Progressive Reforms Unit 5

Muckrakers Journalists who wrote about the corrupt side of business and public life during the early 20th century Ida B. Tarbell wrote about the corruption of John D. Rockefeller and his Standard Oil Company

Upton Sinclair Upton Sinclair wrote The Jungle in 1906 The Jungle described the sickening conditions of the meatpacking industry

President Roosevelt read The Jungle and responded to public demand for action Roosevelt’s skill for compromise and his enthusiasm led to laws and policies that benefited both public health and the environment Teddy Roosevelt

Meat Inspection Act (1906) In 1906, the Meat Inspection Act was passed The Act required strict cleanliness and set up a program of federal meat inspection

Women and Reform By the late 19th century, more and more women entered the work force or sought higher education Many of these women began to apply their skills to needed social reforms Women still could not vote, so they worked as reformers to improve conditions at work and at home

Settlement Houses Community centers in slum neighborhoods that provided assistance to people in the area, especially immigrants Ran largely by middle-class, college educated women Provided educational, social, and cultural services

Jane Addams Jane Addams co-founded the Hull House in Chicago in 1889

Jim Crow Jim Crow laws: racial segregation laws passed by Southern states to separate white and black people in public and private facilities

Voting Restrictions Literacy Tests Poll Tax: an annual tax that you had to pay to qualify to vote Grandfather Clause: if a man could not pay poll tax or failed the literacy test, he could still vote if he, his father, or grandfather voted before 1867 (when black men won the right to vote)

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) Supreme Court ruled that segregation did not violate the 14th amendment Established “separate but equal” as constitutional Homer Plessy

NAACP Organization formed in 1909 that aimed for full equality of the races African Americans joined together with white reformers 6,000 members by 1914 Led the fight to overturn Plessy v. Ferguson

Government Reforms Government reforms during this era gave Americans more of a voice in electing their legislators and making laws

Government reforms Initiative: a bill originated by the people rather than law makers Referendum: when voters, instead of legislators, accept or reject an initiative Recall: enabled voters to remove public officials from elected positions by forcing them to face another election before the end of their term

Direct Election of Senators 17th Amendment Before 1913, each state legislature chose its own senators  this gave even more power to party bosses and wealthy corporations 1912 Congress approved the 17th amendment, and in 1913 it was ratified

Roosevelt and Conservation Roosevelt at Yosemite National park

Roosevelt and Conservation By late 19th century, Americans had exploited its natural resources Pioneers leveled forests and plowed prairies Ranchers allowed cattle to overgraze the Great Plains Coal companies ruined land with waste from mines Logging companies didn’t replant trees Cities dumped sewage and industrial waste into rivers

Roosevelt and Conservation Roosevelt condemned the view that America’s resources were endless and made conservation a primary concern Conservation: preserving some wilderness areas and allowing the development of others for public good Roosevelt had millions of acres of land set aside as natural reserves and forests

Teddy wasn’t exactly a Tree Hugger

Chinese Exclusion Act In 1882, the U.S. closed the door on Chinese immigrants for 10 years. In 1892, it was extended another 10 years and in 1902, extended indefinitely Finally overturned in 1943

Why? Nativism and racism laborers in the West feared losing their jobs to the Chinese immigrants who would accept lower wages