1. The Progressive Era:
8.1= Drive for Reform

3. Progressivism
Political movement; Believed new ideas & an honest gov. could bring social justice
Urbanization & Industrialization Social/Political Problems
1) Political Reform= Women suffrage & ending political machines
2) Living conditions were terrible in cities
3) Big Business practices= Eliminate large trusts that limited competition & raised prices
“Bust the trusts”; Create opportunities for smaller businesses
4) Close the gap between the wealthy & poor

4. Political Machines
Corrupt political organizations led by political leaders called bosses
Bosses helped supporters with personal problems; Kept voters loyal to them
Relied on loyalty of supporters to ignore their corrupt practices; Use of public money to benefit themselves
Used bribery & violence to influence voters & win elections
Famous example: William “Boss” Tweed & Tammany Hall; Democratic Party political machine of NYC
Journalist Thomas Nast Drawing

5. Muckrakers Reveal Need for Reform
Investigative journalists; Highlighted ugly aspects of the nation
Lincoln Steffens= The Shame of the Cities; Exposed how political corruption impacts major American cities
Jacob Riis= How the Other Half Lives
New genre of literature= Naturalist Novels
Portrayed how the poor & minorities lived; Showed their misery & daily struggles

6. Progressives Reform Society
The Social Gospel; Idea that Christian values (charity/justice) should be the basis for making reforms in society
Walter Rauschenbusch, Christianity & the Social Crisis

7. Progressives Reform Society; Settlement Houses
Settlement Houses= Community centers, provided local services to the urban poor
Child care; Held English classes; Nursery schools/kindergartens
Jane Addams; Leading figure in Settlement House movement
Created Hull House in Chicago

8. Progressives Reform Society; Child Labor & Education
U.S. Children’s Bureau (1912) Keating-Owens Act (1916)
1938= Congress officially outlaws child labor
Progressives wanted to improve education for children
States passed laws that required schooling to a certain age
But there was great debate over what children should be learning
John Dewey; Educator who pushed for education reforms

9. Progressives Reform Society; Industrial Workers
March 1911, New York City; The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory

10. Election Reforms
Robert La Follette, Wisconsin governor, established a direct primary
Citizens vote to select nominees for upcoming state/local elections
Wisconsin= “Laboratory of Democracy”
Three main reforms:
1) The Initiative= Use of petitions for citizens to propose a new law to vote on
2) The Referendum= Allows citizens to approve or reject laws passed
3) The Recall= Gave voters the power to remove public servants from office before their terms ended
1913, 17th Amendment= Direct election of state senators by voters

11. Progressive Governors

12. Women Make Progress
8.2

13. Working Women’s Rights
Laws limited work hours for women Justified paying women less for same work men did
Florence Kelley; National Consumers League (NCL) & Women’s Trade Union League (WTUL)
1903= Muller V. Oregon
Limited work hours for women

14. Family Life
Temperance movement; Led by the Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU)
Work eventually led to the 18th Amendment; Outlawed production/sale of alcohol (Prohibition)
Margaret Sanger; 1916= Opened first birth-control clinic
Jailed several times
1921= Founded American Birth Control League
Ida B. Wells= National Association of Colored Women (NACW)

15. Suffrage
Carrie Chapman Catt; 1900= President of National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA)
Lobbied Congress to pass constitutional amendment
Used new referendum process to pass state suffrage laws
“Society plan”= Recruit wealthy, educated women; “Suffragettes”

16. Suffrage
Social activists became more daring to win the vote; Alice Paul
Formed the National Woman’s Party (NWP); Used public protest marches
1st group to protest with picket signs outside the White House; Led to arrests
NAWSA’s support of the war effort (World War I) led to the 19th Amendment
Right to vote “shall not be denied or abridged on account of sex”
Officially enacted in 1920

17. Struggle Against Discrimination
8.3

18. African-Americans Demand Reform
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
Aimed to help African-Americans be politically free
Included white & black Progressives
Urban League
Group that focused on poorer workers
Helped family buy clothes, books, & send children to school

19. Native-Americans & Japanese Americans
1887 Dawes Act= Divided Indian reservations into smaller plots for individuals to farm
1913= California law stated that only American citizens could own land
Japanese immigrants could not become immigrants; Law forced them to sell their own lands

20. Roosevelt’s Square Deal
8.4

21. Theodore Roosevelt 26th President of the United States
Served as President from September 14th, 1901-March 4th, 1909

22. Square Deal
Goals= Keep the wealthy & powerful from taking advantage of small business owners & the poor
1902= Roosevelt supported Pennsylvania coal miners who went on strike; Threatened to send in federal troops to take control of the mines
Roosevelt’s threated forced mine owners to give workers a raise and shorter work hours
Did not want to bring down all large companies
But wanted them to operate fairly; Not exploit small business owners or poor workers

23. The National Reclamation Act
Natural resource issue in SW U.S.A= Water
Mining industry needed lots of water to operate
Created issues between mining companies & farmers; All needed water to thrive
National Reclamation Act (1902)
Federal government had power to decide where & how water would be distributed
Gov. would build & manage dams that would create reservoirs, generate power, & direct water flow

24. Woodrow Wilson’s New Freedom
8.5

25. Woodrow Wilson
28th President from March 4th, March 4th, 1921

26. New Freedom Program
Plan to place strict government controls on corporations (Big Business)
Provide more opportunities & freedom for small businesses
Once elected, Wilson attacked the “triple wall of privilege”
Tariffs, banks, & trusts
These 3 establishments blocked businesses from being free

27. Wilson Regulates the Economy
Underwood Tariff Act (1913)= Lowered tariffs on imported goods from foreign nations
Included a provision to created a graduated income tax
Revenue from income tax made up for the money that the government lost by lowering tariffs on imports
Federal Reserve Act (1913)
Federal banks under control of a Federal Reserve Board; Set up regional banks to hold reserve funds from commercial banks

28. Wilson Regulates the Economy
Federal Trade Commission (1914)
Monitored business practices that could lead to a monopoly; Watched for false advertising or dishonest labeling
Adamson Act (1916); Used to prevent a nationwide railroad strike
Limited railroad employees’ work day to 8 hours
Ludlow Coal Strike (1914)
26 coal men, women, kids killed during the strike