2.13 The Social Impact of Progressivism Flashcards
Who were the muckrakers?
Journalists like Steffens and Sinclair who examined the underside of American society to expose corruption
What corruption did muckrakers aim to expose?
High and mighty bankers and industrialists as well as the low level corruption of ‘graft’, ‘kickbacks’, and jobs for the boys in City Halls
Was progressivism good for the immigrant communities?
- Yes as it demanded social justice and campaigning against unfair and poor working conditions.
- However, also often ready to condemn immigrants for being too poor, too Catholic, too keen to drink, etc.
What are examples of what the muckrakers exposed?
- A concerted campaign against the use of child labour
- Denunciation of the neglect by employers in the garment industry that led to a fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in 1911
What debate revealed the divide between middle class and working class progressives?
Prohibition
What was the movement to outlaw alcohol called?
The temperance movement
What prohibition groups gained popularity as a result of urbanisation and immigration?
The Prohibition Party, the Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU), and the Anti-Saloon League
What is an examples of an activist that became a prominent national figure during the temperance movement?
Carrie Nation of the WCTU - ‘Kansas Bar Room Smasher’
- First husband was an alcoholic
- Protestant beliefs
- Smashed up a bar with a hail of large stones
Who was the leader of the Anti-Saloon League and what was he like?
- Wayne Wheeler
- Effective in lobbying the two main political parties for support
How was the power of ‘Wheelerism’ demonstrated?
1906 - pressure from the Anti-Saloon League helped to defeat Myron Herrick, the ‘Wet’ Governor of Ohio, when he stood for re election
What action did women take towards social reform?
By 1909, the National American Woman Suffrage Association was organising public rallies and making closer links with the suffragette movement in Britain
How did ideas of nativism change during this time?
- Grew stronger
- Especially after 1910
- KKK revival from 1915
