Progressivism Progressivism was a collection of ideas and activities on how to fix the problems people believed existed in America. Progressives generally believed that industrialism and urbanization had created many social problems. Help should come from the government Progressivism was partly a reaction against laissez-faire economics and its emphasis on an unregulated market. Poverty Filth Crime The previous problems could be fixed because they had a strong belief in science and technology.

The Muckrakers They were the first people to articulate about the Progressive ideas. These people were crusading journalists who investigated social conditions and political corruption. They became known as muckrakers. Ida Tarbell, Lincoln Steffens, Jacob Riis, and Upton Sinclair were the best known muckrakers.

Improving the Government One group of the progressive movement focused on making government more efficient. They believed that many of societies problems would be solved if government worked properly. Progressives wanted to apply the principles of scientific management. This method included the following: Managing time Breaking tasks down into small parts Using standardized tools Efficiency progressives said that experts should be used in managing cities, not politicians. These progressives wanted either a commission plan or a council-manager system.

Democracy and Progressivism Not all progressives agreed with the efficiency progressives and they wanted those elected officials to be more responsive to voters. Political reform first came to the state level when Wisconsin voters elected Republican Robert La Follete to be governor. La Follete pressured the state legislature to require each party to hold a direct primary, in which all party members could vote for a candidate to run in the general election.

Democracy and Progressivism The initiative allowed a group of citizens to introduce legislation and required the legislation to vote on it. The referendum allowed proposed legislation to be submitted to the voters for approval. The recall allowed voters to demand a special election to remove an elected official from office before his or her term had expired.

The Suffrage Movement In July 1848, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott organized the first women’s rights convention in Seneca Falls, New York. Stanton argued that getting women the right to vote should be their first priority. Suffrage is the right to vote. In 1890 the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA) was formed. The 19th Amendment was passed in Congress and on August 26, 1920, after three-fourths of the states had voted to ratify it, the 19th Amendment guaranteeing women the right to vote went into effect.

Social Welfare Progressivism Progressives not only focused on reforming the political system, others focused on social problems, such as crime, illiteracy, alcohol abuse, child labor, and the health and safety of Americans. Campaign against child labor This was the most emotional Children had always worked on family farms Factory work for children was monotonous and the conditions were unhealthy In 1900 over 1.7 million children worked in factories Muckraker John Spargo’s book The Bitter Cry of Children presented detailed evidence on child labor conditions.

Health and Safety Codes Many adult workers labored in dangerous conditions as well. Factories, coal mines, and railroads were particularly dangerous. In 1911 a fire swept through the Triangle Shirtwaist Company in New York City. Nearly 150 women workers died They were trapped by doors locked from the outside During the 1900s thousands of people died or were injured on the job, but they and their families received little or no compensation.

Prohibition Many progressives believed alcohol was responsible for many problems in American life. Employers believed drinking hurt workers’ efficiency. The temperance movement, which advocated the moderation or elimination of alcohol, emerged from these concerns.