1. The Progressive Spirit of Reform 1868 - 1920
Chapter 21
The Progressive Spirit of Reform

2. How did Americans benefit from Progressive reforms?
Essential Question
How did Americans benefit from Progressive reforms?

3. I. The Gilded Age and the Progressive Movement
Late 1800’s – highlights inequality in politics and society
Political Machines: powerful organizations that used both legal and illegal methods to get their candidates to public office
Stuffed ballot boxes
Bribed vote counters
Controlled local governments
Run by a “boss”
Tammany Hall: New York City’s political machine run by William Tweed

4. Cleaning Up Corruption
Because of scandal in Grant’s Administration, public calls for changes in civil service - government job system and ending the spoils system – rewards political supporters with government jobs
July 2, 1881, President James Garfield shot by insane job seeker Charles Guiteau

5. The Push for Reforms
After Garfield’s death, President Chester Arthur passed the Pendleton Civil Service Act: required job applicants to pass a test before being hired
If New York time is three hours ahead of San Francisco time, what time would it be in New York if a San Francisco clock one hour behind the time shows 4 o'clock?
1 o'clock
6 o'clock
7 o'clock
8 o'clock

6. POPULISM
Farm prices begin to fall because farmers grew more than Americans demanded
Farmers wanted:
Lower tariffs (taxes on imports/exports) to increase foreign demand for farm products
Republicans blocked lowering tariffs to protect American businesses

7. POPULISM Populist Party: “people’s party” – wanted reforms:
Government ownership of railroads
Graduated income tax
8-hour work day
Senators elected directly by the people
Recall
Referendum
Initiative

8. PANIC OF 1893
Populist Party gets 1 million popular votes in the 1892 Presidential Election – about 20% of the total number
Panic of 1893:
Economic depression – farmers hit hard
Reform the money system
Backed by GOLD – dollar has more value – prices down
Backed by SILVER – more dollars available – prices up

9. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION OF 1896
Republican: William McKinley
Backed business and gold standard
Wizard of Oz?
Democrat: William Jennings Bryan
Backed farmers and silver standard
36 years old
Cross of Gold Speech – “you shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold!”

10. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION OF 1896
William McKinley
William Jennings Bryan

11. Progressives and Muckrakers
Progressives: reformers working to improve society in late 1800’s
Muckrakers: journalists who exposed the filth of society
Lincoln Steffens – exposed corruption in St. Louis government
Ida Tarbell - criticized unfair business practices of Standard Oil
“There would be meat stored in great piles in rooms; and the water from leaky roofs would drip over it, and thousands of rats would race about on it. It was too dark in these storage places to see well, but a man could run his hand over these piles of meat and sweep off handfuls of the dried dung of rats. These rats were nuisances, and the packers would put poisoned bread out for them; they would die, and then rats, bread, and meat would go into the hoppers together.”
Upton Sinclair, The Jungle, 1906

12. PROGRESSIVE REFORM MOVEMENT
Progressive Reforms:
Correct injustices in society
End government corruption
End monopoly power of big business
Improve factory conditions/end child labor
End alcoholism
Grant women’s suffrage (right to vote)

13. Reform Successes
Urban reform with city planners, civil engineers, and sanitation engineers
States passed laws requiring children to attend school
John Dewey: children should learn problem solving skills
American Medical Association (AMA) improved education of medical professionals and supported laws to protect public health

14. Expansion of Voting Power
Progressives wanted to reduce the power of political machines
17th Amendment: direct election of senators
Recall: a vote to remove an official before the end of the term
Initiative: allowed voters to propose a new law by collecting signatures on a petition
Referendum: permitted voters to approve or reject laws proposed or passed by a government body

15. Robert La Follette Wisconsin governor
Hired experts to help write new laws and work in state agencies
Made information available to public on how politicians voted

16. II. Reforming the Workplace
In 1900, 1.75 million children age 15 and under worked in factories, mines, and mills
1916 and 1919 federal child labor laws passed, but struck down as unconstitutional
Parents ignored laws or told children to lie about their ages to work

17. Safety and Working Conditions
Workplace accidents were common (35,000 killed in 1900)
Triangle Shirtwaist Fire: New York City, women killed because doors were locked by owners
Workers’ Compensation Laws: guaranteed portion of lost wages to workers injured on job
Working conditions still remained poor however

18. The Courts and Labor
Business leaders believed the economy should operate without government interference
Lochner v. New York: Court rules that states cannot restrict the right of workers and employers to enter into any type of labor agreement
1908 – Muller v. Oregon: Court upheld laws restricting women’s work hours because the laws protected women’s health

19. Labor Organizations Unions led to improved working conditions
AFL and Gompers supported capitalism: private businesses run most industries and competition determines price of goods
International Workers of the World (IWW) led by “Big Bill” Haywood supported socialism: government owns and operates a country’s means of production

20. III. The Rights of Women and Minorities
Many women began attending college and putting their education into reform movements
Temperance: avoiding alcohol, blamed many social problems on drinking
18th Amendment: banned production, sale, and transportation of alcohol in the U.S.
Women’s Suffrage
National American Woman Suffrage Association: founded by Carrie Catt
National Women’s Party: founded by Alice Paul
19th Amendment

21. African Americans Challenge Discrimination
Discrimination and segregation still going on
Booker T. Washington: former slave who encouraged African Americans to improve education and economic well-being to end discrimination
Ida B. Wells: spoke out against lynching (murdered by mobs)
W.E.B. Du Bois: believed African Americans should demand equal rights and stand up to unjust treatment – founded the N.A.A.C.P: National Association for the Advancement of Colored People

22. IV. Progressive Presidents
In 1901, President William McKinley was killed by an anarchist named Leon Czolgosz
Vice President Theodore Roosevelt becomes the youngest president in American history (42 years old)

23. Theodore Roosevelt Square Deal Regulating Big Business Conservation
Interest of all people should be balanced for public good
1902 coal strike
Regulating Big Business
Meat Inspection Act
Pure Food and Drug Act
Used Sherman Anti-Trust Act to break monopolies
Conservation
Protect nature and resources

24. William Howard Taft
Moved more cautiously toward reform than Roosevelt, which angered many Progressives
Payne-Aldrich Tariff: reduced the rates on imported goods

25. Woodrow Wilson
A split in the Republican Party allowed Wilson to win in 1912
16th Amendment: allows federal government to impose income taxes
Federal Reserve Act: created the Federal Reserve banking system
Federal Trade Commission: power to investigate and punish unfair trade practices