Origins Of Progressivism Essay, Research Paper

I. The Origins of Progressivism

A. A Spirit of Reform in the late 1800?s

1. Henry George believed that poverty could be

eliminated by using land productively by everyone. Also

taxing the nonproductive more than the productive.

2. Edward Bellamy believed that the government should

create a trust to take care of the needs of the people rather

than profit.

3. Many groups wanted change for the majority of people

such as the socialist, the union members and members

of municipal or city government levels.

4. Municipal reforms in the late 1800?s and early 1900?s

that gave cities limited self-rule rather than state rule

are known as Home Rule.

B. Progressivism Takes Hold

1. Progressivism aspects of reform from many programs

and other movements.

2. Because they were afraid of losing their high standard

of living, progressives? were afraid of revolution.

3. Progressives believed that the government should play

a bigger role in regulating transportation and utilities.

4. Develop better social welfare programs.

5. The suffrage movement became a big issue among

women.

6. Child labor laws as well as many other things were

brought about by government regulations.

C. Progressive Methods

1. Journalist also helped create support by alerting the

public to wrong doing or muckrakers.

2. Investigating the issue then publicizing the results

putting pressure on legislators to take action is known

as Systematic manner.

D. Florence Kelley

1. Kelley was recommended for investigating the labor

conditions around Chicago.

2. Kelley earned a law degree so that she could prosecute

violators of child labor laws as well as regulations in

sweatshops.

3. Kelley believed in municipal reforms after a political

favor placed another inspector in her place.

4. 1899 National Consumers League was organized (NCL)

II. Progressivism: Its Legislative Impacts

A. Urban Reform

1. Reform began mostly at the city level

2. Some machine politicians worked with reformers to

improve voter registration, city services, established

health programs and enforced tenant codes.

3. By 1915 two out of three cities owned utilities.

4. Welfare services were put into effect.

5. Hazen Pingree put in parks, baths, and put into effect a

work-relief program.

B. Reforms at the State Level

1. Progressive governors also got involved with the

movement.

2. LaFollette brought about a direct primary in which

voters elect nominees for upcoming elections.

3. Employers and employees negotiating differences as

well as workers accident insurance became major

reforms in the work place.

4. The Supreme Court said that it was illegal to set

maximum hours for workers because it violated the

individuals right to make a contract with the

employer – 1905 Lochner vs. New York.

5. The Supreme Court upheld a decision that limited

women?s work hours to 10 hours per day – 1905 Muller

vs. Oregon.

6. The National Child Labor Committee convinced

about 30 states to abolish Child Labor by 1907 .

7. In 1912 minimum wage for women and children was put

into effect in Massachusetts.

8. Women were replaced with men because they would

work longer for less wages

9. Women?s push for voting rights was stifled by the belief

that females are physically weaker.

D. Reforms at the Federal Level

1. The United Mine Workers called a strike

lasting until Teddy Roosevelt insisted that both sides

submit to arbitration – May, 1902.

2. A process in which an impartial third party decides on a

legally binding solution is known as arbitration.

3. Teddy Roosevelt threatened to use the army to take

over the mines if the owners didn?t accept the

agreement.

4. ?Square Deal? reduced miner?s hours from 10 to 9 and

gave the miners a 10% raise while not officially

recognizing the minor?s union.

5. The Hepburn Act authorized the IEC to limit rates

if the shippers complained them unfair – 1906.

6. The Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat

Inspection Act required accurate labeling of

ingredients, strict sanitary conditions, and a rating

system for meats – 1906.

7. Holding companies are corporations that hold the

stocks and bonds of numerous companies thus

achieving a monopoly.

8. John Muir and John Wesley Powell urged congress, in

1872, to establish Yellow Stone as the United States

first national park.

9. Yosemite in California became a national park in 1890.

10. A National Reclamation Act (1902) aimed at planning

and developing irrigation projects aroused controversy

between city residents and farmers over use or water.

11. 1912 the United States government set up a Children?s

Bureau within the Department of Labor.

12. Women?s Bureau was also established in 1920.

13. Mary Anderson and Julia Lathrop were the first women

Bureau heads in the federal government.

14. Prohibition was thought to protect society from poverty

and violence associated with drinking.

15. Women?s support for prohibition caused brewery and

liquor interests to oppose women?s suffrage.

16. Prohibition became the 18th amendment in 1919 until

its repeal in 1933.

III. Progressivism: Its Impact on National Politics

A. The Presidency After Roosevelt

1. Teddy Roosevelt hand picked William Howard Taft as

the next Republican presidential nominee.

2. On the Democratic Side William Jennings Bryan also

ran (for the third time)

3. Taft won the election and promised to carry on the

progressive movement.

4. A rebel movement arose because Taft wouldn?t lower

the tariffs on imports.

5. Gifford Pinchot opposed Taft?s agreement to allow

several million acres of Alaskan public lands that had

rich deposits of coal be sold by Richard A. Ballinger.

Pinchot was fired.

6. Upset House Republicans rebelled against Taft and

joined Democrats in initiating an investigation into

Ballinger?s actions-he eventually resigned.

7. Rebels took action against the Republican old guard

who blocked much reform legislation.

8. Rebels changed the committee?s membership by

making it elective and excluding the powerful. House

Speaker, Joseph Cannon, a republican reform

opponent.

9. Teddy Roosevelt began speaking out about the need for

more federal regulations of business, welfare

legislation, and progressive reforms such as stronger

work place protections for women and children, income

and inheritance taxes, direct primaries, and the

initiative , referendum, and recall. This was called New

Nationalism.

10. Taft supported the Mahn-Elkins Act(1910) that placed

telephone and telegraph rates under control of the

Interstate Commerce Commission rather than big

business.

B. The Election of 1912

1. The progressive party was formed after Teddy

Roosevelt?s supporters walked out of the RNC when

Taft accused Teddy Roosevelt of fraud. They became

known as the Bull Moose Party.

2. Bull Moose Party?s platform included tariff reduction,

women suffrage, more regulation of business, an end to

child labor, an eight-hour work day, a federal worker?s

compensation system, and the popular election of

senators.

3. Teddy Roosevelt and Hiram Johnson ran a vigorous

campaign.

4. A four way election

5. Four men sought presidency in 1912.

Wilson-Democrats, Taft-Republicans, Eugene

Debs-Socialist, and Roosevelt-Bull Moose Party.

6. Wilson ran on a reform platform too, but unlike

Roosevelt, he criticized both big business and big

government.

7. Wilson, calling this policy New Freedom, promised to

enforce antitrust laws without threatening free

economic competition.

8. The Democrats won over both Houses of Congress.

9. Wilson created a Federal Trade Commission in 1914 to

be sure business complied with federal trade

regulations.

10. Also in 1914 the Clayton Antitrust Act spelled out

specific activities big businesses couldn?t do in

restraint of trade-strengthening United States antitrust

laws.

11. The Clayton Antitrust Act exempted union?s activities

from antitrust lawsuits unless they led to ?irreparable

injury to property.?

12. Wilson lowered tariffs and instituted major financial

reforms.

13. 1913 Wilson helped establish the Federal Reserve

System.

14. The Federal Reserve System let banks borrow money to

meet short-term demands, helping to prevent bank

failures.

15. Wilson also established the Federal Farm Loan Board

(1916).

16. Wilson opposed women?s suffrage because his platform

had not approved it.

17. A Controversial Appointment

18. Wilson nominated a progressive lawyer named Louis D.

Brandeis to the Supreme Court in 1916.

19. Named ?the peoples? lawyer? Brandeis had fought for

many public causes without pay.

20. Brandeis, being Jewish caused many problems as well

as his ?radical? approach to reform.

21. Brandeis? appointment to the Supreme Court marked

the peak of progressive reform at the federal level.

22. Wilson was reelected in 1916.

C. The Legacy of Progressive Reform

1. A Limited View of Progress

2. The African Americans of this era felt that progressives

weren?t doing enough to concern themselves with race

relations during this time.

3. 1912 Roosevelt refused to seat the southern African

American delegates for fear of alienating white

southern progressives.

4. Some supporters of women?s suffrage did so only to

double the ?white vote? in the United States and

exclude the African Americans.

5. African Americans fell further behind because of their

smaller population and the effectiveness of voting

restrictions in the South.

6. Progressives also focused on cities leaving out tenant

and migrant farmers and non-unionized workers in

general.

7. Some progressives supported immigration restrictions

and literacy test.

8. Progressives also supported the imperialistic

adventures of the day.

9. They believed in ?civilizing? under-developed nations,

no matter what the residents of those nations wanted.

10. The End of the Progressive Coalition

11. August 1914, a war broke out in Europe

12. Americans worried how long they could stay

uninvolved in the conflict.

13. By 1916, the reform spirit had ended whit the exception

of women?s suffrage.

IV. Suffrage at Last: A Turning Point in History

A. Suffrage at the Turn of the Century

1. In August 1920, Tennessee had to make a huge

decision, whether or not to ratify the 19th amendment.

2. Carrie Chapman Catt directed the lobbying effort for

the ?suffs?.

3. The National American Women Suffrage Association

(NAWSA) was established.

4. Women?s Rights

5. Women had won many rights. Married women could

buy, sell and will property.

6. Myra Bradwell of Chicago was denied a state license to

practice law in 1869. She appealed to the Supreme

Court where her denial was upheld. (Bradwell vs.

Illinois 1873).

7. By 1900?s women were becoming more involved in

unions, picketing, voluntary organizations, and getting

arrested.

8. The Opposition Mobilizes

9. Anti-suffragists made two arguments:

a. women were powerful enough without voting

b. giving women the vote would blur the distinction

between the sexes and make women seem more

masculine.

10. Anti-suffragists said that women would quickly

establish prohibition.

B. Suffragist Strategies

1. Suffragists followed two paths toward their goals:

a. pressing for a constitutional amendment

b. encouraging states to approve women?s suffrage.

2. In 1878 Congress adopted the wording of suffrage

leader Susan B. Anthony in the ?Anthony Amendment?.

3. The Anthony Amendment didn?t resurface until 1913.

4. The movement heats up in the 1910?s

5. The suffrage movement was becoming more widely

accepted in the 1900?s.

6. Carrie Chapman Catt- Systematized NAWSA techniques.

7. Alice Paul formed the Congressional Union (CU).

8. A collision over strategy

9. Different strategies caused the suffrage movement to

be torn into two.

10. The CU wanted an all-out national campaign for the

constitutional amendment.

11. The NAWSA felt that the CU was premature in some of

their actions.

12. Catt?s ?winning plan? was to work full time to get

congress to propose the federal amendment.

13. By 1917 NAWSA had over 2 million members.

14. In the fall of 1917 New York finally passed the

amendment.

15. Impact of the war

16. The United states entered WWI in April 1917

17. Women took over jobs that men left behind as well as

volunteering for other jobs.

18. Congress adopted the 18th amendment.

C. The Final Victory for Suffrage

1. 1918 Congress proposed the suffrage amendment.

2. Ratification

3. Harry Burn of Tennessee was the tie breaking vote in

Tennessee?s legislature.

4. Burn voted ?yes? because his mother had written to

them saying to vote ?yes? for her.

5. The speaker tried to stall the bill by reconsidering it.

6. On August 24, Tennessee?s governor signed the

suffrage bill.

7. On August 26, the 19th amendment was ratified.

8. A hard-won victory

9. Women?s suffrage wasn?t totally given to them. They

fought for their right to vote.

10. The ratification of the 19th amendment marked the last

major reform of the progressive era and was the turning

point in American History.