IX. The Progressive Era (1897 – 1914)

Question 1

What were the main goals of the Progressive Era?

Answer 1

The goals included making the economic system fairer, reducing government corruption, improving the quality of life for ordinary people, restoring American societal values, and promoting bureaucratic and scientific efficiency.

Question 2

What principles did the Progressives establish regarding public intervention?

Answer 2

They established principles to ensure fairness, health, and safety.

Question 3

Who were the Progressives primarily composed of?

Answer 3

White Anglo-Saxon Protestants (WASPs), middle-class individuals, and relatively young professionals like lawyers, doctors, and teachers.

Question 4

What societal issues did Progressives target?

Answer 4

Child labor, child abuse, prostitution, poor working conditions, poverty, and corruption in government and big business.

Question 5

What demands did urban workers push for during this period?

Answer 5

Safe factories, shorter workdays, workers’ compensation, better housing, and health measures.

Question 6

What significant legislation was passed due to Progressive advocacy?

Answer 6

Meat Inspection Act, Pure Food and Drug Act (1906), and Clayton Antitrust Act (1914).

Question 7

Why is Theodore Roosevelt considered the first modern president?

Answer 7

He expanded executive power, used media to appeal directly to people, and regulated big business to achieve social and economic justice.

Question 8

What was Roosevelt’s “Square Deal”?

Answer 8

A domestic program focusing on controlling corporations, consumer protection, and conserving natural resources.

Question 8

What role did muckrakers play during Roosevelt’s presidency?

Answer 8

They were journalists who exposed corruption, poor living conditions, and corporate greed, influencing public opinion and reform.

Question 9

How did Roosevelt address environmental concerns?

Answer 9

He signed the Newlands Reclamation Act, created 150 national forests, and established five national parks and 51 wildlife refuges.

Question 10

Who was Upton Sinclair, and what impact did his book “The Jungle” have?

Answer 10

He exposed unsanitary conditions in the meatpacking industry, leading to the Meat Inspection Act and Pure Food and Drug Act.

Question 11

What did Ida Tarbell expose in her writings?

Answer 11

The monopolistic practices of Standard Oil and corporate corruption.

Question 12

What issue did Jacob Riis document?

Answer 12

The poor living conditions of immigrant children in garbage dumps in NYC.

Question 13

How did the Progressive Era address racial issues?

Answer 13

It largely neglected African Americans, although figures like Ida B. Wells and W.E.B. Du Bois advocated for civil rights and equality.

Question 14

What was Booker T. Washington’s approach to African American advancement?

Answer 14

He advocated for self-help and economic equality before political equality.

Question 15

How did Taft’s approach to trust-busting differ from Roosevelt’s?

Answer 15

He initiated more antitrust cases but rejected the distinction between “good” and “bad” trusts, relying more on legal means.

Question 16

What were Taft’s significant achievements?

Answer 16

Ratification of the 16th Amendment (federal income tax) and 17th Amendment (direct election of senators).

Question 16

What were the Clayton Antitrust Act’s contributions?

Answer 16

It regulated unfair business practices, protected unions, and improved on the Sherman Antitrust Act.

Question 17

What tragic event during Taft’s presidency highlighted poor working conditions?

Answer 17

The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire (1911).

Question 17

What was Wilson’s reform package called, and what did it include?

Answer 17

The “New Freedom,” including tariffs, banking reform, labor rights, and child labor laws.

Question 18

What major constitutional amendments were passed during Wilson’s administration?

Answer 18

The 18th Amendment (prohibition) and the 19th Amendment (women’s suffrage).

Question 19

How did the Spanish-American War affect America’s global role?

Answer 19

The U.S. gained territories like Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and Guam, becoming a major global power.

Question 20

What event sparked the Spanish-American War?

Answer 20

The explosion of the USS Maine in Havana Harbor in 1898.

Question 21

What treaty ended the Spanish-American War, and what were its terms?

Answer 21

The Treaty of Paris (1898), which granted Cuban independence under U.S. control and ceded Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and Guam to the U.S.

Question 22

What was the role of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) created under Wilson?

Answer 22

To regulate competition, investigate business practices, and issue cease-and-desist orders to prevent monopolistic practices.

Question 23

What act marked the beginning of U.S. conservation efforts under Roosevelt?

Answer 23

The National Monuments Act (1906).

Question 24

How did Roosevelt’s foreign policy differ from his domestic policy?

Answer 24

He pursued aggressive foreign policies while focusing on regulation and reform domestically.

Question 25

When did the Progressive Era take place?

Answer 25

Approximately from the 1890s to the 1920s.

Question 26

What were the main goals of the Progressive Era?

Answer 26

Addressing social issues caused by industrialization, urbanization, and corruption in government; promoting reforms in labor, women’s rights, and public health.

Question 27

What inspired the Progressive Movement?

Answer 27

The writings of muckrakers who exposed social injustices, corruption, and poor working conditions.

Question 28

Who were the muckrakers, and what did they do?

Answer 28

Journalists who exposed corruption and abuses, such as Upton Sinclair (“The Jungle”) and Ida Tarbell (Standard Oil investigations).

Question 29

What was the significance of Upton Sinclair’s book The Jungle?

Answer 29

It exposed unsanitary conditions in the meatpacking industry, leading to the Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act in 1906.

Question 30

What was the purpose of the Pure Food and Drug Act (1906)?

Answer 30

To prevent the sale of contaminated food and drugs and ensure truthful labeling.

Question 31

What was the Sherman Antitrust Act (1890)?

Answer 31

A law aimed at preventing monopolies and promoting fair competition.

Question 32

How did Theodore Roosevelt contribute to the Progressive Era?

Answer 32

He implemented trust-busting, conservation policies, and supported labor rights.

Question 33

What was the Square Deal?

Answer 33

Theodore Roosevelt’s domestic policy focusing on consumer protection, corporate regulation, and conservation.

Question 34

What was the Federal Reserve Act (1913)?

Answer 34

It established the Federal Reserve System to regulate the banking industry and stabilize the economy.

Question 35

What role did women play in the Progressive Era?

Answer 35

Women were key leaders in reform movements, advocating for suffrage, labor rights, and temperance.

Question 36

What was the 19th Amendment, and when was it ratified?

Answer 36

Ratified in 1920, it granted women the right to vote.

Question 37

What was the significance of Jane Addams during the Progressive Era?

Answer 37

She founded Hull House in Chicago, a settlement house providing education and social services to immigrants and the poor.

Question 38

What were settlement houses?

Answer 38

Community centers in urban areas providing services like education, healthcare, and housing for immigrants and the poor.

Question 39

What was the impact of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire (1911)?

Answer 39

It led to improved labor safety laws and building codes.

Question 39

What was the 16th Amendment?

Answer 39

Ratified in 1913, it allowed Congress to levy an income tax.

Question 40

How did the Progressive Era address child labor?

Answer 40

Reforms like the Keating-Owen Act (1916) sought to restrict child labor, though enforcement was limited until later years.

Question 40

What was the 17th Amendment?

Answer 40

Ratified in 1913, it established the direct election of U.S. senators by voters rather than state legislatures.

Question 41

What were the goals of the temperance movement?

Answer 41

To reduce alcohol consumption and address social issues related to alcohol abuse, culminating in the 18th Amendment (Prohibition).

Question 42

What was the 18th Amendment?

Answer 42

Ratified in 1919, it prohibited the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol (later repealed by the 21st Amendment).

Question 43

What was the NAACP, and when was it founded?

Answer 43

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, founded in 1909, aimed to fight racial discrimination and promote civil rights.

Question 44

What role did Woodrow Wilson play in the Progressive Era?

Answer 44

He introduced reforms like the Clayton Antitrust Act and the Federal Trade Commission to regulate business practices.