THE PROGRESSIVE ERA: FEDERAL INTERVENTION

ORIGINS OF PROGRESSIVE THOUGHT AND ACTION  1. Second Great Awakening  2. Populism  3. The "Social Gospel Movement"  4. union movement  5. muckraking

NEW VIEW OF THE PRESIDENCY  During prior presidencies Congress directs the role of government  Roosevelt sees the presidency as the “Bully Pulpit”  New constitutional vision of expanded role

ATTEMPTS TO REGULATE  Prior obstacles  Selective enforcement of Sherman anti-trust act  ICC reluctant to regulate  Wabash v. Illinois prohibited states from regulating interstate commerce  Swift & Co v. United States – 1905  Stream of Commerce.  Diminishment of the distinction between manufacture and transportation.  Muller v. Oregon – 1908  Allows state to regulate industry for women

ROOSEVELT’S “SQUARE DEAL”  Trust busting Trust busting  Three C’s  Consumer protection  Conservation  Corporate regulation  Distinguish good corporations from bad corporations

REGULATION OF FOOD AND DRUGS  Muckrakers – Upton Sinclair  Meat Inspection Act (1906)  Pure Food and Drug Act (1906)

CONSERVATION  Regulate land and resources through permits  Newlands Act 1902 and 1906 American Antiquities Act  230 million acres of land protected  Created National Park Service

REGULATION THROUGH THE ICC  Elkins Act (1903)  Hepburn Act (1906)  Mann Act (1910)

TAFT BECOMES PRESIDENT  Initiated twice as many antitrust suits as had TR’s administration  Mann-Elkins Act (1910)— Forbade RR rate increases without prior approval

ELECTION OF 1912  Taft – Republican Party  Debs – Socialist Party  Wilson – Democratic Party  New Freedom  Freedom from corporate corruption and increased competition- no tariffs, graduated income tax  Temporary gov control in order to break up trusts  Support small business  T. Roosevelt – Bull Moose Party  New Nationalism  Control and heavily regulate big business  Higher taxes, labor and health laws, various insurance  Women’s suffrage

A “LIVING WAGE”  Teddy advocates for “social and industrial justice.”“social and industrial justice.”  Calls for a normal standard of living…  “a standard high enough to make morality possible, to provide for education and recreation, to care for immature members of the family, to maintain the family during periods of sickness, and to permit a reasonable saving for old age…”  “Hours are excessive if they fail to afford the worker sufficient time to recuperate and return to his work thoroughly refreshed.”

WILSONIAN PROGRESSIVISM  16 th Amendment (1913) created income tax  Graduated  Richest 5% of Americans  17th Amendment (1913) required the direct election of senators  18th Amendment (1919) banned the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages  Not possible without 16 th amendment  19th amendment (1920) gave women the right to vote.

WILSONIAN PROGRESSIVISM  Federal Reserve Act  private and public control  12 regional banks  Works with large banks  Federal Trade Commissions Act  preserve competition by preventing businesses from engaging in unfair business practices  Clayton Anti-trust Act (1914)  Legalized peaceful strikes and exempted unions from anti-trust lawsuits  The Workingmen's Compensation Act (1916)  provided financial assistance to federal employees injured on the job  Keating-Owen Act  outlawed child labor  Adamson Act  8 hour work day  The Farm Loan Act (1916)  made it easier for farmers to get loans.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF PROGRESSIVISM  National attention to strikes and protests  Use of scientific research and experts to improve society  Transformation of presidency  Protection of environment  Protection of workers  Expansion of federal government  Protecting or controlling?  Expanded democracy  Direct election of Congress, initiative, referendum

PROGRESSIVE REFORMS AND POPULIST VIEWS TODAY  0-38:50, 44:20-58:00, 105:30-129:30