Progressivism Goes National

A Twist of Fate When President William McKinley was assassinated 6 months into his second term, Theodore Roosevelt became the nations 26 th president (and youngest at 42) Republicans feared his progressive nature McKinley was assassinated by an anarchist in Buffalo in September of 1901

“A Square Deal for all” “There must be ever present in our minds the fundamental truth that in a republic such as ours the only safety is to stand neither for nor against any man because he is rich or because he is poor, because he is engaged in one occupation or another, because he works with his brains or because he works with his hands. We must treat each man on his worth and merits as a man. We must see that each is given a square deal, because he is entitled to no more and should receive no less.”

FOUR GOALS OF Progressive REFORMERS 1) Protect Social Welfare 2) Promote Moral Improvement 3) Create Economic Reform/Foster Efficiency 4) Reform Government

Progressivism first gained strength at the city and state level Urban issues become center of reform City is perceived as a social menace full of disorder Overcrowded, pollution, illness, poor sanitation Immigrants settle in core of city while the rich move out to the suburbs

Tenement Housing Jacob Riis, a photographer Documented life of the lower class in the cities in his book How the Other Half Lives

Employers felt little responsibility toward their workers, especially immigrants As a result Settlement homes, like Jane Addams’ Hull House, and churches served the community. Provided safe places for youth to play. Also the YMCA and Salvation Army took on service roles Don’t stop & restrict immigration … Instead find a better way to assimilate immigrants into our society.

Saloons (PUBS!) became seen as a vice instead of a social place They proposed such reforms as prohibition Groups wishing to ban alcohol included the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU)

Local Government and Problems in the City Cities are not organized well to handle the new issues facing the modern cities Early solution was the Boss system (Boss Tweed, Plunkett, etc.) that had begun in establishing political machines in response to the earlier influx of immigration of the 1840s Early public welfare system - If you lose your job and place to live, you go to the Boss for help – in return you vote for whomever the Boss tells you to vote Widespread fraud and inefficiency Someone can rise from humble origins to powerful positions, but often through graft and bribery

Citizens fought for, and won, such measures as secret ballots, referendum votes (legislative acts could be approved by people), and the recall (removal of a public official, often deemed corrupt,from office by a vote of the people ) Citizens could petition and get initiatives on the ballot Makes government power more responsive to the people Government and Election Reform

PROTECTING WORKING CHILDREN Children were more prone to accidents caused by fatigue Nearly every state limited or banned child labor by 1918

EFFORTS TO LIMIT HOURS Progressives succeeded in winning worker’s compensation to aid families of injured workers The Supreme Court and the states enacted or strengthened laws reducing women’s hours of work

3. CREATE ECONOMIC REFORM Fear of the Power of Monopolies TRUSTBUSTING By 1900, Trusts – legal bodies created to hold stock in many companies – controlled 80% of U.S. industries Roosevelt filed 44 antitrust suits under the Sherman Antitrust Act –This act forced trust to split up to give more options to consumers.

“THE JUNGLE” LEADS TO FOOD REGULATION After reading The Jungle by Upton Sinclair, Roosevelt pushed for passage of the Meat Inspection Act of 1906 The Act mandated cleaner conditions for meatpacking plants

PURE FOOD AND DRUG ACT In response to unregulated claims and unhealthy products, Congress passed the Pure Food and Drug Act in 1906 The Act halted the sale of contaminated foods and medicines and called for truth in labeling The Pure Food and Drug Act took medicines with cocaine and other harmful ingredients off the market

ROOSEVELT AND THE ENVIRONMENT Before Roosevelt’s presidency, the federal government paid very little attention to the nation’s natural resources As the industrial revolution used and abused natural resources Roosevelt made conservation a primary concern of his administration Roosevelt, left, was an avid outdoorsman – here he is with author John Muir at Yosemite Park

ROOSEVELT’S ENVIROMENTAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS Roosevelt set aside 148 million acres of forest reserves He also set aside 1.5 million acres of water-power sites and he established 50 wildlife sanctuaries and several national parks

WOMEN IN PUBLIC LIFE Before the Civil War, American women were expected to devote their time to home and family By the late 19 th and early 20 th century, women were visible in the workforce

WOMEN WIN SUFFRAGE Native-born, educated, middle- class women grew more and more impatient Through local, state and national organization, vigorous protests and World War I, women finally realized their dream in 1920 The 19 th Amendment gave women the right to vote in 1920