Progressive Reform Flashcards
Nature of progression
Reform movement(s) take hold in US
-all sorts of causes and participants in reform for progression
Progressive Era 1900-1917
-Begins turn of the century until US enters WWI
- Concerns predate 1900s and last past 1917
Progressivism spreads across political spectrum
-Democrats, Republicans, Progressive Party
Progressives are moderate reformers, not radicals
-believe if small steps not taken now, problems will grow and radical changes would then be necessary
Progressivism rises in “New” America (Urban/Industrial)
-Middle class, upper-middle, and upper class supported
-TR was upper class
Many reform
-labor, big business, politics, trusts, slums, factories
Growing gap between rich and poor
-problems build up and fester
Progressive Reform at National level
Shifting view on proper goal of US government in society
-Muckrakers
Teddy Roosevelt
Becomes President in when McKinley is assassinated
Very active, vocal supporter of progressive reform
-business, labor conservation
Big Business reform
TR was seen as a trust buster, but was not a big believer in trust busting
High profile anti-trust actions were taken
-Regulation
-not intended to break up big business, only to oversee and regulate it using government power
Understood big business was permanent
Food and Drug Act - 1906
Novel “The Jungle” Published in 1906 by Upton Sinclair
-Set in meat packing plants in Chicago
-Call for socialism in America
-To make novel seem true, Sinclair investigated meat packing plants and stock yards
-When published the call for socialism was ignored
-American focused on description of meat packing process
TR read the book in 1906
-ordered investigation into meat packing process
-stopped eating meat
-created food and drug administration
Pure food and drug act
-banned/barred adulterated food (mislabeled food) from interstate commerce
-constitution gave power to regulate interstate commerce to congress
-meat inspectors created
Big business worked closely with those framing industry regulations
-meat packers worked closely with government, get government’s stamp of approval
-tried to get people to eat meat again
-made the standard for all meat packing level for all businesses
-small companies could not make the changes, big companies took over
Labor reform
“Square deal” for labor
Coal strike of 1902
-thousands of workers went on strike for higher pay and shorter work days
-strike carried on, mine operators refused to negotiate with the workers
-coal provided heat in the winter to many businesses and residents, winter approached and temperature dropped
-coal was rationed in some big cities
-public outcry against mining operations
-TR knew it was time for reform, threatened operators to negotiate or the government would send in the military to seize the mines
-both sides then negotiated, ending the strike
-first time the government intervened in a strike on the side of labor, which was unprecedented
-workers received small pay raise, and a shorter work day
TR called for the prohibition of child labor, but it did not happen during his presidency
Conservation
TR huge champion of conservation
National forest lands first target of conservation
-at the turn of the century, 1/4 of the nations forests were all that remained uncut and pristine
-of that 1/4, 3/4 of the forest was privately owned
-clear cutting was taking place
Attitudes shift, people realize that resources are limited
TR takes unprecedented action
-Sets aside more land for national forest then all the previous presidents combined
-on public domain land, grazing and mining laws were then strictly enforced
Progressive view
-not to set aside land and leave it alone
-wanted regulated, controlled, rational use of the resources
William Pinchot v. John Muir
-political struggle between calculated, regulated use of resources, and preservation
Progressive reform after TR
TR was a very popular president
- Hand picked his replacement, Taft
- TR goes on extended safari in Africa, and returns to a firestorm
- Taft upsetting some of the progressive reformers
- Pinchot fired by Taft, and previously set aside land is reopened
- Trust busting
- two times the anti-trust legislation is passed in 1/2 the time
- alienating progressives
- John Rockefeller’s Standard Oil is attacked
- Taft kept tariffs high, against progressive views
Election of 1912
TR tries to earn Republican nomination
-Taft, the current president, is nominated
Roosevelt and followers leave the party, and form the progressive party
Democrats nominate Wilson, and the socialist nominate Debs
It becomes a race between TR and Wilson
-Wilson wants to restore competitive conditions, break up big business
-TR okay with Big Business, as long as government can regulate it
-TR then “Goes Radical” in the eyes of many
-Federal government should become more active in social welfare: Child labor laws, minimum wage, union protections, create nationally run/backed old age pension plan
Republican split between TR and Taft
Wilson won with less then 1/2 the vote
Wilson
Won the election of 1912 with less then 1/2 the votes
Once elected, Wilson acted how TR was talking during the election
Set up FTC and Federal reserve system
FTC - 1914
Federal Trade Commission
oversight body, overseeing corporate behavior
not breaking up business, but limiting it
Federal Reserve System - 1913
Brings regulation to largely unregulated system, banking
takes the “money issue” and money supply out of politics
Big business and banks work closely with government to frame legislature for federal reserve
Legacies and limits - Role of government
Government is taking larger, activist, hands on approach to regulation
Passes amendments to limit and regulate business
-Only 3 reconstruction amendments
-Zero gilded age amendments
-4 progressive era amendments
-16th (federal income taxes)
-17th (give direct election to senate)
-18th (prohibition, repealed in 1933)
-19th (women’s suffrage)
Glaring hole or omission in progressive reform is race
Race in Progressive Reform
Blacks confront dire circumstances at the time
-Jim Crowe laws, disenfranchisement, lynching
Booker T Washington
Black male from Alabama
Accommodation
-program to respond to racial caste system
-don’t rock the boat
-temporary acceptance of second class citizenship
-instead of protesting for political rights, work to obtain property
-Train and educate selves with practical vocation and raise themselves up
-prove yourselves as worthy of political rights
Tuskegee
-school created to help blacks
-find a path to accommodate themselves
-vocational skills, rural agriculture society
Did not like Dubois’ view
