The Progressive Movement Reform 1900-1920

Causes of Progressivism Social problems in rural and urban settings gave rise to third-party movements and the beginning of the Progressive Movement. Industrial development brought great fortunes to a few and raised the standard of living for millions of Americans, but also brought about the rise of national labor unions and clashes between industry and labor. The period from Reconstruction through the early twentieth century was a time of contradictions for many Americans. Agricultural expansion was accomplished through wars against the Plains Indians, leading to new federal Indian policies.   Excesses of the Gilded Age – Income disparity, lavish lifestyles – Practices of robber barons Working conditions for labor – Dangerous working conditions – Child labor - Long hours, low wages, no job security, no benefits - Company towns – End of employment of women

General Goals of Progressives Government controlled by the people Guaranteed economic opportunities through government regulation Elimination of social injustices Passing of laws to make them government more responsive to the needs of the people MAJOR SPECIFIC corruption Monopolies ,price fixing, and alcohol Unable to work Regulation of business vote

How did they do it? The Progressive Movement used government to institute reforms for problems created by industrialization. Examples of reform include Theodore Roosevelt’s “Square Deal” and Woodrow Wilson’s “New Freedom.”

Muckrakers The Progressive Movement actually was one of the most successful movements in American History. This was a time period of muckrakers : journalists who wrote sensational news stories exposing the horrid living conditions or the poor and corruption of government. One of the most famous “muckrakers” was a man named Upton Sinclair who wrote the book “The Jungle” which described the disgusting conditions in meatpacking plants where food was prepared. Sinclair’s book resulted in the Meat Inspection Act which required cleaner conditions for food preparation, and thePure Food & Drug Act that insisted on food labels being accurate. Muckrakers increased public outrage which resulted in more people to participate in the reform movements.  

Keating Owens Act Keating Owens Act= outlawed the sale of goods created with child labor – ultimately declared unconstitutional

Accomplishments of the Progressives In local governments · New forms of government (commissioner-style and city- manager-style) to meet needs of increasing urbanization 1. Referendum: allowed laws to be decided by a general vote during elections 2. Initiatives: allowed citizens to propose laws 3. Recall: allowed citizens to vote (remove) elected officials from office

In elections— Primaries: created preliminary elections to select candidates for their party 1 7th Amendment: allowed people to directly elect senators Secret Ballot: allowed voting to be anonymous. Previously voters had to publicly declare their choice

Additional Amendments 16th Amendment: Created the income tax to pay for WWI 18th Amendment: “Prohibition” outlawed the production, transportation and sale of alcohol

Anti– Trust (Monopoly) laws Laws were also passed by Progressives to limit the influence of monopolies by regulating anti—competitive business practices. 1. Sherman Anti-trust Act: Prevented any type of business that restricted trade. Unfortunately, this law was weak, and only hurt labor unions. 2. Clayton Anti-trust Act: Gave more power to the Sherman Antitrust Act by outlawing price- fixing. It also exempted unions from the Sherman Act.

Women’s Suffrage (Voting) Suffrage= voting A. This was a forerunner of the modern protest movement. B. The movement benefited from strong leaders such as Susan B. Anthony and Carrie Chapman Catt. C. It encouraged women to enter the workforce during World War I and when the men returned and wanted their jobs back, angry women joined the protest movement. D. RESULT: 19th Amendment— gave women the right to vote in 1920

Segregation Discrimination against and segregation of African Americans intensified and took new forms in the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century. Jim Crow Laws limited freedoms for African Americans. • After reconstruction, many Southern state (Redeemer) governments passed “Jim Crow” laws forcing separation of the races (segregation) in public places. • Intimidation and crimes were directed against African Americans (lynchings) by groups such as the Ku Klux Klan.  

Role of the Courts African Americans looked to the courts to safeguard their rights, by trying to apply protections promised to them in the 14th Amendment.. • In Plessy v. Ferguson, the Supreme Court ruled that “separate but equal” did not violate the 14th Amendment, upholding the “Jim Crow” laws of the era.

Great Migration During the early twentieth century (especially during WWI and the 1920s), African Americans began the “Great Migration” to Northern cities in search of jobs and to escape poverty and discrimination in the South.

Responses to Jim Crow African Americans disagreed about how to respond to these developments. · Ida B. Wells led an anti-lynching crusade and called on the federal government to take action. · Booker T. Washington believed the way to equality was through vocational education and economic success. He was chosen as the first head of the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. He accepted social separation (segregation) in a speech called “The Atlanta Compromise” and was criticized for it. · W.E.B. DuBois believed that education was meaningless without equality. He supported political equality for African Americans by helping to form the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).