1. Strange Fruit
Southern trees bear a strange fruit, Blood on the leaves and blood at the root, Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze, Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees. Pastoral scene of the gallant south, The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth, The scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh, Then the sudden smell of burning flesh. Here is a fruit for the crows to pluck, For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck, For the sun to rot, for the trees to drop, Here is a strange and bitter crop.

2. Strange Fruit Written by Abel Meeropol – Lewis Allen
Inspired by Thomas Shipp and Abram Smith
Made famous
by Billie Holiday
What is this song about? – lynching in the south
What makes this song effective? The contrast between the beauty of the south and the ugliness/horror or racism
When do you think it was written? – written in the late 1930s
Who is it meant for? For everyone
Why do you think it was written? To raise awareness about the brutality of racism that still existed
* Racism and its brutality existed during the period we will be discussing.

3. Gilded Age & Progressive Era

4. Understand the Progressive Response
Lesson of Purpose
Review problems
of Gilded Age
Understand the Progressive Response

5. Defining “Gilded Age Gilded Age:1865-1900 “gilded” – to cover with
a thin layer of gold
Time of corruption,
greed, poverty, weak gov. overcrowded cities, etc.
Industrialization, immigration & urbanization

6. Defining “Progressive Era”
Gradual movement towards something better
Response to the
Gilded Age
Political, Economic
& Social reforms

7. Poor working conditions Consumer fraud Unfair business practices
Main Issues
Poor working conditions
Consumer fraud
Unfair business practices
Political corruption
Environmental degradation

8. The “Progressives” Reformers; people fighting for change
Ordinary white
middle class
Accepted industrialism
& urbanization
Strong belief that
reform NEEDED

9. The “Progressives”
Roosevelt & Wilson - Provide leadership for Progressive cause
Roosevelt’s Cause
“The Square Deal” :
1. Regulate business
2. Consumer protection
3. Worker’s rights
4. Natural resources
Wilson’s Cause
Economic policy
Clayton Antitrust Act

11. A. “Fighting Bob” Robert La Follette Progressive governor Wisconsin
Later become Rep. Senator
Fought for progressive reforms
Nickname – “Fighting Bob” or “Battlin’ Bob”
Causes
Expand democracy
Increase gov. efficiency
Protect natural resources

13. B. Muckraker Ida Tarbell
Influential journalist of Progressive Era
Defining “muckraker”
Expose problems to public
Used words & images

14. B. Muckraker Ida Tarbell
Muckraker figures:
1. Lincoln Steffens – city gov. corruption,“The Shame of the Cities”
2. Jacob Riis & Lewis Hine – took pics of lower class working & living conditions

16. B. Muckraker Ida Tarbell
3. Ida Tarbell – exposed Rockefeller business tactics, “History of the Standard Oil Company”
4. Upton Sinclair – exposes Chicago meat- packing practices, “The Jungle”

17. B. Muckraker Ida Tarbell
“There would be meat stored in great piles in rooms; and the water from leaky roofs would drip over it, and thousands of rats would race about on it…a man could run his hand over these piles of meat and sweep off handfuls of the dried dung of rats. These rats were nuisances, and the packers would put poisoned bread out for them; they would die, and then rats, bread, and meat would go into the hoppers together.”

18. YUMMY!!!

20. Textile workers (women & children): 60-84 hrs a week No minimum wage
C. Young Coal Miner
Working Conditions
12 hour days, 7 days a week
Textile workers (women & children): hrs a week
No minimum wage
No unemployment insurance
No worker’s compensation

21. C. Young Coal Miner Triangle Shirt Waist Factory 1911 fire
No fire escapes
100 workers dead, some leaped off burning building

23. C. Young Coal Miner Changing Working Conditions
Roosevelt sided w/labor unions
1902 miner’s strike PA
threatened to send troops if management didn’t negotiate
1st time gov. power benefit labor
Dept. Commerce & Labor (1903) – activities of industry open to public

25. D. Food Inspection Goods Industrial age quantity up quality down
Customer no direct connection to seller
No protection from bad products
Meat packing industry
Roosevelt pressured Congress for law
Soldiers in war died from tainted meat

26. D. Food Inspection Drugs Companies make unproven claims
Pure Food & Drug Act 1906
Passed by Congress
Barred use of harmful chemicals in food
Prevented misleading statements on drug ads

28. E. President Roosevelt Monopolies Developed in industrial revolution
Disliked by progressives – too much power
Need gov. to regulate businesses
Roosevelt – “trust buster”
Hated business who abused power
Believed gov. had right to stop illegal practices

29. E. President Roosevelt Wilson Hated monopolies
Federal Trade Commission 1914
Kept large companies from destroying smaller one
Encourage competition
Clayton Antitrust Act
Stopped pricing policies that would destroy competition

31. F. Roosevelt & John Muir Roosevelt & John Muir
Muir is a conservationist
CA’s Sierra Nevada Mt.
Roosevelt championed conservation
Preserved 5 national wilderness areas
Known as the father of national park system

33. G. W.E.B. Du Bois
Du Bois
Leader of National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
Racial Issues
Progressives sought social justice, plights of black not a main concern
Progressives felt blacks inferior to whites
Progressives in south strengthen segregation laws & north ignored issues

34. G. W.E.B. Du Bois NAACP Protect rights of blacks
Defended unjust arrests of blacks
Sought anti-lynching laws
1914 – membership at 6,000 in 50 cities
Du Bois most prominent leader
Historian
Outspoken

36. H. Suffragists National Women’s Social & Political Union
Progressive want gov. more responsive to people’s will
expand democracy so more voters
“Political Machines”
Political power controlled by men – got bribes & favors
little accountability for actions
Progressives sought to stop this system

37. H. Suffragists 1913 Constitutional Amendment
Direct election of U.S. Senators
Stops “political machines”
19th Amendment ratified
Gave women right to vote

38. Class Activity Write acrostic “PROGRESSIVES”
Preserved America’s national wild life
Ratified 19th Amendment giving women right to vote O G R E