses of industry
Lincoln Steffens
He exposed corruption in city and state governments in his book The Shame of Cities (1904).

18. Muckrakers exposed government corruption & the abuses of industry
Upton Sinclair
His novel, The Jungle (1906), exposed the unsanitary conditions of the meatpacking industry and led to passage of the Pure Food and Drug Act.

20. Labor Leader Eugene Debs Socialist leader of 1894
Led his union of railway workers in a strike that shut down the western railroads—Pullman Strike
Anti-Debs Cartoon

21. Municipal Reforms
Before, cities were ran by political machines or “bosses.” They would get immigrants jobs, housing, and citizenship in exchange for their vote.
The machine would steal from the public treasury through bribes and padded contracts.
Progressives replaced “bosses” with public-minded mayors and expanded city services.

22. Boss Tweed
New York City political “boss” in the s

23. State Government Reforms led by Robert LaFollette, governor of Wisconsin
Secret Ballot—earlier voting was not private, subject to pressure & intimidation
Initiatives—allows voters to directly introduce bills in the state legislature
Recall—elected officials could be removed by voters in a special election
Referendum—voters could compel legislators to place a bill on the ballot for approval
Direct Party Primaries—party members decide who they want to represent them in the general election

24. Progressive Presidents Theodore Roosevelt 1901-1909
Square Deal—proposed new laws to protect consumer health, to regulate some industries, and to conserve the nation’s natural resources
Meat Inspection Act (1906)—after reading The Jungle
Pure Food and Drug Act (1906)—regulated the preparation of foods and sale of medicines
Trust-buster—revived the Sherman Anti-Trust Act; filed a lawsuit to break of Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Company

26. T. Roosevelt with naturalist John Muir at Yosemite National Park

28. Bull Moose Party

29. Progressive Presidents William H. Taft 1909-1913
Antitrust cases
Set aside a great deal of public land for conservation
16th Amendment—allowed Congress to tax individual incomes
17th Amendment—direct election of US Senators instead of by state legislature

30. Progressive Presidents Woodrow Wilson 1913-1921
“New Freedom”—that would tame big businesses and allow for more competition
Lowered tariffs—cheaper goods
Used the 16th Amendment to introduce a progressive income tax
Federal Reserve Act (1913)—reformed the banking industry by establishing the Federal Reserve Banks
Clayton Antitrust Act (1914)—increasing government’s power to prohibit unfair business practices and established the Federal Trade Commission

32. The Suffrage Movement 1865-1920
Suffrage = the right to vote
Susan B. Anthony & Elizabeth Cady Stanton worked to get women the right to vote
19th Amendment (1920)—no state could deny a citizen the right to vote on the basis of gender

34. Seneca Falls

38. Role of Women Changes 1870-1914 Free public school for girls
Some colleges for women
Inventions like the sewing machine, typewriter, and telephone added new jobs for women outside the home
New labor-saving devices, such as the washing machine and vacuum cleaner reduced housework and provided middle-class women with more leisure time

39. Impact of Progressives on the Nation
Watchdog of Businesses—Americans looked to government for protection from unfair business practices
Expansion of Democracy—greater power in the hands of the people (like direct election of senators and primaries) in order to keep it from political bosses
Role of Protector—protect consumers, children, women and environment not minorities
New Tax Policies—graduated income tax changed how government was financed and helped to correct social inequalities through limited redistribution of wealth