1. The Origins of Progressivism
At the beginning of the new century, reformers1 addressed many of the problems that had contributed to the social upheavals of the late 1800s.

2. The Origins of Progressivism
Journalists and writers exposed the unsafe conditions that factory workers, including women and children, often faced.

3. The Origins of Progressivism
Intellectuals questioned the dominant role of
large corporations in American society.

4. The Origins of Progressivism
Political reformers struggled to make government more responsive to the people.

5. The Origins of Progressivism
Together, these reform efforts formed the
progressive movement2,...

6. The Origins of Progressivism
...which aimed to return control of the government to the people, restore economic opportunities, and correct injustices in American life.

7. The Origins of Progressivism
Unlike populism3, the movement that started with dissatisfied farmers, the progressive movement attracted middle-class city dwellers, who included writers, teachers, and scholars.

8. The Origins of Progressivism
Even though they never completely agreed on the problems or the solutions, these progressives sought to cure the many social problems caused by industrialization4.

9. The Origins of Progressivism
However, every progressive reform movement had at least one of the following four goals:

10. The Origins of Progressivism
I. Protecting Social Welfare –

11. The Origins of Progressivism
I. Protecting Social Welfare –
Social welfare reformers strove to relieve urban problems and harsh effects of industrialization.
Grew out of the Social Gospel and settlement house movements. 5

12. The Origins of Progressivism
I. Protecting Social Welfare –
Social welfare reformers strove to relieve urban problems and harsh effects of industrialization.
Grew out of the Social Gospel and settlement house movements. 5
Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) - opened libraries, sponsored classes, and built swimming pools and parks. 6

13. The Origins of Progressivism
I. Protecting Social Welfare –
Social welfare reformers strove to relieve urban problems and harsh effects of industrialization.
Grew out of the Social Gospel and settlement house movements. 5
Salvation Army - fed poor people in soup kitchens, cared for children in nurseries, and sent “slum brigades” to convert poor immigrants to the middle-class values of hard work and temperance. 7

14. The Origins of Progressivism
I. Protecting Social Welfare –
Social welfare reformers strove to relieve urban problems and harsh effects of industrialization.
Grew out of the Social Gospel and settlement house movements. 5
Florence Kelly - lived in Jane Addam’s Hull House in Chicago; advocated for improving the lives of women and children; became chief inspector of factories for Illinois and helped win the passage of the Illinois Factory Act in 1893 8

15. The Origins of Progressivism
I. Protecting Social Welfare –
Social welfare reformers strove to relieve urban problems and harsh effects of industrialization.
Grew out of the Social Gospel and settlement house movements. 5
Illinois Factory Act - prohibited child labor and limited women’s working hours, soon became a model for other states 9

16. The Origins of Progressivism
II. Promoting Moral Improvement –

17. The Origins of Progressivism
II. Promoting Moral Improvement –
Reformers offered programs to uplift immigrants and poor city dwellers by improving personal behavior
Prohibition, the banning of alcoholic beverages, was one such program 10

18. The Origins of Progressivism
II. Promoting Moral Improvement –
Reformers offered programs to uplift immigrants and poor city dwellers by improving personal behavior
Prohibition, the banning of alcoholic beverages, was one such program 10
Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) - founded in Chicago in 1873, promoted the goal of prohibition Members entered saloons, singing, praying,
and urging saloonkeepers to stop
selling alcohol 11

19. The Origins of Progressivism
II. Promoting Moral Improvement –

20. The Origins of Progressivism
II. Promoting Moral Improvement –
Reformers offered programs to uplift immigrants and poor city dwellers by improving personal behavior
Prohibition, the banning of alcoholic beverages, was one such program 10
Frances Willard - transformed the WCTU from a small mid-western religious group into a powerful national organization
WCTU members opened kindergartens
for immigrants, visited inmates in prisons,
and worked for suffrage 12

21. The Origins of Progressivism
II. Promoting Moral Improvement –
Reformers offered programs to uplift immigrants and poor city dwellers by improving personal behavior
Prohibition, the banning of alcoholic beverages, was one such program 10
Anti-Saloon League – founded in 1895, called itself “the Church in action against the saloon”
Endorsed politicians that supported
prohibition
Convinced many states, towns, and
cities to prohibit the sale, production,
or use of alcohol 13

22. The Origins of Progressivism
II. Promoting Moral Improvement –
Reformers offered programs to uplift immigrants and poor city dwellers by improving personal behavior
Prohibition, the banning of alcoholic beverages, was one such program 10
Carry Nation – worked for prohibition by walking into saloons, scolding the customers, and using her hatchet to destroy the bottles of liquor 14

23. The Origins of Progressivism
Creating Economic Reform –

24. The Origins of Progressivism
Creating Economic Reform –
A severe economic panic, or depression, in 1893 prompted
some Americans to question the capitalist economic system. 15

25. The Origins of Progressivism
Creating Economic Reform –
A severe economic panic, or depression, in 1893 prompted
some Americans to question the capitalist economic
System. 15
Henry George & Edward Bellamy – writers that criticized the laissez-faire theory 16
The capitalist ideal of competition is a “brutal and cowardly slaughter of the unarmed and overmatched by bullies in armor.”

26. The Origins of Progressivism
Creating Economic Reform –
A severe economic panic, or depression, in 1893 prompted
some Americans to question the capitalist economic
System. 15
Eugene V. Debs – organized the American Socialist Party in 1900 17

27. The Origins of Progressivism
Creating Economic Reform –
A severe economic panic, or depression, in 1893 prompted
some Americans to question the capitalist economic
System. 15
Muckrakers – journalists who wrote about the corrupt side of business in magazines during the early 20th century 18

28. The Origins of Progressivism
Creating Economic Reform –
A severe economic panic, or depression, in 1893 prompted
some Americans to question the capitalist economic
System. 11
Ida M. Tarbell – muckraking author of “History of the Standard Oil Company” in McClure’s Magazine 19

29. The Origins of Progressivism
IV. Fostering Efficiency –

30. The Origins of Progressivism
IV. Fostering Efficiency –
Reformers tried to increase the efficiency of American society 20

31. The Origins of Progressivism
IV. Fostering Efficiency –
Reformers tried to increase the efficiency of American society 20
Scientific Management – the effort to improve efficiency in the work place by applying scientific principles to make tasks simpler and easier 21

32. The Origins of Progressivism
IV. Fostering Efficiency –
Reformers tried to increase the efficiency of American society 20
Principles of Scientific Management – author Frederick Winslow Taylor declared, “time studies of work forms the basis of modern management” 22

33. The Origins of Progressivism
IV. Fostering Efficiency –
Reformers tried to increase the efficiency of American society 20
Assembly Line Production – introduced by Ford Motor Company in 1913; led to a huge increase in production, but exhausted workers 23

34. The Origins of Progressivism
In many states,
political machines24 rewarded their supporters with jobs and kickbacks and openly bought votes with favors and bribes.

35. The Origins of Progressivism
During the progressive movement, efforts were made to reform politics to make government more efficient and responsive to its constituents.

36. The Origins of Progressivism
But those efforts also grew from distrust of immigrants’ participation in politics.

37. The Origins of Progressivism
The first step in reforming political machines was the adoption of the secret ballot25, also called the Australian ballot.

38. The Origins of Progressivism
Next, the initiative26 and the referendum27 gave citizens the power to create laws.

39. The Origins of Progressivism
Citizens could petition to place an initiative—a bill originated by the people rather than lawmakers—on the ballot.

40. The Origins of Progressivism
Then voters, instead of the legislature, accepted or rejected the initiative by referendum28, a vote on the initiative.

41. The Origins of Progressivism
The recall29 enabled voters to remove public officials from elected positions by forcing them to face another election before the end of their term if enough voters asked for it.

42. The Origins of Progressivism
To force Senators to be more responsive to the public, progressives pushed for the popular election of senators.

43. The Origins of Progressivism
Before 1913, state legislatures had chosen United States senators, a process that put even more power in the hands of party bosses and wealthy corporation heads.

44. The Origins of Progressivism
The Seventeenth Amendment30 allowed states
to begin choosing senators by means of the direct primary.

45. The Origins of Progressivism
Natural disasters sometimes played an important role in prompting reform of government.

46. The Origins of Progressivism
In 1900, a hurricane31 swept out of the Gulf of Mexico and demolished Galveston, Texas.

47. The Origins of Progressivism
The politicians on the city council botched the huge relief and rebuilding job so badly that the Texas legislature appointed a five-member commission of experts to take over.

48. The Origins of Progressivism
The commission was so successful that by 1917, 500 cities had replaced city councils with commissions.

49. The Origins of Progressivism
Local reforms coincided with progressive efforts
at the state level.

50. The Origins of Progressivism
Spurred by progressive governors, many states passed laws to regulate railroads, mines, mills, telephone companies, and other large businesses.

51. The Origins of Progressivism
Wisconsin Governor, Robert M. La Follette32, led the way in driving big businesses out of politics.