Progressives Flashcards
The Progressive Era (Movement) (1900-1919)
Overview:
The Progressive Movement was a social reform movement. Those who supported it wanted to:
1) Regulate big business. End laissez-faire. Make sure that the gov’t protects workers and citizens from unfair business practices, monopolies, abuse, dangers in the workplace and cities, etc.—(and makes sure child labor ends)
2) Give people more say in government. Make the government more accountable to the people.—Our democracy was made more democratic
3) Consumer Protection —(Protects the consumer, like what we eat, makes sure there’s no carcinogens in our house walls, etc.)
Increasing Democracy/Say in Government (Direct Primary Elections, Initiative, Referendum, Recall, Increasing women’s suffrage, Direct Election of U.S. Senators)
1) Direct Primary Elections- Increases voter participation and choice by allowing voters to select the candidate from each individual party to run against the selected candidate from the other party in the general election. (It’s when people vote who’s going to represent the party. Ex. Biden vs Buttigeg, who’s going to run for president against the republican party…This comes before the general election) —Before this, the party leadership decided who would run for president for a designated party (not the voters).
2) Initiative, Referendum, Recall (they give voters more say in government)
Initiative: allow citizens to introduce legislation to state legislatures (voters get to propose legislation—voters come up with a bill and agree to it, the legislators would put it into play—-Ex. The voters decide to add a traffic light to a street)
Referendum (proposition): allow voters to vote on prospective legislation —A question is posed to the voters, and they decide if something should be passed (often has to do with reserve funds—use it to build new parks, or to build more trees—they decide)
Recall: where voters get to vote an elected official out of office—-gives the voters the ability to kick someone out of office (with enough signatures). This is rare (most voters don’t think this is necessary—people can be removed from office via impeachment or via an election/the next time someone is running for reelection, don’t vote for them.)
3) Increasing women’s suffrage (voting rights):
By 1914, 11 western states had granted women full suffrage. Full suffrage rights were granted to women via the 19th Amendment (1920) —-(there were lots of calls prior to the progressive era—women in the west also had rights to vote before other states. Typically the west is conservative, but they were among the first to introduce women’s suffrage because womens’ jobs in the west were similar to those of men. They shared mens’ responsibilities. Men didn’t want women to vote in the first place because the men believed womens’ brains work differently. They thought a woman’s brain could not understand complexity and that they were too emotional.)
4) Direct Election of U.S. Senators (17th Amendment-1913)- Prior to this amendment (as per the original U.S. Constitution), U.S. senators were selected by the state legislators. But now, as per the 17th Amendment,they were to be directly elected by popular vote. This is significant because it makes senators more accountable to the people. It greatly increases democracy—–gave people more say in government. (the senators are more likely to do what the people want. The people have a direct impact on who gets elected. If someone wants to become a senator, they must appeal to the people and gain their votes)
Consumer Protection
(people believed that it was the government’s job to protect its people)
-During the Progressive Era, we see the beginning of regulation of insurance companies. No longer could insurance companies sell worthless policies to people. In other words, if a valid claim was submitted, the company had to pay.—(Without regulation, the insurance companies did not keep their promises.)
-City zoning laws, building codes- set minimum requirements for lighting, air/ventilation, fire escapes, room size, sanitations, etc., in order to protect us (The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire—There were no safety doors/ladders/fire escapes or anything and a fire broke through. Everyone inside burned to death—most of which were young girls. Now standards of safety were created)
-As a result of the book The Jungle-written by Upton Sinclair (investigative journalist—he was socialist and believed capitalism took advantage of many for the benefit of a few), which documented the horrible working conditions in the meatpacking industry, readers saw how disgusting and unsanitary unregulated meat was. (Ex. rotten meat was sold to people and the factory conditions were crowded and terrible. The employees were sick and infected the food, and also there were vermin/rats running around, infecting the meat. Even worse was, people would often get hurt, fingers cut off, and the meat being infected with flesh/blood) This especially angered and sickened President Teddy Roosevelt. He, along with the public, called for the passage of the Meat Inspection Act (1906). This led to the government regulation and inspection of meat, to ensure that it was safe to consume.
-Along these lines, Congress passed the Pure Food and Drug Act…to make sure that over the counter drugs were safe and effective for consumer use. (precursor to the FDA) —-(back then, medicine was fake and made of colored water, or contained opium and made their patients addicted/dependent on it. Regulation made sure this wouldn’t happen again)
Regulation of Big Businesses
-Progressives did not trust big business to do what was “right.” Corporations, they said, care about the bottom line- profit…not helping people. Therefore, progressives argued that the job of the gov’t (both federal and state) was to protect people…especially workers. (Gov. tended to favor businesses because very wealthy businessmen were able to get the best lawyers and had a lot of power)
-Inspection of factories- requiring minimum safety standards
-Shortening hours of the workday
-Limiting and eventually eliminating child labor
-Workers’ compensation laws (for those hurt on the job)
-More rights for labor unions
Muckrakers
(means trouble-maker—term made by Roosevelt, he didn’t want the gov to be criticized)
-Writers and journalists who sought to expose corruption in both business and gov’t. Hoped to see reforms passed in order to help workers/consumers, etc. Examples include- Upton Sinclair (see above notes), Ida Tarbell (famous for exposing corrupt business practices of Rockefeller), Jacob Riis (famous for exposing the hardships of immigrant urban dwellers in the book How The Other Half Lives).
Miscellaneous Reforms
-Stricter regulation of railroads (like the Interstate Commerce Act)
-Corporate profits taxed (corporations finally pay taxes)
-16th Amendment (1913)- Federal income tax- graduated tax (progressive tax)- the more income you earn, the higher percentage of tax you pay. This was supported by folks who wanted a more fair distribution of wealth/income
-Boys and Girl Scouts formed
-Increase in charities (rise in middle class/wealth, bc rich people donate)
-JD Halls (Juvy)/Courts/Reform Schools
-Conservation laws- to protect the environment
-Mandatory school attendance laws for kids
-Increase in number of high schools (kids needed to learn other subjects to be productive members of society, other than reading and writing)
-Margaret Sanger- Planned Parenthood:
It was started because there were many poor large families that struggled with their children (usually the poorer you are the more kids you have—this is because they lack the knowledge of birth control and they are typically more religious—they hope for a happier afterlife than their poor life which makes them religious…Because they are more religious, they believe that children are a blessing, and the more children they have, the more blessings they’ll have}—This organization controlled the amount of children…Women go there for medical reasons and birth control/contraception/abortions. Women also typically died in childbirth, so they relied on this place for health help—they would come here to prevent births without the knowledge of their husband
—She was rumored to be a eugenicist (believing there is a superior race and preventing inferior races from reproducing) but this is very likely not true
-Temperance Movement- WCTU (Women’s Christian Temperance Union)- Anti-Alcohol movement
(supported mainly by women and viewed as a part of the womens’ movement)—-In many cases, men would buy drinks, get drunk, and beat their wives and kids, so women wanted to stop it. —Also, many religions are against alcohol. ——-This movement eventually contributed to suffrage.
-18th Amendment (1919)- Prohibition- made alcohol sale and consumption illegal. (Prohibition made less Americans drink, however, the small numbers of people that do not drink, don’t offset/outweigh the negative outcomes of prohibition like the mafia/organized crime…The mafia was a crime cartel that started after prohibition and sold illegal alcohol. The mafia would not have come to America, if not for prohibition—they made money this way) Repealed by the 21st Amendment (1933)—(Now the mafia couldn’t make money illegally through liquor, so they turned to drugs like heroin, human trafficking, and gambling)
Limits of Progressivism
-Progressives were much more successful on the local and state levels…not as successful nationally. —It’s easier this way
-Corporations fought against gov’t regulation in courts. They won many times, thereby hindering reform. —(The corporation claimed the laws were unconstitutional and often won because they had the most money and the best lawyers…Also the judges at the time tended to be economically conservative/didn’t want business presence in economy) —-The Corporations did not want to lose money, so they fought.
-Workers did not get as many gains as they could have because many middle class progressives feared workers and labor unions.
-Probably the biggest limit of progressivism was on the issue of race. Most middle class progressives were white who did not do much to help black people. They did very little to protest Jim Crow in the South or to stop second class citizenship status for black Americans in the north. So what became clear was that at this time, in order to help uplift the black race, black leaders themselves needed to rise up (they couldn’t count on white people to help them). The two most famous to do so were Booker T. Washington and W.E.B Dubois. (they both favored black education, but they had different opinions on the type of education)
Booker T. Washington
-Booker T. Washington was a former slave who started the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama (only for black boys). This was a trade (vocational) school. Washington believed that the best way to uplift the black race was to teach black children a trade. Then, blacks, he believed, would gain more self-worth as well as economic self-sufficiency.
-Over time, he believed two things would happen:
1. Blacks would rise out of poverty
2. Racism would slowly decrease. (Getting out of poverty would prove to white people that black people are equal—although he didn’t care about racism that much—his focus was making sure black people didn’t die or be poor)
-However, Washington did not actively fight against Jim Crow, nor did he demand immediate social or political equality. He believed economic equality mattered most, and believed trade schools would do it. (He was liked by white people because he wasn’t actively combating racism—he focused more on economic freedom) —-He curried favor from white people and they funded his schools
W.E.B. Dubois
(Did not agree with Booker T.)
-Dubois would not accept 2nd class citizenship status for black Americans
-He demanded immediate social and political equality for blacks
-He demanded an end to segregation and Jim Crow
-He demanded immediate voting rights for black men
-Dubois was one of the founders of the NAACP- a civil rights organization. He was also the editor of their newspaper.
-Dubois was a college professor, writer, and activist
-Like Booker T. Washington, Dubois supported education for black children to uplift the race. But unlike Washington, he did not believe it should only be trade schools. He supported academic education for black kids.
(He wondered why Booker T didn’t allow girls in the school and why black kids were given the opportunity to learn trades but not academics)
Teddy Roosevelt
-Consumer Protection- big supporter of the Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act—–He believed it was the govt’s job to protect its citizens
-Business Regulation- “Good trusts vs. Bad trusts”- T.R. was nicknamed the “Trust Buster.” (Broke up monopolies) But he did not want to eliminate all trusts. “Bad” trusts needed to be eliminated (they were manipulative)…but “Good” Trusts just needed gov’t regulation. (Good trusts are ones that are in the best interests of the people)He also supported workers’ rights more so than any other president before him.
-Conservation- believed it important to conserve and preserve the environment. For example, he expanded the amount of federally protected forests, more national parks, supported federal funding for irrigation projects to grow grasslands, supported renewable resources (often these expansions were at the expense of Indians)
-“Square Deal”- the name of T.R.’s administration- meaning that every American deserves a fair shot at the “American Dream”
William Taft
-Opposed to monopolies as well…busted more trusts than T.R. did
-Supported business regulation as well
- There was a scandal in the Taft administration dealing with corruption in the Forest Service (he was not corrupt, but the people in his administration were—one of his cabinet members sold government land and a whistle-blower told everyone—Taft instead fired the whistle-blower instead of the man responsible, which people didn’t like). Many believed that Taft was abandoning T.R.’s conservation policies. So, T.R. is convinced to run again for a third (non consecutive) term against his former friend Taft. T.R. joins a new political party called the Progressive Party (the Bull Moose Party). The Republican vote splits between Taft and T.R. and so, the Democrat, Woodrow Wilson is elected in 1912.
Woodrow Wilson
(proud racist—his family was part of the KKK…he brought segregation to the white house)
-His administration was nicknamed “New Freedom”
- Eliminated all monopolies
-Believed it is the federal gov’t’s responsibility to provide more equality of opportunity
-While president- 16th and 17th Amendments ratified- 1913 (he was an advocate for the 16th: federal income tax—more income=higher tax rate; and 17th: Direct election of US senators)
-Created the Federal Reserve
-“Fair Deal”
Federal Reserve System
-passed by Congress- 1913 (under Woodrow Wilson’s presidency)
-(It was passed after the Gold Standard—money today is not backed by gold, it’s not backed by anything but the full faith and credit of the US government. Almost everywhere in the world will take USD because the US economy is powerful.)
-The Fed is our central bank (national banking system)
-The Federal Reserve was created in order to regulate the amount of money in circulation (control the money supply)—Those appointed cannot be fired and can make their own decisions until their term is up. (it determined whether more money gets pushed into/taken out of the economy—The Fed predicts what the economy will look like and they will either raise/lower/keep interest rates. This is based on whether they think there is inflation or not)
-The Federal Reserve is able to control the money supply through their regulation of interest rates (the amount of extra money you have to pay back on a loan that you take out—-if there’s too much money in circulation, the interest rate will increase, which will discourage people from taking out loans……If there’s too little money in circulation, the interest rates lower, to encourage the taking out of loans)
Clayton Anti-trust Act
(1917)
Stronger antitrust law than Sherman Antitrust Act
The 16, 17, 18, 19, 21 Amendments
-16th Amendment (1913)- Federal income tax- graduated tax (progressive tax)- the more income you earn, the higher percentage of tax you pay. This was supported by folks who wanted a more fair distribution of wealth/income
-17th Amendment (1913): Direct Election of U.S. Senators—Prior to this amendment (as per the original U.S. Constitution), U.S. senators were selected by the state legislators. But now, as per the 17th Amendment,they were to be directly elected by popular vote. This is significant because it makes senators more accountable to the people. It greatly increases democracy—–gave people more say in government. (the senators are more likely to do what the people want. The people have a direct impact on who gets elected. If someone wants to become a senator, they must appeal to the people and gain their votes)
-18th Amendment (1919): Prohibition —made alcohol sale and consumption illegal. (Prohibition made less Americans drink, however, the small numbers of people that do not drink, don’t offset/outweigh the negative outcomes of prohibition like the mafia/organized crime…The mafia was a crime cartel that started after prohibition. The mafia would not have come to America, if not for prohibition—they made money this way)
-19th Amendment (1920): Women’s Suffrage—By 1914, 11 western states had granted women full suffrage. Full suffrage rights were granted to women via the 19th Amendment (1920) —-(there were lots of calls prior to the progressive era—women in the west also had rights to vote before other states. Typically the west is conservative, but they were among the first to introduce women’s suffrage because womens’ jobs in the west were similar to those of men. They shared mens’ responsibilities. Men didn’t want women to vote in the first place because the men believed womens’ brains work differently. They thought a woman’s brain could not understand complexity and that they were too emotional.)
-21st Amendment (1933): Repealed Prohibition—(Now the mafia couldn’t make money illegally through liquor, so they turned to drugs like heroin, human trafficking, and gambling)
